Race #4, Writers Helping Writers (presented by Heather)

Welcome friends from far and near,

Thanks for coming; for being here.

First, some business, before we play,

Disqualification for all who stray!

Sign in at the comments down below,

New clues, every 10, after you go.

Leave Respectful words at each new place,

Stay On Blog Topic--or you're out of this race.

Collect Jon's clues from the comment pile,

Visible by their CAPITAL style.

Return again, comment that you're done,

Submit your phrase, maybe you've won!

There's not much more for you to know.

Welcome to the circus; away we go!

A writer needs support every step of the way;
The blogs that Jon visits fit that bill, today.
Writers who help other writers at every turn
Get ready, get set, feel the google burn!

Jon's Phrase: Bloggers __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!


Sign in at the comments!
Clue #1 @ 1:00 PM EST

a Market-ing guru she is--nothing less.

pink with personality, and great with the press.

"My Words," you might say, as you visit her site,

"this gal has it all and she blogs with such might!"

astounded you'll be, as she e-mails you back.

she certainly has just that kind of knack.

treating each person on her blog as a prime

you'll ask yourself, "how does she find time?"

Clue #2 @ 1:10

Spotlight on Agents is a feature so glam

that pulls you right out of your querying jam.

a helping hand you'll find at her blog every day,

even if it's just a kind word flying your way.

Tuesday's Tip helps inform, and she doesn't stop there,

but asks what you need and provides it with care.

she's open and honest--a true writerly friend,

and you'll never regret stopping by in the end!

Clue #3 @ 1:20

what is more fun, than Graffiti-ing her Wall?

authors and artists, everyone of y'all?

interviews of bloggers and writers abound,

from Inkwell, and verla's and everywhere 'round.

she's the best Writer's Ally--i can tell you that now.

with pizazz she blogs about writing know-how.

she answers each comment you leave with much glee

you know that her Alley is the place to be.

Clue #4 @ 1:30

"oh, besties," she cries, "do not ever despair!

we're in this together, of that I declare!

keep writing, keep going--i know you will ace

this novel you're writing, just keep up with the pace."

"here's a querying spoof that i wrote just for you.

and that shark Janet Reid just might show up here too

so pull up a chair, Grab A Pen, don't be late,

my lovey, my bestie, my writer, my mate!"

Last Clue @ 1:40

she's a blogging marvEl, anyone can attest.

and at answering comments, she's one of the best.

whether posting at querytracker, or at her own place,

she blogs with an abundance of humor and grace.

her Query-ing book can help you get on the baLl,

and snAg and ageNt, or at least, get the Call.

and once a month, check out her newsletter,

a fAntastic tool to help you write better!

***This game is open for 24 hours. And we expect to see some rocking clues out there in the blogosphere!! The award for best comment is still anyone's game!! Play on! Play on! Play on!***

After playing, visit Friday, to see if you won the award for Best Comment, or First Place!!! Thanks so much for playing!! We hope you connected with some new writers and blogs!!

***Remember, check the Everything Else You Need to Know Page if you get stuck!***

Mark Your Calendars

The next WIBIJ game will post on April 21th, at 1 PM eastern. One week from now!
Follow Heather's clues to new or familiar blogs. Show up right on time to play the fast action game, or come anytime during the next 24 hours to play the relaxed version. We invite folks to hang out in the cheering section too (more cow bell, please). So many ways to get involved!

Don't forget to read the Everything Else You Need To Know Page to figure out what the heck is going on here! In the meantime, practice getting your google on.

For your entertainment:

Official Recap for WIBIJ?! Game 3 (Presented by Tina)

You'd think that your carnival hosts would be wizened and jaded by now, spitting snuff and cat calls at the passers by. No we are not, we are right proper with finger sandwiches and lemonade. Heather and I make a point to wear our best aprons to the tent and you will never catch us without lipstick. J heads off to spread glitter with a jolly wave. It is like a set for Leave it to Beaver around here, except with Lions named Google and Elephants called Blogger. But we are crafty beneath this homespun appearance, Heather made this run just a little harder.

The Race:
Dena arrives and pleasantries abound. Oh, yes we can see this race coming from a mile away. The beautiful Dena has done it before and she will do it again. She is the lady of the hour, both to her children and to us. She can pull out the big comments, typing with a baby in one hand and spare diaper in the other. But then out of nowhere  comes Jeff. Who is this stranger and does he dare challenge Dena? The crowd goes wild. Jeff announces a competitive streak and Dena says, "Bring it!" Fingers to the keyboard, they were googling!!!

