Friday, December 27, 2019

2022 PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES by THE PICTURE BOOK MECHANIC

UPDATED JANUARY 2022

NOTE: Please e-mail ThePictureBookMechanic@Gmail.com with any and all Inquiries. 
Thank You! 


*PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES* 
available from a traditionally-published, multi-published Picture Book Author and Editor
in both fiction, non-fiction and rhyme. 

Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School – illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic, January 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play -- illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books, 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares -- illustrated by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling, 2019) and Let’s Eat: Mealtimes Around the World -- illustrated by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books, 2019), The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project (Mac and Cheese Press, 2021), American Pie (Dancing Flamingo Press, 2022) and others, forthcoming.


Lynne Marie is a contributor to Family Fun's Games on the Go (Hyperion, 1998).

She's published magazine articles, stories, poems and crafts with 
Highlights for Children, Highlights High Five, Highlights Hello, 
Baby Bug, Spider Magazine, Family Fun, 
Writer's Digest, Writer's Journal and more. 

She's been professional book reviewer for book review journals 
like Riverbank Review and KLIATT.

Lynne Marie is a member of SCBWI Florida (and has been on SCBWI Florida Boot Camp, Workshop and Critique Faculty).

She's the Spotlight Feature Columnist for Children's Book Insider since 2017,
a 12 x 12 Critique Ninja (2018, 2019, 2020 and part of 2021),
the Owner of RateYourStory.org since late 2020, as well as
a Rate Your Story Judge (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.)

and Children's Book Academy Assistant in 2019 and 2020.

She was a Cybils Elementary / Middle Grade Non-Fiction First Round Judge for 2018 and
currently, Picture Book First Round Judge for 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Notably, she was a remote intern for a NYC Literary Agency in 2020
and an Editor for a small press in 2021/2022.

An extensive resume can be provided upon request.

When she's not traveling around the world for her job as a Travel Agent with Pixie Vacations, she lives on a lake in South Florida with her family, a Schipperke named Anakin and several resident water birds. You can learn more about her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com.

Ask About FREE Critiques and Mentoring as Vacation Package Perks!

REMEMBER, PLEASE E-MAIL ANY QUESTIONS TO:

ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

PLEASE READ THIS POST IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Pricing is SUBJECT TO CHANGE, so take advantage by purchasing critique packages, which will price protect you. These can be purchased now and used now OR in the future (see expiration date following).

Any unused Critiques (not Mentoring Packages) purchased in a particular year expire on NOVEMBER 30th of that year (no exceptions) and will not carry into the new year. Please send in critique requests by this date. I apologize for this, but I get slammed with way too many at the end of the year.

Please note: NEW Critique PURCHASE Requests may be sent *ANYTIME* of course, but a quick turnaround is not guaranteed (without pre-approval and rush fees) as far as return dates in December.

TERMS: Payment must be received prior to services rendered, in the form of 
Venmo (@Lynne-Marie-1) 
        www.venmo.com/Lynne-Marie-1

Zelle (LiterallyLynneMarie@gmail.com)

Friends and Family Paypal OR Paypal with Fees 
(ThePictureBookMechanic@Gmail.com) 
paypal.me/LiterallyLynneMarie

Your receipt will come from Little Wolf Literary, LLC.

PLEASE NOTE: If you send the wrong amount by sending Paypal Goods and Services without adding on the Extra Fees, you will need to send a 2nd amount to correct the amount. So please be careful when sending. Either FRIENDS AND FAMILY or PAYPAL FOR GOODS AND SERVICES PLUS FEES (which I believe are around .40 plus 3.0% per transaction). Here is a Paypal Fee Calculator to figure it out:

PayPal Fee Calculator | Salecalc.com

Once you have decided upon your purchase, please pay and then send me an e-mail with the date you made payment, price you paid, the address the payment came from, the method of payment and the components of the package. It is important that you do this. Thank you.

FICTION PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE
COST: $65.00 per picture book (Full Manuscript up to 750 Words) - See below for *over-the-limit* fees. This includes full line edits plus overall big picture comments. It does not include a query letter, or pitch unless you pay for one as an add-on feature.

NOTE: You can buy more than one of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $250.00 will get you four (4) Picture Book Critiques on account.

