It’s Time for Halloweensie and Picture Book Month!

Posted on October 26, 2015 by viviankirkfield

Knock, knock!

Who’s there?

Boo!

Boo, who?

Don’t cry! It’s time for Susanna Hill’s 5^th Annual Halloweensie Contest!

Courtesy Google Images

That’s right—the contest runs from today till Friday…so there is still plenty of time to participate. Here are some of the rules from Susanna’s post.

The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people. 🙂 (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge! We got over 130 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form – e.g. haunt, haunts, haunted, darkness, darkening, costumed, whathaveyou 🙂 No illustration notes please!

For more details, please click here: http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2015/10/its-about-that-time.html

I love this contest—all of my previous entries have been rhyming, so I thought I would change it up a bit this year. I hope you enjoy my story. And when you finish reading it, please hop over to Susanna’s website where you will find many more Halloween tales.

Halloween Fever (99 words)

Philpot blew his nose. His eyes watered. His throat tickled. His skin flushed red with fever.

“Oh no!” he moaned. “Whoever heard of a red ghost?”

Never had Philpot missed going a-haunting on Halloween. Opening Wanda Witchner’s spell-book, he flipped to the ‘C’s’. Exploding CAKES. Flying CATS. Disappearing COLDS.

“Hocus Pocus Mucus Phlegm!”

Blink. No more watering.

Swallow. No more tickle.

Sniff. No more dripping snot. But his skin still glowed red.

“If magic won’t do the trick, I can use my imagination!”

And grabbing a white sheet as his costume, Philpot floated out into the dark night.

I hope you enjoy my little Halloween tale…for many more incredible stories, please visit Susanna’s Halloweensie Contest page: http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-5th-annual-halloweensie-writing.html

MORE GOOD STUFF – Please keep reading!

On Friday, I mentioned that November is a great month because of the PiBoIdMo Challenge. Well, there is another awesome picture book event coming up…Picture Book Month. Organized by author and literacy advocate Dianne de las Casas, this event is supported by everyone who loves picture books. Visit her website http://picturebookmonth.com every day during November and be prepared to be inspired and informed with posts by: Sudipta Bardan-Quallen, David Biedrzycki, Paulette Bogan, Mike Curato, Matthew Gollub, Julie Gribble, Julie Hedlund, Carter Highins, Molly Idle, Joe Kulka, Jennifer Gray Olson, Kathryn Otoshi, Anne Marie Pace, Rukhsana Khan, Robin Newman, Penny Parker Klostermann, Eric Litwin, Loren Long, Deb Lund, LeUyen Pham, Matt Phelan, Stephen Shaskan, Trisha Speed Shaskan, TJ Shay, Whitney Stewart, Holly Stone-Barker, Mo Willems, Natasha Wing, Matthew Winner, and Paula Yoo.

How lucky are we to have these incredible mentors sharing their love of picture books with us!

Thank you for stopping by. Your visit is much appreciated!

65 thoughts on “It’s Time for Halloweensie and Picture Book Month!”

Stacy S. Jensen on October 26, 2015 at 1:00 am said:

Oh, this is cute, clever, and concise! Love it. Can’t wait to read all the entries (and eventually get behind when there are a hundred or more entries!).

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 11:07 am said:
  
  So right, Stacy…I know I will get behind also…I’m trying to get the first bunch done today…but I know they will continue to pour in. I don’t know how Susanna maintains her sanity. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed my little story!
  
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kathalsey on October 26, 2015 at 7:36 am said:

Hi Vivian, very cute story. I admire how you got all the words in and told a cute story, too. The idea of a cold turns the Halloweensie theme on its head- maybe to get out the mucus.

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 11:09 am said:
  
  Thanks so much, Kathy…getting it all in under 100 words is a definitely challenge for someone like me who tends to run on and on. ;( 😉 Halloweensie is one of my favorite writing challenges. 🙂
  
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jdewdropsofink on October 26, 2015 at 9:51 am said:

Very cute. Good luck.