The Stops...
Exhibited such synchronicity! First, when we chose these May debuting books, two of them featured wolves. Well, that seemed lucky. Little did we know, that that was only the beginning. Heather designs her race in relative blindness. Yes, these blogs know we are coming. They are prepared to put up a post and sit tight while our challengers cover the wires. But, morning of the race dawned with beautiful echos and reflections throughout.

At stop one: Christy Raedeke at Juvenescence had put out an all points bulletin for a monkey! (First wolves and now a monkey.) You may want to head over there to see why. Please let her know if you have a lead on a talented capuchin(or other ideas, i.e. squirrels in makeup and men in gorilla suits)! Christy's book Prophecy of Days - Book One: The Daykeeper's Grimoire comes out May 1st!

At stop two: Kristen Chandler at Kris Chandler Stories: the Blog the synchronicity continues with more animals. Her post is a tribute to Kit, a John Wayne strutting, beloved bad boy cat, may he rest in peace and a pleasure to read. Kris' book Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me comes out May 13th!

At stop three: Christine Johnson brings up the controversial (or all we all in agreement here, editors rock!) future of book publishing, specifically self-publishing. If you have an opinion (and I know you do) go and leave it! Her book Claire De Lune comes out May 18th!

Finally stop four: The Debut Authors Blog. What?? Is that Christine Johnson again?! And is she is being interviewed by our very own scavenger Jeff Baird?! The echos and revolutions continue. Go and check out the questions, they're not your usual fare. And the answers aren't bad either! (There are two versions of the blog, one just for blogger. Our comments ended up at both. For added challenge see if you can double comment! May the synchronicity never end.)

Missing!
Our heckling section! One donkey-riding (and the TURBO donkey his/herself), tutu-wearing, vacationing (let's hope not in the hospital because that's where she was headed in her last joking comment was seen in these here parts) Ann Marie! Racers beware, I believe she is prepared to heckle the next time! (All are welcome to join, as long as it is in respectable, Leave it to Beaver type fun).

Our phrase: April previews bring May debuts!!!

Award Ceremony (presented by Jon)
1st Place:

Dena had a fierce competitor in Jeff. He was speedy! And had the distinct advantage of knowing the last blog (and then there was that surprise(!) overlap between the last two blogs). The two dueled around the blogosphere until even Harry Potter caught wiff of Dena and Jeff's battle. But in the end, it was Dena's defense of the Dark Arts, oh, no, I mean in the end it was Dena's defense of her reigning title as the W.I.B.I.J.?! queen that brought down the house in her favor.

Best Comment:

My two favorite comments were left by Jeff.  At Kris Chandler's blog he said, "Reminds me of my old cat, Zeno. She killed a Doberman once…. Violence came back to haunt her though when her days were ended by a rapid possum " (Wow, she killed a Doberman, but stood no chance against a possum?  I am amazed.) 

and 

at Christy' Raedeke's blog Juvenescence he said, "I will read your book solely based on monkeys... I mean we share a common ancestor and all. If it helps, I know a guy with a gorilla suit and I bet he would do origami in it for less than 800 dollars. Just sayin..." (Can you imagine trying to make a tiny crane with those sausage fingers?)

Jeff is the winner of Best Comment! (and thanks for giving Dena a serious run for her money!) Jeff make sure to pick up your award, and do with it what you will!  

And a huge shout out for being so darn faithful and beloved goes to both the lovely Kelly Polark and her magnificent and smiling presence (we loved your turn of WIBIJ's turn of phrase!) and the powerful scavenger with google in her back pocket, Dena Daw. We would like to thank Kelly and Dena for being so supportive of W.I.B.I.J.?!  No matter their schedule or how many children are running around screaming, they have been here for us. We truly appreciate it you two!  I love Dena to death, but I'd love to see someone take her down!!  Just kidding.  Not.

Race #3: MAY DEBUT AUTHORS

Welcome friends from far and near,

Thanks for coming; for being here.

First, some business, before we play,

Disqualification for all who stray!

Sign in at the comments down below,

New clues, every 10, after you go.

Leave Respectful words at each new place,

Stay On Blog Topic--or you're out of this race.

Collect Jon's clues from the comment pile,

Visible by their CAPITAL style.

Return again, comment that you're done,

Submit your phrase, maybe you've won!

There's not much more for you to know.

Welcome to the circus; away we go!

Today Jon visits Debut Authors looking for May fame.

Sign in, get ready, and let's get on with this game!

Jon's Phrase:__ __ __ __ __

Clue #1 @ 1:00 PM EST

journey now, to a scottish castle, to solve an ancient riddle,

a mayan relic, some revelations, and, now you're in the middle,

Of conspiracy, secret society, the Prophesy of Days.

