Hillary Daecher's Blog

Finding Inspiration

Over the past three months, I participated as a Group Facilitator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 8 & Under writing group. In our initial meeting, I was blown away by the creativity and heart each woman brought to their own respective stories. After taking time to review each manuscript and provide constructive criticism to help make each story stronger and more captivating, everyone went their separate ways to work on their manuscripts. The passion in this group of women was so contagious that I dusted off an old manuscript myself and dove into edits trying to create a story an editor wouldn’t be able to pass on.

At our second meeting, the revised manuscripts came back stronger and even more engaging than the first, which I know is the point, but it was inspiring to see how much of themselves these women put into their writing. Each one of them took suggestions from our initial meeting, considered which ones worked best for them, and made their stories better. It was so heartening to see these women, who were put together randomly, come together and support each other on this journey. As I’ve mentioned before, getting a book published is an extremely daunting task and one that comes with lots of rejection, so the positivity and support of the group was wonderful to experience.

Our final meeting was filled with praise and support about each manuscript as we took time to reflect on the changes made from the initial manuscripts. It was obvious these women had poured their hearts into creating a final piece that was worthy of submitting to an editor. Even though I was merely a facilitator in this process, it was so inspiring to be a part of as I watched each story morph and change over the time we spent together. I wish each of these women the best of luck in their publishing journey and thank them for inspiring me to once again put myself out there and submit a manuscript.

And with that, I have once again dipped my toe into the publishing pool. I will keep you posted on how it goes and let you know if and when I hear back. In the meantime, keep pursuing your own dream and best of luck.

 

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The Nightmare Bug Book Release – What I’m Most Excited For

The countdown is on to the official release of The Nightmare Bug which comes out in September! Since SOAR came out during the pandemic, Angie and I weren’t able to participate in a normal book launch but all of that is changing with the release of The Nightmare Bug.

In fact, we recently were interviewed on ABC27’s Good Day PA Author Spotlight which was such a blast! We ended up doing it virtually but it was still a really wonderful way to kick off the book. It was a fun way to set the stage explaining the story of the nightmare bug as well as some of the beautiful illustrations Angie created. We recently participated in an interview for an article in our local Lititz Record Express highlighting the book as well.

In the coming months we have several other in-person events happening which will allow us the opportunity to interact with kids in person instead of over the computer this time around. I am excited to seeing their faces as I take them on the journey of the small child looking to defeat their nightmare bug. I am excited to share the beautiful illustrations that so perfectly capture my words and help the story come to life. I am excited to be in the company of people again and share something that I have spent so much time creating and pouring my heart into. I am especially excited to explain to children battling nightmares that I can relate and sympathize with them, and hope this story helps them overcome their own personal nightmares.

Some of the places you can find me in the coming months are listed below. I hope you come out to meet Angie and I, and to hear the story of The Nightmare Bug.

September 9 from 6-8 pm at Aaron’s Books in LititzOctober 7 from 5-8 pm at Nook Books in LancasterOctober 10 and 14 from 10-11 am at Lancaster Cupcake (participants will get to hear The Nightmare Bug and then decorate a nightmare bug themed cupcake)November 5 from 1-3 pm at Lititz Library’s Local Author Expo

 

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Oh, What a Feeling!

It has been quite a while since I’ve written on this blog, and honestly, I can’t say exactly what I’ve been doing, but as many of you know, life just happens sometimes.

With that said, a very exciting event happened recently, and once again, I am so thankful for this amazing journey and what it has brought to my life. My publisher, Schiffer Kids, asked me to attend the American Library Association Conference in Washington D.C. and my family, always there to support me, put off our vacation for a half day to visit our nation’s capital and allow me this exceptional experience.

Walking into the conference center and seeing fellow authors (Yes, I am included in that group- check out my name tag!) was a dream come true. I met so many wonderful people and even signed books at the event which was incredible. As I was signing, I spoke to librarians and book buyers about SOAR and The Nightmare Bug and enjoyed learning about their libraries and towns. It was so remarkable to be surrounded by people who value books and the impact they can have on a person’s life.

