Say Hello to Somerset-The Upside Down Pouch

      In this part of the story, Kellie and Karl, Somerset's parents discuss Somerset and Kellie's upside down

pouch.
                                                                                        

      "Karl, do you think we'll be able to keep Somerset safe until she gets bigger?  And do

you think the others will treat us differently when they discover our secret?" asked Kellie.

     "We'll be able to protect her.  But I'm not sure how the other kangaroos will

react to our secret."

     "Why did I have to be born this way?" wondered Kellie.

  

     " I don't know, Kellie.  But Somerset is small.  She'll be able to climb around and stay

inside your pouch with a little help from us.  I also have an idea how we can keep her

safe.  We can put a flat piece of eucalyptus in your upside down pouch and wedge it in

place. As Somerset grows, we can put in smaller and smaller pieces," suggested Karl.

     "I don't know if I want a piece of wood put in my pouch.  Besides, it's probably just

going to fall out once I start hopping around," said Kellie.

     "Not if we put some sticky sap from that tree on the edges," stated Karl.

     "And how am I suppose to get the wood off my hair after it's stuck to it?  I think

it's really going to hurt when we try to pull it off," replied Kellie.

     Just after she said it, Kellie started to feel bad.  She needed to do whatever possible

to keep Somerset safe, even if it meant having to feel some pain.

Highlights for Children-Fiction Contest

There are a number of children's writing contests that can be entered. Some of these contests require an entry fee per submission too. I'm glad to say that Highlights isn't one of them.

Each year Highlights runs a theme-based fiction contest, which any adult can enter. They choose three stories each year out of hundreds of entries.  I believe they get about 1,200 entries each year so it's a very competitive contest. The other good thing about this contest is that the company reviews these entries also for possible publication in its magazine even if you don't place in the top three. Shortly after the winners are chosen, Highlights provides the next year's theme so that writers can start to think about putting together a new manuscript or revising an existing one to fit this new theme for next year.

I've entered the contest for the last five years. Although I haven't won or drawn interest from them, I continue to enjoy the contest and have built up a portfolio of stories.

So if you're looking to get a manuscript published by Highlights, I encourage you to enter the contest. Their website is http://www.highlights.com/.

Ken Major

"Odd Animal Friends" Published in Ladybug Magazine's November/December 2010 Issue

I'm excited to announce the news that my poem entitled "Odd Animal Friends" has just been published in Ladybug Magazine, a publication by Carus Publishing.  The poem is broken into five stanzas, which feature various mismatched animals doing things together. I encourage everyone to check out Ladybug Magazine and the other excellent publications by this wonderful children's publisher. Their website is  http://www.cricketmag.com/.

Ken Major