I'm a PiBoIdMo 2010 Manuscript Critique Winner!

I'm one of the PiBoIdMo 2010 Manuscript Critique winners! I'm so happy I'm literally doing back-flips. Literally. Which isn't easy when you're sitting in a recliner, a computer betwixt your pretzeled legs.

Inner Critic: Oh no you did-n't!


Oh yesss I d-i-hd! :P

Inner Critic: To receive help and advice from a professional author of this caliber is priceless.

I know, right? I KNOW! :o

Inner Critic: You don't deserve it.

Oh, stick it in your higama jigama. What does that have to do with anything? And maybe I do. Maybe I do deserve it. Did you ever think about that?

Inner Critic: Your manuscript is way too long for today's market.

What are you talking about? It's well under 500 words.

Inner Critic: Your participles are dangling. And so are your boobs.


Irrelevant. Are you trying to ruin this moment for me?

Inner Critic: The author who reads your manuscript will laugh at your incompetence.

Oh come on. I'm not that bad. In fact, I rather like my manuscript. Sure it needs some work, but...

Inner Critic: A BIT? Try a ground floor re-write.

What the heck is a ground floor re-write? Did you just make that up? Your analogy is flawed. And are you smoking a miniature cigar? What the...?

Inner Critic: Are you sure?

About which thing? And why am I even talking to you when I should be enjoying the moment? Consider yourself banished to the murky depths of my subconscious for the remainder of the day. Hazaa!

Congratulations to the rest of the manuscript critique winners, especially Leslie Zampetti who is in my critique group. Enjoy your win! You most certainly deserve it! Congratulations to all the PiBoIdMo participants and contest winners! Thanks again to Tara Lazar and the participating authors, illustrators and agents.

Ain't it cool? 8)

---

PiBoIdMo Grand Prize Winners! (I'm so jealous I might just put your hands in water while you are sleeping. Just kidding! No, really. Not really!)

PiBoIdMo Picture Book Winners! (Congratulations Christie Wild!)

PiBoIdMo Simon & Schuster Picture Book Winners (Congratulations Angela Peña Dahle and Romelle Broas!)

PiBoIdMo Jewelry, Greeting Card and Mug Winners (Congratulations Corey Schwartz! How funny is that mug?)

Calling All Picture Book Lovers!

Hi, everyone! My name is Christie Wild and I'm happy to be visiting you today. Heather invited me to do a guest post on her blog about my experience with The Institute of Children's Literature (ICL). As many of you know, she is taking the ever-popular Intensive Picture Book Workshop by Anastasia Suen (pronounced 'soon'). I may take that class in the future, but today's post is based on a different writing program. I just signed up to take my second class through ICL. It may seem like I'm advertising for them, but I'm not. They are a for-real organization with professional instructors (editors and published authors). Lots of great freebies on their website, too. Kristi Holl is the blogger for Writer's First Aid, a Medicine Chest of Hope. Her blog has well over 30,000 RSS subscribers. She is a graduate of ICL (and is now an instructor there) and has gone on to publish over 35 books and hundreds of magazine articles and short stories. She says that ICL is the only formal writing instruction she ever had.

I took the first course right out of high school and finished it during college, where I majored in Creative Writing. My instructor back then was Cindy Savage. The course was very comprehensive and informative. I wrote a lot of teen romance short stories back then. Cindy was very encouraging and gave great critiques. That was for the Writing for Children and Teenagers course.

The one I'm enrolled in right now is called Writing & Selling Children's Books, An Advanced Writing Program for Selected Students. ICL's promise is that they will help you develop a manuscript ready for submission. The course I'm in right now will help you complete one long book, or two to three short ones (picture books). So of course I'm going the picture book route. There are nine assignments and you have two years to complete the course. It costs $707. My current instructor is Clara Gillow Clark. The assignments go about like this:

1. letter about goals plus three ideas


2. book idea in summary form


3. 1st book


4. 2nd book


5. revise 1st book


6. revise 2nd book


7. revise 1st book again and propose a 3rd


8. revise 2nd book again and a draft of 3rd


9. all revisions requested and cover/query letters, outlines, resumes, etc.

I'm excited-beyond-Santa excited! :D If any of you have specific questions, just ask. I'll be happy to try to answer them.

Oh, and over at WRITE WILD, my own personal blog, I'm having a GREAT giveaway contest to celebrate my taking this course AND to celebrate my 100 followers! I am giving away TWO copies of the market guide published by ICL. One 2011 issue, and one 2010 issue of Book Markets for Children's Writers. If you think you know your picture books, go comment on my blog post for 11-5-10. And come back on the 6th for an interview with Tara Lazar, the creator of PiBoIdMo!

Thanks for having me! See you around the blogosphere! And good luck in my contest...

There's a rogue spammer at Blog Catalog!

Here's what an innocent glance at my inbox netted me just now...



