Giveaway Winner Catchup and a NEW LOOK

Posted on November 24, 2018 by viviankirkfield

I’m back from Chicago, dear friends, and the extra pounds were unfortunately not in my luggage. It’s really difficult to refrain from eating all the yummy foods during this holiday season…I do try not to take seconds, but I don’t always succeed. If any of you have a great plan to keep unwanted weight off, please share. (the tips…not the weight!)

It turned out to be a working vacation…for my daughter-in-law, that is. She’s so thrilled about my picture books that will be launching next year. “You are a picture book writer,” she said. “You are full of fun and your website needs to reflect that!” And so she made the magic happen and the new banner is the result – featuring characters from two of my 2019 debut picture books, PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE illustrated by the fabulous Jill Weber and FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK illustrated by the talented Mirka Hokkanen, are frolicking around me! Continue reading →

#50PreciousWords Writing Challenge WINNERS

Posted on March 11, 2018 by viviankirkfield

CONGRATULATIONS!

The #50PreciousWords 2018 Writing Challenge was a HUGE success! You all made it so with your fabulous participation: 298 awesome stories and a comment thread that contained almost 1900 positive comments!

The guidelines were simple:

Write a story appropriate for kids ages 12 or under, using only 50 words…they can all be different words, or you can use some of them over and over…just as long as the total word count of the story is 50 or less.
It can be prose, rhyme, free verse, silly or serious…whatever works for you.
Title is not included in the word count.
No illustration notes please.
Please post your story in the comment section below. If you have your own blog and want to post your story there also, please do. And let us know your post link. I ask for the link so that people will visit each other and find new friends in the kid lit community. Please make sure you put your name in the post. If you have any trouble at all posting the story, please email me and I will be happy to do it for you: viviankirkfield@gmail.com.
Deadline for posting the story in the comments is Tuesday, March 6, at 11:59pm.
Winners will be announced in a special blog post on Sunday, March 11.

Here are the prizes: Continue reading →

#50PreciousWords 2018 Writing Challenge is OPEN!!

Posted on March 2, 2018 by viviankirkfield

Today is the day, dear friends! Ready! Set! Go! The #50PreciousWords 2018 Writing Challenge is now OPEN!

green-eggs-and-ham

For those of you who have not participated before, let me give you a bit of back story. March 2^nd is the birthday of the incredible Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. For the last two years, I’ve hosted a little contest based on Bennet Cerf’s challenge to Seuss to write a children’s book using only 50 words. And the classic Green Eggs and Ham was born. It’s true that the story has over 700 words…but only 50 unique words.

In 2016, I thought it would be fun to try to write a story for kids with ONLY 50 words. With a beginning, a middle, and an end. I wondered if I could do it. And then I opened the challenge to everyone. Much to my surprise and amazement, there were 128 entries! And last year, there were 253 entries. And I hope we have a great turnout again this year because I am passionate about helping others follow their dream of writing for children.

In 2012 I had a dream. I wanted to write picture books. And I wanted to be traditionally published. And one of the most important things I did was to participate in writing challenges like Susanna Hill’s contests. Why was that important? Because it got me writing. It got me revising. It got me submitting. Hmmm….writing/revising/submitting. I believe that if we do those three things enough times, our writing improves and agents and editors get a chance to see our work. And as much as I am thrilled with my own success, nothing makes me happier than to hear about the success of others in our kidlit community.

So, please sharpen your pencils. Fire up your computers. And share your #50PreciousWords with us. Continue reading →