November 4, 2013

The 2013 Halloweensie Contest Finalists! - Vote For Your Favorite!

Holy Halloweensie!

You guys sure know how to give a judge a run for her money!

Gone are the days of the first Halloweensie Contest when we got 7 or 8 entries!

My assistant judges (yes, I called in reinforcements!) and I agonized over winnowing this amazing field of entries down to a manageable number for you to vote on.

And I have a few comments.  (Don't I always :))

First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest.  It was far and away the most well-subscribed contest we've ever had.  79 entries at the final count (because yes, I counted wrong on Friday :)) and the quality of the entries across the board was fantastic.  There were no easy cuts.  (Except, sadly, for one that went over the word count to 114 and had to be disqualified.)

Second, I'd also like to thank EVERYONE - writer, reader, or both - who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments.  This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories.  It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed.  I hope you all got as much delight  and entertainment out of the reading as I did!  Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! :)

Third - SURPRISE! - as a result of the quality and quantity of entries, I have decided to give prizes through 6th place instead of only through 3rd.  I have also decided that you might need a little extra time to vote and that the post that announces the winners should be exclusively devoted to that celebration.  So the post with the winners will go up on THURSDAY November 7 (not with WYRI on Wednesday as I originally planned.)

Before I list the finalists, I want to say once again how difficult it was too choose!  There were so many fabulous entries.  Really.  I could find at least something terrific about every single one.  There were so many good ones that in the end some got cut on the basis of a word or phrase that we felt was a little off, or a concept we weren't quite sure a child would get.  So if yours didn't make the final cut please don't feel bad.  There was a huge amount of competition.  Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point - we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story.  And the fact that you didn't make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn't write a great story.  Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner!  You showed up.  You did your best work.  You practiced your craft.  You wrote to specifications.  You bravely shared your writing with the world.  And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 100 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript.  So bravo to everyone who entered!

Now, without further ado, here are your finalists.  There is a mix of poetry and prose, stories for youngest readers and stories for older kids, funny, cute, and spooky - quite a spread!  We really tried to keep it to 10... but we couldn't... though we came close :)

Remember that the judging criteria were:

1. Kid-appeal! - These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness did not make the cut.
2. Quality of story - the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn't make the cut.
3.  Halloweeniness - the rules stated a Halloween story, so entries that failed to mention anything Halloween-y did not make the cut even if they were well-written.
4. Originality and creativity - because that is often what sets one story above another.

Finalists will be listed by title and without author for now in case that helps you be more objective :)

#1 Are You Scared Yet?


“I’m ready, ” said the little black cat.

“Let’s hear it,” said the big black cat.

“Booooooo,” said Little Cat.

Big Cat curled up. “Not spooky enough.”

“Ah ha ha ha,” she cackled, wrinkling her nose.

Big Cat yawned. “Not creepy enough.”

Little Cat bared her teeth. “Mwah ha ha,” she said.

“I’m still not scared,” said Big Cat, closing his eyes.

Little Cat took a deep breath and growled from her belly, getting louder until her body vibrated.

“Rawr!” she bellowed, and Big Cat jumped straight into the air.

“Not bad,” Big Cat said.


Little Cat smiled. I’m ready.


#2 Treat Or Trick

Headstone Hill's a spooky place.
Wanda Witch lives there.
It's said she steals small children.
Little ones beware!

Dared to go on Halloween,
Rip approached her house.
He tiptoed past the black cat.
Quiet as a mouse.

Wanda pulled the creaky door,
Stretching a sly smile.
"My, a sweet young child is here!"
EWWW, they're all so vile!

Shaking, Rip held out his bag,
Waiting for some stuff.
Wanda gave a sugared snake.
"This was not so tough!

I don't need to be afraid.
You gave me a sweet."
Then she yanked Rip in, cackling,
"BEAST, come get your treat!"

