***CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER - SPILLING INK**

Dear Readers,

Every now and then you find a special piece of writing--special because it is written with honest emotion and heart. Those are the reasons why this piece by 7th grader Maren Huelsman was chosen for First Place--our Grand Prize Winner. (*Entries were published without correction by me or the teachers who submitted.)

Maren won $25 cash awarded by me, an autographed copy of  SPILLING INK by the writing team, Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter, an autographed copy of  Slob by Ellen Potter, The Sundown Rule (April featured title) by Wendy Townsend, an Olivia Kidney title from Anne Mazer's series, and publication on my blog. Here now, is Maren Huelsman's winning entry:

Mission Cheetah

By: Maren Huelsman

                                                           Teacher: Emily Kling

I love cats. I’ve always dreamed about owning one; but not just any cat, the fastest and most elegant cat in the world, a cheetah. I know it’s crazy to even think a city girl like me would be able to have a cheetah. But they’re so amazing, graceful, and best of all, fast. These quiet animals stealthily stalk their prey while the only sound they make is a quaint chirp, no growl or roar.

I often daydream about ways to get a cheetah. My first idea was to break in at night and steal one from the zoo. The poor creatures couldn’t possibly be happy so I’d be saving them, right? Then I thought I’d go to Africa and rescue an orphaned cub from the wild. Unfortunately, the $200 in my bank account wouldn’t even come close to covering the expenses for that plan. I needed a realistic strategy.

One day my mom showed me an article in the paper about a nearby exotic animal rescue that had just acquired six new cheetah cubs. Could I find my cheetah here? These places had little security. It would take them a while to notice a missing cub. Armed with my best friend’s cat carrier and a strong sense of confidence that I could give one of these cubs a better home, I arrived at the facility. The place was nearly empty except for one of the animal keepers, who quickly noticed my connection with the cubs and invited me into the pen with them. He asked if I would like to volunteer at the facility. I immediately said yes, and came to conclusion that stealing a cub wasn’t the best plan, and I could live with volunteering. I wouldn’t exactly have a pet cheetah; but close enough.

Thank you, Maren Huelsman for a story that shows growth in the main character by becoming part of the solution for the baby cheetah cubs, instead of  simply grabbing what she wanted. !!!! HATS Off! BRAVO! APPLAUSE! TAKE A BOW, MAREN !!!!

Please take a moment, dear readers, to congratulate Maren on her winning entry "Mission Cheetah"! 

SPECIAL BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT: I won't be blogging again until late June or early July! June is filled up with speaking engagements, but I'll be back! I have an exciting summer/fall lineup of guest authors and book giveaways for all of you! Have a fun and fabulous JUNE!

 

***The FABULOUS 2nd Place WINNER *** SPILLING INK CONTEST

Dear Readers,

Please give a warm welcome to our Fabulous 2nd Place WINNER, **Katharine C. Ruegger**, an astonishing young woman from the mid-west whose entry "A Plataduck is Man's Best Friend" was chosen for its originality and humor. This girl is going to go far! Katharine won $15 cash and received  autographed books from Anne Mazer, K.L.Going, and Clara Gillow Clark! Please leave a comment to congratulate this rising star! Please read the special note at the end. THANK YOU!

   !!!!CONGRATULATIONS  TO YOU, KATHARINE!!!!

Katharine G. Ruegger, a seventh grader, is an ecstatic little actress who love love loves anything having to do with the arts. Pursuing her dramatic career, she has performed at various professional theatres in shows such as King & I, Seussical, Oliver!, Once Upon A Mattress and Once On This Island. Katharine also enjoys competing in tennis matches, performing in her local Civic theatre's performing troupe "Act One," volunteering at local humane shelters, cooking, and hanging around with her theatre family. Katharine's favorite book is (at the moment) Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis, though she will always have an absolute obsession with anything and everything Dr. Seuss. Kat's favorite subjects include English, Music, and Drama, which she insists is, despite the excessive arts cutting in schools, is a subject.



Katharine G. Ruegger
Grade 7
Teacher:  Troy Cockrum
Prompt #3
 
                     "A Plataduck is a Man's Best Friend"

    You see, I have a slight problem. My best friend… doesn't exist. He doesn't talk, either. My plataduck Alphie…he's invisible. Well, for right now he is. I intend to change this. Mom says plataducks aren't real, and so does Dad. At school, people laugh at me. The science teacher yelled at me. Once they see Alphie, this will all change.
             
