Would You Read It Wednesday #152 – Hubert’s Dreadful Allergies (PB)

Good morning, merry sunshines 🙂

I don’t know about you guys, but I love this writing life.

I feel so lucky that it’s what I get to do.

I get up at 5:20, when the world is dark and peaceful.

I get to take my dogs for a run on this quiet, pretty road as soon as it’s light enough to see.

Sometimes I see these guys (though of course they’re older now :))

Hopefully, I don’t meet this guy

but as you know from Friday’s post, I do run into him occasionally 🙂

I get to drive my daughter to school – a little time we get to chat each morning – and then go feed the horses, turn them out, and do the barn (and what could be better than hanging around with horses?) 🙂

Then I come home, ignore my office 🙂 and work at my sunny kitchen table (of which I apparently do not have a picture :))

I set my own schedule, which allows me to be there for my family all the time.

And I am lucky enough to work at something that, though challenging and prone to making me tear my hair out from time to time 🙂 doesn’t really feel like work.  I invent characters, and imagine settings and play with language.  As I tell kids on school visits, I get to make up stories all day long – as jobs go, pretty awesome.

So when I have days like yesterday – days when the rejections come in an avalanche – literally! (some mischievous aligning of the stars that makes every editor respond negatively on the same day!) – days when I question whether I really have any right to be doing this at all, whether I have any ability for this career that I’ve chosen, whether somehow I have wandered onto a path that isn’t mine to travel – I try to remember all the things I love about this writing life so I don’t lose my perspective entirely.

It’s so easy to feel discouraged.

But if you can find the courage to dust yourself off, go for a morning run, and sit yourself right back down at that kitchen table, it’s also easier than you’d think to try again.

So for anyone else who had that kind of day yesterday – or any day 🙂 – here’s to optimism and inspiration and trying again.  Who knows?  This could be the day we get our best idea yet 🙂

And of course, around here, we raise our glasses with Something Chocolate 🙂

Recipe for this gorgeous creation HERE

Dig in 🙂  (Remember, a healthy breakfast is essential to a productive day – and what could be healthier than cocoa beans (vegetables!) and milk (protein and calcium!)?)

How do you cope with the hard days?  Because let’s face it – in this business, we all have them!  That’s one of the things that makes them bearable – knowing that we’re in good company 🙂

Now then!  Onward to a good day and Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Heather.  Several years ago, Heather Kinser was a Silicon Valley proofreader/editor. Now she’s the mother of two amazing girls, a charter school volunteer, a breast cancer survivor, a long-term writer’s group member—and a wanna-be children’s book author. She keeps her head in the clouds and sand in her shoes. She lives with her husband and children in beautiful Redwood City, California (“Climate Best by Government Test”).

If you’d like, you can go show her some love on her brand new blog! http://troubadourmoon.weebly.com/

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Hubert’s Dreadful Allergies
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Aunt Lottie’s fancy luncheon party is in full swing when her highly allergic dog, Hubert, walks in and sniffs the flowers. What happens next is a riot of mishaps that eventually sends the proper party guests on a crazy chase, with Hubert leading the way.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Heather improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in January so you’ve got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Heather is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to a new idea.  I don’t know what it will be.  I don’t know when it will come.  But I’m going to get busy so the idea doesn’t think I’m just waiting around for it.  When it ventures near, I’ll be careful not to look at it or acknowledge it in any way.  (Ideas are shy and easily scared.)  After a while, it will get a little annoyed that I’m not paying it any mind, and it will come right over and nudge me to get my attention.  And then I’ll have it right where I want it 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

88 thoughts on “Would You Read It Wednesday #152 – Hubert’s Dreadful Allergies (PB)”

  3. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    Thanks so much for your thoughts for Heather, Stacy. And thanks especially for telling me The True Story got turned down 68 times. I feel so much better. I LOVE that story! And Jon 🙂 So I will take heart 🙂

  8. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    Thanks so much for your thoughts for Heather, Rosi. And as for rejections, yes, they're awful. But in order to get them, at least we're writing and submitting, right? And that's better than thinking about writing and never doing it. If we don't write and submit we can never get an acceptance, so it's worth the pain… even though it hurts a lot!

  9. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    Honestly, Vivian, that's really why I wrote this post. It doesn't matter where you are in your writing career, or how successful you are. Even the greats like Jane Yolen get rejections. That doesn't make it as much easier as it should 🙂 but it does help! 🙂 Thanks so much of your thoughts for Heather!

  11. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    I'm so glad the comments are helpful, Heather – everyone here is so lovely, aren't they? The pony is my daughter's and she doesn't live at home – we have no room. She lives at a friend's in exchange for barn work 🙂 She's a sassy little critter – I absolutely love her 🙂 And how nice that you have a sweet bunny rabbit! I'm not sure that would work very well in my house… 🙂

  18. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    Thank you for all your kind words, Cheryl, I so appreciate them. I try to focus on the good, and wait for the sting to wear off… and hope that no more rejections come in this week at least 🙂 Watch out for those squirrels – you never know 🙂

  35. Loni Edwards says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    I have an allergic dog and I think this would be a fun story to read! I love the name of Hubert for a dog 🙂 Yes, it is so easy to be discouraged. Chocolate helps, and yes, keeping busy is also a good thing. If I am at least doing something every day towards my goal I feel so much better. Have a great day 🙂