#3 Miss Sadie

A bumbling witch named Miss Sadie
yearned to be wicked and mean.
When she tried to be spooky,
she came off quite kooky,
the clumsiest witch ever seen.
“Perhaps what I need to be scary
is something eerie and dark!”
So she found a black cat,
and a tall pointy hat,
and hid in a tree in the park.
“Trick or treaters, beware,” cackled Sadie,
“I’m here to give you a fright!”
Sadie laughed with such glee,
she fell out of the tree,
and “boo hoo-ed” on Halloween night.

#4 Drusella, The Black Spooky Cat

Drusella, the Black Spooky  Cat waited all year for this day…HALLOWEEN!
KNOCK KNOCK
 “BOO!” she screamed.
“Cute nose!” the goblin said.
“I’m SCARY not CUTE!” Drusella cried.
KNOCK KNOCK
“BOOO!” Drusella yelled.
“Beautiful eyes!” the dragon said.
“I’m SCARY not BEAUTIFUL!” Drusella hollered.
KNOCK KNOCK
“BOOOO!” Drusella screamed.
 “Pretty nails!” the Witch said.
“I’m SCARY not PRETTY”
KNOCK KNOCK
“BOOOO!” Drusella shouted.
 “Perfect ears,” the Witch cackled.
“I’m SCARY not PERFECT!”
“I give up!” Drusella sighed, “Next year I’m gonna be a Princess!”

#5 Black Cat, Black Cat

Black Cat, Black Cat

where are you going

this Halloweensie night,

a foul wind blowing?


Off to join the witchesfor their spooky spree.

Every Hallows Eve - a creepy jamboree
.


Black Cat, Black Cat

who’s that on the broom

sat twixt the witch and you,

spewing words of doom?


That’s my bud, Ghoul One,

he plans his hex all year.

Ghouls Two, Three & Four

join in to up the fear.



Black Cat, Black Cat

what’s that in the pot,

cackling & bubbling,

oozing smoking hot?


Tis my Haloweensie meal -

tuna bake with spice.

Me and the neighbor kits

we like it with fried lice.



#6 The Dare

Joseph walked out in the dark of night.
The thought of his quest gave him a fright.
Shouldn’t have taken that dare.
The street was damp and empty as well.
The cold breeze blew up in a big swell.
Shouldn’t have taken that dare.
The air filled with a spooky thick mist.
Joseph jumped back when a black-cat hissed.
Shouldn’t have taken that dare.
The full moon shone in a bloody red.
The cemetery gate was ahead.
Why did I take this dare?
Tombstones and graves abruptly appear.
A dead voice cackled in Joseph’s ear.
“Shouldn’t have taken that dare.”

#7 Foe Or Friend?

October chill.
Argyle night.
Spooky shadows.
Black Cat’s delight.

Panther-like.
Freeze in a crouch.
Whiskers twitch.
Ready to pounce.

Leaves crunch.
Beginning to doubt.
About to bolt…
A cackle rings out.

A pointed hat.
A wide, black brim.
Gnarled hands.
A sharp, warty chin.

A hiss. An arch.
Fur stands on end.
A reach. A pat.
A new-found friend?

“It’s only me.”
A whisper is heard.
“Do you like my costume?”
Black Cat just purred.

#8 One Ghostly Halloween

Halloween was Billy’s favorite holiday. “I’m gonna scare someone good!”

But Billy was a ghost in the spookiest ghost town west of Texas. And ghosts don’t scare easy. She tested costumes:

black cat,

“Ain’t you adorable,” said Sheriff.

A witch with a mean cackle,

“Ooooh…spooky,” said the cowboys guffawing.

A tarantula, a headless cowboy, a were-coyote. But nope, nada, not even a whimper.

Billy frowned. A ghost who couldn’t scare wasn’t worth a penny – especially on Halloween.

She thought and thought until...

“AIYEEE! Float for your lives!” cried the town-ghosts.

“Trick or treat!” said Billy, the ghost hunter.