You are evil, ReyJr! :twisted: Everyone who has a Blog Catalog account has received the very same message at one time or another for real.

ReyJr, the rogue Blog Catalog singing spammer (tongue firmly in cheek) with the good sense of humor may be found at reyjr.com and on twitter @ryjr.

If you should cross his path, be sure to click his ads! :lol:

*****

P.S. I didn't delete my header. I just upgraded to Thesis 1.7 and I can't figure out how to add it back! :oops:

Considering a Weekly Link Love Feature

Image via Wikipedia

Hello, y'all! It's me Heather from Teckshuhs!

I've been considering doing occasional link love type posts in the manner of Karen of Blazing Minds and her Weekly Round Ups, and DiTesco of iBlogZone and his Weekly Echoes. I look forward to learning what caught their attention that week. Sharing their discoveries also helps me to learn more about them and their interests, and makes me feel like I know them better. Love is shared, new contacts are forged, everybody is happy.

My only concern is that I may hurt some feelings by omission. To those of you who run and enjoy these types of posts, what are your thoughts on the implied politics? For the record, I am not offended when I don't see my name on link love lists at any website, and am always surprised and thankful when I do.

A Puppy, Not a Guppy Virtual Book Tour & Contest!

When my friend Holly Jahangiri asked me if I would like to participate in her virtual book tour for A Puppy, Not a Guppy, I pounced on the opportunity. I knew that any product of Holly's pen would be sassy and well-written, with a dash of the unexpected. I was one of the first to get in line and pre-order a copy for my children. Holly was kind enough to provide me with a review copy so that I may prepare for her book tour. She's organized and practical like that.

About A Puppy, Not a Guppy:

Author: Holly Jahangiri
Illustrator: Ryan Shaw
Book Trailer: A Puppy, Not a Guppy trailer by Mandy Hedrick

Synapsis from the publisher:

Irma wanted a puppy, a pet she could take on walks, not a few stupid guppies. Fish didn't do anything, except roll over on their backs if they die.

Sometimes, though, a girl has to make the most of what she has. Now, what can Irma do with three guppies besides stare at them as they stare at her?

****************************************

My Review

Warning: This "ain't no" princess book! A Puppy, Not a Guppy is a delightful yarn that will appeal to both girls and boys alike. I'm not a child psychologist (shocking, I know) but it seems to me that after reading this book children will remember the protagonist Irma's positive example of:

• Coping skills


• Determination


• Imagination


• Kindness towards the underdog


• Mastering a challenge


• Scientific curiosity & experimentation

Irma is a lot like I was as a child. Admittedly, I liked my Barbie dolls. And Ken. And Skipper. And my dollhouse and Barbie Corvette and... you get the picture. But I also liked to hang out by the ditch near our local park and collect tadpoles, knowing that soon they would magically sprout little legs and begin to hop around our garage. The ones that managed to escape the wheels of my dad's Vega hopped their green selves right out the garage door towards a life of adventure, perhaps eventually making their way back home to the ditch. I like to think that they did. But I digress...

It's all about balance. There's nothing wrong with allowing your daughter to devour Cinderella, and there's everything right with buying her books like A Puppy, Not a Guppy that are certain to stoke her natural interest in science and nature.

****************************************

Where to Buy

(Recommended for ages 8-12)

Directly from 4RV Publishing (At post publication $8.99 + S&H)

From Amazon.com (At post publication $10.99 + elegibile for free super saver shipping on orders over $25)

From Barnes and Noble.com (At post publication $7.91 Member Price + S&H)

****************************************

The Contest

I am happy to announce that Holly's A Puppy, Not a Guppy contest! Good luck! Here are the details, as provided by the author:

Prizes (two will be awarded): A signed copy of A Puppy, Not a Guppy


To enter, leave a comment at http://jahangiri.us/books containing verifiable evidence that you have completed one or more of the following activities:

• A link back to http://heatherkephart.com


• A short review of http://jahangiri.us/books on Alexa.com (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/http://jahangiri.us/books)


• A question for one of the characters in Trockle or A Puppy, Not a Guppy


• A question for the author, Holly Jahangiri


• Answer to the question: What kind of pet do you like best, and why?


• Either of the following:
  
  
  
  • Blog about A Puppy, Not a Guppy (be sure to include, in your own blog post, a link back to http://jahangiri.us/books and a link to this blog; or
  
  
  • If you already own a copy of Trockle or A Puppy, Not a Guppy, you may complete this activity by posting a new review of either book on BarnesandNoble.com or Amazon.com. (NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Previously posted book reviews are not eligible as contest entries in this contest.)
  
  
  
  

Each activity equals one ( 1 ) entry, and you may do each activity once for a possible maximum of six ( 6 ) entries per valid email address. Your comment must be entered using a valid email address so that you can be contacted for mailing info if you win! Entries that do not have a valid email address will be considered null and void.

