September 2021
I am thrilled to announce that I have signed with Suzy Evans of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency! For more information, please visit Suzy’s page at: https://dijkstraagency.com/agent-page.php?agent_id=Evans
December 2020
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.
- wrote one story that I’m extremely proud of (a big success since I only wrote 2 stories after COVID started)
- Finished my second story right at the end of December (thought I’d ever actually get it done!)
- Managed to keep up (somewhat) with my 2 critique groups
- Moved forward with the publication of my debut picture book
- Got a few queries out
- Participated in Susanna Hill’s Halloweensie contest
- Participated in as many Twitter pitch parties as I could find
- Came up with several new story ideas (yay, now to get them on paper)
- Participated in 12 days of Christmas for Writers
- And the one I’m most proud of… I didn’t give up on writing, even when it seemed like I’d never have another free moment to even think creatively : )
CREEPER
By Katie Williams for Halloweensie Contest
100 words
Skeleton creeping down the hall,
Shadows dancing on the wall.
Searching, haunting, through the night,
Waiting to give someone a fright.
I heard him first, his clicking bones,
Silence broken by his moans.
My eyes grew wide behind my mask,
I tried to scream, I tried to ask…
Why, why me, why this Halloween?
I’m stuck inside this creepy scene.
My legs are weak, I cannot run
This Halloween is NOT so fun!
A closer look, then I saw,
A patch of fur, a pointy claw.
I got it wrong, my mind a fog,
This skeleton is just my dog!
Fall Frenzy Writing Contest
AUTUMN ADVENTURES
Fall Frenzy Writing Contest, 200 Words
Jamal was bored. He craved excitement. Adventure.
But there was nothing but trees. He stared at them towering overhead.
The leaves appeared to be on fire, yellow and orange illuminated against the sky.
He watched as they floated softly to the ground, a pile forming beneath the tree.
Autumn seemed magical somehow, the way everything changed.
Without a second thought, Jamal dove into the pile.
He expected to feel a soft thump, the ground firm beneath him.
Instead…
He tumbled.
Down, down, down.
Finally, he stopped. He was in a cave.
Crystals sparkled off the walls. A pool shimmered beside him.
And he was certain he heard giggling farther ahead.
Jamal smiled. Following the sound of laughter, he tiptoed through a tunnel.
The laughter sounded just beyond his reach.
As he wound through the underground maze, excitement fluttered deliciously in his stomach.
Finally, the tunnel ended in front of a tiny door.
Jamal was just able to squeeze through…
Into the most magnificent room he’d ever seen.
Here was everything his imagination had ever conjured.
Rocket ships, pirates, gnomes and fairies.
A mouse stood nearby, laughter dancing in his eyes.
Reaching out, he grasped Jamal’s hand…
And the adventures began.
Valentine’s Magic
214 Words
Written for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Valentiny contest
James had a question.
His parents were always telling him stories about gnomes.
James desperately wanted to believe the stories.
But he was scared.
Scared they weren’t real. That magic didn’t exist.
On Valentine’s Day, James hatched a plan.
He gathered his favorite sparkly pen, his thickest red construction paper, and his stickiest glue.
At lunchtime, his family tromped into the woods for a picnic celebration.
James wandered over to the gnarled roots of a giant Redwood tree.
He knew from his parent’s stories that gnomes lived in trees.
And he knew they loved to dig for treasure.
He began to dig.
When he could dig no further, James pulled something from his pocket.
The paper heart said simply, “Dear Gnome, Are you real? I want to believe in magic.”
James covered the hole and ran back to his family.
All afternoon he waited. He watched. He wondered.
But he saw no sign of a gnome.
As his family packed up their picnic, James looked around sadly.
“I guess gnomes don’t exist,” he whispered.
But as he pulled on his jacket, he noticed something sticking out of the pocket.
It was the tiniest Valentine he’d ever seen.
Written in swirly red letters, it said, “Magic does exist.”
James smiled. Of course magic was real.
I’m thankful for fun writing contests like this one! Contest rules:
- Thanksgiving appeal.
- Originality and creativity.
- Humor or heart tugging.
- Following the directions thoroughly. Very important. Not following directions may result is disqualification.
Check out other entries, or enter for yourself, at Alayne Kay Christian’s blog: https://alaynekaychristian.wordpress.com/2019/11/23/photo-caption-contest-with-prizes/#respond
Katie Munday Williams 