    I've got a plan. No, I won't go to an exotic breeder, they just abuse animals. I'll do something different. I'll create my own plataduck. Now, I know it sounds outrageous, but a couple days ago at the park, this strange old man in lederhosen gave me some magic beans. No, not like Jack's beans…but wishing beans. I've always been a sucker for magic, and hey, if I get my pet, I'll be happy. It's just a matter of materials.
    I've been working with this theory for over a month now, but I just recently put it into action. Inside the beans… there's a genie. You can probably guess what this means. But it's a bean, not a lamp, so only one wish. And what would I do? My obvious level is bursting. I'll wish for my devious little Alphie. And guess what? There, in mid flying-mid swimming position will stand my wish, my absolute dream...Alfie, the plataduck.

*Special thanks go to Katharine's teacher, Mr. Troy Cockrum for all his help. Thank you, Mr. Cockrum! 
 
 

SPILLING INK WRITING CONTEST ***3rd Place WINNERS***

Dear Readers,

A Short Note about this contest: All through my school years, I never remember anyone teaching us anything about writing stories. We had to write spelling words in sentences and do book reports and essays. The essays always seemed to be connected to major tests or final exams. However, I did write poetry in high school, and because of that, I think, I received the Creative Writing Award at graduation. I still have the envelope that says Clara Gillow was the recipient. Over the years when the writing days were very hard and publication seemed out of my reach, I'd take out the envelope and read those words again.

I know how hard it is to be a writer and I also know how great it feels to hold a published book in your hands that has your name on it. One of the reasons I persisted through years of rejection came from the generosity of that giver who made a Creative Writing Award possible.  My hope is that this writing contest will do the same for all  the talented young writers who shared their stories. Congratulations to all of you. Write on!

Without further ado, please welcome and applaud the TWO **3rd Place WINNERS** Luke Mayhew and Emma Borme.

Luke's Bio in his own words: "I am in 7th grade. I don't think I can choose one favorite book, but I really like "Brian's Winter" by Gary Paulsen. My favorite subject in school is Math but I also like History. I love playing board games, and designing my own board games. 'You can be anybody and do anything in a board game,' I always say. I also made my own secret language!

Thanks for everything!"  [You are very welcome, Luke!]

Rebellion

By: Luke Mayhew

274 Words

    Joshua walked down the street, wondering if the rumors of the rebellion against King Marthael were true.  Suddenly a man materialized next to him.

     He hastily pulled a small box from underneath his dark cloak. “Here! Take this and don’t let anything happen to it!”

     Joshua looked down at a small, crude wooden box with rough edges. He opened his mouth to ask the man what was inside, but he had vanished from sight.

     Joshua opened the box. Tucked inside a leather pouch was a golden ring imprinted with the image of a falcon. 

     “No,”Joshua whispered “Not the king’s ring! If the rebels get their hands on this they can impersonate King Marthael!”

      Joshua sprinted through the town square, thinking only that he had to reach the castle as quickly as possible.

A soldier on patrol saw the box. His eyes widened. “Stop!”

Joshua ran behind buildings and through shops until he eluded the soldier and made it to the castle. As he approached the king’s throne room, he was confronted by a guard.

“What are you doing?” The guard asked, noticing the box in Joshua’s hand. “Give me the box!” He yelled, drawing his sword. 

Suddenly from out of the shadows, the man with the dark cloak flew through the air and tackled the guard. “Go! Go!” 

Feeling his knees might buckle at any moment, Joshua ran into the throne room just as the king spoke.

“Order my people to evacuate. The rebellion has begun.”

Joshua handed the box to the king and said, “Here, you might need this.”

The king lifted the lid and his eyes widened in surprise.

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Emma Borme is a 7th grader in the mid-west. I'd like to eat some of those Swiss Rolls she writes about in her story below. Enjoy!

Swiss Rolls

By: Emma Borme

            Sunny McFeld was a normal teenage girl who lived in a small town in Oklahoma. Sunny was adventurous and kind-hearted child.  She had a favorite snack… Swiss Rolls!  Every Saturday, Sunny picks up a packet of eight Swiss Rolls. 

 It was a nice sunny day.  Sunny went over to the pantry to get the package of Swiss Rolls when she suddenly realized she had forgotten to buy them at the grocery store. She quickly grabbed her keys and raced out the door.  She grabbed her Swiss Rolls, paid, and raced back home.  

Sunny was half way home when she saw a shaggy man in neon blue jogging shorts running after her.  She ran franticly to her house! Sunny was getting close when she felt a hand reach into her pocket and drop something. It was a small, light wooden box. The man said, “Don’t let anything happen to this,” as he sprinted away.

