Late for the Parade

Here is my entry for Susanna Hill's Holiday Contest...

 

Rolling through the doorway on her six foot unicycle, Becca Elf hopped off the front stoop and pedaled toward the street. She turned onto the sidewalk and raced downtown. Becca was late for the Sleetville Holiday Day parade and didn’t want to worry her little elf, Eli. As she sped to the tracks, the gates went down forcing her screech to a halt and then pivot back and forth to stay on her perch.

HONK HONK went the train as it passed Becca. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 cars and a caboose chugged by before the gates went up.

Becca bumped across the tracks barely staying on her seat and heard a sound in the distance.

BOOM BOOM BOOM went the drums.

“Oh No! The parade is starting!” she yelled to the air. Becca righted her elf hat and pushed her pointy shoes against the pedals as quickly as she could.

“Where’s my elf?” asked Santa from his perch upon his sleigh on his float.

“Mom?!” called Eli.

Becca couldn’t hear Santa or Eli but she was nearby and working too hard to announce that she was on her way.

BOOM BOOM BOOM went the drums.

Santa’s float rolled across the intersection to begin the parade.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” called Becca to the crowd who was pushing toward the curb to see Santa.

“Let her through!” squeaked a very little girl sitting on the shoulders of a very wide man.

The people parted  and Becca rolled through the crowd. As she bumped over the curb, her wheel hit a purse strap and…

“Oh NO!” yelled Becca

She twisted, she turned, she fell into the street. CRASH!

“Get up!” yelled a small round boy.

“Mom!” called Eli.

“Someone help her!” yelled the woman with the purse who’s face was quite red.

“I’m okay,” announced Becca standing and picking up her unicycle. She placed her right foot on her wheel and with two more steps and a slide of her seat, she was pedaling toward Santa.

“Hooray!” yelled the crowd.

“Hooray!” called Eli.

“Ho-Ho-Hooray!” called Santa as the parade began.

My 2012: A Look Back

2012 has beens my year for challenges and acronyms. I participated in Julie Hedlund's 12x12 all year, Paula Yoo's NaPiBoWriWee in May, Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo in November, and Linda Silvestri's SkADaMo in November. In addition to all of these, my debut picture released November 15th. It was a lot of challenges and a lot of work. In case you don't know what these acronyms stand for, here are some quick definitions:

12x12 - Write 12 picture book drafts in 12 months. I did it. Thank you Julie Hedlund.

NaPiBoWriWee - National Picture Book Writing Week, Write 7 picture book manuscripts in 7 days. I did it and with 12x12, I wrote 18 manuscripts this year. Thank you Paula Yoo.

PiBoIdMo - Picture Book Idea Month, Come up with a concept for a picture book storyline every day of the month of November. I completed this challenge this year and last year. I used many of last year's ideas to create drafts for the first two challenges on this list. Thank you Tara Lazar.

SkADaMo - Sketch a Day Month, Create a sketch every day in November and post them on your blog. I posted 23 sketches on this blog. I actually created one every day but could not post some because they are part of a picture book dummy for a NaPiBoWriWee story I wrote in the 2011 challenge. This was my first year doing  this challenge and it was a lot of fun. Can't think too long when you have to produce a sketch and post it that day. Thank you Linda Silvestri (who also created the 12x12 badge you see at the top of this post.

As if November wasn't busy enough with writing a draft for 12x12, coming up with an idea for a story everyday for PiBoIdMo, and creating a sketch everyday for SkADaMo - a picture book that I wrote and illustrated launched on November 15th. FLAP! is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, and my website (if you want an autographed copy). See image of FLAP! cover on the sidebar.

Now that I have thanked the four talented women who led these challenges, I need to thank the other writers and illustrators who participated in these challenges with me. Thank you. I read many of your pitches, critiqued many of your stories, reviewed many of your sketches. You are all very talented and supportive and I appreciate the communities created within these writing groups.

But wait! There's more! Because of exposure through 12x12, I was invited to join a group of writer's who had books coming out in 2012 and share marketing advice and efforts. Thank you Picture Book Pluggers. I also created a business called AH Designs in which I create swag for authors and other professionals - including bookmarks, business cards, postcards, coloring pages, book formating, etc... Thank you Susanna Hill for helping to get this ball rolling.

One More Thing! Through the connections I made in 12x12, I also started an online picture book critique group called Flowing Words with several talented writers and illustrators. Thank you to those writers for sharing your manuscripts with me and for helping me polish my writing.

Whew, now I can breathe for a couple of weeks until 12x12 in 2013 begins this January. Are you with me? There is nothing more motivating that a group of writers struggling along with you and telling you that YOU CAN DO IT.

SkADaMo 23

This is the last official day of SkADaMo 2012. Including the drawing below, I posted 23 sketches in November. I sketched every day, I just didn't post them all because I am working on a book dummy for my lastest picture book manuscript and those drawings are not ready for display. : ) I appreciate all the visitors this month and all of the wonderful comments left below my sketches. I will continue drawing every day (it is like my morning coffee) and posting many of them so keep checking back to this blog for new posts.

SkADaMo 23 - Happy New Year!
 