OVER THE LIMIT FEES -- 
See "Word Count." Manuscripts up to 750 Words. Send in an additional payment if your manuscript goes over the limit. There is a $7.50 surcharge for the first block of up to 150 additional words and $10 for the additional blocks. This is because picture books should not come in at 900-1000 words, and if they do, there is usually much more wrong that word count and the critique will take a great deal more of my time.





SPECIAL OFFER: A LOOK AND A BOOK!
ADD $16 to your Critique/Package and get 
in Hardcover. Add $9 for Kindle Version. 
ADD $11 to your Critique/Package and get 
in Hardcover. Add $9 for Kindle Version. 
ADD $11 to your Critique/Package and get 
in Hardcover. Add $10 for Kindle Version. 
Add $14 to your Critique/Package and get
in Reinforced Softcover. Add $7 for Kindle Version.

Hardcopies mailed direct from Amazon. Please provide Shipping Address. 


PLEASE BE AWARE OF "OVER THE LIMIT" FEES -- Manuscripts up to 700 Words. Send in an additional payment if your manuscript goes over the limit. There is a $7.50 surcharge for the first block of up to 150 additional words and $10 for the additional blocks. This is because picture books should not come in at 900-1000 words, and if they do, there is usually much more wrong that word count and the critique will take a great deal more of my time.


NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE
COST: $67.50 per picture book (Full Manuscript up to 700 Words) - See below for *over-the-limit* fees. This does not include pitch unless you pay for one...

NOTE: You can buy more than one of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $260.00 will get you four (4) Non-Fiction Picture Book Critiques on account.

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE with 20 MIN PHONE CONSULT
COST: $70.00 per picture book

NOTE: You can purchase four (4) of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $270.00 will get you four (4) Picture Book Critiques with 20 Min Phone Consultations. Additional time can be added at $7.50/15 Mins or $15/Half Hour.

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE / 30 MIN. CONSULTATION
COST: $75.00 per picture book

NOTE: You can purchase four (4) of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $290.00 will get you FOUR (4) Picture Book Critique / Consultations with 30 Min Phone Consultations on account. Additional time can be added. Additional time can be added at $7.50/15 Mins or $15/Half Hour.

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

BIG PICTURE CRITIQUE:
COST: $35.00 per picture book

(NEW OPTION) TWICE AS NICE RHYMED PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE
COST: $100 per picture book

Your rhyming manuscript will be critiqued by Lynne Marie (PB in rhyme TBA) and Brenda Reeves Sturgis (10 Turkeys in the Road, The Lake Where Loon Lives, etc.) and will be reviewed both line by line with regard to story, line by line with regard to rhyme, and big picture comments. Brenda's book, Still A Family, was recently featured on PBS [https://www.brendareevessturgis.com/]

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

CRITIQUE & FOLLOW-UP PACKAGE & ADD-ON FOLLOW-UP CRITIQUES:
COST: $112.50 for One Critique and One Revision Critique on the same manuscript, when Purchased TOGETHER. Follow-up critique on revisions, if not pre-purchased, will be $60.00, unless quoted otherwise (if there were only a certain # of issues in the first manuscript). Due to the nature of revisions, it often takes just as long to critique revisions when the manuscripts are newer, or have many concerns. Sometimes it takes a few passes to get the manuscript submission ready. 

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

ADD-ON PAGINATION:
COST: $10 for 32 Page MS
COST: $12.50 FOR 40 Page MS

PLEASE NOTE - This is highly recommended for 1st time Critiques as it is an invaluable tool for finding the holes in your manuscripts and checking pacing, flow, viability of spreads and page turns.

ADD-ON RATING:
COST: $5
A 10-1 (10 being needs a lot of work, 1 being ready to send) Rating of your Manuscript with a one-two sentence explanation.

ADD-ON BACK MATTER:
COST: See Over the Limit Fees and add your manuscript word count to your back matter. 

COVER LETTERS: This includes entire Letter (Pitch, Marketing Paragraph and Bio).
COST: $20.00
Cover Letters, as an Add-on, will be $17.00

PITCHES:
COST: $12.00
Pitches will be $10.00 as an Add-On.

PHONE CONSULTATIONS (Manuscript Consultations / Agent Consultations):
COST: $17.50
Stand alone consultation for 1/2 hour.
COST: $35
Stand alone consultation for 1 hour.

