Hello my dear 12 x 12 peeps,

We have come to the final day of yet another year of community and craft. Yes, we all share a goal to write and revise more than we would on our own, but more importantly, we take this journey together. Every year I sit back in amazement at all the accomplishments big and small, the resources shared, the support given. I thank each one of you for being here, and hope you will return for another round next year.

I can’t help but reflect upon the world’s pain at the moment, particularly the children who are suffering and dying. I realize that is not a positive note on which to end the year, but I can’t pretend it’s not there and not weighing heavily on me and, I know, all of you. I hope that as we continue to write and bring diverse stories from around the world to children, those stories will bring comfort, hope, and joy to them. I also hope that the empathy so inherent in our books makes peace come more easily in the future.

Speaking of diverse voices, please come back to the blog tomorrow to see our full list of scholarship winners. In addition to the usual 6 GOLD winners, we have 20 SILVER winners this year. Providing those extra 20 was my way of trying to do something, however small, to get more stories from more voices out there. I can’t wait to welcome them into our fold.

Okay, now for the nitty gritty. Did I write or revise a draft this month? I did not. I was swamped with the update and relaunch of The Complete Picture Book Submissions System and exhausted after that ended. Not to mention prep for 12 x 12 in 2024. But with two manuscripts out on submission and a successful book launch this fall, I am satisfied with my writing year and excited to begin anew tomorrow. 

What about you? Did you complete a draft and/or revision in December? Did you post a review of a 12 x 12 member book on Amazon, GoodReads, or Barnes and Noble? Let us know in the Rafflecopter and the comments.

December Featured Author Kelsey Gross is offering one lucky 12 x 12 member a choice of a signed copy of Winter: A Solstice Story (U.S. only), or a PB critique under 700 words.

Thank you so much, Kelsey!

Here’s how to check in for a chance to win:

1. See the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post.
2. Click on the “Comment on  Kelsey’s post” button. Commenting on Kelsey’s post is mandatory for this giveaway and you can enter the Rafflecopter even if you didn’t write a draft this month. Click ENTER.
3. If you haven’t commented on Kelsey’s post yet, go to the post here to comment.
4. After you’ve commented on Kelsey’s post, come back to this post to enter the Rafflecopter.  (Commenting won’t enter you in the drawing automatically, you must enter the Rafflecopter by following step 2.)
5. Click on the “Wrote a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you completed a PB draft in December. If you did, click ENTER, if not, click cancel and move on to the next step.
6. Click on the “Revised a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you revised a PB in December.  If you did, click ENTER. If not, click cancel.
7. Click on the last “Reviewed a 12 x 12 member’s book” button. This will ask if you reviewed a 12 x 12 member’s PB on Amazon, GoodReads, or Barnes and Noble in December.  If you did, enter a link to your review and click ENTER. If not, click cancel.
8. That’s it! There is no overall submit button or email confirmation. Rafflecopter will track your points. (The top of the Rafflecopter will say X/4 with X being the number of entries you currently have in the drawing.)

Here’s a video tutorial on the forum to walk you through these steps as well. Click here for the monthly check-in tutorial. (This tutorial features the old 12 x 12 website, but the steps are still the same for entering the Rafflecopter.)

The deadline to enter the Rafflecopter is midnight Eastern on January 7th. Rafflecopter will draw a winner and it will be announced on the blog on January 8th.

Remember, badges are not awarded automatically and must be requested in the forum. The forum is now closed. You may request your December badges after you register for the 2024 12 x 12 Challenge.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 x 12 may earn a  commission from books purchased through the links in the post. Proceeds go to fund 12 x 12 diversity programming and scholarships.