Writing Contests

Have I mentioned I love writing contests? Well I should have. Writing contests put my brain into overdrive. The excitement! The challenge! The narrow focus and limited timeframe! It's too much for me to resist--kinda like exclamation points--so I usually don't.

In 2006 my entry was a winner in the "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Contest" sponsored by smartwriters.com and the Penguin group. I won a lovely tote, which I carry to all my writing conferences and gigs, the awesome book of the same name, and a poster which hangs proudly on my office wall. Thanks, Roxyanne and Penguin editors!

In 2007 my picture book, Freezing, Wheezing, Sneezing Weasels, took 3rd place in the picture book category of the W.I.N. Contest, also sponsored by smartwriters. com. Thanks, Roxyanne and Verla!

http://smartwriters.com/content/blogcategory/151/132/

In 2008 my haiku was chosen a winner in the AirQ Haiku Contest, sponsored by the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City, Missouri. I won a bike! Thanks, Amanda, judges and River Market Cyclery!

http://www.marc.org/Environment/airQ/Haiku/winners.htm%22%3E

Also in 2008, my holiday haiku took 2nd place in agent Rachelle Gardner's 17 Syllables Contest. Thanks, Rachelle and blog voters!

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/search?q=17+syllables

I can't wait to enter more contests. How about you?

Author Visit

What a great day I had last Friday! The sun shone. The birds sang. And I spoke to a wonderful group of second graders about writing. It doesn't get any better than that!

We talked about the writing process and where ideas come from and how a writer knows when she is finished. They asked questions and listened as I read "The Easter Bunny," a story I wrote and illustrated as a kid (hey, where's my Caldecott?), plus a couple of my more recent picture books, unillustrated. They were polite and interested and interesting, and before we knew it, time was up. Thanks for having me, Mrs. Gutshall and Webster Elementary!