Juvenescence, luminescence, Christy can sure turn a phrase!

Clue #2 @ 1:10

where Wolves are wolves, and boys are Boys

and Yellowstone the place to be,

fierce and funny, journalistic cunning,

finding myself just Might Kill Me.

Clue #3 @ 1:20

french moonlight is tricky, and gets kind of sticky

when secretly howling De Lune.

only girls in this club. when she falls in love,

Claire the Werewolf, she bays at the moon.

Last Clue @ 1:30

if you're a Debut Author looking for press, then this blog is the place to be.

with book reviews and themed interviews and your book decked out to the t.

homer simpson and a rubber chicken instead of thumbs up or a frown,

even with circus trains and crashing planes, Jeff and Clare do not let you down.

***Remember, this game is open for 24 hours. And we expect to see some rocking clues out there in the blogosphere!!***

At this point, you should have everything you need to in order to solve the phrase, so unscramble it and enter it into the form! And visit Friday, to see if you won the award for Best Comment, or First Place!!! Thanks so much for playing!! We hope you connected with some new writers and blogs!!

***Remember, check the Everything Else You Need to Know Page if you get stuck!***

When In the Blogosphere is the Next WIBIJ game?

You are all invited to the next WIBIJ game, which begins April 7th, at 1 PM.  Feel free right now to poke around the circus tent, feed the animals, and practice getting your google on.
  
And, remember, we're inviting people to play the fast action game, to play the relaxed version (the game is open for a full 24 hours), and to hang out here, in the cheering section, razzing the contestants.  So many ways to get involved and have fun!

Congrats to the winners of last week's game, and we'll see you here on April 7th!  Don't forget to read the Everything Else You Need To Know Page to figure out what the heck is going on here!

Official Recap for WIBIJ?! Game 2(presented by your game masters):

The Big Top was a little calmer at the beginning of our second official game. Even Jon’s acrobatics were in slow mo. The thing was, these were blogs that were chosen expressly because of our love for them and we wanted our crowd to love them up too. Even as Jon turned mid swing, waved, and then set out to spread glitter, H and I fussed with the canvas, picking up stray peanut shells and wondering what the days performance would bring. We had this down, we knew, but the game is only as good as the folks who come to play.

The beautiful Dena showed up right on time, the first sign that our race was going to be a success. She signed in and blasted past, before Heather could tip her top hat. If you recall Dena was our first ever racer, sending her kids to graze as she raced the wilds of our internet during the first race. This time our stunt master conducted the race with her children on her lap!! Dena had commented on four stops before Kris arrived beneath the canvas! Kris was steadfast, leaving her comments and returning to update us on her progress, and her words, bringing in Prof. McGonagall and squirrels, none too shabby. Then, there were sightings out in the field of a third mystery speed racer, eventually blowing us all out of the rings with comments and stealth. Laura wowed us with her game dexterity and her lisping(see below!!) retorts! Finally, even the lovely hosts of our clues showed up, with encouraging words, cheering racers on!

And then we knew, this race was a thing of beauty!!

Which brings us to the stops, oh we are proud of these hosts! These were the kind of blogs this game was designed for!! Each blog, beautiful and unique, these ladies have voice and presence, and know how to use it. Our theme this week: the blogs of picture book writers.


Off to stop one: Corey Schwartz Where rhymes and information, and self-deprecation all charm away, along with Thing 1 and Thing 2. Her post for the race was about being ditzy and commentors were out to validate, with stories of their own and reasons why that non-linear thinking will serve a writer. Love being shared by all.  (I am still 1000X ditzier than anyone, despite Corey's protests. -J)

Stop two: Marisa at Elegant snobbery. Beautiful illustrations galore and here we have music and all things spring, butterflies, rainbows, and fluffy kittens.  (There are even scary sock monkeys there! -J) The comments were epistilary and full of all sorts of fauna.

Stop three: Storygueen(Shelley) at Storycastle, which is a kingdom in of itself; everyone leaves Storycastle with a little more than when they came.  Give your internal editor a makeover and Shelley may claim him (or her) as her own, and you're a little proud she does it too. Everyone is inspired in the comments over there. Watch out, you may not want to leave.  (It's like magic! -J)

And then we get to Jacqui's room where Jacqui Robbins welcomes us to her circle. LeBron James and lies galore, but a writing lesson too. Check her out for Write This book Inspirational Moments. She is an inspiration herself. And the comments that follow, full of lies and fictions and even some truths.  (This chica is like my new favorite, which I can get away with because we live in the same state and she lives in my favorite city in said state.  GO BLUE!)

