The Second Annual Kid's Choice Kidlit Writing Contest

 So, today marks the Second Kid's Choice Kidlit Writing Contest. 

Last year, I won first place in the Middle Grade category with 200 words from a new MG Fantasy The Secret of Scaremere Forest. Here are the 200 words that won!

Title: The Secret of Scaremere Forest

Genre – MG Fantasy

 

Unearthly screams echo through Scaremere Forest.

 

“Grab my hand, Rollo.” Amara whisks her younger brother under the snow-covered brush along the frozen banks of Raven Lake. “The Shadowmen are close. I smell their stench.”

 

Moonbeams light the frosted forest as Rollo waits for his body to tingle. He peeks at the moon. “Come on, strike the witching hour, he whispers. I must save Amara.” No sooner does he call upon the moon, familiar pain shoots through his limbs. His body twists, growing larger than his lanky frame. Rippling muscles transform his thin shoulders. His skin itches, and white fur erupts from every pore. His fingers become claws and his night vision is precise.

 

One minute after midnight, as his transition is complete, Amara jumps on her brother’s back. She wraps her arms around his neck, and Rollo charges through the forest.

 

Brittle branches snag Amara’s black hair and ice-covered roots magically curl in front of Rollo’s paws, so she’ll fall, making it easier for the Shadowmen to seize her. 

 

If they capture Amara, she’ll bring them gold, not with her magical powers, but for the bounty the Dark Fairy Queen has placed on her head for stealing the obsidian opal. 

Today, I entered in the YA category with a YA suspense titled 

Dead Boys Tell No Secrets. 

Here are this year's 200 words.

Title: DEAD BOYS TELL NO SECRETS

Word Count: 196

 

Twilight cloaks the winding road with a mile to go in the last training run before the NY State Mountain Bike race. Head down and feet pounding the pedals, I rounded the bend—a quick downhill shot to town.

Glancing up, I wrench back at a dark shadow in the road ahead. Too late! A muffled thud flips the bike and me high into the air. Asphalt and pine trees blur as I spin and slam into the ground. “What the hell was that?” I peel myself off the stony grit and burning pain rips across my shoulder. "Shit!"

I yank off my cracked helmet and rake scraped fingers through my hair, so wet and dark it doesn't look blonde anymore. My eyes flash to my bike twenty feet away and my laidback attitude explodes like the bombs in Dad’s war stories. 

Great, Jules. Now, how are you going to race tomorrow? 

I shuffle forward, ignoring the gash on my arm and yank my mangled bike off the jumbled mess. “Oh… my… God!” I freeze. A limp hand falls, palm up, on the rural highway, deserted except for me and the dead guy at my feet.

Wish me luck! The judges are the kids/teens in the age categories. I'll keep you posted as the finalists are announced.

Interview and Giveaway with Andrea Denish, Author of THE WAY WE SAY HELLO!

 Hello Gail! Thank you for inviting me to contribute to your blog. 

It's great to have you at The Storyteller's Scroll., Andrea. My readers are anxious to learn about you and your new book release.

1. Can you tell us your latest news?


 

Yes, my new picture book - THE WAY WE SAY HELLO illustrated by BlueBean and published by Starry Forest Books, is hitting shelves on 

February 7th. 

The cover features a soon-to-be big-sister next to her expectant mother. When you see the facial expressions of the mother and daughter on the cover, it takes you right back to that moment in your own life, and all the preparations that take place before a new baby arrives. Those kinds of emotions parallel my feelings as I await the book’s arrival. You could say I’m in my nesting stage now. 

This looks adorable. What a clever concept? Something everyone can relate to, no matter what language they speak.

 

2. What is your most recently released book about?

 THE WAY WE SAY HELLO follows a young child around the globe in search of the best greeting to welcome a new special someone. The rhyming text introduces greeting gestures, languages and a little bit of history. I’m really proud of how the book turned out. It makes a great gift for a baby shower or for someone about to meet a new sibling. 

3. What was your first published title and what was it about?

 My first published book was EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE!* illustrated by Guilherme Franco and published by Astra Books for Young Readers. That book came out in March 2020. Readers learn about some of America’s largest parades like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, etc… It’s a fun read aloud that highlights all of the great things about parades - and who doesn’t love a parade? Well, read the book to find out. 

It's true. I can't think of any child I know, who has never seen a parade. Another easily relatable topic.

4. Who/what were your sources of inspiration along the way? 

I find inspiration in unexpected places. Sometimes it’s a snippet of conversation that I overhear or a television commercial. EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE!* was inspired by the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Championship Parade in 2018. THE WAY WE SAY HELLO came about during the COVID pandemic when people were encouraged to avoid handshakes and hugs. There were alternative greeting suggestions like elbow bumps and bowing. This whole idea took me on a deep-dive into the ways people greet each other and how those greetings became popular. 

Wow! At least something good came out of COVID.

 

5. What was the best thing about getting your first book published?

Getting the first book published was definitely a feeling of validation. I’ve been writing since elementary school - I’ve always loved it. But when you set a goal of getting published and you meet rejection after rejection - holding the physical book in your hands is a huge boost.  I remember when the editor of my first book called to let me know the acquisitions team met and wanted to make me an offer - I cried! 

Tears of joy. Well-deserved.

 

6. What was the hardest thing?

 The hardest thing for me about publishing a picture book is relinquishing control. As a writer, you take a little spark of an idea that pops into your head and groom it into a polished manuscript. You spend months, even years - writing, revising, querying, and hoping. You envision what the story could be and what the illustrations will look like. In traditional publishing, your work is open to interpretation by the editorial and illustration process. Traditional publishing requires that the author trust the professionals assigned to work on your book. It becomes a team effort by the publishing house to make the best decisions for the end product. 

I agree. You sit on pins and needles waiting to see the first glimpse of the illustrator's interpretation of your words.

 

7. What are your current projects?


I don’t have anything to announce today, but I have some picture book manuscripts in the works that I am really excited about. I hope one day they will also make it past the finish line. 

8. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

It’s really heartwarming to hear from people who tell me they’ve read one of my books to their children or a teacher who has read to the class. I hope people who feel inclined to do so, will leave a review to help others find books they might enjoy.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Dear readers if you are so inclined, please leave a review for Andrea. There is nothing greater you can do for an author than to leave a positive review.

 

9. Bit of wisdom to share: 

The road to publication is paved with rejections. Write or illustrate because you love it. If you love it you will want to create something every day, take courses with professionals and learn the craft. If you do this patiently, rejections will not crush your soul - they will make you more determined to keep going.

 

10. And for fun, something that not a lot of people know about you. 

Hmm, I’m pretty much an open book - LOL!  I’ll just tell you about some memories of my first attempts at writing back when I was a child. Once I wrote a song parody of You Light Up My Life called You Bite Off My Knife (no worries, Weird Al Yankovic - you’re still the master at song parodies.) In elementary school, I wrote a puppet show mystery about disappearing writing implements called, The Pencil Case. Then there was that advertisement I had to make for a communications class in high school. I invented a character called Count Grapecola. He had a purple cape and loved to drink purple soda. 

Alright, I’ll see myself out now. 

Ha! Maybe you should write a humorous picture book featuring Count Grapecola!

Links:

Website: www.andreadenish.com

The Way We Say Hello is available for pre-order at

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Bookshop.org

 

Andrea is offering a critique of a 500-word or less picture book. To be eligible follow these steps.

1. Follow The Storyteller's Scroll Blog (see right side of blog under followers.

2. Post a comment about Andrea's new book.

3. Winner will be selected at random and announced on this blog in ten days.

Good luck, creatives!