#9 Witch And Ghost

Witch and Ghost walk hand in hand.
They pass Black Cat, sleek and grand.
A tree branch rattles.  Cold winds blow.
But Witch and Ghost have far to go.
Their shoes clip clop on long, dark roads.
Their backs are bent with heavy loads.
Witch climbs the steps.  She pulls the gate.
Ghost slips through.  They can’t be late.
They hear a cackle!  A spooky shriek!
A dark door opens with a creak.
Witch grips her broomstick.  In Ghost glides.
What frightful sights await inside?

#10 The Scary Spell

“Harrison!” cackled Leona. “Time to get scary for the witches’ ball.”

Harrison flicked his pointy ears. Oh no. Leona’s wand broke after the wart-away spell.

She waved it over him. “Abracadarey, big and scary!”

What? Now he was a boring, black cow.

“Mooo!” said Harrison, wishing he still had claws.

Leona waved again. “Abracaglarey, mean and hairy!”

Stamping tiny goat hooves, Harrison growled. “Naaa!”

Leona tried one more time. “Abracadat, spooky black cat!”

Sparks flew. Harrison’s fur crackled. He bared his teeth.

“You’re scarier than me!” Leona said. “You’d better stay home.”

Perfect. He could have a monstrous cat nap.


#11 On Halloween


On Halloween,

The moon was full,

And the night was still.

Raccoon and Badger crept up the lonely path.


A cackle echoed from the trees,

And Raccoon froze. "A witch?"


"A bird," said Badger.


A dark streak dashed across their path,

And Raccoon jumped. "A monster?"


Badger shook his head. "A black cat."


Up ahead, glowing eyes flickered,

And Raccoon trembled. "A goblin?"


"A Jack O' Lantern."


They approached a spooky old house.

The door slowly opened.

Creeeaaak

Raccoon stuttered. "A g...g...ghost?"


Badger laughed. "My Grandma!"

And Raccoon giggled.


Raccoon and Badger raced to the door.

"Trick or Treat!"


#12 Hallowontsie


Halloween colors are orange and black,
but Spooky Black Cat was tired of that.
"Why can't I be pink? Or salmon? Or bronze?"
she said as she stepped in the beauty salon.

Before you could cackle, that cat was festooned
with sparkly fur that left all in a swoon.
"You're not going to scare anyone, pretty as that!"
"That's what I want," said the former Black Cat.

"Halloween is for goblins, monsters and ghosts,
but also for princesses, which I like most."
She found an angel that night with wings of foam
who petted her till she purred all the way home.

So ready?  Get set... VOTE!  And PLEASE!  We will need all the votes we can get even though I know the choice is very, very hard!  Please cast your vote by Wednesday November 6 at 5 PM EST.

Thank you all again!  For writing, reading, commenting, and voting, and generally participating to make this such a fun contest!

I can't wait to see who the winners will be!  And I have some more surprises planned for Thrusday's Special Halloweensie Contest Winners post, so stay tuned!!!  (And don't forget WYRI on Wednesday :))

114 comments:

  1. Michelle Heidenrich BarnesNovember 4, 2013 at 4:51 AM

    Thank you, Susanna, for running such a fun contest! With so many outstanding entries, it must have been tremendously difficult to narrow them down. Congratulations to all of the finalists!

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  2. Thank YOU for your very cute entry, Michelle (which we loved but gosh darn we just couldn't pick everything!) and for reading so many and leaving such nice comments for people. I'm so glad you enjoyed the contest and hope you'll come back for the Holiday Contest in December :)

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  3. These finalists are wonderful (and kudos to you for being able to narrow it down, what a job!) I had a hard time trying to decide! Good luck to all of these writers!

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  4. So much fun reading these entries!

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  5. Great entries! Definitely hard to choose. I am glad you had so many participants, Susanna.You run the best contests! Good job everyone!

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  6. Well done, Susanna! And congrats to all the finalists. It was wonderful to see so many entries this year!

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  7. I did NOT envy you having to narrow the pool for us . . . but you did a stellar job. Especially given your Halloween Candy Hangover.


