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Snolloween #Halloweensie

The 12th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest is sponsored by Susanna Leonard Hill, and you can read all the details here at her blog. The challenge is to write a 100-word Halloween-themed story using three specific words. This year’s words were slither, treat, and scare.

In trying to think of original ideas for things that slither, I thought about the Halloween Blizzard of 1991, and the year we trick-or-treated by car. If you enjoyed the story, please leave a comment on the blog or over on the official Halloweensie post. Thanks!

Snolloween

A sudden snowstorm stopped the animals’ annual Halloween pumpkin party.

“Too cold for costumes!” chattered a cheerleader chipmunk.

“Too windy for wands!” whined a witchy weasel.

“I’m scared of snow!” stammered a swim-suited squirrel.

Helpless and horrified, they huddled in the tree hollow behind their newly-carved pumpkins. Snow slithered and swooped toward them, coming closer …

  and closer. 

Luckily, the lit jack-o-lanterns held firm, stopping the sneaky snow.

“Halloween is saved!” they cheered. 

Pom-poms, brooms, and sand shovels attacked the mess. Bravely, Squirrel scooped snow into three bowls, and Chipmunk squirted syrup. 

A tasty treat and a toast to Snolloween!

Heads up about #PBCritiqueFest

Writers and illustrators, looking to win a professional critique from a published author, illustrator, or agent this Halloween season? Author Brian Gehrlein is hosting the 3rd Annual #PBCritiqueFest now through October 31st. Hop on over to this post for all the details.

All you need to do is fill out the survey at Picture Book Spotlight, and you’re entered. You can gain additional entries for posting on social media and your own blog. Let me know if you enter, and good luck!

The Road Ahead #FallWritingFrenzy

It’s #FallWritingFrenzy season! Thanks so much to co-hosts Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez and Lydia Lukidis, plus guest judge Alyssa Reynoso-Morris, and thank you to all the incredible prize donors. The challenge was to write a kidlit story in 200 words or less, inspired by one of 14 fall-themed images. I chose the image below.

Fall- Credit: John Mccann for Unsplash

The Road Ahead

By: Katie McEnaney

The only path was forward. Alone. He knew the headmistress was lying about his arrival at the orphanage. This final quest would reveal the truth. 

Aylmer slipped away from the camp. Early fog rose from the marshes, obscuring him from view. He crept carefully, looking for the path his heart told him was nearby.

Aylmer had traveled many paths before, following the deep longing in his soul, but they were never right. Flat and endless ones, pin-straight across the plains. Rocky and winding ones, meandering through mountains. Paths so thin they could barely be seen, and thoroughfares so wide two teams of oxen could pass without noticing each other. 

Nothing prepared him for this. The fog lifted, and a glow emerged from the forest ahead. 

Bending trees framed a canopy above, while leaves of all hues made a carpet. The wind carried faint echoes of memories. His footfalls were a whispered crunch. 

Aylmer began to run as he saw the cottage; windows aglow just like in his dreams. 

The door opened. Her eyes stared back; their hazel shine was like looking into a mirror. “Mother? I’ve found you at last!” Her arms opened wide. The only path was forward. 

Together.

Read more about #FallWritingFrenzy and view the other entries here.

But Dorothy Did #SunWriteFun

Photo from https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/files/dorothy_garrod_at_cambridge.pdf

But Dorothy Did

a brief biography of pioneering archaeologist Dorothy Garrod
By: Katie McEnaney, 200 words

     From the beginning, Dorothy did the unexpected. Most girls in 1921 didn’t attend university, but Dorothy did. She studied anthropology, wondering and learning about people in the past.

     Most people never set foot inside a cave, but Dorothy did. She crawled in, dodging stalagmites and ducking stalactites. She witnessed wonders: herds of painted bison and thousand-year old footprints. 

     Few archaeologists considered cave sites, but Dorothy did. She excavated caves across Eurasia. At Mount Carmel her teams dug 75 feet down, uncovering 75,000 years of prehistory.

     Few excavations employed women, but Dorothy did. She hired local women as crew members and launched the careers of many female scholars. Some years her team was entirely women.

     Few archaeologists worked and traveled widely, but Dorothy did. Rather than focus on one area, she pondered how sites around the Mediterranean were related. She uncovered a new culture, Natufian, and proved that these first farmers were connected across Afro-Eurasia.

     Women could not become professors at universities, but Dorothy did. She was the first female professor at Cambridge. She worked tirelessly creating a program for studying early humans.

     Explorer. Archaeologist. Professor. Not everyone lives their life exploring their passions to the fullest, but Dorothy did.

Shared for #SunWriteFun 2022

Dig #50PreciousWords

Dig: an archaeological lift-the-flap book

Dig down.
What’ll be found?

A broken pot,
All we’ve got.

Tough to fit
Pottery bits.

Trowel clicks.
What’s this?

Sheen? Green!
Coins gleam.

Dump, lift.
Trays sift.

Small seed?
No, a bead!

Search the past.
Artifacts last.

Stories found
In the ground.

Work slow,
Uncover.

What will you
Discover?

(c) Katie McEnaney 2022

You can leave a comment on the official #50PreciousWords post.

#50PreciousWords

August Afternoon (50 words)

Another tremor. Nothing fell over this time. Liviana continued weaving.

Marcus burst in, pointing out the window. “The mountain! It’s growing!” Rather than low clouds, the mountain had tripled, shooting up a column of gray. As the ash began raining down, they grabbed hands and ran.

Behind them, Vesuvius exploded.

(c) Katie McEnaney 2021

The #50PreciousWords challenge runs the first week of March. You can read the details and enter here.