Second Annual #50PreciousWords

Vivian Kirkfield is sponsoring #50PreciousWords, an intriguing writing contest in celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday.

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Hop to her blog to read the details, entries, and generous prize list.

The kid-friendly stories are limited to fifty words, which turned out to be a lot easier than I thought once I got the theme in my head. This one is based on research I've been doing for a children's magazine.

Sound like fun? It's not too late. You have until March 6 to post your entry.
 

Here's my offering:

 

The Ballad of Mary Fields

By Joanne Roberts

Mary Fields comes chug-chuggin' from the saloon,

A thundering locomotive,

Streaming smoke from her cigar.

Wolves on the trail,

Four-legged or man-sized,

Won't slow her down.

Slapping the mail sacks across Moses's saddle,

She rolls out of town.

Her smile wide as Montana skies,
 

Freest soul ever born a slave.



The real Mary Fields
courtesy BlackCowboys.com

Second Annual Valentiny Writing Contest Entry

 At the eleventh hour I decided to enter Susanna Leonard Hill's 

Second Annual Pretty Much World Famous
Valen-tiny Writing Contest

Please go to Susanna's blog to read the amazing entries in the comments and click on the links to view even more Valen-TINY stories. Very tiny, as in 214 words or less. Don't forget to stop by Susanna's site on February 20th to vote for your favorites. Thanks for reading. And now...

 

A Picture-Perfect Valentine

by Joanne Roberts

 

   Moose eyed the pile of valentines. On top was a handmade card from Maya. Honestly, he was surprised to see any valentines, let alone one from Maya.

      On the card, she'd drawn a doughnut with sprinkles. "Sweet?" Moose whispered. "Sweetie? Sweet Thing?"

       Next was a picture of something with wings. "A bee," thought Moose.  

      Below that, a drawing of Maya herself. Moose stared, confused.

      Why would Maya give him a valentine? He broke her crayons and stole her snacks. Well, not every day. "Sweetie, be mine."

      Moose grinned.

      "Thanks for the valentine," he told Maya. Now Maya looked confused. "I figured it out. See? Something sweet…"

      "A doughnut," Maya corrected.

      "And a bee."

      "Actually..."

      "And that's you," Moose continued.

      "Well, sure, but…"

      "So the message is, 'Sweetie, be mine!'"

      "Actually," said Maya, her nose wrinkling, "that's just a bug. Get it? 'Donut bug me,' like, leave me alone and don't steal my candy today." Maya walked away, shaking her head.

      Moose blushed. He sank into a chair. Then he noticed another valentine on his desk, two candy hearts glued to construction paper. One said, "PUPPY LOVE." The other said, "NO WAY."  Signed, Chloe.

      "No way," he repeated. "Not puppy love? Then it must be true love."

      "Hey, Chloe," he shouted "thanks for the valentine!"

 

Necco conversation hearts candies

Last Chance Book Giveaway

Last chance to win a copy of either Calling on Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede or The Fairy Tale Life of Hans Christian Andersen, by Eva Moore, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.



Calling on Dragons

Fairy Tale Life of
 Hans Christian Andersen

Tweet about the giveaway using #MGLit or comment on the contest post.

And stay tuned for tomorrow's middle grade book review of Raina Telgemeier's newest release, Ghosts.

Ghosts,by Raina Telgemeier

Join all the MMGM participants

MMGM: Dealing With Dragons

Welcome to my first review for

Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays.

MMGM started way back in 2010 by Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of Lost Cities. Each week, participating bloggers review our favorite books for ages 8-12. Why not join us by blogging about your favorites?

If you're looking for my weekly bookish quote and bookplate, they've permanently moved to Wednesdays.


Today's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday pick

Dealing With Dragons,
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, book # 1,
First edition cover by Trina Schart Hyman

Dealing With Dragons


Written by Patricia C. Wrede
HMH Books for Young Readers,
originally Harcourt Childrens Books, 1990
Ages 10 and up
240 pages,51000 words


Themes:
Fantasy, Humor, Challenging Assumptions


Opening:
       Linderwall was a large kingdom, just east of the Mountains of Morning, where philosophers were highly respected and the number five was fashionable. The knights kept their armor brightly polished mainly for show —it had been centuries since a dragon had come east. There were the usual periodic problems with royal children and uninvited fairy godmothers, but they were always the sort of thing that could be cleared up by finding the proper prince or princess to marry the unfortunate child a few years later. All in all, Linderwall was a very prosperous and pleasant place.
       Cimorene hated it.