    What's that?
    You didn't overdose on chocolate this year?
    Got it.
    I'll say no more. ;)

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  8. This_Kid_Reviews_Books_ErikNovember 4, 2013 at 7:36 AM

    I am so TOTALLY honored I got into the finals! I couldn't believe how many entries there were and they were all GREAT! I picked my favorite out of the finalists (and it wasn't mine), I hope I don't lose by one vote! hee hee

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  9. Such fun! Thanks, Susanna, for a great opportunity.

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  10. Wow, what a huge job for you, Susanna. Great list of finalists. I voted!

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  11. Rachel SchieffelbeinNovember 4, 2013 at 7:58 AM

    Oh, they're all so great it's hard to pick! This was a fun contest, thanks for doing it!

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  12. Wonderful stories everyone! :D Thanks for the fun contest Susanna.

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  13. Great stories to pick from! Thanks for the contest, Susanna. It was fun participating in it and reading all the stories!

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  14. This was the best Halloweensie Contest ever! Thanks for hosting this, Susanna. Such an amazing turnout of fabulous stories. It was definitely hard to pick one out of this delightful dozen...but I did.:) Congrats to all who participated...there are many possible picture books out there among those!

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  15. So awesome that so many joined it. I think it had to do with the minimal word count and the growing special place of Susanna's blog in the kidlitosphere. Honored to be among the finalists. Now the hard task - voting!

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  16. Voted! (And it wasn't easy.) Congrats to all the finalists!

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  17. I have no idea how you and your assistants managed to narrow it down to twelve! I really enjoyed the challenge of writing such a short story. I'm honoured to be included as a finalist among such strong competition! Good luck, everyone!

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  18. Congratulations to the fabulous final entry authors, and many thanks to allwho dared! This was so much fun, even if Susanna and her troops are pooped!

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  19. Love the cackling grin I can hear and see on your face, Erik!

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  20. Well done, everyone, and WOW, well done, Susanna and assistants. You certainly made the voting easier for me, by including my favorite story in the finalists! What an amazing contest this was.


    I hope, hope, HOPE you get some rest time now. You have earned it. You have also earned many somethings-chocolate. Thank you for all you do for the writing community!

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  21. SO hard to choose--but I sure had fun reading these stories! And a big thanks to YOU for the inspiration!

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  22. I'm sure I could not have narrowed it down to ten. . .good job, Susanna! Thanks for making this fun and a motivation for all of us to put pen to paper (fingers to keys) and just write. ;-}

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  23. Oh my goodness! This is SO hard! I want to be able to vote for all of them! Great job, everyone!

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  24. Terrific tales on this list--thanks Susanna (and assistants) for all your hard work in narrowing down this list.

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  25. I'm in awe. So much good stuff here! Very hard to choose (but I did)...Good luck to all! :)

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  26. Your eyes must be full of words after reading all those, Susanna. Great job narrowing them down. They are so entertaining!

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  27. I imagine you and your assistants are dreaming cackles, black cats, and all other sorts of spooky things! I don't see how you did it! I have been sitting forever just trying to pick one from the twelve. Nice job finalists!!!! Good luck to you all.

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  28. I'm glad you approve of the finalists, Elaine (and look at you here with your own name instead of a jumble of letters!!! :)). Thanks so much for voting! With 12 finalists, we need all the votes we can get!

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  29. I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Yvonne! I hope you'll gear up to join in on the Holiday Contest!

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  30. Thanks, Iza! But really, what makes my contests fun are the writers who are game to give them a try and put forth such great work and all the people who go around reading and commenting so that we can all have a good time! :)

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  31. Thanks, Renee! We loved Pumpkinseed McCrackle too. Really, I wanted to pick everyone for one reason or another! Thanks so much for joining in!

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  32. Thank you for saying we did a stellar job, Nancy. There were so many good ones that now I'm second-guessing myself, so I'm glad you approve. We did love your black cat rap! As for ODing on chocolate, that is hard to do when you have built up such a tolerance for it :)




























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  33. You deserve your finalist spot, Erik - the judges were unanimous that your brand of spooky was very well done! I promise not to tell you if you lose by one vote :)

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  34. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Michele! We were very taken with your little witch heading out on her first flight with her newfound friend. Such a cute story! I hope you'll feel rested up and ready to take part in the Holiday Contest in December! :)



























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  35. I'm glad I was busy last week, so I don't know who wrote what! Hard choice. Congrats to all.