$15.00, as an add-on after a critique, we will pull up the manuscript and discuss for 1/2 hour. Special rate $30 for the hour. Regularly $35.

"HONE-YOUR-PITCH" TELEPHONE SESSION:
COST: $10.00
Each "stand-alone" session will be 10 minutes via telephone. As an Add-on, this will be $8.00.

BIO and/or ADD-ON BIO:
I will edit your bio for your query letter for an additional $10.00 charge. As an Add-on, this will be $8.00.

Or get entire cover letter critiqued -- see pricing above. 

EDITOR OR AGENT COMMENT / PRIOR MANUSCRIPT REVIEW:
I am happy to review Editor or Agent Comments for $15.00 per manuscript. 

CRITIQUE OF REVISIONS FOR SUBMISSION TO AN EDITOR/AGENT:
These critiques are billable at $40.00 per hour, with a minimum deposit of $80.00 which includes 2 hours and Editor/Agent Comments review ($10), payable in advance of services rendered.

MENTORING:
Telephone Mentoring runs $30.00 per hour. 

Video Chat Mentoring runs $35.00 per hour.

*NEW OPTION* For only $5 Extra I will record our session and send you the recording!

FOR MENTORING PACKAGES: Time statements will be kept in a google doc and shared with client. For 1 manuscript, there is a deposit of $150.00. For more than one manuscript, there is a deposit required of $275.00. Ask about my Mentoring Packages. 

COMPARISION OF CRITIQUE TO PRIOR CRITIQUE:
If you wish me to critique a manuscript and compare it to a prior critique, this is a $15 Upcharge. 

CUSTOM PACKAGE:
I am happy to make up a custom package to try and accommodate your needs.

Please feel contact me to check in and see if the sale is still valid, and/or for regular rates on pitches, cover letters, picture book manuscripts, chapter books and MORE.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL RATES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. UNUSED FUNDS, IF ANY
MAY BE APPLIED TOWARD ANOTHER PACKAGE IN THE SAME YEAR. 

TURNAROUND TIME:
Please note that while I strive in every way to get your manuscript back as quick as possible, due to popular demand and affordable pricing, I have quite a queue. Please know that I will do my best to get to your manuscript as soon as possible and turnaround time is now estimated at 10 business days.

Should you want or expect a quicker turn around time, please add the following Rush Fees to your order:

RUSH FEE(S): For Guaranteed Turnaround (Picture Books)
If you require a same-day turnaround, there will be a $30 rush surcharge added to your order. If you require a one-day turnaround, there will be a $25 rush surcharge added to your order. For a two-day turnaround, there will be a $20 rush surcharge, and $15 for a three-day guaranteed turnaround.

Of course, these require pre-approval before payment of fees.

PLEASE NOTE: Since I have a full schedule and need to schedule these things into my day, SAME DAY is 24 hours from payment. 1 Day is basically anytime the next day after payment date, 2 Day is anytime in the next two days after payment date and so on. Thanks for your understanding. 

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

For these rates you will receive a multi-level, line-by-line critique which discusses several aspects of writing a story (beginning, inciting event, characterization, motivation, stakes, character flaw, attempts at solving the problem, deep dark moment, renewal, ending and take-away value, IN ADDITION to title, word choice, poetic devices, sentence length, point of view, syntax, etc.). Sometimes, I am able share comp titles. PLEASE note if your manuscript requires a lot of work, we can only focus on first things first. In that case, I recommend repeat critiques to get the manuscript submission ready.



UPDATE: I am pleased to report that a # of my clients were recipients of *Writing with the Stars* Mentorships and *PBParty* Finalists and others have recently signed with Agents and gotten book deals. So proud and happy to be a part of their journey! 





