New Worlds Await_ #50PreciousWords Contest 2023

Sudden inspiration just blew in yesterday. I swirled into action after attending the opening of our new Gahanna Library Branch Grand Opening and wrote from the heart to compose a contest piece for Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words. 

Big thanks to Vivian for creating and continuing this contest and for the opportunity for writers to donate new books via the #50PreciousWords Literacy Initiative!  I'm in! Last year this contest delivered 410 brand-new books to three local schools in need!

Note there’s an upcoming  kids’ version, too. So if you have a budding young writer at home, or if you’re a teacher (thank you), get your kiddos writing and reading these for inspiration! The kids’ challenge is in May, 2023, #50PreciousWordsforKids. 

Rules say to write a story appropriate for kids ages 12 or under, word count 50 or less.(Mine is 45 words.)  This needs to be a story, with a beginning, a middle, and end. No illustration notes please. Hope you enjoy my story and that it inspires you to visit your library soon!

New Worlds Wait

 

 

You step into wonderland.

 

Browse shelves and stacks.

Words whisper of new worlds

Covers command you look.

 

You explore ideas

that whirl and curl

as pages unfurl.

 

You find your place

to escape,

to play,

to open your imagination.

 

You found library land!

Gahanna Branch Grand Opening - 150 Years of Columbus OH Libraries!

FALL WRITING FRENZY 2022 -GHASTLY GHOST TOWN

 Bwahahaha! Fall is upon us as is the #FallWritingFrenzy 2022. Thanks to our "ghostesses (hostesses) with the mostest,"  Lydia Lukidis, Kaitlyn Sanchez, and Alyssa Reynoso-Morris for another fun contest will boo-tiful prizes. 

The contest directions indicate 200 or less words for board book through young adult age kiddos. We chose one image from a group of images to inspire our stories. See image prompts and contest rules here.

My story is 133 words, based on this image below, which reminds me of my Phoenix AZ days. Yeehaw, I rustled up some memories! BTW, I named my character Jerome as a nod to the cool, artsy mining town Jerome AZ which is said to be haunted. My husband  and I visited. Check out Jerome!

Enjoy reading all the stories and commenting on them here. (You'll have to scroll a bit to see the grid.) 

  

Halloween- Credit: Brian Wangenheim for Unsplash Prompt #2

GHASTLY GHOST TOWN

By Kathy Halsey  

 
No one around now
in this here ghastly ghost town.
No hoots. No hollers.
 
I’m Jerome. Thrown out
with the kitchen sink, I think—
or maybe the tub . . .
 
My bones rattle, rust.
No cavalry rescued me.
I’m dust in the wind.
 
Shake me awake.
Revive my faint memories
in this no-man’s land.
 
Don’t leave me alone.
This bag of bones wants to roam
a lonesome prairie.
 
Wanna scare up trouble?
I’m lookin’ for a cowpoke
buddy just like you.
 
Throw on your costume,
We’ll rassle up night riders
sparking spooky fun.
 
Make memories live
beyond this ghostly town
once the sun goes down.
 
Grab your horse and mine.
My giddy up’s back. Let’s ride  
the wide-open range.
 
We’ll rattle some bones
with hoots and hollers, far from

this ghastly ghost town.

#KidLitVibes Contest: Our Silly Jamboree

#KidLitVibes  put together a fun new writing contest just for picture book writers. We had to spin a "Wheel of Feels" to select a "vibe" or feeling on which to write and I won "silly." (Big thanks to the Frenzy Friends Critique group! find them here on Twitter: Lindsay Hobson, Molly Write-olito, and Jess Hinrichs.)

For those who know me, that's a perfect word.

Rules for this challenge included for readers 12 or younger, 125 words or less, and no illustration notes, either. It can be lyrical or poetic and doesn't have to have the typical story structure of a beginning, middle, and end. We just need to capture the "vibe" of our word.

Hope you enjoy my entry and join me in a silly jamboree!

Our Silly Jamboree

 

By Kathy Halsey

                Dad busts a K-pop move . . .

hits the ground in baggy jeans. Bam!

         Mom swings on monkey bars . . .

yells, “Aahuaaa-uaaa, me Jane.”

         Wiley Corgi zooms round and round and round the yard . . .

chases a tail no one sees.

         Rosie “knock-knock-jokes” to Nana . . .

“Little ol’ lady who? . . .

I didn’t know you could yodel.”

         Tobin snort-laughs chocolate milk . . .

cracking goofy Mad Libs at the cat.