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  36. I agree! There must have been a mound of black cat laced papers surrounding you!

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  37. It was a big job, Ruth! Fun because we loved reading all the entries so much. Not fun because we hated having to narrow the field! Thanks so much for voting! With 12 finalists, we need all the votes we can get! :)

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  38. I know! Choosing is awful isn't it? I hated not being able to pick everyone! We loved how your little Simon decided Halloween wasn't so bad after all :) Thanks so much for entering, and for voting!

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  39. Thanks so much, Meg! i'm so glad you enjoyed it. We loved your Little Crow getting to that Halloween party after all by being such a good guy! Sigh. I do wish we could have given everyone a prize!

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  40. Thanks so much, Pat! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! We loved your entry with all the fun Halloween games and the carpets shaped like bony hands. Your rhythm and rhyme were engaging, and you had us until judges 2 and 3 balked at the brew... I said it was harmless witches' brew... they argued it sounded too adult... 2 against 1... but you did a great job!

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  41. Oh, I definitely agree, Vivian! I was amazed and delighted at the turn out and the quality of the stories! And I think you're right about there being some wonderful potential PBs among them! Of course, that made it a desperate job trying to choose finalists...! Congrats to you too on a wonderful, fun rhyming story! Thanks so much for entering, reading, commenting, voting... everything! :)

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  42. I think you may be right, Joanna. 100 words sounds so manageable... although to me the shorter length is often harder! We loved your black cat - especially the rhythm of Black Cat, Black Cat which reminded us of Brown Bear, Brown Bear and we thought was so fun to read aloud, and judge 3 was especially taken with the lice in the tuna bake :)

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  43. Thanks so much for voting, Mike! We need all the votes we can get! And congrats to you on a very fun story - we loved your spooky piggy and the accompanying illustration! Sorry we couldn't choose everyone!

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  44. It wasn't an easy task, Andrea. It's best if you never know how many pounds of chocolate went down :) We loved Harrison and Leona! We loved Harrison's grumpiness, Leona's determination, and then, after all that trying to get him scary, how she didn't want to be outshined by her own cat :) Thanks for a delightful entry! :)



























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  45. We are a tad pooped, but it was tons of fun! Well, the reading of so many delightful entries was fun. The having to narrow down was not fun. But everyone did such a great job - you are really all winners!


























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  46. Thank YOU for your wonderful entry, Beth! We did so love your scared little kitty who turned brave! There is no rest for the wicked - now I have to catch up on all the things I didn't do in the last week :) But it was worth it for so much fun!



























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  47. I know, Cathy, the choosing is awful, isn't it? I'm still chuckling over you roaming in your suzuki! :) I'm so glad if you had fun and hope you'll be rested up and raring to go for the Holiday Contest in December... for which there is QUITE an awesome prize...!

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  48. I'm so so glad you enjoyed it, Jarm! We loved the spooky mood of your story and how the mouse gave the cat a scare :) I love these contests - so much fun to see how much talent is out there! :)

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  49. I know the feeling, Debbie! I wanted to list 79 finalists... but we might have been accused of not doing our job to narrow the field :)

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  50. Thank YOU for your terrific entry, Buffy! We loved with and ghost out in the spooky night and the way your ending left us to wonder and imagine! :) Thanks so much for joining in!

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  51. It was an amazing grow pot entries all around, wasn't it Coleen? Thanks so much for voting - we need every one we can get with so many fabulous finalists!

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  52. Thanks, Catherine, I'm so glad if you approve our choices! It was awful to have to pick, and there were a lot of other very deserving stories... but we couldn't pick them all! Thanks so much for your spooky entry and for reading, commenting and voting!



