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 11:12 am said:
  
  I’m excited to visit all the other entries…I know there will be so many amazing ones. Thanks so much for stopping by here…I’ll be over to visit you shortly. 😉
  
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Renee LaTulippe (@ReneeMLaTulippe) on October 26, 2015 at 10:12 am said:

Love the name PHILPOT – ha! Adorable story, Vivian!

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 11:13 am said:
  
  Hahahaha…Philpot made me laugh also, Renee. And it’s not even a rhyme…which from me, is an oddity. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
  
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julie rowan zoch on October 26, 2015 at 10:30 am said:

Love the idea of a ghost sheeting up!

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 6:20 pm said:
  
  Yup…many’s the year a sheet came in handy when a kid needed that last minute ghost costume. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Julie RZ. 😉
  
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cherylsec on October 26, 2015 at 11:11 am said:

Oh, I love this, Vivian! Such an adorable story and only 99 words! Excellent job.

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 6:21 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, Cheryl! I love Susanna’s Halloweensie because it forces me to be brief…not an easy task for me. 😉
  
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marlainagray on October 26, 2015 at 11:14 am said:

Smart work, Philpot! Very cute!

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 6:24 pm said:
  
  Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Glad you liked it, Marlaina…I’m liking Philpot more and more…maybe he will have to be a character in one of my stories. 😉
  
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thislittlebirdie on October 26, 2015 at 12:54 pm said:

Cute story Vivian! There’s been a Halloween or two I could’ve used Wanda Witchner’s spell book as well!

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 8:57 pm said:
  
  Isn’t that the truth, Angela! And other times also. My sister and I always seemed to get sick for Easter vacation…one year we had measles, one year chicken pox, one year mumps…we’d be miserable…and then, by the time vacation was over, we were all better. Glad you like the story. 🙂
  
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ptnozell on October 26, 2015 at 1:06 pm said:

Love your imaginative entry, Vivian! Great premise – Halloween always seems to be accompanied by illness in my household, and great solution, too.

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 8:59 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Patricia. I actually just left a glowing comment on your blog…and I shared it on FB…onh my gosh…I wanted to cry…your story captured my heart.
  
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Patricia Tilton on October 26, 2015 at 3:36 pm said:

Oh, I really love your entry. Clever, fun and cute!

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 9:00 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much…I’m glad you were entertained, Pat…the entries this year are fantastic…I’m trying to make my way through all the ones that are posted so far…I know it’s going to get unmanageable really quickly. 😉
  
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JEN Garrett on October 26, 2015 at 4:19 pm said:

Spooktackular entry! I’m printing this one out for my kids.

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 9:01 pm said:
  
  Oh my, Jen…that is high praise…I’m so glad you like it…hope the kiddos enjoy it also. 🙂
  
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gabisnyder on October 26, 2015 at 4:37 pm said:

Fright-tastic! I love the twist at the end with the ghost wearing a sheet.

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 9:03 pm said:
  
  You are kind, Gabi…glad you enjoyed it.
  
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Tracy Campbell on October 26, 2015 at 6:31 pm said:

Great story, and the last line was divine, Vivian. Best of luck. 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 9:05 pm said:
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Tracy! You are sweet and I’m glad you liked the story. Susanna’s Halloweensie Contest is always great fun. 😉
  
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Jilanne Hoffmann on October 26, 2015 at 8:31 pm said:

Love your poor little red ghost. I was expecting him to switch to another red-color character, but your twist caught me. Good luck with the contest!

There’s so much going on in the picture world, it’s hard to keep up!

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- viviankirkfield on October 26, 2015 at 9:11 pm said:
  
  Yup, I thought about having him wear a different costume, but he’s a ghost and he’s always haunted as a ghost, so that’s all there was to it. 🙂 😉 🙂
  And yes, Jilanne, there is SO much going on in kid lit land…it’s hard to keep everything straight. 🙂
  
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Leslie Leibhardt Goodman - Writer on October 26, 2015 at 10:39 pm said:

Poor Philpot! I’m glad he thought to use a bedsheet. This is so cute, Vivian!