And surprise, at stop five, a familiar and oh so game friend: Dena Daw at My Journey to Becoming a Published Author. Dena was our first player. Way back last time, our first horn tooter, way back after last game, and she is a picture book author, not afraid to share her journey with us. Check her out. Bring her some socks! She will make you laugh and maybe even make you want to hold her son.  (Definitely will make you laugh. Not sure yet about holding the son. -J)

All race completers entered the correct phrase: A PICTURE BOOK IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.
Dena Daw
Kris Asselin
Laura Pauling
Kelly Polark
Even Heather's son! But technically he's disqualified because he didn't leave comments or sign in to play! Maybe he will next time. Dena crossed our finish line first, entering the phrase and then rushing off to feed her children. Only proves that that mother CAN do it all. Looking forward to all the books we will see from her some day! Two races down and she wins the speed round of both. I challenge you folks out there, give her a run for the award!!!

The glitter we found spread all around:

Kelly at Storyqueen:

-Can I borrow Harrison as my inner editor? Though I think I picture mine as me in teacher mode. And I need to be harder on myself!
When I was in fifth grade I wrote him a fan letter and received back a picture with his stamped signature. I was in love with Han Solo/Indiana! My biggest dilemma was which movie was my favorite: Empire Strikes Back or Raiders of the Lost Ark! Ahhh,such simple times...

Kris's comment at Elegant Bloggery:

-The sun is shining in my front window for the first time in days.  No kittens or bunnies around.  But a fat squirrel did run across the street a few minutes ago.  Does that count? Nothing like good tunes and a sunny day to make procrastinating feel like you've accomplished something.  Oh, and if it makes you feel better, I once cut 15K from my WIP (when it was only 20K). It's better now. ;)

But Laura's comments all over were stunning. The comments referred back to themslves, the lie at Jacqui's fueling the muse at Shelley's, and the game itself coming up at her comment on ditzery being written in her genes, but her one at Dena's was our favorite:

-Protest! Thou cannot winneth wheneth a bloggeth is onest of your ownest. :) Realleth, it's okayeth withith meith.

Awards Ceremony:

Laura's comment is the winner of our Best Comment Award, a coveted prize, one that is won with wit and well-wishes.  Laura's comment embodies both criteria to a tee!  Laura, feel free to snatch up this Best Comment Award, and do with it what you will!  You've earned it!

Dena is our first place winner.  Despite being unopposed for much of the race, she remained focused on beating the clock and her previous W.I.B.I.J.?! record set during out last game.  Steadfast and witty, Dena owned this race and I challenge someone to give her a run for the medal next time.  Unless you're too chicken.  Dena--soon you'll have enough first place awards to wallpaper your blog!

Race #2, Picture Book Blogs (Presented by Heather and Tina)

Welcome friends from far and near,

Thanks for coming; for being here.

First, some business, before we play,

Disqualification for all who stray!

Sign in at the comments down below,

New clues, every 10, after you go.

Leave Respectful words at each new place,

Stay On Blog Topic--or you're out of this race.

Collect Jon's clues from the comment pile,

Visible by their CAPITAL style.

Return again, comment that you're done,

Submit your phrase, maybe you've won!

There's not much more for you to know.

Welcome to the circus; away we go!

Today Jon visits blogs of Picture Book fame.

Sign in, get ready, and let's go with this game!


Jon's Phrase:__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Clue #1 @ 1:00

she gives Dr. Suess a run for his money,

with Thing 1 and Thing 2 and rhymes that are funny.

she Hops and she Plops and has cool blog digs,

with Elephant and Mouse and Three Ninja Pigs.

Clue #2 @ 1:10

always, she's Elegant, with Tootsie and Grace!

sock monkeys climb all over her place.

Illustration Fridays show off Bloggery style,

she calls her self Snob, but with a huge smile.

Clue #3 @ 1:20

welcome to the Storycastle, dear scribe,

or maybe you're a dashing Good Knight.

or Harrison Ford, the editing guide,

good morning, good noon, and Good Night!

Clue #4 @ 1:30

be on the look-out for the first bird of spring.

with Two of a Kind, of everything.

Writing Tips From Space Chicken, you can see,

hanging out in her Room, the New Girl...and Me.

Last Clue @ 1:40

some like to write, some like to Daw

Chasing the Alphabet is still a bit raw.

but Sally Circle's polish will never be marred.

since her fabulous author is Biting the Bullet Hard.

***Remember, check the Everything Else You Need to Know Page if you get stuck!***