Here is what current clients have said recently:

[Added 8/31/20] "Lynne Marie's detailed critiques helped me take my work to the next level. 
She is a wealth of knowledge and also offered invaluable marketing and industry advice. 
I highly recommend her services!" 
Charlotte Offsay, Author of THE BIG BEACH CLEANUP (Albert Whitman, Spring 2021) and 
HOW TO RETURN YOUR MONSTER (Beaming Books, Fall 2021)

Thank you so much for your generous feedback! You are a genius.
I can’t wait to sit down today to incorporate your revisions. I feel one step closer to getting an agent.
I just need to revise my ms a little more and I’ll be ready to submit. 
I can’t thank you enough for your time and help. It means the world to me. S. 12/2019

12/2019 - "Lynne Marie provided an incredibly thorough critique of my picture book manuscript. I could tell she put a lot of thought into her comments and her revision suggestions were very helpful. I will definitely be using her services again." MA Blair

9/19 “Lynne Marie is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the world of children’s literature, and she has the experience to back it up. She has the ability to zone in on the potential problems in your manuscript, and helps you find solutions. I resonated with her feedback, and feel it will ultimately help bring my book to the next level. I would highly recommend her consulting and mentoring services. Her critiques are easy to digest, and extremely affordable!”
-Lydia Lukidis, author

*New* I wanted to thank you again for your insightful comments. You really have great suggestions and are able to pinpoint the problems. Thanks so much. KB

*NEW* Thank you so much for these detailed and extremely helpful edits. I can't wait to dive back in and use all of your suggestions. KD

*NEW* Thank you, Lynne! I'm so grateful for your help with several of my stories. I think your two recent critiques in particular helped me catch the interest of agents! B.S. 



*NEW* What amazes me about you is not only that you send the critiques out so quickly (you must have racing stripes on your red pen), but also that the quality of your critiques are so good. Your fee is darn reasonable, too. J.S.



You are efficient! Thank you so much for your very helpful, speedy feedback! That was one of the most thorough critiques I've ever received. 



I want to say thank you for your critique of my story. I’ve had a chance to review it a few times and your notes and suggestions will be extremely helpful for my revision. I obviously have a lot of work still to do on this story, but I want to continue to develop it into, hopefully a polished manuscript for submission. Your thoughtful and detailed critique has set me in the right direction.



You don't know how much joy you brought me when I saw your critique and that is priceless. Thank you for continuing to motivate me as a fellow writer. Alicia Minor.



Thank you so much, Lynne. Your insights on both of these pieces are incredible. You've given me a LOT to think about and I'm excited to tackle the revisions. Very much appreciated!



Many thanks for the detailed critique! I have already incorporated many of your changes and ideas.



Lynne Marie has been a critique partner for years. She has great insight into what makes a picture book work. And this is a bargain price— buy five! Sherry Hyberger Howard



Many thanks, again, for this extremely insightful and helpful critique! I can't wait to work on revisions.


Wow, you are awesome! I absolutely love the way you’ve commented throughout the document and your insights are just what I need.

Thank you so much and when I get back to revising this story, I’ll have all your suggestions to get me through.


I have never learned so much from someone's critiques as I have from yours. You make me see things so much clearer. They have been thoughtful and honest. You have no clue how much you are teaching me. Thank you SO much. I didn’t know what to expect with my first critique, but Lynne Marie made the entire process painless and enjoyable! My manuscript took so many necessary turns and twists that I didn’t even know I needed! Andrea Jaimes

Wow, you are awesome! I absolutely love the way you’ve commented throughout the document and your insights are just what I need.


Oh, my goodness! You are wonderful! You were so thorough and exceeded my expectations. It is quite evident that you spent some time on the critique. I would love for you to critique the revision and will get back to you once I feel it is ready. Thank you so much! C.L.M. 

Thank you so much and when I get back to revising this story, I’ll have all your suggestions to get me through. K. 

 Thank you for your incredibly helpful feedback!  You have given me a lot to think about.


Man I learned so much. Truly grateful for all the insights! PM

Thank you for making a difference in my life and work. Devon Kondaki. 

Feel free to contact me for more testimonials. 

ARE YOU A TRAVELLER *AND* A WRITER? WANT A CRITIQUE X 2 FOR FREE?
For a limited time, if you book a Vacation Package through me as a Travel Agent @PixieVacations.com, I will give you two (2) picture book manuscript critiques of up to 750 words PLUS two (2) 15 minute telephone consultations. Details: Offers available upon final payment and only on packages which are non-refundable or have insurance. Not combinable with other Pixie Perks like Cruise Line Door Decorations, Onboard Credits or Gift Cards.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

GET YOUR MANUSCRIPT ON THE FAST TRACK with ZOOM MANUSCRIPT TUNE-UPS!