Sunny quickly got home, and ran inside her room. She shoved the package under her bed.  When she sat down on her bed, the curiosity got to her and she opened the box.  Inside the box was a golden key with a beautiful bright red ruby on the end. Sunny quickly threw the box under the bed.

Sunny looked out the window and saw the man in blue shorts go by her house again.  This made her curious.  Sunny walked outside and went up to the man and asked him, “Why did you give me this key?  He said, “ Whomever sees the masterpiece shall live forever.” Then, he vanished.  Sunny went to the store each week to purchase Swiss Roles hoping she would see the man again.  However, now at 102 years old she often wonders if she will live forever.

                                         ************************************

Please take a moment to comment on what you liked about the stories or simply to CONGRATULATE these very special young writers! I'll be back on Tuesday to share the story of the Spilling Ink 2nd place Winner. Thanks again, dear readers, for your wonderful support!

***Annoucning the WINNERS of the Spilling Ink Writing Contest***

Dear Young Authors and Readers,

Thank you for your patience while we made our lists and checked them more than twice! We've now come to a final decision.

It was wonderful to review so many wonderful entries for the contest and to see so much promise in the work of  the Young Authors who submitted. I applaud the work of each and every one of you. Thank you so much for for being a part of the SPILLING INK WRITING CONTEST!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE OUTSTANDING  ***WINNERS!***

First prize: $25 Cash prize and autographed books by Anne Mazer, Ellen Potter, and Wendy Townsend, plus publication on my blog awarded to Maren Huelsman for "Mission Cheetah". Chosen for being well-structured, engaging, and written with heart!

2nd prize: $15  Cash Prize, and autographed books by Anne Mazer, K.L.Going, and Clara Gillow Clark, plus publication on my blog awarded to Katharine G. Ruegger for "A Plataduck is a Man's Best Friend". Chosen for its originality and humor.

3rd prize (2 winners):  $10 Cash Cash Prize each, an autographed book by Clara Gillow Clark (that's me), and publication on my blog awarded to Luke Mayhew for "Rebellion". Chosen for being a tight, well-written story; and to Emma Borme for "Swiss Rolls". Chosen for her excellent storytelling skills.

And I decided to give 3, 4th place prizes: $5 dollars each, and an autographed book by Clara Gillow Clark awarded to Anna Lee Hafer, Kate Reifenberg, and Myra Miller.

Honorable mention: 

Caitlin Tiger

Delia Novak

Tanner Waltz

Mahalya Roscoe

Jack Quigley

Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word and to all the teachers, parents, librarians, and fellow authors who encouraged the young authors! Congratulations to one and all! 

Teachers, parents, students, Please e-mail me with the name and address where the prizes should be sent!   claragillowclark@gmail.com  

Please take a moment to congratulate these outstanding young authors! Their stories will be published on my blog throughout the month!

SPILLING INK WRITING CONTEST ***IMPORTANT MESSAGE***

Dear Readers,

I have to delay announcing the winners of the writing contest. We had so many excellent entries that it's going to take a little longer to make the final decision. The first cut has been made, and the judges have narrowed the contenders to 13. If you're reading this, I hope you're one of the 13. 

My very best wishes go out to all of you. Please be patient. We'll get back to you asap! Thank you!

Clara 

Spilling Ink Writing Contest for Young Authors

It's The 2nd Annual SPILLING INK WRITING CONTEST for Grades 4-8

It's spring and we're jumping right into a writing extravaganza  using  the fabulous book SPILLING INK co-authored by the dynamic writing team, Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. SPILLING INK is a humorous and inspiring book of advice, questions, and writing prompts for young writers. I'm holding a copy in my hand right now that's been donated by Anne and will be sent to the 1st place WINNER of the Contest (along with other prizes). YOUNG AUTHORS can purchase a copy of their own through Scholastic at a very affordable price!
You'll definitely want to check out the web-site for the book. Here's the link: http://spillinginkthebook.com/   Just click and go! By the way, even if you're not a teen or tween, you'll find a lot of good advice in Spilling Ink that will inspire you. Ever have trouble with sub-plots? Need I say more?

First, you'll read about the authors who are participating, and then you'll learn all the prizes and how to enter this fabulous contest!
Just in case you don't already know the FANTASTIC authors who have donated books for the contest, here's a little bit about them:

Anne Mazer is the author of over forty books for young readers, including the award-winning The Salamander Room, the Sister Magic series, and the bestselling The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes series. Her favorite thing about being a writer is being able to write in the middle of the night in her pajamas. I've known Anne for twenty years, and she is amazing and lots of fun. She sparkles!

