The 4th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
aahhhrrrooooOOOOO!!!!
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courtesy google images |
Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and Friday October 31st by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list below. There will be no Would You Read It Wednesday or Perfect Picture Book Friday this week, so this post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. (I hope you will all visit each other! :)) If you don't have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section below. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I'll post it for you!)
The Judging: in a grueling, marathon weekend, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 top choices (hee hee hee - okay, who are we kidding? :)) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 3rd. The winner will be announced in a special Thursday post on November 6th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd. If by some chance we get the kind of turn out we did last year, all bets are off. I may post as many as 10 finalists and I'll probably end up giving everyone a prize :) But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :)
The Prizes: we've got some seriously amazing prizes! (words in color are links to more info)
- Julie Hedlund's fantastic new course How To Make Money As An Author, interesting, educational and suitable for writers at any stage of their career
- a 2015 membership to Children's Book Insider, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds, generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes
- a picture book manuscript critique from the renowned Alayne Christian (prose only, 800 words or less)
Alayne Kay Christian is an award winning author of BUTTERFLY KISSES FOR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA. She is represented by Erzsi Deak of Hen&Ink Literary Studio. To read more about Alayne, her critique service, and her books visit her websites and blog.
- a picture book manuscript critique (rhyme or prose) from Penny Parker Klostermann who, after extensive experience critiquing for writing partners, members of various kid lit groups, and clients of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, is opening her own critique service!!!
Penny Parker Klostermann writes picture books and poetry. Her debut book, THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT, is coming from Random House Children’s, August 2015. Penny is represented by Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Click HERE to learn more about her critique service.
- a picture book manuscript critique by Tracey M. Cox! Tracey offers a full critique on a fiction PB, 800 words or less, which will include overall impression and line-by-line on a prose only pb ms. She will also include thoughts and marketing ideas that she thinks about and if she can think of references, she'll add them also. Tracey M. Cox has been writing professionally since 2000 and is an author of 6 picture books. She is an active member in the children's literature community and explores how to self-market on little to no budget.
Website: www.traceymcox.comBlog: www.traceymcox.wordpress.com
- a personalized signed copy of I WANNA GO HOME by Karen Kaufman Orloff, the latest in the brilliant PB series that began with I WANNA IGUANA. (Reviewed HERE for PPBF)
- a personalized signed copy of I AM COW HEAR ME MOO by Jill Esbaum (reviewed for Perfect Picture Books HERE and HERE - yep, it's so popular it got reviewed for PPBF twice :))
- a personalized signed copy of NINJA RED RIDING HOOD by Corey Rosen Schwartz, the riveting follow-up to THE THREE NINJA PIGS. (Reviewed HERE for PPBF)
- a PDF copy of Ryan Sias's A Spooky-Doodle E-Book, "doodle pages, drawing lessons and writing prompts inspire kids to invent their own stories, characters and artwork."
Please join me again in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N or anywhere else if you like them, or supporting them in any other way you can dream up :)
Now then. Time for my sample entry which I provide because I would never ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself. Also, in case anyone is worried about the quality of their entry they have only to read my foolish attempts to be filled with confidence that their's is MUCH better! I have to confess, I was really down to the wire this year (my schedule is a little bit nuts!), so, ahem, yeah.. I'll be proofreading after I post since I'm out of time :) (And I usually do one rhyme and one prose, but I don't have a prose one this year... yet... if I have time maybe I'll write one and add it during the week :))
So without further ado:
Pirate Ploy (100 words)
Everyone feeling better about their stories now? I should certainly HOPE so! :)
I can't wait to read all of yours! I'm so looking forward to them! I hope there will be a lot - the more the merrier! And there are still 4 days to write, so you have time if you haven't written yet. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well.
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
Happy Writing and Happy Halloween!!! :)
There are already 57 entries in the comment section below that you won't want to miss! (names are links):
Barbara - The Trick Or Treat Troll
Eric - Witch Poem
Lata - Halloween Colors
Nomie - Mabel's Spooky Soiree
Tracie - The Misspelled Witch
Rachel K - A Home On Halloween
Suzy - Witch In My Hamper
Sarah C - The Moon Is Up!
Angela B - A Messy Halloween
Sue - Untitled
Kimberly C - First Flight Of Halloween
Ann - Off To See The Wizard
Susan - The Contest
Michelle V - The Halloween Sneer
Ashley - Pumpkin's Plight
Abigail - Maddie's First Broomstick
Jim - Jack
Melissa - Pumpkin's Patch
Pia - The Green Witch's Brew
Kathleen - The Littlest Pumpkin
Lori D - The Trick Or Treat Bag
Debbie - Halloween In A Box
Sharalyn - The Witch And The Pumpkin Contests
Jaymie - No Tricks, Just Treats
Jenifer - Broomstick Ball
Ellen - Emma's Evening Ride
Beth - Halloween Night
Anne - What's That?
Brandie - No Ordinary Witch
Marty - Winnie's Spell
Michelle B - This Year's Halloween Mascot
Jessica - Spooky Sharing
Alistair - The Raven And The Pumpkin
Kirsten - Family Re-BOO-nion
Jodi - Halloween Hide-And-Go-Seek
Anne B - The Pumpkin Patch Scarecrow
Carol - Halloween Night
Nicole - Black At Night
Hope - In The Wee Hours Of Halloween
Maggie - Arabella The Witch
Gina - Halloween Chase
Kelly - The Pumpkin King
Mandy - On This Night
Eric - The Scarecrow
Cat - Etty Bitty Belina
Julie A - Orinda Owl's First Halloween
Donna R - The Witches' Gathering
Kathy - Who Is It?
