The FREE-Tique Contest Winner Is...

Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun with the Free-tique contest and for all your congrats on my recent exciting news. You guys are AWESOME!

In addition to the 32 contest participants, we had 36 favorite picture books listed. What fun! A list of all your favorites are at the end of this post, so please check them out. But first, let's get right to the WINNER of the free critique contest.

First, I noted each participant's name and placed those into a hat. (A special thank you, my darling hubby for offering up his favorite cap for this special occasion.)

Then, I had my daughter pulled out ONE name.

Congratulations to our FREE-Tique WINNER, Wendy Mintz!!! YAY!!!!! (Wendy, email me here for more info. I can't wait to read your story!)

Also, as a special thank you to those who participated in the contest, I'm extending the special price of $25 for picture book critiques. Email me for more info.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the fun!  Now, here's the list of picture books tht you love best.  What a fantastic  list to bring with you on your next library visit. Enjoy and again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone!

A Visitor for Bear, by Bonny Becker & Kady MacDonald Denton
Are You My Mother, by P.D. Eastman
Avacado Baby, by John Burningham
Barnyard Dance, by Sandra Boynton
Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!, by Rosetta Stone & Michael Frith
Big Red Barn, Margaret Wise Brown & Felicia Bond
Chicks Run Wild, by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Ward Jenkins
Clever Jack Takes the Cake, by Candace Flemming & G. Brian Karas
Click, Clack, Moo, by Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin
Fortunately, by Remy Charlip
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown & Clement Hurd
Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss
Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson
Hats for Sale
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss
I Stink, by Kate McMullan & Jim McMullan
I Want My Hat Back, by Jon Klassen
Lost and Found, by Oliver Jeffers
Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans
Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney
Moo Baa La La La, by Sandra Boynton
Mr. Pusskins, by Sam Lloyd
Once There Were Giants, by Martin Waddell & Penny Dale
One Dark Night, by Lisa Wheeler & Ivan Bates
Piggie Pie, by Margie Palatini and Howard Fine
Rainbow Crow, by Nancy Van Laan & Beatriz Vidal
Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea, by Lisa Wheeler & Ponder Goembel
The Digging-est Dog, by Al Perkins & Eric Gurney
The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein
The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, Ruth E. Harper & Nancy M. Leak
The Lorax, Dr. Seuss
The Other Side, Jaqueline Woodson & E.B. Lewis
The Rabbits, by John Marsden & Shaun Tan
The Very Cranky Bear, by Nick Bland
Turtle Tail, by Frank Ashe
Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

FREE-TIQUE Contest for Picture Book Writers

Hello Picture Book writers!

In the midst of all the excitement of late with a new agent and contest win (squee!), I'm closing out the Kick Off Launch Party of my critique service this weekend and I thought it would be extra fun to throw a FREE-TIQUE Party too.

What's that, you ask? It's a FREE picture book critique contest.  All you need to do to enter the contest is leave a comment on THIS POST before midnight, Saturday, Sept. 15th.  I will throw each name into a hat (one per person) and I will randomly choose one WINNER!

To add a little extra fun, tell me your favorite picture book of all time and I'll post mine too.

Of course, you can read more about my critique service HERE.

Good luck!

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 - Day 1

This month is one of my favorite times of the year as a picture book writer. Why? Because May 1-7 is National Picture Book Writing Week. For four years now, I've joined my friend, the talented author/TVproducer/musician and founder of NaPiBoWriWee, Paula Yoo, in writing seven picture books in seven days.

Impossible, you say? Well, we aren't actually writing seven final drafts. In fact, they don't even have to be seven good drafts. The only resemblance of a NaPiBoWriWee rule is that you have to write seven picture book first drafts, each with a beginning, middle, and end. That's it... OH, and you have to post your progress on Paula's Website each day. Paula's blog post for DAY 1 is HERE.



Ready? Set? Go!!!

NaPiBoWriWee: Day 6 & 7

National Picture Book Writing Week Challenge Update...

