To help authors market their books and and to help create greater awareness, we occasionally feature winning stories submitted to our 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading Awards Contest on this blog. The journey to success is often a long one. We hope the stories of successful authors will provide some encouragement and help others overcome the challenges they face. This story was submitted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne.
To help authors market their books and and to help create greater awareness, we occasionally feature winning stories submitted to our 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading Awards Contest on this blog. The journey to success is often a long one. We hope the stories of successful authors will provide some encouragement and help others overcome the challenges they face. This story was submitted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne.
Children’s book author Deanie
Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
Excitement was surrounding me. I studied Medical Coding with the hope of securing a job using my new skills. I worked tirelessly preparing for the daunting final exam and scored well. I even got a letter of recommendation from the school for scoring in the top ten percent. But actually being hired was far more difficult than I imagined. It seems that people were hesitant to hire a Medical Coding person who had no experience. Naturally, this adventure didn’t end the way I’d anticipated. What path should I take now?
One morning in 2009 I was startled by a strong intuition prompting me to write a story about my childhood at Sweetbrier Farm, the riding school my parents owned. Should I dismiss this feeling? The intuition was relentless. I felt a new excitement because it might be an opportunity to inspire children. Years earlier I enrolled at the Institute of Children’s Literature, but I never had the confidence to plunge into the uncertain world of becoming an author. While I was still sorting through my feelings I remembered my Dad’s advice. He always said, “When you’re afraid to try something, think of the worst that can happen.” Following his advice, I decided the most traumatic thing possible would be no one would publish the story, so I would improve it. It’s most unlikely that I’d pass away from not having a story accepted, so I embarked on the new journey to create my first book, Tails of Sweetbrier.
An important lesson I learned about creating an engaging story is that you need an opening that captivates your reader, particularly when you write for children. If the opening is boring, your book will be nothing but a dust collector from that moment on.
Here is my opening paragraph for Tails of Sweetbrier:
Have you ever really wanted to do something but you came across a road block of some kind? Maybe you are afraid of new things, or maybe you have a physical challenge. Are you going to follow your dream or are you going to push it aside without really trying? You have to make a difficult choice. I made that choice once and it changed my whole life, by giving me experiences I would never have had if I took the easy street and had not tried.”
Tails of Sweetbrier is an autobiography of a little girl who wanted to become a champion equestrian, in spite of her handicap. What happened when doctors told my parents I would never walk? My Dad refused to accept this diagnosis. I still remember him carrying me out of the office that day. He said, “Just because the doctor said that, it doesn’t mean he’s right. I’m going to teach you to ride and you will be fine.”
My Dad and I faced many challenges together. We proved that the doctors were unquestionably wrong. There were days when I’d fall off my horse multiple times, but he taught me giving up was not an option. If you have a dream, you must pursue it. I do believe that anything is possible if you persevere. Tails of Sweetbrier is proof that anything is possible if you refuse to give up on your dreams. You can imagine how excited we all were when my first story was accepted by the publisher after only a few days of nail biting and sitting on pins and needles!
No matter what you’d like to accomplish I encourage you to follow your passion and remember all things are possible if you refuse to abandon your dreams. When I wrote this story I wanted to diminish what I had achieved and emphasize you can also realize your dreams. It was important to me that I wasn’t portrayed as a hero. I wrote it as if I was talking to you.
Here is the closing statement from Tails of Sweetbrier:
“Overcoming obstacles can give you the confidence to accomplish amazing things. Imagine how you’ll feel when you’ve realized your dream. You would hate to quit when you could be inches from your goal. Do you know any champions who quit before reaching the finish line? I’ll bet you know that winners don’t quit. Good job! Suppose your friends say you can’t do something? Kick those thoughts out of your head. If my parents had listened to that doctor who said I’d never be able to walk think what I would have missed. I wouldn’t have learned to ride or jump. I wouldn’t have known Peach. We wouldn’t have become champions together. You have the power to make your dreams come true so reach for them and don’t accept anything less!”
Tails of Sweetbrier has won multiple awards. Did I expect that? Absolutely not! At the beginning of this journey, there were all kinds of doubts to overcome. Did I have the talent to succeed? Would anyone publish the story? Would people actually read the book? But I believe none of us know what can be done until we try. Sometimes we amaze ourselves with the results. My goal is to inspire children to do their best. I’d like to be a good role model. Hopefully, my readers will realize that they may also overcome the odds to meet goals they once thought were far beyond their grasp.
Are you wondering if Tails of Sweetbrier is my only book? It isn’t. I’ve also written a series fictional stories for children: Charlie the Horse, Charlene the Star, Charlene the Star and Hattie’s Heroes, and Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog. Each of these amusing tales presents important life lessons to entertain children, while they learn valuable things.
Whatever type of journey you take in life, don’t let fears and doubts deter you. When you confront struggles to reach your goals, the victories are appreciated more than if the path was without trials. If you must make difficult choices I hope you’ll remember the value of persistence. In my experience, it’s been the key to success!
*reblogged from TheAuthorsShow.com blog
[Jan. 16, 2016] To capture and hold a child's attention long enough to teach something of value is a real challenge. Nothing does that more effectively than a story about animals. While many children's books do that in a fictional setting, children's book author Deanie Humphrys-Dunne writes engaging books that teach valuable life lessons that are based in fact.
"The purpose of Tails of Sweetbrier is to encourage every child to follow his/her dreams," Deanie stated. "This message would benefit every child. The journey a child takes by reading this story will show that perseverance is the key to success. The closing statement of the book is: 'You have the power to make your dreams come true so reach for them and don’t accept anything less.”
