A HOLY DIFFERENT KIND OF JOURNEY...

And now for something completely different:  Susanna Hill's Holiday Contest!

The goal is to write and enter your own holiday version of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

before December 22nd.  The prizes are second to the challenge of composing your own verse to mirror the holiday season.  What a variety of entries awaits you on her website...take a peek.  Each one is an 

original, and so fun to read!

Camels resting between journeys

My passion is to make Scripture come alive for folks, so, as you can see, I have chosen the traditional route.  Hopefully, it will make the Christmas story more real to you this year.  Jesus is the ULTIMATE GIFT!

The hills below Bethlehem where the shepherds heard the announcement!

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE JESUS WAS BORN

T'was the night of His birth, and all through the town,

Not a inn had a room, no space to be found.

Crowds came to pay taxes, the rooms were all full,

Rome needed money its deep pockets to fill.

The sun had just set, the stars had come out,

Bethlehem was quiet, without even a shout.

The town-folks were nestled in bed fast asleep,

The babies were dreaming, they made not a peep.

When down the dark path, there came Joseph and Mary,

They were newly engaged, and promised to marry

So tired from the journey, Mary held a surprise

God's Son, in her womb, a baby disguised

But, who is this baby about to be born?

Isaiah the Prophet told all the forlorn,

"A maiden will give birth to a miraculous son,

Immanuel, "God with Us", to bless everyone!

The couple rode in to Bethlehem town

The donkey paced slowly with a clip-clop sound

Could they possibly hope for a room in the inn

In this town which was home of Joseph's poor kin?

They knocked at each inn, on door after door

Not knowing what treasures the night had in store

For those who would raise this prophesied lad

The one of whom truly the world would be glad.

One inn had a stable...the couple praised God!

They were tired of the precarious road they had trod

Joseph freshened the hay while dear Mary laid down

As the lambs made a quiet and low bleating sound.

With pain and then joy, Mary birthed in the night

The Pure Son of God!  The sky was so bright

With a dazzling star of enormous proportion,

Which wise men did follow to show their devotion.

Then out in the fields the shepherds did watch

their flocks on the hillside, so no danger could touch.

The sky went ablaze and with angels abounded

The shepherds did tremble and fell to the ground.

"Fear not!" the bright angels did shout with one voice

"For you, on this day, there is cause to rejoice:

Behold the Babe in Bethlehem's stall;

A Savior, God's Son, who brings peace to all!"

Time to Vote for Monkeys!

Well, I'm off on another adventure, this time through the world of social media, thanks to  Julie Hedlund, who is hosting the 12x12 in 2012 this January.  Our challenge is to write 12 picture books in 12 months.  Are you game?  Then sign up here quickly, because the deadline fast approaches!

Julie is an author in her own right, and has written "A Troop of Monkeys" a delightful picture book that has been entered in the MeeGenius contest.  She has asked us to vote  for her, and help her promote the contest by navigating, you guessed it...the social media circuit.  This is where I lose my way, and sometimes want to shout, "HELP"!  FaceBook, Twitter and our own personal blogs are stops along the way.  But, wait...I need a roadmap.  How do I link a website to mine?  Or, visa versa?  Or create hidden links under a highlighted name in the text?  Or the biggest challenge (for me at least) to grab buttons for my website?

Even though I am intimidated, it's worth the frustration, not only because it's good practice, but, I truly enjoy Julie's story!  In one post, she shares how she came to write, "A Troop".  Ideas are everywhere, and her husband's discovery started it all.

So come along with me.  Vote  for a great book so her kid's school library can win the entire collection of books featured on MeeGenius.  Join the journey as we enter the contest to promote her book, with the chance of winning many prizes.  Most are for writers, the "Big Kahuna" being a spreadsheet of over 100 agents that are accepting manuscripts, along with all the little details you need to submit your masterpiece!  You are not a writer?  No worries!  Even non-writers have a chance at winning an iPod shuffle!

Polish those social media skills, and head over to Julie's blog for details.  And may our efforts pay off!  In the end, we could all be winners.  If not the Grand Prize, at least the knowledge that we are further down the road through cyberspace, as we navigate the building of a "Writer's Platform."  Here's to you, Julie...I hope you are a winner!

PiBoIdMo Winner...C'est Moi!

