GENRE: *Humor, Holiday, Rhyming
WORDS: 490
Query:
Dear Merrymakers:
I’m excited to share my manuscript, THE THROWDOWN IN ELF TOWN with you!
It’s nearly Christmas and all the elves should be filled with holiday cheer. But instead, two of them are quarreling over which one makes the best toys! To settle the matter (once and for all), they decide to enter The Throwdown—Elf Town’s reality tv gameshow competition! As they battle it out for “best toymaker” only one will emerge as the victor. May the best elf win…
THE THROWDOWN IN ELF TOWN (490 words) written for ages 4-8, is a mash-up between the over-the-top rivalry competition found in The Three Canadian Pigs: A Hockey Story, by Jocelyn Watkinson and Marcus Cutler (Sleeping Bear Press, 2022) and the humorous holiday shenanigans found in How to Trick a Christmas Elf, by Sue Fliess and Simona Sanfilippo (Sky Pony, 2019).
I’m immersed in the KidLit community as an active member in several writer’s groups and serve as an Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI. In both 2023 and 2022, I won a coveted spot in the PBParty Showcase with a special distinction of having one of the few rhyming manuscripts featured. I’m a published, freelance Sunday School curriculum writer and have had my poetry featured in The Dirigible Balloon along with winning several accolades in various contests. I’m also neurodiverse (though I don’t let the label hold me back from pursuing my goals!)
Per your submission requirements, the first 70 words of my manuscript are enclosed for your review. Additionally, I have a large catalog of other completed manuscripts (in both rhyme and prose) that are ready to submit.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my work for the 2024 PBParty Showcase!
Excerpt:
Twas right before Christmas and all through the shop, [workshop]
a throwdown was brewing that no one could stop!
Elf Tinker was boasting— “My toys are the best!”
but Winkle asserted, “HA! Surely you jest!”
They squabbled and quibbled but couldn’t agree…
“Let’s enter The Throwdown and then we will see…” [reality gameshow competition]
The other elves gathered with curious eyes.
Which elf would take home the “Best Toymaker” prize?!
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
I originally knew I wanted to write a holiday story featuring quarreling elves, and for the meter to follow the cadence of Twas the Night Before Christmas. But the thought of having the elves settle their dispute with a “contest” only became clearer after I dove into writing the story. Since reality gameshow competitions are so popular on tv, it seemed fitting to add that as an extra layer of silliness! What do I have in common with the main characters? I LOVE entering contests and I also love watching reality tv gameshows!
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