
It’s November y’all which means it’s time for giving thanks. This year I am grateful for the #PBchat mentorship and all the wonderful people who have been a part of the experience. The experience is too grand for one post so I am writing it as a three part series.

This was my third year applying to the #PBchat mentorship. For any readers that are not familiar, the #PBchat mentorship is a 3-month picture book mentorship run by Justin Colón where unagented writers/illustrators can work with and learn from a published picture book author/illustrator. You can learn more about the mentorship HERE.
The first year I entered with the first picture book I had ever written. Rookie mistake, but hey, I’m an optimist. It was a Christmas picture book and while working on that text I learned about layers in picture books. Since there are so many Christmas picture books on the market, it needed another hook to stand out. And I just couldn’t make it work. So, I shelved that manuscript.
The second year I applied with a social emotional learning (SEL) picture book about a little girl afraid of the dark. I was writing SEL because most courses for beginners tend to guide you towards those kinds of stories. So, that’s what I wrote. Took a ton of webinars on beginnings, ending, writing with heart, but it still felt like something was missing from my stories. I followed all the picture book writing “rules” but that spark was missing.

This year I applied with a humorous picture book. I submitted a story about a ghost haunting a bathroom. When going through the applications, I had considered sending an alternate text to Dev Petty because her mentor fact sheet said she liked twist endings and I had one with a twist but it was too weird. I had written it a year prior and shelved it right away. Didn’t send it to CPs. Figured it would never see the light of day. So, I used my ghost story for all three applications.
While waiting for #PBchat announcements I dug out my weird story and decided to work on it. I sent it to Rate Your Story and got some helpful feedback and did a little tinkering. Still weird but it looked a little better. I was on vacation in FL for my brother’s graduation when I got an email from Justin for more materials for Dev. I sent three stories one of them being my too weird tale.

Forward to announcement day. I told myself I wasn’t going to watch the announcements. If I was selected, I would have multiple notifications to alert me and if I wasn’t selected, well the silence would comfort my disappointment. It would hit harder knowing I was so close. I was working and picked up my phone to check the time and saw a Twitter banner that read 19 notifications.

That’s an unusually high number for me, especially on the morning of mentee announcements. This had to be it right?! It was me right?! I checked. My jaw dropped and the only thing that stopped me from crying was the ringing through my headset. I had a customer and I needed to answer. Didn’t they know that I had just received life changing news? The nerve.
The kicker was that Dev chose me because of those additional manuscripts. I didn’t believing that other people would get the humor in my story, and so I tried to bury it. But that was self sabotaging. I didn’t learn my lesson because I tried to bury it one more time. I originally selected a different story for the mentee showcase and Justin felt it was the right one to lead with. Each time I tried to hide the story away someone or something kept dragging it back out. Well, now I’m finally listening. And I am leading with that story as I query. So wish me luck.

To make a long story short, don’t doubt yourself. Clue was weird. People hated it. And yet, it’s a cult classic. Those who got it, loved it (and now the clue gifs make sense). I wasn’t a 2019 or 2020 mentee because I hadn’t even realized I was a humor writer yet. Although deep down, I’m sure I always knew.
If you enjoyed this post, let me know in the comments below. And if you want to be the first to know when I post part two, which will be all about craft, hit subscribe. Until next time, friends, stay creative!
Love this so much!! I’m so excited to see where you’ll land because it’s not a matter of if, it’s a only a matter of when! ♥️
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Thank you, Gaby. Your support means so much to me! ❤️
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Wow! First CONGRATULATIONS You’re truly amazing and inspirational. I can’t wait to purchase your book and have my daughters read it.
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Thank you, Lu. It means SO much to have you and the family behind me 100%. ❤️
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Congratulations, I am so proud of you. You are very creative and talented. You have a very bright future ahead of you. Continue to forge ahead. I look forward to reading your work.
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Thanks, Titi! ❤️
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Brittany, congratulations! I look forward to the day I can read your books.
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Thank you for the kind words, Cynthia!
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This is great advice! Thank you 🙂
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Thanks for reading, Theresa. I’m glad it resonated!
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I love this story! Thank you for sharing, Brittany! What an accomplishment!
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Thank you for reading, Meagan. ☺️
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