THE PICTURE BOOK MECHANIC: 

Exciting *NEW* Critique Offering!

Zoom Manuscript Tune-Ups 

DOES YOUR PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT NEED A TUNE-UP?

For those interested, I offer weekly Zoom Manuscript Critique Tune-ups on Thursdays at 1:30 and 
7:00 PM EST. Please note that I also hold these on select Tuesdays, and will hold them for entire critique 
groups by appointment. 

How does this work? 

Message me to let me know you are interested in participating, and I will add you to the facebook group. 

Once in the group, you can claim your spot in either the Thursday 1:30 PM or the 7:00 PM critique group. If you want to reserve a spot for your critique group on a specific date, contact me to check availability. 

You can send payment of $12 to me via Venmo to @Lynne-Marie-1 or via Friends-and-Family Paypal (or Paypal with fees added in) to ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com. 

Then, send your picture book manuscript up to 650 words in Word Document Format to me at ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com. If your manuscript is longer, please mark 650 words. If it's not much longer, I may go to the end, it depends on time and how fast it reads. 

Fifteen minutes before the scheduled session, I will post the link to the chat in the Facebook group. Please be in the chat at least five (5) minutes before the scheduled time. 

NOTE: If you have not downloaded www.zoom.com onto your computer, you will need to do that ahead 
of time so that you won't be late. 

I will screen-share the manuscripts so that we can all see them and I will invite peers to comment when I have completed my thoughts. I spend about 15/20 minutes total on each manuscript, including reading, commenting
both as I go and overall big picture at the end. In the remaining few minutes, our group will add comments as 
well. 

If you have any additional questions, please feel to PM me at Lynne Marie on Facebook, or 
or e-mail me at ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com.

I look forward to helping you pave your road to success!

Lynne Marie
www.thePictureBookMechanic.com
ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com
www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com
LiterallyLynneMarie@gmail.com


Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Apprehension-Inspiring Art Note by Lynne Marie

OK I admit it. I use art notes. Maybe even more often than most people.

I try to use them as though they cost me money I don't want to spend. However, I have to admit that one might get the impression that I am wealthy. But hey, no one's perfect.

I also admit that I have more art notes in earlier drafts than I do when I send the manuscript. By the time I send the manuscript I have whittled away any non-essential ones that I might have been using as a crutch or just plain old didn't need.

Here's some tips on what should be in the art note:

1.  Something that cannot be shown in the text (but is important).
2.  Something that should not be shown in the text (but is important).

So, don't include colors or other details that are not integral to the story, or details that can be inferred from the text. Remember to leave most details up to the illustrator.

In Little Red Riding Hood, you wouldn't need:                                                                                                         [Art: Cloak is red.] 

I'll likely come back and update this post at a later date and update with examples, but for now, hopefully this will suffice.

Here's how to portray an art note.

This method was passed along by my co-Agent, Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary Agency. I use it currently as well and have never gotten any negative comments about it.

                               [Art: Main character is a Dog, standing on head, viewing the world upside down.] 

1. Use proper capitalization.
2. Use proper punctuation.
3. Right justify.
4. Make blue so the reader can easily skip over when just reading the text.
5. One point smaller font (same font).

I've just recently interviewed Frances Gilbert / Doubleday, for Children's Book Insider, and she agrees that one should do art notes properly but not stress too much about them.

I doubt anyone ever rejected a book they loved because of an art note. Still, in the interest of professionalism, write only essential art notes, in the best way possible. Good luck!


NOTE: If you find this Note helpful, please FOLLOW this page and SIGN UP top right to receive more tips and writing information, as well as special pitch and critique offers, in your in box! THANK YOU!

Sunday, November 24, 2019

THREE REASONS TO READ: Monkey on the Run by Leo Timmers

TITLE: Monkey on the Run

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Leo Timmers
PUBLISHER: Gecko Press, 2018

JACKETFLAP: Monkey is trying to get home. Toot toot! 

THREE REASONS TO READ:

1.    It's active and engaging. 
2.    The art is wonderful. 
3.    Kids will be entertained by the theme on each spread. 
BONUS: Take away -- so many things to discuss and count on each spread. 

