You'll never guess.
It's so out of character.
I've been cleaning my office.
You know that feeling, when you squeeeeeeeeeeeeze your way into your office, look around at the mountains of note-covered manuscripts, the cascading piles of scraps of multi-colored paper, ATM receipts and napkins densely covered with scribbled ideas you thought up while you were away from your computer, stacks of books - both for reading pleasure and for writing craft - that simply will not fit into your overflowing bookshelf, Phyllis and friends tumbling off their seat of honor onto the desktop, and you just think to yourself, "Crikey, Sus! You need a maid!"?
I just felt - and I may have been leaping to farfetched conclusions - that I wasn't getting the maximum benefit out of my workspace since I couldn't actually get into it... and even if I did, there wasn't a clear surface on which to set my trusty computer.
"Susanna," I said to myself, very sternly, "you will clean that office or I will have to administer harsh punishment!"
I was pretty scary!
So I cleaned for HOURS!
Result? I'm exhausted. And my office is clear...er...ish... but not done, so there is more cleaning in my future. Sigh.
So this morning I am recovering my unquenchable good humor by hanging out with you guys and sharing today's Would You Read It pitch :) Hmm... let me just rummage in my pantry and see what kind of Something Chocolate I have today... Oooh! Look! I still have a few of those special Kiwi milk chocolates left that the wonderful Diane sent me all the way from far off New Zealand! How is possible I didn't eat these yet? Well, don't question good fortune, just help yourselves if you care to :)
Now then, today's pitch comes to us from the lovely Rachel. Rachel says, "I'm married with four kids, aged seven years down to ten months. I coach high school speech and theater. I show Arabian horses, which I'm now able to do with my oldest daughter. I mainly write picture books and middle grade books." When you have a sec, please take a moment to visit her BLOG.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Princess Azalea's Two Left Feet
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-8)
The Pitch: Princess Azalea has two problems. One: She can't dance. And if she can't dance, she can't meet a prince at a royal ball, which, as everyone knows, is where princesses meet their prince charmings. Two: She really doesn't care. But her mother, the Queen, is determined to get her dancing no matter what! Will Azalea learn to twirl and spin without falling on her royal bottom? Or will she find her happily ever after her own 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 Rachel 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 Octoberber, which is not very far away!
Rachel is looking forward to your thoughts! And I am NOT looking forward to going back into my office! But, as they say, once more into the breech! Wish me luck. If I don't show up on Friday, you'll know I'm trapped :)
Oh, and P.S.! For anyone who didn't see the contest announcement on Monday, go HERE and read all about it! The contest opens Friday and it will be tons of fun! :)