Day 6:
I woke up and right away, I knew the pressure was on. I had two days left to write four picture books (first drafts) and I'd already started and abandoned three stories that were going nowhere.  Then, I remembered a monkey character idea I had... YES!  I plowed through 441 words of prose, but ran out of steam and went to bed early, leaving myself 3 books to write the next day.

PiBo #4 - (441 words in prose): A very badly written PiBo with a fun plot about a monkey with a physical challenge that he has to learn to overcome in order to save the day.  Cute idea, but needs A LOT of work.

Day 7:
WHAT???? Three picture books in ONE DAY???? Can it be done? Well, I happened to know the answer was yes, since I wrote my last 4.5 stories in one day last year. And being the competitive soul that I am, I took that challenge once again and worked my patootie off.

PiBo #5 - (223 words in lovely rhythmical rhyme): A bedtime story inspired by my very own darlings. VERY SWEET and definitely my favorite of the bunch.

PiBo #6 - (123 words in simple prose couplets): A very gentle rhythm that asks and answers that curious question, where do babies come from... on a toddler/preschooler level, of course. This one is very sweet too, but needs to be revised desperately.

And.... drum roll, please....................................

PiBo #7 - (131 words in rhyme): At this point, I had just over an hour to write an entire picture book (first draft) and I was getting desperate.  I took the easy way out and did a rhyming ABC book about squishy, squashy, icky, sticky treats, like caterpillars and such. YUM! I finished just in time for my midnight snack :)

A huge thank you to PAULA YOO for hosting this awesome challenge for us picture book writers (and wanna bees). Even though Paula had a crazy week, being the co-producer of the TV series EUREKA and all, and wasn't able to meet her 7 book challenge for herself, she set the platform for many, many, MANY other people to give it their best.  And truth be told, having 2 or 4 or 6 new drafts is quite an accomplishment for any picture book writer.  The honest truth is that none of us failed if we managed to come out of the week with even ONE new manuscript draft.

Until next year... (or my next post)... Peace out!

NaPiBoWriWee: Day 5

A BIG HIGH FIVE! We're in the fifth day of National Picture Book Writing Week where we're attempting to write seven picture books in seven days.  You can read all about our progress on Paula Yoo's website.

I did it! I finished another picture book today.  I may have had a slow start, just like the sloths in my third picture book (first draft), but I'm making up for lost time over the weekend.

PiBo #1 (157 words in prose): It's all about a girl who loves...  Well, you'll have to wait and see when it comes out in print! For now it's top secret!!! Shhhhhh!

PiBo #2 (49 woppin' words in prose using an internal-rhyme scheme): Inspired by my own picky eater, guess what this little guy wants with every meal??? Well, almost every meal.

PiBo#3 (176 words in rhyme): My main characters may be slow to move, but this first draft wasn't.  I plowed through all ten rhyming stanzas about sloths in less than an hour. YES! WOO HOOO!

Now, I'm off to work on writing one more picture book first draft before I nod off to sleep.  I've got the plot, main character and his problem in my brain, I just need to make it work on paper.

NaPiBoWriWee: Day 4

Well, after a VERY busy weekend, I've kicked off my PiBo writing today, on day four of NaPiBoWriWee. I finished two - YES TWO - picture books today. So what, they don't have much substance. So what,  they are pretty... ummm... dumb. So what!  Truth be told, this PiBo week has got my writer's groove groovin'.

I worked on revising a picture book that I started writing last year (yes, that would be 12 months ago) and just reached a BRICK WALL several months back. I put it down... I picked it up... I put it down... I picked it up... I slammed it down... I threw it against the wall...

But this week I sliced... I diced... and I worked that story down to just over 400 words. OH YAH! Now, instead of feeling nagged at and frustrated, I'm in love with the story again - YAY!

Paula Yoo's NaPiBoWriWee doesn't just torture us into writing bad picture books. It gets our groove on, Baby!

My Publishing Process: The Journey Continues

Now that the kids are out of school it seems that things haven't really slowed down much. I spent three hours at the car dealer Tuesday, ventured to the beach to support a school fundraiser on Wednesday, attended a summer PTO board meeting (I blinked and found myself as next year's PTO secretary) on Thursday, spent one entire day doing critiques for my local group, HB Critters, and revising a picture book on Friday... and then went to the meeting last night. Whew! What a week!