       Tara Lazar: PiBoIdMo

What an adventure!  As you can see, this is a travel blog, yet today I'm veering off course...but not really.  I've just taken a wild and crazy ride through the children's literary world via the PiBoIdMo challenge, a.k.a Picture Book Idea Month.  And I haven't arrived at my destination yet, but sometimes the process is as important as the end result.

Although I love adventures, new sights, sounds and destinations, I have found this PB challenge to be an exciting journey of its own.  And best yet, I don't need to leave my comfy chair, or ensure my passport is up to date!

All I needed to do was to come up with 30 picture book ideas for the month of November. Sounds like an impossibility?  Well, I didn't go it alone.  I had help, in the form of other aspiring authors, and those who have lead the way...authors, illustrators and editors.  Each with their own unique point of view.

First, I experienced the wonderful camaraderie of fellow writers who, like me, adore children, and love to read and write for children. It's akin to riding with a tour bus full of people who have the same destination in mind.  We are enjoying the journey together.  No one writes in a vacuum; we need each other!  Fellow PiBoIdMo contestants, critique groups, conferences, books and seminars dedicated to the craft of writing, are all things that help us grow our passion to write children's literature.

At one point during the challenge, I was worried that others would "steal" my ideas...imagine! Not that anyone would purposely do so, of course, but someone could POSSIBLY come up with the same idea.  Diandra Mae, in her post, reminded us not to give in to negativity.  We are a diverse group of writers, with a variety of experiences and backgrounds.  There is an abundance of ideas to gather in God's world, so the chances are slim.  And if so...so what?  I have a mind to conceive many more over the course of my lifetime, and could use a little competition anyway to hone my ideas.  Carolyn Crimi reminded us in her guest post to turn our problems into stories.  "If life gives you lemons..."

I have been stretched in PiBoIdMo to go places I never thought possible. And, I've discovered something along the way....I am a non-fiction writer and reader at heart!  No matter how many times I try to crack open a novel, I end up putting it down, and then move on.  On to a practical topic such as health, decorating, and raw foods, or maybe a historic or spiritual book: the Bible or inspirational biographies.  It must be the teacher or librarian in me.  I'm thankful for Cynthia Levinson who connected us with the Carus group of children's science and history magazines, such as "Cobblestone", using them to ignite our imagination. And Laura Crawford confirmed my passion by sharing her A-Z picture books on Thanksgiving and the American Revolution.

Even so, this challenge has drawn me into the realm of fictional picture books...to play with ideas, words, situations and pictures.  No, to juggle them in my mind, until they land in a delightful way on the page.  I'm finding myself melding the two, fiction and non-fiction, in unique ways.  I like it! Aaron Zenz uses his children's artwork to spark PB ideas, so the idea drove me to the closet to unearth my teens early drawings.  Julian Hector cheered us with his "Tricycle Mouse", and Dianne de Las Casas reminded us that sounds can be a springboard for story writing.

Not only have I been challenged with the daily invention of ideas, but with technology as well.  I can't figure out how to grab my badge and attach it to my blog...or my post, for that matter. Or, type those links that are hidden under a name or title.  Just signing in for a comment during PiBoIdMo was daunting.  So I've come a long way, kiddies! Brenda Reeves Sturgis relieves our fears as she shared links to those who have helped her with technical inadequacies.

There is a child in each of us.  Picture Book Idea Month has expanded my horizons.  Taught me to think more like a child.  It's been fun to read fellow participants comments...upbeat, encouraging, ever the cheerleaders with their, "woots" and "woohoos" and such.  What fun it was to look at the world from a child's point of view with Liz Garton Scanlon!

Every traveler needs a guide, and ours were fabulous!  Whether they were authors, editors, or illustrators, they all led us through the month with their inspiring and informative posts.  Our mentors revealed sources for ideas, helped us navigate the mechanics of writing and gave us hints to develop our writer's platform. Thanks to Linda Ravin Lodding for giving us four creative endings to consider as we polish our manuscripts, and to Becky Levine who urged us to revise again and again until we achieve our best work.

I have been stretched to go places I never thought possible,to connect with others, and to push myself into the world of fiction.  Plugging in to PiBoIdMo has been the highlight of my creative year.  God had a purpose for my journey, and I salute Tara Lazar for hosting this life changing event!

Now on to challenge #2: 12x12 in 2012, hosted by Julie Foster Hedlund.  I can't wait to develop the little nuggets I have picked up, and those seeds I have planted.  May they, and all the others  planted by my fellow PiBoIdMoer's  grow into picture books that will nurture the minds of the generation to come!