Buy the book here:
https://amzn.to/34fC2Xn



Wednesday, November 20, 2019

THE PICTURE BOOK MECHANIC: Zoom Manuscript Tune-Ups - Thursday Opening

DOES YOUR PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT NEED A TUNE-UP?



For those interested, there are a few openings for my Zoom Manuscript Critique Tune-ups on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 1:30 and 7:00 PM EST. 




How does this work? 


Message me to let me know you are interested in participating, and I will add you to the facebook group. 

Once in the group, you can claim your spot in either the Thursday 1:30 PM or the 7:00 PM critique group. 

You can send payment of $10 to me via Venmo to @Lynne-Marie-1 or via Friends-and-Family Paypal (or Paypal with fees added in) to ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com. 

Then send your picture book manuscript up to 650 words in Word Document Format to me at ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com. If your manuscript is longer, please mark 650 words. If it's not much longer, I may go to the end, it depends on time and how fast it reads. 

Fifteen minutes before the scheduled session, I will post the link to the chat in the Facebook group. Please be in the chat 
by the scheduled time. If you have not downloaded www.zoom.com onto your computer, you will need to do that ahead of time. 

I will screenshare the manuscripts so that we can all see them and I will invite peers to comment when I have completed my thoughts.




If you have any additional questions, please feel to PM me at Lynne Marie on FB or e-mail me at ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com.

I look forward to helping you pave your road to success!

Lynne Marie
www.thePictureBookMechanic.com
ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com
www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com
LiterallyLynneMarie@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

11th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards - VOTE FOR MOLDILOCKS

                          VOTE FOR  MOLDILOCKS! 


The 11th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards is going on and you can WRITE IN votes! Please help my little adoptee see the light of day by writing her in. 

If you reread this book, you will see that this book is not only a fun Halloween read, but shows an adoptive family and adoptee pre-adoption and examines some of their needs and also subtly shows that it is not easy to acclimate into a new household. Importantly it shows that adopting a child isn't always a wonderful thing for just the child, but the family. Everybody wins! There's so much more to this book than meets the eye! 

For those who don't realized I'm an adoptee and there's little flecks of my own knowledge and experience in this book. 

I've copied and pasted the rules below in case there's any confusion. Moldilocks is not showing up now, but you can write her in, and hopefully will show up as one of the top-five written-in votes. Please help me get this little adoptee the recognition she deserves. A vote for Moldilocks is a vote for bringing families together! 

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-picture-books-2019



Thanks in advance for your continued support!  


2019 Rules & Eligibility


The 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards have three rounds of voting open to all registered Goodreads members. Winners will be announced December 10, 2019.

Opening Round: Nov 05 - 10

Voting opens to 15 official nominees, and write-in votes can be placed for any eligible book (see eligibility below).

Semifinal Round: Nov 12 - 17

The top five write-in votes in each of the categories become official nominees. Additional write-ins no longer accepted.

Final Round: Nov 19 - Dec 02

The field narrows to the top 10 books in each category, and members have one last chance to vote!

2019 Eligibility

Books published in the United States in English, including works in translation and other significant rereleases, between November 16, 2018, and November 15, 2019, are eligible for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards. Books published between November 16, 2019, and November 15, 2020, will be eligible for the 2020 awards.
We analyze statistics from the millions of books added, rated, and reviewed on Goodreads to nominate 15 books in each category. Opening round official nominees must have an average rating of 3.50 or higher at the time of launch. Write-in votes may be cast for eligible books with any average rating, and write-in votes will be weighted by the book's Goodreads statistics to determine the top five books to be added as official nominees in the Semifinal Round. A book may be nominated in no more than one genre category, but can also be nominated in the Debut Novel category. Only one book in a series may be nominated per category. An author may receive multiple nominations within a single category if he or she has more than one eligible series or more than one eligible stand-alone book.



Tuesday, November 5, 2019

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO LET'S EAT! MEALTIME AROUND THE WORLD!

It was a busy day for me today for many reasons, most of all busy with doing important author stuff like promotion and marketing, but that doesn't mean I didn't take some time to celebrate this wonderful book's birthday with a nice bowl of Korean Ramyun. To be honest I just LOVE this book and am so happy with the way it turned out.