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- viviankirkfield on October 27, 2015 at 4:48 pm said:
  
  Good thing his sheet was white and not decorated like most kids’ bed linens are these days…he might have been a Star Wars or Sport’s themed ghost, right? Glad you liked it, Leslie. 🙂
  
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City Sights for Kids on October 26, 2015 at 11:19 pm said:

Great images – “Blink. No more watering. / Swallow. No more tickle. / Sniff. No more dripping snot.”
-Amanda

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- viviankirkfield on October 27, 2015 at 4:50 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much, Amanda! And how clever of you to put your name in the comment…so many people don’t…and if their blog name is not their own name, I’m always hurrying to their blog to search for who they are. 😉 And lots of times, people don’t even put their name anywhere on their blog page.
  
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rsonenshine on October 27, 2015 at 9:31 am said:

Adorable, Vivian! Philpot is the perfect name for a ghost – especially one with a cold! I also love the twist at the end – a real ghost dressing up as a costumed ghost! Clever, and impressive that you could do all that in less than 100 words!

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- viviankirkfield on October 27, 2015 at 4:52 pm said:
  
  You are very kind, Randi…and I can’t wait to see yours. It’s definitely a challenge to get it all in under 100 words…especially for people like me who LOVE to be wordy. 🙂
  
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clarbojahn on October 27, 2015 at 6:07 pm said:

You have a great entry here, Vivian. I love Philpot’s name. so original and cute for a ghost with a cold. So creative.

I am so impressed with the talent of these stories here on Susanna’s site. so many great ideas all in one hundred words. She is going to have a hard time judging that is for sure.

I am blogging about Picture book month and PIboIdMo next Monday as well. See you there sweet friend! I saw your comments at Tara’s registration aand now see it here, too. Love this tight kidlit community. 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on October 29, 2015 at 8:17 pm said:
  
  You are so sweet also, Clar! I was going to call him Philsnot…but figured he was getting rid of the drippy nose with magic.
  And yes, there is going to be a TON of entries…I plan to watch a show with hubby at 9pm…and then at 10, I need to get reading. 😉
  
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  - clarbojahn on October 30, 2015 at 10:48 am said:
    
    I”ve been reading about twenty a day and so many more each day. 🙂
    
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Susanna Leonard Hill on October 28, 2015 at 3:35 pm said:

So clever Vivian! Love that Philpot had to resort to dressing up as himself! 🙂 Great job! Thanks so much for joining in the Halloweensie fun! 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on October 29, 2015 at 8:19 pm said:
  
  Glad you liked it, Susanna! I don’t think I will ever want to miss a Halloweensie Contest…but my heart goes out to you…I’ve only read about two dozen…and my eyes were blurry…I’m glad you have assistants…do they get virtual chocolates? 🙂
  
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Mishka Jaeger on October 28, 2015 at 7:44 pm said:

Very cute and clever! I love that he has to wear a sheet.

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- viviankirkfield on October 29, 2015 at 8:20 pm said:
  
  Thank you for stopping by, Mishka…glad you enjoyed Philpot’s creativity. 😉
  
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Christie Allred on October 29, 2015 at 1:14 pm said:

Way to go! A ghost with a cold is a very creative approach 🙂 Good luck.

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- viviankirkfield on October 29, 2015 at 8:13 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Christie…I’m glad he figured his way out of the mess. 😉
  
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Joanna on October 29, 2015 at 3:06 pm said:

Love the mix of magic and imagination!

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- viviankirkfield on October 29, 2015 at 8:12 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, Joanna! I’m almost afraid to visit Susanna’s contest page…I know there will be dozens and dozens more entries…it’s kind of a love/hate relationship…I want to read them ALL…but don’t know if that means I won’t get to bed tonight. 😉
  
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Cathy Ballou Mealey on October 30, 2015 at 1:26 pm said:

“Hocus Pocus Mucus Phlegm!” – ha! I’m going to try that when I catch a cold this winter. GREAT story Vivian!

