Welcome to the Winner’s Circle where we celebrate the success of our ICL students. Help us ring in the new year with contest winner Tania Guarino!
What contest was your winning entry submitted to? PreK Animal Story Contest
How did entering this contest help your writing? Following contest rules is great practice for any writer! When submitting your work to a publishing house, following their specifications is vital if you want your work to get noticed! And it’s always a good thing to read and hear the critiques of other stories in your genre. It’s just part of the process that makes you stronger as a writer. The new LIVE webinar was amazing! And having access to it afterwards for repeated viewing was incredibly helpful! Listening to all of the winning stories, and the critiques that followed each, and hearing what made them “stand out” was information that I can use and apply to my own writing. A win, win!
How long have you been writing? I have been writing ever since I was in grade school! Through the years, English and Art were always my favorite subjects. I suppose the combination of the two is a huge reason why I love picture books, and writing picture book stories. But it wasn’t until after my children were born, that I decided to pursue publication. It was then that I got serious, and took writing classes that showed me the ABC’s of what to do with my work once it was on the paper!
What will you do with your piece now that it’s been recognized? My ICL Award Winning picture book story Garden Party: A Counting Adventure Book has had lots of positive feedback, but it’s still out there circulating, hoping to find the right home.
Any fun plans for the prize money? I’m still pondering. I love looking at it framed on my wall!
If you could go to the yard sale of any character in the history of children’s literature, whose would you go to, and what would you buy? I once lead a “Parade of Characters” at a book festival near my home dressed as, Max, King of the Wild Things! I’ve always loved that story! So my answer to this question is, I would visit the yard sale of, Max, and I would buy his crown. Just imagine being the King of All Wild Things!
Anything else you’d like to share about your experience? Thank you so very much to my ICL friends! And to everyone that participated in the LIVE webinar that commented, suggested, and congratulated me! The LIVE webinar was super helpful. Winning this contest has been thrilling! And it has given me the confidence to follow my dream by moving forward with my work, to seek out publication, and find my story the perfect home!
I’m honored to have this ICL credit to add to my cover letters when submitting my stories, which brings me to my exciting news! My picture book Meet the Quackers! has been sold to Callie Metler-Smith, Editor and Owner of Clear Fork Publishing. This is my debut picture book, due for release in Summer 2017! I read about this publisher in the “Hot Market” section of your Enews newsletter! Thanks a million!
What contest was your winning entry submitted to?