Duration: Contest begins at 12:01 AM on December 9, 2009 and ends at 11:59 on December 15, 2009. Winners will be drawn on December 16, 2009.

Eligibility: Contest is open to anyone age 13 or older. Tour hosts are eligible to enter.

Winners: Two winners will be randomly chosen (numbered in the order in which they are received, with the winning number chosen at http://www.random.org/ ) from all qualifying entries, and will be required to provide a physical mailing address in order to collect a prize (one free book). Only one entrant per household is eligible to win. If a second entrant from a single household is chosen, another name will be drawn until all prizes are awarded.

Contest void where prohibited by law.

****************************************

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, December 8:

Vivian Gilbert Zabel, author and founder of 4RV Publishing,
kicks off the tour with a special surprise guest at Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap
http://vivianzabel.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 9:

Lynne, Brendan, and Katherine at Life is But a Dream
http://suenogrande.blogspot.com

Roy de la Cruz at The Struggling Blogger dot Com
http://thestrugglingblogger.com/

Thursday, December 10:

Lynne, Brendan, and Katherine at Life is But a Dream
http://suenogrande.blogspot.com

Friday, December 11:

Lynne, Brendan, and Katherine at Life is But a Dream
http://suenogrande.blogspot.com

Saturday, December 12:

Heather Kephart at HappyMaking
http://heatherkephart.com/

Rey Rombawa Jr at reyjr.com – Born on a Syzygy
http://reyjr.com

Sunday, December 13:

Dr. Dean Pomerleau @ Fish School Blog
http://blog.fish-school.com/

Beverly  Stowe McClure at The Story of a Writer
http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com

Monday, December 14:

Lisa Munley at Books on the Brain
http://lisamm.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, December 15:

Jena Isle at Jena Isle's Random Thoughts
http://www.jenaisleonline.com

Susan and Noah Thompson at SusanSmithThompson.com
http://SusanSmithThompson.com

Wednesday, December 16:

Tour Wrap-up at Imaginary Friends and It’s All a Matter of Perspective
http://jahangiri.us/books/

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Dara England's $25 Barnes and Noble Christmas Scavenger Hunt

[caption id="attachment_1864" align="alignleft" width="234" caption="Click to find Brought to Life at BarnesandNoble.com"][/caption]

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you wonderful people! Joe Joe woke us up at an unholy hour this morning, so naturally my first instinct was to slip behind my laptop and poke through my Facebook messages. I'm glad I did, because I found one from Dara England announcing her fun Christmas Scavenger Hunt! Here are the details so that my interested readers may participate as well.

From Dara:

This is a Read, Play, and (hopefully) Win game. The prize is a $25.00 giftcard to Barnes & Noble.

Step #1. If you haven't already, you'll need to read all the way through my book Brought to Life. (You knew that was coming, didn't you? I'm a sneaky, sneaky lady.) Brought to Life is a paranormal romance/time travel ebook that can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/l/e673a;www.lyricalpress.com/brought_to_life.html

Step #2. Email me at dara [at] daraenglandauthor [dot] com with the answers to these two questions (these answers can only be found in the book). *1. What is the name of the heroine's roommate? *2. What famous author does the heroine meet at the end of the book?

Step #3. Wait. I'll randomly select a winner out of those who answered correctly and will notify them via email on 1/1/10.

Happy hunting and happy holidays!

--Dara

Dara England on Facebook

Dara England (Carol Green) on Twitter

Dara England's (Carol Green's) Website

LadyFingers Designs

Have fun!

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Barnes and Noble Affiliate Program

Jannie Funster did a girl a solid!

I received a notice from the post office the other day advising me that my six month PO Box subscription was due to expire 10/31 and to get my butt down there and fork over some cash or surrender my key under penalty of postal workers going postal.

Since I hadn't visited my PO Box for well over two months, you can imagine my surprise when, upon tossing a massive mound of supermarket flyers into the trash, and just in the nick of time, the telltale glint of postcard gloss hit my eye.

I reached out and grabbed my treasure a nanosecond before it came in contact with trash and thank goodness because, and I'm not sure about this, it may or may not be a Federal Offense to dig mail out of an official Post Office trash can.

Thank the sweet Lord above, I am glad I did because it was nothing less than a post card from the "honey of funny" otherwise known as Jannie Funster! Thank you, girl! It was a rare treat. I appreciate you taking the time. For those of you poor souls unacquainted with Jannie Funster, you are in for a rare treat if you check out her blog. She's a singer/songwriter, mom, lover (not mine), poet and humorist of the finest calibre.

Here's the card. Thanks again, Jannie! xo


[caption id="attachment_991" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Jannie Funster rocks!"][/caption]

(Word has it she hides in the bushes and waits for snowbirds to show up, then dashes naked across the beach shouting, "I have no Jannie Bannanies today!")