Learn more about Anne here: www.annemazerbooks.com

Ellen Potter is the author of the award-winning middle-grade Olivia Kidney series, as well as the middle-grade novels Pish Posh and Slob. Ellen's favorite thing about being a writer is that she gets to spend the day with Mongolian yak herders, psychics, and bank-robbing wood sprites without ever leaving her house.

Learn more about Ellen here: http://www.ellenpotter.com/

K.L. Going is the award winning author of numerous books for children and teens. Her first novel, Fat Kid Rules the World was named a Michael Printz Honor Book by the American Library Association, and was included on YALSA’s Best Books for Young Adults list and their list of Best Books for the Past Decade.  K.L. began her career working at one of the oldest literary agencies in New York City. She lives in Glen Spey, NY where she both writes and runs a business critiquing manuscripts. She’s also a mom to the world’s cutest child.

To visit KL on-line go to www.klgoing.com

Wendy Townsend, a graduate of the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program, teaches workshops for children’s writing at Empire State College and at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. She is a lifelong lover of animals and nature and has shared her home with many large lizards since she was eight years old. In 1993 she co-authored and illustrated Iguanas: A Guide to Their Biology and Captive Care. Her first novel, Lizard Love was published by Front Street Books in 2008. Her latest title, The Sundown Rule, was published by namelos this spring!

Clara Gillow Clark--That's me! I write, teach, blog, and make cloth dolls. I studied writing at New School for Social Research in Greenwich Village and SUNY Binghamton. I'm the recipient of  International Reading Young Adult Choice Award and Bank Street College Best Books 2004. Read my bio here: http://www.claragillowclark.net/biography.html  It's a little out of date, but some things don't change! In case you didn't guess, I LOVE kids!

 Now, onto the SPILLING INK CONTEST!!!


To celebrate young authors, I'm sponsoring a Writing Contest for grades 4-8. If you know of a young writer or if you are a teacher, librarian or interested parent, please pass this information along.  Thank you!

The contest will run from April 15th until May 1st. The winner will be announced on May 7th. Anne Mazer and Wendy Townsend are acting as judges this year.All cash prizes are donated by me!

First prize: $25 Cash prize and autographed books by Anne Mazer, Ellen Potter, and Wendy Townsend, plus publication on my blog.

2nd prize: $15  Cash Prize, and autographed books by Anne Mazer, K.L.Going, and Clara Gillow Clark, plus publication on my blog.

3rd prize:  $10 Cash  Cash Prize, an autographed book by Clara Gillow Clark (that's me), and publication on my blog.

All entries must be sent directly to me claragillowclark@gmail.com  If you attend a private/public school,

the entry must include the name of your school and your Librarian or English Teacher or Reading Specialist or Writing Teacher. (They may enter for you if your school computers don't allow access) You may enter more than once, but your entry must use one of the writing prompts below in about 200-300 words. Longer entries will be automatically disqualified.

Writing Prompts from SPILLING INK the Book:

Writing Prompt #1: I DARE YOU Rewrite a scene from your life. Think of something that happened today. Something that wasn't perfect--maybe something that was even downright mortifying--and rewrite it as you would have wanted it to happen. (Tip from me: Remember that scenes have a beginning, middle, and end!)

Writing Prompt #2:  I DARE YOU Think of two people you admire. Now think of the thing you admire most about each of them. Combine those two qualities into one person and write about that person in the following situation: She or he is walking down the street and a strange man hands your character a small sealed carton and says, "Don't let anything happen to this!" Then the man sprints away. What does your character do next?

Writing Prompt #3 from Wendy Townsend and ME: Is there a pet you wish you could have? Is it a wild animal? Maybe a goldfish, cat, dog, white mouse, a lizard or a snake? Perhaps, your pet is imaginary? You really really want this pet. Write about all the ways you might go about getting this pet. Now write a scene where you put that plan into action.

ALL READERS: Leave a comment here to win an autographed copy of any one of my books--your choice!
YOUNG AUTHORS: Enter the writing contest for a chance to win a $$CASH PRIZE, autographed books by the featured authors above, and a GUEST SPOT on my blog by submitting your writing here: claragillowclark@gmail.com  Good luck writers! I look forward to hearing from you soon. Remember the deadline is May 1st!

Interview with SPILLING INK CONTEST judge, Wendy Townsend

Dear Readers,

Please join me in welcoming one of the judge's for the contest, my good friend and esteemed colleague, Wendy Townsend. Wendy was recently featured in Kirkus Book Review Journal. Her book garnered a starred review, a personal interview, and her book jacket on the cover of the journal! Congratulations, Wendy! You'll learn more about Wendy in the SPILLING INK WRITING CONTEST coming up right here on Friday! Wendy is donating an autographed copy of her book, SUNDOWN RULES for the Spilling Ink Writing Young Author Writing Contest for grades 4-8.