         Pops opens a surprise and . . .

smacks a BIG bow on his forehead.

         Nana rolls down the hill . . .

Oops! Accidentally shows polka dot undies.

         Welcome to our silly jamboree!

Here's some of our silly jamboree a few summers ago!

SPRING FLING CONTEST 2022: OUR EGG-CELLENT SURPRISE!

 It’s Spring! Time to hop to the Spring Fling Challenge brought to us thanks to these amazing kid lit folks: @valerie_bolling, @Anne_Appert, @agenthenkin, @andreadonall, @DianaMWrites, @dbhiguera, @teresarobeson, @MattForrestVW, @viviankirkfield, @sarafinadesign, @loveleemonicaa, @CiaraONeal2, and @KaitlynLeann17. Follow them on Twitter.

The contest asks writers to find a gif and write a spring-inspired story of 150 words or less (mine is 135 words) for kids ages 12 or under

My contest piece was inspired by an original illustration and GIF by my friend and author-illustrator Marietta Apollonio. (Excuse me while I fangirl over this adorable GIF! TY, Mar!) Find her illustrations and GIFS here.

An Egg-cellent Easter Surprise!

 by Kathy Halsey

Last spring Bluebell hopped into the Hare family’s hearts.

His long ears and blue hue created a wonderful Easter surprise.   

This year his humans chattered on and on about decorating, designing, and dyeing eggs.

Bluebell huddled alone in his pen, feeling forgotten.

If I design the best Easter eggs ever, I’ll be ear-resistable to them again.

That night Bluebell hatched a plan.

He sprang to the table.

Opps! PLOP !

Crayons dropped,

dye sploshed,

splattering EVERYWHERE.

Bluebell moped,

mopping the mess with floppy ears . . .

Waaaaaaaait . . .

Bluebell hip-hopped, ears drip-drabbling dollops of sunny, shiny shades.

At Easter sunrise, the Hares awoke to iridescent eggs.

But more surprising was a

blue,

red,

yellow,

green,

orange,

and purple bunny!

Bluebell!

 The BEST Easter surprise ever! 

#SpringFlingKidLIt: MYSTERY CAT

 Such fun to begin spring with a #SpringFlingKidLit Challenge. The rules are as follows: a story geared for kids 12 and younger, a gif that inspires your story, no illustrations and a word count of 150 or less words. (Mine is 94 words.) Good luck to all who entered. Also, kudos to contest creators Kaitlyn Sanchez and Ciara O'Neal.

Note: This is my first attempt at creating a GIF, so bear with me. I can animate the print but not my main characters. 

MYSTERY CAT

by Kathy Halsey

(Normal text = tabby cat; Italic  = mystery cat)

So, you're a cat?

You might say that. 

I have sharp claws.

I have soft paws.

You live inside?

My world is wide.

I tuck my tail in human laps. 

My tail tells my family's past. 

Catnapping is my favorite thing.

I rise at dawn and greet the spring.

Do you purr, meow, and prey?

I dance on the breeze then fly away.

Count my lives. They say I have nine.

Put me in water to extend my bloodline.

I'm pussycat. What are you?

 

I'm pussy willow . . . the cat that grew!

 

 

 

BOOKDROPPED ( contest piece for #50PRECIOUSWORDS 2021)

Time again for wonderful author and friend Vivian Kirkfield's #50 Precious Words Contest.  It's a fun challenge to tell a story in 50 or less word. My recent library visit and an overdue book fiasco got me thinking about how a book feels in a bookdrop. Voila, it became the inspiration of this very short tale taken from the POV of the book.

The guidelines state our story must be 50 words or less and appropriate for kids ages 12 or under. It may be prose, free verse, silly or serious. You can enjoy all the entries in this post.

I hope you enjoy my entry. (P.S. Always turn your books on time so you aren't hit with a $400+ overdue fine! I finally found all my run-away books and am out of library jail.)

WC: 48 words

BOOKDROPPED

by Kathy Halsey

Plopped

in a box.

Sardined

between novels,

textbooks,

and tomes.

Me?

A used-to-be

happy-go-lucky picture book

on a warm lap,

little fingers wrapped 

'round me,

rhythmic voices

telling my tale.

Set me free

so I can be

propped atop

my bookshelf,

ready 

for you

to take me home.

