Weekend Links: Susanna Leonard Hill's Holiday Writing Contest

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As if Halloweensie wasn't fun enough, Susanna Leonard Hill is at it again with her Holiday writing contest. Here are the rules:

Write a children's story in which wild weather impacts the holidays! Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words. Any kind of weather is fair game.

See here for more details: http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2014/11/whistle-happy-tune.html

Good luck and have a great weekend.

Weekend Links: Just for Fun

I hope everyone of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a joyous one. If your Thanksgiving didn't go quite as planned, the video above should tickle your wishbone.

Since we're starting into the mad rush of Christmas and holiday shopping, I thought the video below was a good reminder of the perils of taking a part-time job as a mall Santa. 

Since there's only one day left of PiBoIdMo, I hope something will spark the idea center of your brain and land you the last ideas you need to complete the month.

Have a lovely weekend.

Weekend Links: Kathryn Otoshi on Marketing and Gerogia Hughes on a Fresh Look

The holiday season is charging in and time is limited, so the videos today are like fruitcake: best in small pieces, chock-full of sweet nuggets, and dense with hearty ingredients. But these videos will actually be pleasant to consume.


The video above is a short reading of part of Kathryn Otoshi's book One. If you've read it, or her other incredible books, Zero and Two, skip to the video below, which includes a brief interview of Kathryn talking about the marketing of One and how she had to stretch out of her usual style to make it work.

And finally, a 90 second video of Georgia Hughes encouraging authors to surprise their editors rather than strive for the latest, greatest trend. She also suggests taking an age-old issue and making it new. 

Have a great weekend.

Weekend Links: Picture Book Study with Mira Reisberg

I've already mentioned that I completed Mira Reisberg's Children's Book Academy class on writing picture books. I loved it. I can't give you the whole class here obviously, but Mira analyzes various picture books in videos that she graciously shares on YouTube. 

With her knowledge as an illustrator and writer she's able to use the books as text books on how to write and illustrate. I've included a few of my favorites.

Mira has taught some stellar authors/illustrators, Kathryn Otoshi among them whose books are disarmingly intelligent in both design and message. And Yuyi Morales whose artwork and stories are exquisite as shown in the video below. It's a little longer than the others, but captivating if you have the time.

Hope you are all having a fabulous week and are ready to enjoy an even more fabulous weekend. 

Course on How to Prepare a PB Query and Manuscript

Julie Hedlund and Emma Walton Hamilton are hosting a self-guided, online course on how to prepare a picture book query and manuscript for submission. The early bird price ends tonight at midnight (P.S. The deadline has been extended by a day, so tonight is the cut off for the early bird price), so I wanted to get this out while there's a few hours left: http://picturebooksubmissions.com

The video above is a brief overview of the course, and the video below is a more in-depth explanation of the course and answers to many of the basic questions on how to prepare a query for submission.

I took Emma's middle grade writing course and loved it and Julie is a power-house in marketing, so these two make a perfect teaching duo on how to put your best foot forward in submitting to agents or editors. 

Enjoy.

Halloweensie Entry: Creakety, Crackety Croo!

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Susanna Leonard Hill's Halloweensie contest is up and running. All entries are limited to 100 words or less and must include the words creak, pumpkin and broomstick. Mine weighed in at exactly 100, whew. And here is my entry:

Creakety, Crackety, Croo

by Johnell DeWitt

Wenda watched her aunts fly away. 

No Halloween Ball again! Just because she couldn’t remember her spells?

Sigh…

Wenda opened the ancient spell book primer…creeeeaaaak…but another book fell out.

A story book? 

Before Wenda finished the Happily Ever After, she knew what to do.

She fetched her wand, a pumpkin and an old dress…

“Creakety, crackety, croo!” 

The pumpkin shivered then SNAPPED into a broomstick, then Wenda’s dress quivered and POOFED into glittery gown—the perfect creepy costume for the Halloween Ball. 

As the clock screeched midnight, Wenda hopped on her orange broom and zoomed into the night. 

Weekend Link: Halloweensie Contest!

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Susanna Leonard Hill is hosting her annual Halloweensie contest. Woot! I confess, this is the first year I've heard about it and the first year I'm trying it, but I'm excited.

The rules are as follows: In 100 words or less (title not included and no illo notes allowed) write a Halloween story appropriate for children. You have to use the words pumpkin, broomstick and creak at least once in the text. And you can use different variations like creaky, pumpkiny, broomsticks, etc.

Then post your story on your blog between 12 a.m. EDT Monday Oct. 27 and Friday Oct. 31 by 11:59 p.m. EDT. Then visit Susanna's site and add your post-specific link to her list on her Oct. 27 post.

I've been working away on mine and I have to say 100 words or less is tricky! Stop by after Midnight on October 27 for a sneak peak of my entry.

Have a great weekend!