Thoughts:
In Dealing With Dragons, author Patricia Wrede  challenges the reader to look at traditional fairy tale tropes in a new light. Her book is fun, funny, and thought-provoking as it follows the adventures of Cimorene.

Princess Cimorene is practical, witty, and resourceful, anything but a typical princess. She feels constrained by the expectations of her society and frustrated by the machinations of others. As she fights against stereotypes, she forges a new path for herself, one of her own choosing, despite limiting circumstances. She is a strong character who dares the reader to examine her own beliefs and design her own destiny.

Wrede's humor is clever. She sprinkles the story with anachronistic references and peppers it with hilarious explanations for fairy tale behaviors. Today, the market is littered with twisted fairy tales, but few have the charm or freshness of Patricia's original style.


Bonus: 
 1. If you enjoyed Dealing With Dragons, don't miss the other books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Or travel to an alternate history in Patricia's Thirteenth Child, a mix of magic on the American frontier.

2. You might also like A Hidden Magic, by Vivian Vande Velde, a similar tongue-in-cheek remix which features another cover by illustrator Trina Schart Hyman.



Thirteenth Child,
Frontier Magic book #1,
by Patricia Wrede

A Hidden Magic,
by Vivian Vande Velde

3. Plus, I'm giving away a used copy of Calling on Dragons or The Fairy Tale Life of Hans Christian Andersen, your choice. You can enter to win by tweeting a link to this post using the hashtag #MGLit. If you don't have a twitter account, you can leave a comment below.

Win a copy of Patricia's
Calling on Dragons
OR

This book by Eva Moore,
art by Trina Schart Hyman

A Winner will be drawn and notified September 19. Thanks for reading, and good luck.

4. Check out all the recommended titles for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
for Monday, September 12, 2016 available on Shannon Messenger's blog. 

If you want to join MMGM, blog about a middle grade book you love on a Monday. You can post a straight review or contests, author interviews, etc. Then email Shannon Messenger at SWMessenger@hotmail.com

Put "MMGM" or "Marvelous Middle Grade Monday" in the subject line, include the title of the book you're featuring, and a link to your blog. Email your link by Sunday evening in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

For additional details, see Shannon's website.

2nd Annual Pretty Much World Famous Illustration Contest

I'm headed to see Jurassic World.

Here's my entry for Susanna Leonard Hill's amazing contest.

DISCOVERY

Be sure to check out all the other fabulous entries on Susanna's blog!

PPBF: S is for Sea Glass

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

S is for Sea Glass, by Richard Michelson and Doris Ettlinger

S is for Sea Glass: A Beach Alphabet
Written by Richard Michelson
Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger
Sleeping Bear Press, 2014
poetry, grades 2-5

Themes:
Poetry, Ocean, Vacation



Opening:
A is for Angel

When we're at the seashore the first thing I've planned
Is to lie really flat with my back to the sand.

I'll hold my arms close, then I'll stretch them out wide,
Sliding up overhead and back down to my side.

I'll sweep my legs outward, then swing them back straight,
Like I'm opening and closing a fairy-tale gate.

And when I stand up, Mom will say that she sees
The sand robes and wings of the angel in me.

Synopsis:
S is for Sea Glass is the latest in the poetic alphabet series from Sleeping Bear. This book has a poem for every letter, in keeping with a beach theme. The author explores natural aspects of the beach, like the waves in winter, nautili, and jellyfish. His poems poke fun at vacationers and year-rounders alike. He captures the taste of the spray and the restlessness one begins to feel when it's time to pack for the shore. Mr. Michelson includes several forms of poetry including free verse.

G is for Gull,
art by Doris Ettlinger

What I Love:
I didn't mean to pick another poetry book this week, but I received S is for Sea Glass when it was released in January and have been itching for the right time to review it.

There is so much to love about this beautiful volume. The poems are clever and playful, especially L.

L is for Lighthouse

I don't want to be president and live inside the White House.
I'd rather be the resident key keeper of this lighthouse.
Mom's happy she's a doctor and my dad, he loves to teach.
But me, when I grow up, I never want to leave the beach.

And what can't be said about Doris Ettlinger's vibrant illustrations? Sloshing watercolors that mimic the wind and sea. Bright whites and glaring gold of the sun on the sand. Romping dogs and children, she's included them all.

If you're on the east coast, stop into one of these booksellers to get an autographed copy.