My lunch choice was inspired not only by my love for travel and for Korea, but because I was so sad to have finally finished watching all 20 episodes of the K-Drama REPLY 1988 last night. While it took a while to get off the ground with so many characters, it is definitely one of my top favorites!


Here's a Korean Ramyun recipe in case you want to join me!
https://steamykitchen.com/41429-kimchi-ramen-recipe.html


I was too busy to make the authentic Danish Cinnamon rolls and share the recipe and pictures here as I had planned, but I will, soon! These were inspired by my visits to Denmark this summer.



And here's some tasty reading for when you're done!

The appetizers...


2019-11-05 Lets Eat Journey on Writing and Illustrating Blog

2019-11-05 Simply Seven - Jena Benton
https://jenabenton.com/2019/11/05/simply-7-with-lynne-marie-lets-eat/

And here's how to get the main course:

https://amzn.to/2PR4U3O

THANK YOU for Celebrating with me! Let's Eat! 

Friday, November 1, 2019

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY Barnyard Bubbe's Hanukkah by J.Klein-Higger and B. Sharf (by the Authors)


 
JKH: Hi Lynn Marie! Thanks so much for inviting us to share our “story behind the story” with you. I’m Joni Klein-Higger.

BS: I’m Barbara Sharf.

 JKH and BS: And we are the co-authors of Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah.

JKH: The initial concept for our board book, Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah, was inspired by Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Ho Ho Ho” writing challenge: Create a children’s holiday story using the basic format/concept of the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” A song! I thought it would have been a breeze for me to write since I was a songwriter with plenty of holiday songs under my belt.

Wrong. Though I had the nuts and bolts of a cute holiday story, it still needed spunk, so I called my funny (and fun!) friend, Barbara Sharf, to help bring my story to life.

BS: “You want me to help you write a book? You’re kidding, right?” Though Joni and I collaborated on musical spiels in the past, I never thought writing a book would be in my future, let alone writing a children’s picture book. But then I thought, hey, why not? Joni had the idea of a “bubbe,” (Yiddish for “grandmother,”) who makes potato latkes for Hanukkah. I love animals and thought it would be fun to have farm animals anonymously leave a present for Barnyard Bubbe each night of the holiday.


JKH: Barbara and I always worked well together, and once she got involved in writing Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah with me, the creative sparks started to fly. We finished our book in no time flat. The greatest challenge was agreeing to the sounds different animals made.

BS: Baah or Maah?  What sound would a dog’s paw make knocking on a door? You get the idea.

JKH: Then we tweaked, tweaked and tweaked some more until we were ready to send it to Lerner Publishing Group/Kar-Ben Publishing.

BS: Since then, Joni and I have collaborated on several other stories, and I’m proud to say I recently joined SCBWI and am writing picture books of my own.

JKH: I’ve seen her manuscripts, and must say, she’s off to an awesome start!
Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah hit the shelves September 1, 2019, and Barbara and I love sharing it with children around the country.

BS: And we have such a fun musical author presentation. We sing some of Joni’s original songs.

JKH: And “you know who…” that’s right, the funny lady sitting next to me…, uses her acting and singing talents to portray Barnyard Bubbe.

BS: That’s the story behind our story. Thanks for reading, everyone.
JKH: And thank you, Lynne Marie!




Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah was released by Lerner Publishing Group/Kar-Ben Publishing September 1, 2019.

You can view the book trailer for Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah at:

You can see a book sample here:






Joni Klein-Higger is an award-winning children’s book author, songwriter and musical theater playwright. Her middle grade novel, Coby Ryan Harris is Officially Fat, won a Children’s Literary Classics Gold Award, and her picture book, Rainbow of Friendship, is the recipient of the 2015 Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year Award. Joni’s songs have been recorded by various artists, have been featured in motion pictures, and her children’s songs and musicals can be frequently heard ringing throughout the halls of preschools, elementary schools and middle schools across the country. Visit Joni at her website: www.joniworld.com and Facebook: Joni Klein-Higger Books
                                      


Barbara Sharf is a children’s book author and actor who loves writing fun, quirky picture books. Her love for animals frequently shines through in her work. Just ask her dog, Sophie! Originally from Philadelphia, Barbara now lives in Tampa Bay, Florida and is a member of SCBWI and WIFT. This is her debut picture book.