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  53. It wasn't easy, Penny, I'll say that! A LOT of chocolate was consumed :) If you're having a hard time choosing among the finalists, though, that hopefully means we did our job well! Even though we're left traumatized by having to cut so many great entries!

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  54. Thanks so much for voting, Wendy! And you may have gotten off the hook for the Halloweensie Contest for being busy, but I'm warning you in advance about the Holiday Contest and I truly hope to see an entry from you there! :)



























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  55. There were a LOT of black cats, Lauri :) Your white one was do refreshing! Thanks for your wonderful entry - so sorry we couldn't pick everyone! - and thanks for reading, commenting and voting!

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  56. I voted! What a fun time. Congrads to everyone!

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  57. What a great contest! I couldn't believe how many entrants there were this time! Usually I try to comment on all the contestant's stories, but this time there was just too much! I can only imagine how hard it must have been to pick only 12! Congratulations to all the finalists!

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  58. Thanks, Heather! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And we certainly enjoyed reading Paula's New Friend and were happy she didn't have to keep living alone :) Thanks so much for joining in the fun!

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  59. I voted! Thanks for narrowing down the competition. That is a tough job. My favorite didn't even make it to the finals, but I managed to narrow my selection and voted for the one that made me giggle!

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  60. So glad you enjoyed it, Robyn! Thanks for voting, and for your very well done True Story of Barebones Skeleton which we all thought very highly of!

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  61. ACK! I'm sorry your favorite didn't make the final! I'm afraid that might be true for many - there were just so many great entries and though we would have liked to we couldn't list them all! Thanks so much for voting, Romelle!

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  62. Don't worry. I understand. I would end up with grey or no hair if I had to choose the finalist. Still, your selections were outstanding!

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  63. :) And I hope we'll see an entry from you for the Holiday Contest.... :)

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  64. Thank you for doing these contests. I had a blast writing my entry.

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  65. You're very welcome! We had a blast reading it :)

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  66. Great fun. Thanks for posting all theses.

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  67. You're welcome, Rosi! i hope you're able to choose one - it's a touch choice! :)

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  68. Great fun. Thanks for posting all of these.

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  69. The prize for me was motivation to sit (B.I.C.) and write. Thank you! :D

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  70. You weren't exaggerating! This crop of stories was outstanding! I voted, but I'm exhausted from trying to decide.... So much fun.

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  71. So glad you enjoyed it, Genevieve! :)




























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  72. What a great contest and what an impressive collection of works. It was fun to enter and even more fun to read all the entries. Thank you Susanna for putting on the challenge. Although I didn't even place, the challenge help me to focus on setting up my own blog and writing a story that wasn't even a thought a week ago. Thanks again! I'll be voting later tonight.

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  73. wow! You all did an awesome job!! I didn't get to enter, but had fun reading :) Good luck to you all!

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  74. Thank you Denise! I almost didn't make it! submitted 1 minute before deadline :)

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  75. lol we are so alike!

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  76. Lots of fun Halloween entries!

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  77. Don't worry, Denise... the Holiday Contest is coming up in a month or so... you can enter that one! :)

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  78. I'm glad you enjoyed the contest, Doris, and I'm very glad to have met you! How fun that your Halloweensie story was your inaugural blog post :) Thanks for voting, and I hope you'll join us in a month or so for the Holiday Contest :)

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  79. Wow so many great entries! Good luck everyone!

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  80. Hi Dani! Thanks so much for stopping by! It was an amazing bunch of entries! Maybe you'll join us for the Holiday Contest in December :)

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  81. Didn't everyone do a great job? Thanks so much for stopping by, Theresa, and for voting if you did :)

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  82. How exciting. 79 entries! My vote's in. Congratulations to all.

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  83. Hi Nata! Good Luck to you!

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  84. You're so right, Susanna. Everyone did such a great job. No wonder you're going to sixth place with the contest. Voting was Haaarrrrd! But my favorite was among the finalists. Great job everyone!