 Fair Haven NJ - May 16, 3:30-4:30 pm at River Road Books

Clinton NJ - May 17, 1-3 pm at the Clinton Book Shop
NYC - May 30, 12 - 1 pm, Book Expo America at the Javitz Center 
Holmdel NJ - June 1, 1 - 2 pm at Barnes & Noble
Tinicum PA - July 12, 12:30 - 2:30 pm at the Tinicum Arts Festival

Bonus:

Wreath by Sue Gray

1. Visit the author's amazing fine art gallery, online or in Massachusetts.
2. Take watercolor lessons at the Mill, the illustrator's home and studio in New Jersey.
3. Craft this wire wrap beach glass wreath and other treasures found on Completely Coastal.

4. Make your own edible sea glass with this rock candy recipe from We're Not Martha, or substitute 3/4 cup of water with corn syrup and pour into a sprayed foil-lined pan to make a sheet of hard candy.
5. Spring is a lovely time to visit your favorite oceanside retreat. It's nothing like summertime, but every bit as magical.
6. Here are 30 more ways to put some poetry into your day.
7. Enjoy these other books from Richard Michelson, Doris Ettlinger, and Sleeping Bear Press.

By Catherine Stier and Doris Ettlinger

By Carol Antoinette Peacock and Doris Ettlinger

By R. Michelson and Ron Mazellan

By Richard Michelson and E. B. Lewis

By Eileen Cameron and Doris Ettlinger

by Jerry Pallotta and Tom Leonard

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday for May 9, 2014 available on Susanna Leonard Hill's excellent blog.

The Princess and the Stinky Cheese, by Lauri Meyers

Here's my entry for the Fractured Fairy Tale Contest. It was a difficult decision, but I chose Lauri Meyers's The Princess and the Stinky Cheese.

Thanks to Lauri for letting me illustrate her story!
Click to view the original sketch.

Lauri has put together all the contest illustrations for her story and the full text of  The Princess and the Stinky Cheese on her blog. Pop over and take a look!

W is for Work-In-Progress

Can you guess which fractured fairy tale I am illustrating for Susannah's art contest?

Pop over to her blog to review the other entrants or read the inspiring original stories. Coming soon . . . my finished contest entry!

W is for Work-in-Progress
Follow the A to Z Challenge

O is for Opportunity

We've been talking a lot about goals and advancing your career. So it seemed an appropriate time to talk about opportunities for growth and exposure.


What kind of opportunities you need to grow depend on where you are in your writer's / illustrator's journey.

Let's assume you are a newbie.

You should be spending your energy

1. learning your craft
2. building a body of work
3. developing relationships in the publishing world. 

You are probably stretching in every direction right now. Most of you are plagued by an Overzealous inner critic. You may feel alternately Overjoyed and Overwhelmed.
Take every Opportunity for critique. Seek Opportunities for exposure.

1. When attending a conference or workshop, sign-up for as many critiques as you can: first page reads, portfolio reviews, editor one-on-ones. Listen carefully, take lots of notes, put it all into perspective.
2. Get into a critique group. Learn to evaluate others' work and apply the same principles to your own creations. Share what you learn with others.
3. Participate in challenges. Meeting deadlines is an indispensable skill for authors and artists. The best challenges also come with a supportive community. This is a great place to meet critique partners and build friendships.

Maybe you are more of a seasoned professional.

You are spending your time 

1. polishing your craft
2. keeping your body of work fresh
3. strengthening relationships in the publishing world

You are probably going from surviving to maintaining right now. Most of you are still plagued by an Overzealous inner critic. You may feel alternately Optimistic and Oppressed. Succesful one minute, forgotten the next.

Make the most of professional Opportunities. Pursue new Opportunities for exposure.

1. Attend a conference or workshop which takes you in a new direction or challenges you at a new level. Listen carefully, keep it all in perspective.
2. Reevaluate your critique group. Find your niche platform where you can share with others.
3. Participate in challenges. Keeping yourself fresh is an indispensable skill for authors and artists. Take advantage of the supportive challenge community. Remember how to have fun.

Illustrators may want to participate in Susanna Leonard Hill's first ever art contest. Her contests are always challenging and fun. She offers great prizes and the participants are super supportive. The deadline is a week away, so please spread the word.

Here is a partial list of additional challenges you may want to add to your calendar over the next twelve months.

A to Z blogging Challenge

Doodle Day

NaPiBoWriWee

NaNoWriMo

PPBF

Inktober

PiBoIdMo

SkADaMo

Tomie DePaola Award

HoHoDooDah

PBDummy Challenge

Start The Year Off Write

12x12

ReviMo 

#ChaBooCha

RhyPiBoMo

#Twoodle

Illustration Friday

 

Miracles on Maple Hill

In lieu of Perfect Picture Book Friday, here is a Middle Grade classic.