Meanwhile, in the crevices of my spare time, I've managed to narrow my sights on two publishers that are "for sure" submissions. One publisher printed a book that I connected with so well, that I ordered the book on Amazon that morning, after only hearing only one stanza. Iggy Peck, Architect is one of the most gifted picture books I've ever read. Not only did I connect with it, it challenged me to want to write more and better. After emailing Andrea to let her know about my discovery, she so graciously shared with me some of her favorite authors. The next day, I quickly packed up my three kids and was off to the library. I came home with eighteen picture books of my own... besides what the kids picked out. I learned that Lisa Wheeler is one of my new heroes. Just as Iggy Peck challenged me, I found myself in the middle of the library reading Lisa's Sixteen Cows, and with tears in my eyes I realizing that there are others out there who speak my language; the language of word play in rhyme! Mathematically arranged in perfect meter and rhyme, I've found my new text books... and it's back to college for me!

Since most publishers ask picture book writers to submit the entire manuscript with a cover letter, I didn't anticipate having to do a query for this book. Then, I realized that one of the two publishers I've decided to sub to requires a query before submitting. As a perfectionist, summing up my picture book in one page terrifies me. How can I sum up a 580 word rhyming picture book in one page without just telling the whole story? Thus, another adventure... query crafting research.

I still have several publishers to look into, so I'm not done with the research and narrowing process yet. As my file box sits filled with folders at my feet, neatly organized alphabetically by publishing house, I realize that this writing thing is much more than just... well... writing. The writing business is much more in depth than I'd ever imagined. Thankfully, I love a challenge and the process of learning!

And speaking of... I'm doubly thankful that I have a wonderful friend and mentor in Brenda Sturgis, an award winning author and poet. She's taken me under her talented wing and is molding me into a best seller... Yay Brenda! Thank you - Thank you... a thousand times, thank you!!!!

Now, I'm off to the beautiful Huntington Beach sand, where we'll do important things like laugh, eat hot dogs and get sand in places I won't mention here.

Thanks for sharing my journey,

Jenni

(Photo by NinaOA)

Making Boogie Knights

Lisa Wheeler and Mark Siegel collaborate to make Boogie Knights, an exciting picture book in verse. As I build my library of talented picture books in rhyme, I'm finding that they are much more than entertaining. As an aspiring author, they are uplifting and enlightening.

I found this great video on Youtube and thought I'd post it. I love watching artists share how their work came about, especially when you see and hear the excitement they have for their work... It's contagious!

Enjoy... I'm off to revise...

Jenni

My Newest Favorite - CROCODADDY

I love it when I find a new favorite picture book! My four-year-old and I took a trip to our local Barnes and Noble yesterday and discovered Crocodaddy, written by Kim Norman and illustrated by David Walker.

As every good picture book should be, this is a perfect partnership between words and pictures. Crocodaddy is the kind of story that will bring grins and giggles to children and adults everywhere. I know this from first hand experience as I plopped down on the bookstore floor, my daughter jumped in my lap and we enjoyed our first Crocodaddy journey!

This adorable rhythmically rhyming picture book tells the tale of the kind of fun every child would love to have with Daddy... especially when he’s CROCODADDY.

Pick up your copy today, just in time for Father’s Day, at Barnes and Noble online or visit your local book store. And don’t forget to visit Kim Norman’s website to explore more of her delightful picture books.

Disclosure!

Dear Brian:
I apologize in advance for the Father’s Day gift spoiler. But then again, the REAL gift will be snuggling and reading with our baby croc.

Sincerely,

Jenni

What's your favorite picture book?

I've accepted a challenge to read 1000 picture books. I call it "studying." Well, a surgeon certainly doesn't operate without watching several other surgeons operate first. Same concept!

I'd like to know what your favorite picture books are. Leave me a comment on my blog and let me know.

I read a wonderful PB this morning called Duck Soup. Too funny!!!

Thanks,

Jenni