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  85. I had to read these stories, walk away then come back to read them again to place my vote. I enjoyed all of these so I can just imagine going through all of the entries was definitely both fun and agonizing when it came time to decide the finalists :-)

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  86. I do not know how you narrowed this down, Susanna. My favorite was Vivian's - I really hope she develops that into a PB. But they were all so good! I could barely bring myself to vote, but vote I did.

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  87. Oh this was a tough one. Thanks for hosting the contest. It was fun.

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  88. I agree Carrie. I did love Vivian's. Kiddo laughed out loud as we read it. :)

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  89. Love that you had so many entires this year. Studied them each and was torn. Fabulous job everyone. And congratulations to the top selections -- and good luck.

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  90. Unbelievable, isn't it Joanne? Thanks so much for reading and voting! :)

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  91. Thanks so much for reading and voting, Pam! I'm glad you enjoyed the entries and that your favorite was among the finalists! I hope you'll save out a little time to join us for the Holiday Contest! :)




























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  92. It really was, Angela! Thanks so much for taking the time to make a thoughtful decision! :)

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  93. I loved Vivian's too, and told her so! The other judges felt that the names of the different dances would throw kids... I was outvoted... We really loved yours too! Great story, very kid-friendly and fun. Thanks so much for entering, reading, commenting and voting!

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  94. Thanks so much for participating, Stacy! Your entry was original and fun and we really enjoyed it!

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  95. I was amazed at how many entries we got and how good they all were! We loved yours, too, Pat, with the ending where all those scary things turned out to be trick-or-treaters! Thanks so much for entering, reading, commenting, and voting! The contests wouldn't be the fun they are without everyone being so enthusiastic! :)


























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  96. Very fun contest. So many great entries. Thanks for hosting, Susanna!

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  97. Thank YOU for participating, Pam! We got such a kick out of your entry! So sorry we can't choose everyone!!!

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  98. thank you Janice!!!

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  99. My very own fan club!!! I am truly touched! Thanks so much, Carrie...I'm glad you loved it because you will be seeing it later this month in our critique rounds.:) :) :)

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  100. Having Enzo enjoy it is the best prize for me, Stacy! I so appreciate you sharing that.:)

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  101. Wow, what a line up! Great entries! Thanks for hosting this Susanna. Even though mine didn't make the cut, I still had a blast. It's so fun to read these entries. May the votes be with y'all.

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  102. Thank you so much for participating, Pia! We did so enjoy your jolly old witch :) I hope you'll join us for the Holiday Contest, and in the meantime, it was lovely to get to know you a little and see your writing!

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  103. Great stories and more important, this contest put an idea in my head that is now on paper and I want to thank y'all for that... you had no way of knowing I was submitting to an agent that wanted to see three pb manuscripts but I only had two that I felt good about... in the next few day Barn Fright will be expanded and will become number three.... thank you thank you thanks to all the kind comments too

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  104. I'm thrilled to hear it, Patricia! The other judges and I loved Barn Fright because it was about a horse :) I'm so glad if the contest helped spark an idea for you - that really is the whole point of the contests - to get us writing! So yay! Keep us posted on how the submission goes. We'll be rooting for you!

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  105. Fierce competition! So glad to see everybody turn up for Halloweensie. I read so many scary-good pieces--and met so many new kidlit friends!

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  106. I know it, Stacy! The whole thing was awesome - as was your ninja ballerina! I wish everyone could win!

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  107. I voted! How fun! Can't wait for next year!

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  108. I will for sure join the Holiday Contest. Looking forward to it. It's good to get the creative juices going and I also love the community of people that you have here. Very encouraging!

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  109. Thanks, Susanna! Next prize: Chocolate cookies, all round!

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  110. Thanks for voting, Kathy. I'm so glad you had fun! We did love your entry... which you will see if you check the winner's post :) And I hope you won't wait all the way until next year... we have a Holiday Contest coming up before too long with a GREAT prize! :) Thanks so much for joining in the fun!


























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  111. Oh, I'm so glad you're enthusiastic about the Holiday Contest, Pia, and that you enjoy the community over here. We do have fun as a general rule :) I'll look forward to seeing you around! :)

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