Cover art by Kevin Hawkes

Miracles on Maple Hill
Written by Virginia Sorensen
Harcourt, 1956
Fiction, ages 10 and up
180 pages

Winner of the Newbery Medal in 1957, Miracles on Maple Hill is a family feel-good novel. It tells the story of Marly, whose family is falling apart when her dad returns from the service with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Marly and her brother learn to adapt to their new surroundings over the backdrop of sugaring season, with the help of their unusual community of neighbors.

Although I love the more recent cover by Kevin Hawkes, the original illustrators were kidlit legends Beth and Joe Krush.


Bonus:
1. Read other Newbery novels at ALA.

2. Learn more about maple syrup or visit a farm like Madava to watch the process first-hand.
3. Prepare some scratch pancakes and order authentic syrup from Paul Bunyan's Sugar Camp to celebrate the season.
4. Explore the stresses faced by veterans. Visit a VA hospital or organize a service project. Support our troops, and give them your gratitude.
5. Visit a modern farm or petting zoo complete with baby goats.
6. I highly recommend the Full-Cast Audio edition for long car trips.
7. Visit the author's birthplace and exhibit at the Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum.
8. If you enjoyed this book, here are a few more you might enjoy about Sugaring from Naturally Educational. Or try these favorites.

YA about PTSD

strong sense of place

PB legend

PB classic on farm life

By the same author

Perfect Picture Book Friday will return on April 4, 2014. Please hop to Susanna Leonard Hill's blog to read the finalists for the March Madness Fractured fairy tale contest or check last Thursday's post for my entry, Goldie and the Three Squirrels. Voting begins today.

Fractured Fairy Tale Contest Entry

It's time again for Susanna Leonard Hill's spring contest.

Welcome to the March Madness Contest. Below is my entry for the twisted traditional tale in under 400 words (395 to be exact.)

Thanks for reading. Pop over the river and through the woods to read the other entries. Mark your calendar for March 27th. That's the day you'll be able to return to Susanna's blog and vote for the finalist who has written the best story.


Without further ado, I present

GOLDIE AND THE THREE SQUIRRELS

        Once upon a time, a little girl named Goldie discovered a little cottage in the woods. The cottage was, in fact, so little that Goldie decided to take it home with her. “C’mon,” she said to her doll, “this will be the perfect house for you and Teddy.” Without another word, Goldie scooped up the cottage and bounded home.

        Goldie didn't know there were three squirrels inside the cottage: a papa, a mama, and a baby squirrel. As Goldie ran, everything inside the little house began to bounce and bump and tumble around. The kitchen chairs crashed against the walls of the little house. Papa Squirrel’s chair knocked a hole in the wall, because it was so hard. Mama Squirrel’s chair knocked her down, but she wasn’t hurt, because it was so soft. Baby Squirrel’s chair knocked into the fireplace and smashed into splinters.

        Papa Squirrel grunted. Mama Squirrel groaned. And Baby Squirrel moaned, “Boo-hoo.”

        As the cottage tipped this way and that, their bowls of acorn soup slid from the table. Papa Squirrel’s soup splattered on his shirt. “Ouch, that’s hot,” he said.

        Mama Squirrel’s soup splattered in her lap. “Brr, that’s cold,” she said.

        Baby Squirrel’s soup flew across the room and splattered against the wall.

        Papa Squirrel steamed. Mama Squirrel sighed. And Baby Squirrel cried, “Boo-hoo.”

        By now Goldie had reached her own bedroom. She put the squirrels' cottage on the floor next to her dolls, but before she could look inside, she heard her mother calling. “Goldie! Time for lunch.”

        When all was quiet, the three squirrels crawled out from under their jumbled furniture and crept into Goldie’s room. The squirrels examined everything. They climbed her bookshelves. They poked in and out of her dresser drawers. They wiped their sticky fur on her curtains, brushed their fluffy tails with her hairbrush, and nibbled some candy from her coat pocket. They searched her toy box. Finally, they explored the big, big bed.

        They were so exhausted from their adventure that Papa Squirrel curled up on the bed post, because it was very hard. Mama Squirrel snuggled into the pillow, because it was very soft. But Baby Squirrel cuddled close to Goldie’s teddy bear and fell fast asleep. Goldie returned to the room and stared wide-eyed at the mess the squirrels had made.

        Papa Squirrel slumbered. Mama Squirrel slept. And Goldie wept, “Boo-hoo.”

Congratulations Tomie Award Winners!

Winning entry by Akiko White

The winner of the 2014 Tomie de Paola Award has been announced and posted along with five runners-up. Congratulations Akiko, Nina, Alice, Anne, Jacob, and Lisa. Each of the illustrations for Sneeze are well worth viewing.