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- viviankirkfield on November 1, 2015 at 2:15 am said:
  
  Who knows, Cathy, maybe it will work. 😉 Just drink plenty of tea with honey all night long as you say it. 😉
  
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lindaschueler on October 30, 2015 at 2:58 pm said:

Very cool! I especially like the spell! Good job.

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- viviankirkfield on November 1, 2015 at 2:16 am said:
  
  Glad you liked it, Linda! Isn’t Halloweensie fun? 😉 😉
  
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Penny Parker Klostermann on October 30, 2015 at 8:45 pm said:

Clever with a capital “C”, Vivian. Yes . . . so much cleverness in your 100 words. Loved this—Exploding CAKES. Flying CATS. Disappearing COLDS.

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- viviankirkfield on November 1, 2015 at 2:18 am said:
  
  And you are Sweet, with a capital “S”, Penny. 😉 😉 Thank you so much…from a wordsmith like you, that is high praise!
  
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Maria Bostian on October 31, 2015 at 9:41 am said:

Cute Halloweensie Story!

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- viviankirkfield on November 1, 2015 at 2:20 am said:
  
  Thank you, Maria…and thanks for getting in touch again about the book. 😉
  
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Lori Dubbin on October 31, 2015 at 1:44 pm said:

Vivian, I loved your ending and how Philpot solved his problem. And there’s nothing like a sheet to wipe your runny nose as you go from house to house in the cold, dark night! 🙂 Great use of 3’s in under 100 words!

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- viviankirkfield on November 1, 2015 at 2:22 am said:
  
  Oh, good call on using the sheet to wipe his nose, Lori…I didn’t even think of that. 😉 And you know me with the element of three…it’s engraved on my brain, I think. 😉
  
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Marje @ Kyrosmagica on November 1, 2015 at 3:40 am said:

Lovely sweet story really enjoyed this, and thanks so much for popping over to Kyrosmagica and reading my entry too!

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- viviankirkfield on November 2, 2015 at 1:40 am said:
  
  That’s the best part of these writing challenges, Marje…we get to meet totally cool people and make new friends. 😉 Glad you enjoyed mine…I loved yours. 😉
  
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  - Marje @ Kyrosmagica on November 2, 2015 at 2:47 am said:
    
    Thank you Vivian yes it is a way to meet new people and make friends. Great fun!
    
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Robyn Campbell on November 1, 2015 at 6:59 am said:

Hey, Vivian, so great to see you and to read your clever story. Awesome job. Your story is complete. So proud of you. Genius. I do Picture Book Month every November right along with PiBoIdMo. I love that you added that in. You rock. Big squeezes.

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- viviankirkfield on November 2, 2015 at 1:42 am said:
  
  There is so much awesomeness going on right now, Robyn…it is hard to keep up with it…I’m barely holding my head above water with PiBoIdMo…but will look in on Picture Book Month also…Dianne has put together a fantastic lineup of guest posters. 😉
  
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Buffy Silverman on November 1, 2015 at 12:08 pm said:

That Philpot is a clever one! “Hocus Pocus Mucus Phlegm” is now my favorite spell.

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- viviankirkfield on November 2, 2015 at 1:43 am said:
  
  May all your wishes come true, Buffy. 😉 Thanks for hopping over!
  
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Charlotte Dixon on November 1, 2015 at 1:16 pm said:

Love the name, Philpot. Great imagination and fun in your story, Vivian. Thank you for visiting me. Wishing you good luck and a Happy Halloweensie!

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- viviankirkfield on November 2, 2015 at 1:45 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Charlotte…and you shouldn’t thank me for stopping by your blog…you are such a loyal reader of mine…I should be at yours every week!
  
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Lauri Meyers on November 3, 2015 at 7:51 am said:

Very Cute! I’ve needed that spell that last couple weeks to battle the never ending cold!

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