Robin - Kitchin-nastic Trick Or Treats
Sandy - Pete's Pumpkins
Judy - Halloween Parade
Merry - Witch School
Victoria - Creaks
Amelia - Full Moon Rising
Colleen - Tell It To The Ghosts
Sydney - Midnight Critters
Stefanie - Monsters Rock
Now then. Time for my sample entry which I provide because I would never ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself. Also, in case anyone is worried about the quality of their entry they have only to read my foolish attempts to be filled with confidence that their's is MUCH better! I have to confess, I was really down to the wire this year (my schedule is a little bit nuts!), so, ahem, yeah.. I'll be proofreading after I post since I'm out of time :) (And I usually do one rhyme and one prose, but I don't have a prose one this year... yet... if I have time maybe I'll write one and add it during the week :))
So without further ado:
A Halloween Dare (100 words)
Haggie Witch
just had to go
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Haggie, as illustrated by the fabulously talented Julie Rowan-Zoch click for PORTFOLIO, DIGITAL, SKETCHBOOK |
To the
Broomstick Rodeo
And prove she
had the skill and pluck
To ride a
broomstick bronco's buck.
Her sister said
she’d fall headlong.
Haggie vowed to
prove her wrong!
Haggie’s heart
quailed in her chest
But she had to
face this test.
The gate sprang
open with a creak
Out shot Haggie
like a streak.
The broomstick
bronco pitched and rolled,
Lunged and
plunged quite uncontrolled!
But Haggie rode
that fireball
Just like a pro
and did not fall.
“I win, Sis, you
can’t deny
you owe me a pumpkin pie!”
Pirate Ploy (100 words)
Halloween
A pumpkin moon
A ghostly ship
A still lagoon
Tattered sails
Like swirling
mist
Ancient rigging
Creaks and
twists
Skull and
crossbones
Striking fear
Warning sailors
Far and near
Captain Jack
Comes thump-a-peg
Limping on
His broomstick
leg
“Steady mates,”
breathes Captain
Jack,
“Mustn’t blow
our sneak
attack!”
Silently
The ghost ship
glides
Closer . . .
Closer . . .
On the tides
Guided through
The murky blue
By the ghastly
Skeleton crew
Stealthily
it comes abreast
Lurking
uninvited guest
Nearing windows
warm with light
no idea
of their plight.
Captain Jack
deceit complete
shouts, “Mrs. Johnson!
Trick-or-treat!”
Everyone feeling better about their stories now? I should certainly HOPE so! :)
I can't wait to read all of yours! I'm so looking forward to them! I hope there will be a lot - the more the merrier! And there are still 4 days to write, so you have time if you haven't written yet. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well.
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
Happy Writing and Happy Halloween!!! :)
There are already 57 entries in the comment section below that you won't want to miss! (names are links):
Barbara - The Trick Or Treat Troll
Eric - Witch Poem
Lata - Halloween Colors
Nomie - Mabel's Spooky Soiree
Tracie - The Misspelled Witch
Rachel K - A Home On Halloween
Suzy - Witch In My Hamper
Sarah C - The Moon Is Up!
Angela B - A Messy Halloween
Sue - Untitled
Kimberly C - First Flight Of Halloween
Ann - Off To See The Wizard
Susan - The Contest
Michelle V - The Halloween Sneer
Ashley - Pumpkin's Plight
Abigail - Maddie's First Broomstick
Jim - Jack
Melissa - Pumpkin's Patch
Pia - The Green Witch's Brew
Kathleen - The Littlest Pumpkin
Lori D - The Trick Or Treat Bag
Debbie - Halloween In A Box
Sharalyn - The Witch And The Pumpkin Contests
Jaymie - No Tricks, Just Treats
Jenifer - Broomstick Ball
Ellen - Emma's Evening Ride
Beth - Halloween Night
Anne - What's That?
Brandie - No Ordinary Witch
Marty - Winnie's Spell
Michelle B - This Year's Halloween Mascot
Jessica - Spooky Sharing
Alistair - The Raven And The Pumpkin
Kirsten - Family Re-BOO-nion
Jodi - Halloween Hide-And-Go-Seek
Anne B - The Pumpkin Patch Scarecrow
Carol - Halloween Night
Nicole - Black At Night
Hope - In The Wee Hours Of Halloween
Maggie - Arabella The Witch
Gina - Halloween Chase
Kelly - The Pumpkin King
Mandy - On This Night
Eric - The Scarecrow
Cat - Etty Bitty Belina
Julie A - Orinda Owl's First Halloween
Donna R - The Witches' Gathering
Kathy - Who Is It?
Robin - Kitchin-nastic Trick Or Treats
Sandy - Pete's Pumpkins
Judy - Halloween Parade
Merry - Witch School
Victoria - Creaks
Amelia - Full Moon Rising
Colleen - Tell It To The Ghosts
Sydney - Midnight Critters
Stefanie - Monsters Rock