To see past sketches from this month, click below:

Sketch 22

Sketch 21

Sketches 19 & 20

Sketch 18

Sketches 16 & 17

Sketches 13, 14, & 15

Sketches 10, 11, & 12

Sketch 9

Sketch 8

Sketch 7

Sketches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6

To see Linda Silvestri's Sketched Out blog with her SkaDaMo sketches and links to all the other illustrators participating in this challenge, click HERE.

Leave a comment below to let me know you stopped by.

 



SkADaMo 22

SkADaMo 22 - Dreidelville

Hannukah begins in 9 days.

 

Are you ready to play?

 



To see past sketches from this month, click below:

Sketch 21

Sketches 19 & 20

Sketch 18

Sketches 16 & 17

Sketches 13, 14, & 15

Sketches 10, 11, & 12

Sketch 9

Sketch 8

Sketch 7

Sketches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6

To see Linda Silvestri's Sketched Out blog with her SkaDaMo sketches and links to all the other illustrators participating in this challenge, click HERE.

Leave a comment below to let me know you stopped by.

SkADaMo 21

SkADaMo 21 - Bubble Girl

 

 

To see past sketches from this month, click below:

Sketches 19 & 20

Sketch 18

Sketches 16 & 17

Sketches 13, 14, & 15

Sketches 10, 11, & 12

Sketch 9

Sketch 8

Sketch 7

Sketches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6

To see Linda Silvestri's Sketched Out blog with her SkaDaMo sketches and links to all the other illustrators participating in this challenge, click HERE.

Leave a comment below to let me know you stopped by.

SkADaMo 19 & 20

SkADaMo 19 - Performing Together

 

 

SkADaMo 20 - Fair?

 

To see past sketches from this month, click below:

 Sketch 18 

Sketches 16 & 17

Sketches 13, 14, & 15

Sketches 10, 11, & 12

Sketch 9

Sketch 8

Sketch 7

Sketches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6

To see Linda Silvestri's Sketched Out blog with her SkaDaMo sketches and links to all the other illustrators participating in this challenge, click HERE.

Leave a comment below to let me know you stopped by.

SkADaMo 18

 

SkADaMo 18 - Magic in the Air

 

I can't explain what it is or why.

It's just a feeling that there is magic in the air today.

 

Check back soon or follow this blog to see

more Sketch-a-Day sketches. 

 

Click below to see others I posted prior to this one.

Sketches 16 & 17

Sketches 13, 14, & 15

Sketches 10, 11, & 12

Sketch 9

Sketch 8

Sketch 7

Sketches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6

 

 



SkADaMo 16 & 17 - Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

This is my favorite holiday and I am finding it very inspiring today. Here are two sketches I whipped up this morning between making pumpkin bread and basting the turkey.

 

 

SkADaMo 16 - Get that Turkey!
This one was inspired by the mad dash for the turkey's at the grocery store the other day.

 

 

SkADaMo 17 - Making a Turkey
This was inspired because my 4yo daughter said she wanted to make a turkey and this what popped into my head as the turkey that I would have made when I was little.

SkADaMo 13, 14, & 15

 

 

 

SkADaMo 13

 

The other night, when I was trying to get my sweet, wonderful children to go to bed, I said out loud, "Ugh! Why do they become monsters right before bed?" It was like I was hit with a baseball bat, BOOM! PiBoIdMo and SkADaMo! My son, however, took one look at the drawing and became scared. He said, "Mommy! Why are you drawing kids that are werewolves??"

 

SkADaMo 14

SkADaMo 15

 

 

Don't forget to check back. I'll post SkADaMo #16-20 soon...



FLAP! Book Launch and SkADaMo Update

FLAP! released today! Laura Miller interviewed me on her blog and I bet that most of you will be surprised by what you learn about me. (In a good way). Check out her blog post HERE.

You can order a copy of FLAP! at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound, my website at www.AlisonHertz.com or the publisher's site at www.WeavingDreamsPublishing.com. If you would like an autographed copy, order it directly from me by sending me a message at Alison@AlisonHertz.com and include where to send the book(s) and who to autograph it for. I will then bill you through PayPal. If you don't have a PayPal account - you can use a credit card through them, too. Thank you in advance.

As for SkADaMo drawings - I have created 13, 14, and 15 and will upload them to this blog on Monday along with sketches for days 16, 17, and 18. I have some traveling to do and will be away from my computer. Come back next week to check out those sketches.

SkADaMo 10, 11, & 12

SkADaMo 10 - Thinking of you - Papa.

 

 

SkADaMo 11 - Tom Sawyer inspired.

 

 

SkADaMo 12 - Born on the wrong side of the crack.

SkADaMo 9

Every summer of my childhood was spent on our family sailboat. My cat, Twinkie, loved being on the water. Since cats don't want to swim and they have amazing balance, they make fantastic sailboat companions. Every night, Twinkie would crawl into my sleeping bag and sleep in my arms.

SkADaMo 8

I guess I have Thanksgiving on my mind. This is my favorite holiday and when I think of that delicious meal now, I think of the smell of turkey cooking on the barbeque. When I was little, my favorite memories included basting the turkey, helping my mom prepare the gravy, and getting rewarded with black olives which I would jam onto every finger.

SkADaMo 7

To See my sketches for SkADaMo 1-6, CLICK HERE.

 

Come back tomorrow and everyday this month to see more doodles.