The Schiffer Kids’ booth was adorable and standing with the team as we interacted with attendees was amazing. It reminded me, once again, this journey is definitely not a one-man show. I have many people supporting me to help make this a success which is so comforting and exciting. Seeing my books on the Schiffer Kids rack, along with the many other books they publish, was thrilling.

As I continue on this journey and publish more books (fingers crossed), I am hopeful that one day, my published books will be enough to cover an entire shelf or two at an event like this. This dream come true has been full of ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn’t change any of it, and appreciate it all the more. With renewed determination and inspiration, I am going to finish up some of the manuscripts I have in the works and try my best to get them on a shelf next to these two gems. I can’t wait to experience more of these author events and enjoy seeing the final version of my musings in hardcover. For now, I will bask in the glow of the event a little longer and enjoy the ride.

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Connections

Even though SOAR was released in 2020, I only recently attended my first in-person events as an author! In the past two weeks, I have been to Nook Books in Lancaster for a reading and craft, Lancaster Cupcake for a reading and craft, and the Manheim Community Library for a book fair. I didn’t realize how much I was missing until I starting making connections at these events.

As events start taking place in person again, it has added a whole new layer to this remarkable journey. Yesterday I spent the day at the Manheim Community Library speaking with several authors who were published pre-pandemic and I left feeling a sense of excitement about what’s around the corner. It was such a nice experience to speak with other people on a similar journey and learn from their successes and failures. I left the event with a list of to-do items that I am very excited to check off.

The events at Nook Books and Lancaster Cupcake were the first time I read SOAR in front of a real audience. To see the kids in person and their facial expressions as they followed Ramone on his journey was magical. It was almost overwhelming to hear them clap for Ramone and cheer as he took off in flight. It was such a special moment as a writer to see people respond to the story I spent so much time creating. I look forward to many more of these kinds of experiences and moments.

One of the main takeaways from my recent experiences is how much I enjoy connecting with people in general and feeling a part of the world again. It has been a long time coming and I look forward to the next steps on this incredible journey. For now I will keep at it, creating and revising stories for families to connect to and enjoy in the hopes they make their way to a bookshelf near you.

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How The Nightmare Bug Came to Be

It’s official! The Nightmare Bug cover has been released and is out in the wild! This book has been a long time coming and it is so exciting to be able to share more about it.

This is actually the first book I wrote, so it holds a very special place in my heart. I started writing The Nightmare Bug in July of 2014, and the first iteration is very different from the end result. Through all of the edits and rewrites, this book came together out of my own experiences. I suffered from terrible nightmares when I was younger to the point that I would take my favorite pillow person “Punky”, and a blanket over to my parents room on a regular basis. In fact, it was so frequent my parents were never surprised to find me on the floor beside their bed several mornings a week.

My nightmares were always so vivid and so realistic which probably helps fuel my creativity as an adult, but as a child made sleep very scary. Knowing my parents were by my side made me feel safe enough to eventually go back to sleep. However, the idea that I may slip back into another nightmare was always there. So, when I finally found the time to sit down and write, nightmares were an easy topic to start with since I had had my fair share over the years. Recalling my own experience with nightmares made the idea of The Nightmare Bug come together quickly; creating a rhyming scheme and relatable experience was another story.

As I’ve mentioned before, rhyming books are tricky to build, even when you have a great story idea. When writing this particular book, I had all of these ideas in my head that I wanted to put into the story, but the story didn’t always flow well, or have a good cadence when reading it aloud-two very important things when writing. I have 12 different versions of The Nightmare Bug saved on my computer. It’s fun to look back through the different versions to see where the book started and how it grew into the final version it is today. Of course along the way I had help and input from many trusted sources, including my husband, parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my trusted kindergarten teacher Cathy Gust.