Your comments are always appreciated! Thanks so much for joining us for this mid-week post!

The Lure of Bare Feet in Mud

by Jenny Brown on March 25, 2011 | Children's

Wendy Townsend spent her childhood summers near Michigan’s Marl Lake, home to 12-year-old Louise, the narrator of her latest novel, The Sundown Rule. Louise is inseparable from her cat, Cash. She also provides food to the nearby crows and rescues baby animals. When her father leaves Brazil on a nature-writing assignment, Louise must spend the summer with her highly allergic Aunt Kay and Uncle Jack in the suburbs—and leave Cash behind. Like Louise, Townsend finds solace in nature. Here the author discusses nature’s profound effect on humans and the dangers of severing that connection.
Check out more books about children and the wild world.
Louise tells readers what she’s thinking through her observations and her senses. Do you naturally write in such a spare way?
I haven’t always liked to write. I started out writing articles for nature magazines and co-authored a care guide [for iguanas] with a veterinarian. I’ve kept large iguanas since I was 8 years old. I thought fiction would be a better way to say what I wanted to say about the value of animals to us as human beings. [My editor] Stephen Roxburgh is a great teacher in terms of economy of language. I wanted to step inside the child character and write as a witness of what was going on—to get out of my head, into a place of seeing and smelling and hearing.
You’re also nonjudgmental when it comes to animals. Louise knows, for instance, that crows steal other birds’ hatchlings but “loved the crows anyway.”
I want people to rethink how they look at animals, especially crows, snakes, bugs and spiders, as if there’s no sentience there and no society. They do have society. They have a lot to teach us. I found my grounding and my security at a very early age with those animals and in nature. When you’re standing in a pond with your bare feet in mud, that’s about as good as it gets and as safe as you can feel.
When Louise becomes friends with Sarah, Sarah’s father also becomes an important ally for Louise. He has that insightful response when Louise describes missing Cash: “Animals give us something special, don’t they? Something people can’t.”
It is an inchoate thing. The word that comes to mind is “wonder.” Animals do look at us as much as we look at them. Maybe even more. As a species, we are alone on the planet in many ways. We’ve put ourselves there. People who have pets or working farms do have companionship with nature. John Berger wrote an essay called, “Why look at animals?” He says that “With their parallel lives, animals offer companionship… to the loneliness of man as a species.” That has always resonated with me.
Louise hints at the spirituality that grows out of her love of nature. One of the great moments in the book is her conversation with Sarah about whether animals have a soul.
When I had the relationship with the real friend [who inspired Sarah], the wonderful thing about this person is that she was able to manage her mother’s extreme religious fanaticism and still go on these turtle walks and frog hunts with me. In my family we weren’t churchgoers. My grandmother was a bird-watcher and gardener, and believed in Mother Nature. I think that what I was pondering was, I was seeing what Sarah gives to Louise in terms of companionship, but what does Louise give to Sarah? I feel like Louise gives Sarah this window into nature.
Louise is as comfortable in solitude as she is in the company of those she loves. Do you think that’s something our society is giving up? Is it a challenge to seek out those stretches of solitude?
Children are used to stimuli, and what happens if they don’t get that stimulus? They have to learn how to be quiet and still and alone. I don’t know how else you can feel grounded and steady with yourself. Nature has that to offer us. It’s emotional safety to be still and quiet, and feeling everything and seeing everything is calming. It’s very hard to find that today.
What’s next for you?
My third novel will center around an incident in May 2008 in the Grand Cayman Islands: people broke into the Blue Iguana Recovery Program and brutally murdered eight of the primary breeding adults. They haven’t caught them yet and they don’t know why. Blue Iguanas are incredible, they’re in the same genus as the [West Indian rhino iguanas] my husband and I have. Blue iguanas are functionally extinct, and there’s been an effort to keep them alive. For me it tipped it, I see snapping turtles who’ve been run over, and I’m heartbroken when an animal is hit and didn’t need to be. I needed to write a book about coming to terms with cruelty to animals. It’s also a road not taken, because I almost became a marine biologist, but realized I’m more of an artist than a scientist. It feels like an important story for me to tell.
Pub info:
The Sundown Rule
Wendy Townsend
Namelos / March / 9781608980994 / $18.95
(Ages 8-12)

Congratulations, Wendy,on all the great reviews for your new book, SUNDOWN RULES!

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