The Challenge..
Really pleased to finally announce my latest project, Getting To Know Huey- The Tooting, Yoga Dog
This story was the hardest one I have written to date.
I felt a pressure to complete a book for my darling youngest grandson as all his siblings/cousins have one already.
I wasn’t sure what topic I wanted to focus on.
I went with Yoga, but then about a dog, and then changed it to a rescue dog, then decided to combine all three. I didn’t know if the content should be on the dog, the activities, the yoga, the family or the lesson. And then I wanted to make it a wee bit comical to hold a toddlers attention so of course with 4 grandsons, I had to mention Farts!
I went back and forth. The name of the dog changed numerous times, the title of the book was difficult as in so many other kids books were close to the same. I also always want to write something my kids will be proud of in the future. Not something Dorky.
And speaking of Dorky, I didn’t know what kind of dog to choose so I went with our last family dog, now deceased, who was part yorkie and all our grandkids knew her and hopefully remember her. So I thought a story about the Dorky Yorky would be cute…. but did you know that the word Dorky has a phallic, dirty little meaning in England and Scotland?? Well, another piece of research brought that to light so…… more changes.
Writing for simple reading can be very difficult. Do I want it to rhyme and flow?? Are the words too big, complicated or have too many syllables for an early reader? Do I want someone to read it to them and if so, I can’t make it be too wordy or a tongue twister because then adults won’t want to read it aloud to children. Then there was COVID, which kept me at home more than I am used to… and I am much more motivated and creative when I am busy… I guess you could say that I work best at the 11th hour…. to have oodles of time on my hands creates too many questions to ponder and too much research is dug into, which gets me ‘NO WHERE’. As a former Airline Analyst and Travel Agent I have a propensity to research the heck out of something. 😩
But alas, I gave it up to the universe and asked to be given the answers; to enlighten me. Days later, after a long walk on a treadmill at the gym, with a mask on… it just popped into my head !! Back home in the shower the title became clear and the story immediately evolved. I ran with it. I had to ask the illustrator to change a few things. I chose an illustrator this time around because, due to Covid, I had enrolled in the following:
a Saturday morning Zoom photography class
a Wednesday afternoon oil painting group
Ceramics on Tuesdays
3 different technical drawing courses or Skillshare.com
PLUS, I help out part-time in a floral shop during busiest holidays. With a worldwide pandemic, apparently more people are sending flowers than visiting…. … Thus my creative endeavors were shot. Competent, patient illustrator needed.
Thanks goodness, as my illustrator was heaven sent and it worked out well for both of us.
Literally, a work of blood, sweat and tears including a honest-to-goodness case of writing, stress induced hand/thumb injury, complete with brace and actual physical therapy required. Ok, the hand thingy was slightly exacerbated by a little bit of water volleyball🤷🏻♀️. But still, it was uncomfortable.
Anyway, I am now pretty proud of what was created.
Currently, copies are in the mail to my greatest critics to decipher my ratings. (my grandkids ages 3-12)
Until then, I am giving my hands a break and will be holding off on writing my acceptance speech.
I hope you will give Huey a read and place your comments on Amazon, Goodreads, Open Library, Barnes & Noble or any other places I am listed.
Cheers to all who are still reading this rant and to those like-minded peeps out there that enjoy helping children to better themselves through reading and a healthy lifestyle. To all those who love books and appreciate creating outside the norm; to those who enjoy a challenge and especially to those who adopt and rescue dogs…Thank You. 🙏🏾✌🏽☮️.