To see many more of the participants, go to the unofficial gallery. Thanks to Diandra Mae.

Of special note, is the second runner up, a beautiful entry by Alice Ratterree. I am so happy to have a reason to blog about Alice's work again. You can read a little more about Alice Ink here.

Tomie Award runner up, entry by Alice Ratterree

Which were your favorite sneezes?

Story Contest, second place

Thanks to all who voted for "Mixed Messages", my entry in Susanna Leonard Hill's July contest. If you haven't heard, I was awarded second place! Congratulations to Cheryl Secomb and the rest of the participants, especially Tina M. Cho, whose story, "Fishing Boat to Freedom" had my vote.
The contest was not in my usual line, appeared during a particularly hectic week, and boasted challenging criteria. Trite as it may sound, I felt like a winner just for making the deadline. To move on to the finals was encouraging. To be counted among the winners by my peers, a highlight. The short story format has found a new place in my heart (and in my idea note book.)

Badge design by Loni Edwards

If you'd like to participate in another of Susanna's challenges, try her Summer Shorts and Sweets.
Thanks again to Susanna and all.

Too Complex for Adults

"There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book."
-Philip Pullman

Bookplate of Vivienne MacKenzie Webb

Don't forget to follow this blog and comment here to be entered in the pirate giveaway!

Pirate Giveaway!

Win a hardcover edition of this book!

Okay, I'm not giving away a pirate, but I am giving away a copy of The Pirate Meets the Queen, an adventure-filled picture book by Matt Faulkner. Here's my review for PPBF.

TO ENTER:
1. Become a follower of my blog, Bookish Ambition (Hint: you're already here!)
2. Leave a comment on this post. Anything pirate-y will do!
3. If you'd like a second chance to win, follow Bookish Ambition on Twitter, or let me know that you're already a follower.
4. I'll put your name into the drawing a third time if you tweet about my contest.

That's it! So this is a shameless ploy to reach more followers, but it is also a chance to win a book. And who doesn't need more books?

Entries will be accepted from June 16-June 30. One winner will be randomly chosen and announced here and via Twitter on July 2, 2013.

Thank-you and Happy Father's Day!

Marcie's Food Fight

In honor of World Read Aloud Day, Marcie Colleen is hosting a food fight.
Pick up your badge at her blog, The Write Routine, and spread the word.

Food Fight badge illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch

If you decide to participate, I'd love to know about it.  See you in the cafeteria!

Songs for a Machine Age winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the Songs for a Machine Age contest. 

Here is the winning image.

Winning art by Rhea Ewing

Gorgeous, right?  That's what illustration does:  It tells a story,  introduces you to a character,  sets the scene, fulfills the vision of the author, and displays the creative mind of the artist.   It is so much more than a sum of its parts.  Just like the steambeast itself, come to think of it.

My piece was named a runner-up!  My thanks again to Heather McDougal.

Steambeast Unveiled

Steambeast festival design,
By Joanne Roberts

As promised, here is a concept of what Heather McDougal's steambeast might have looked like at the annual festival.  Its central core is a sphere.  It is composed of brass, copper, vellum, and other materials.  I enjoyed playing with the mechanical parts -- trying to reinvent them in an organic way.  The mythical steambeast is supposed to redesign itself as something totally new and inscrutable each year.  I wanted a beautiful form whose purpose was not readily identifiable. Thanks, Heather.  This was a good exercise, not to mention loads of fun!

Look for Heather's debut novel, Songs for a Machine Age, published by Hadley Rille (Ingram, dist.).

PiBoIdMo Accomplished

A BIG thank-you to all who could make PiBoIdMo such a smashing success in 2012. I made my goal of 30 ideas in 30 days,  more than doubling that number.   Congratulations to all the participants.  I hope you made your goal too.
As a newbie, I had no idea what to expect.  The whole artistic community was very supportive.  I am blessed to be part of such an industry!  So here's to December, when I can finally unleash my inner critic on the list of ideas.  That's IF he promises to behave himself.

There's more to come on Tara's blog . . .

Clockpunk SkADaMo

I promised to post a few more sketches from my November SkADaMo attempts.  Here are three clockpunk contraptions.  I actually used my sketch-a-day to refine some designs I was working on for my entry in the Songs for a Machine Age contest.  I'll post my final design next Tuesday.

Clockpunk contraption
by Joanne Roberts

clockpunk beast and friends
by Joanne Roberts

Bug Buggy
by Joanne Roberts

Interestingly, James Gurney also posted some concept sketches today for a steampunk digging machine he designed back in the 80's.