 

12 Days of Christmas for Writers :2020 Successes

Children's author Julie Hedlund, challenged participants of her 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series to post SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions) on our blogs this year. She believes the way New Year's resolutions are traditionally made come from a place of negativity - what DIDN'T get done or achieved in the previous year.  Instead, she suggests we set goals for the New Year that BUILD on our achievements from the previous one. I decided to participate in this Anti-Resolution Revolution! Here is my list for 2020. I'm proud to say I've participated in this challenge since its inception. Thank you, Julie.  

Goals Met from the 2019 Challenge: 6/9 Met = 66%

 1. Attend new workshops/classes this year: SCBWI Smithsonian NF, Highlights NF Retreat, Illustrator courses/mini-classes at Storyteller Academy

2. Write new stories: 6 new PBs

3. Expand my critique partner network: added an NF group and several individual CPs

4. Expand speaking engagements: accepted for the Virginia Hamilton Conference 2020, accepted for Mazza Summer Institute 2020 (rebooked both for 2021)

5. Grow Twitter Presence: passed 2000 followers in an “organic” way

6. Continue weekly check-ins w/Beth Stillborn, accountability partner

Note of Transparency: some goals not met due to pandemic and my state of mind: I didn't keep up with submissions (found work I was subbing needed revision), didn't keep up w/bullet journal, and never finished organizing my office files.

My motto for 2020 was "Keep Swimming. Fall Forward," which meant I'd keep on taking steps towards my goals even whilst discouraged. If I made a "mistake" or "fell," I'd pick myself up, find the learning, and move on.

2020 Successes (continued from above)

7. I submitted mss to all four #PBPitches, entered #PBParty challenge, the Fall Frenzy, and 2 #PitMad twitter events. I got my work out there.

8. Subbing the traditional way, I subbed several mss w/a total of 10. (It may be higher, I lost rack.)

9. To advance my craft I completed StoryStorm, NF Fest, and ReFoReMo. I won a professional critique from Lisa Schnell in the NF Fest.

10. NF author Melissa Stewart offered me a consulting job to revise/add to her educational resources for her award-winning blog, Celebrate Science. COVID hit and she has time to revise them herself. The invitation to help her was a real confidence boost. TY, Melissa.

11. In May I was hired by author/entrepreneur Arree Chung as his Virtual Assistant. I became Community Manager of his Storyteller Academy later this year.

12. My new job brought lots of new tech learning. I had training but mostly taught myself Notion, Mighty Nets, the intricacies of Gmail Suites, Slack, and Active Campaign. Since I grew up on a typewriter, I call this a BIG win.

13. With Storyteller Academy, I gained skills in writing directions, articles, moderating Zoom classes, and doing help desk work.

14. I was co-host for Storyteller launches and did a PowerPoint on Best Practices for one Opening Ceremony.

15. In September I was asked by ReFoReMo to join the blogging staff for 2021. (another confidence builder.)

16. I continued blogging with the GROG and wrote 6 blog posts including 2 picked up by KidLit411.

17. Authors continued to contact the GROG and me personally to ask if we'd review new books or help w/launches. I enjoy helping kid lit folks get new work noticed.

18. I revised many mss and almost have 3 polished enough for submission.

19. I read 116 books: NF, MG, and PB, picking up mentor texts and comp titles along the way.

20. I have become a mentor of sorts for newer writers at Storyteller Academy and have helped write pitches, advise on query letters and careers in general. This makes me feel like I'm paying my knowledge forward.

21. I met more consistently with my solid rock, the Saucy Mojo Writers and have critique so many great stories.

22. I invested in myself w/a new computer, fancy ergonomic office chair and a Lumen light for Zoom meetings.

23. I also invested in professional photos for headshots w/my neighbor who majored and taught photography. I learned I can take a decent pic when the right person is behind the camera. We're making decisions now re: best shots.

24. My dear community of creatives sent me amazing gifts this year: food, cards, books, jewelry, writerly notebooks, post-its. I am humbled by this care and concern.

25. This is the first year I did an expense sheet for all my writing endeavors and the first year I've been paid for writing-related work. (TY, Arree and Storyteller Academy.)

26. Adding this per my fellow Nf writer and true friend, Carrie Fannin. Think I am proudest of this! I am advancing my critique skills - I'm good at it.We've swapped mss and she tells me, " Your feedback to a fellow write (me) made ALL the difference in a manuscript, leading to the full manuscript being requested for consideration by 3 editors at mid-sized to major publishers. Whatever happens with that, I can never thank you enough for helping me find the poetry of Maggie's story. --Carrie F."