With this being my first attempt at writing, it was extremely scary handing over my manuscript to those trusted readers, even though I knew they would support me. It’s one thing to write for yourself, but completely different to put your work out there with the possibility that it’s terrible or people won’t like it, especially after all of the hours I put into creating something so meaningful to me. Of course, the first version they read was probably version 8 or 9 for me, but all of them came back with wonderful suggestions and words of encouragement to follow my dream. This fueled me to keep editing and pushing myself to make The Nightmare Bug a story worth publishing.

However, getting published is not easy. I drafted query letter upon query letter to book agents, each one responding with a pass. Of course, with all of the rejection, it gets harder to put yourself out there each time, but it also makes you stronger and helps build character. I believed in this story so I kept tweaking it to make it the impactful story it is today. My hope is that children who suffer from nightmares on a regular basis see themselves in this story and realize they have the power to get rid of their own nightmare bug.

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Inspiration

Now that the holidays are behind us and life is pretty much back to our normal routine again, I realized it’s been a while since I have sat down and written anything. But, sometimes it’s harder to just sit down and force yourself to write if nothing is inspiring you or captivating you in the moment. That’s why when inspiration hits, the words just begin to flow and the feeling is amazing.

I recently had this exact experience and over the course of about 6 hours last Saturday and another 4 hours on Sunday I came up with the start of something pretty special. At least, I think it is….time will tell. I felt so good about it that I sent it out to my amazing readers for feedback and they confirmed my suspicion, it’s off to a good start!

In all honesty, sometimes these free flowing writing sessions don’t always turn out great. The story gets off track, the rhyming scheme doesn’t work, or just the general idea ends up failing. However, there are those moments of true inspiration when everything clicks and the words pour out, the rhymes come together beautifully, and the story unfolds all by itself. This was my experience last weekend and to be honest it was such a terrific feeling. Obviously, there are edits to be made until I get to a final manuscript; however, starting out on strong footing makes the editing process much easier.

As I find success in this writing journey there is always that voice in the back of my head wondering, “Will I ever come up with another good story?” I’ve said before, not all manuscripts are winners and not all of my ideas will be published. But during times when creativity engulfs your senses, with the words coming together in a way that truly touches the heart and resonates with readers, it’s such a powerful experience and one that gives me a sense of hope for this manuscript.

As I edit and revise in the days to come, my dream is to craft this story so that readers of every age can can see themselves reflected in it. Will it make it to print? Hard work and time will tell. As always, I will keep you posted on the journey. Best of luck working hard to fulfill your own dreams.

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Excitement’s Brewing

I have been a bit negligent over the holiday season when it comes to posting on this blog. Part of the reason is life in general, I have two kids, a husband, a job and two adorable pups, and every once in a while, it is ok to pause and take a moment which is exactly what I did.

Taking time to reflect on the publishing journey and look ahead to where this path is leading is important and helps keep things in perspective. Even with the positive response to SOAR and my second book scheduled for release later this year, sometimes doubt creeps in making me wonder if this next book is going to be as well received.

Fortunately, my editor at Schiffer Publishing sent me the cover art and marketing copy over the break and my fear immediately disappeared. As I looked at the cover art created by my amazing illustrator, Angie Hohenadel, I was struck by how well she once again captured the essence of the story and designed a magical world for children to explore through a book. I am truly mesmerized at the visual journey she takes kids on as they follow my words along the page.

And, after stepping away from this next book for a few months, and then seeing it again recently, it made me once again fall in love with the story. I am not saying that in a braggadocios way, but in a heartfelt way since this was the first book I had ever written. The initial copy was created in 2012 and has gone through many revisions, as well as many rejections. However, each rejection I received challenged me to create a stronger story which is the story that will be published later this year. Another reason this book is so near and dear to my heart is because it reminds me of an obstacle that I dealt with regularly as a small child which in turn made my parents deal with as well. My hope is other children will read this story, relate to it, and feel empowered to overcome this common childhood obstacle.

Within this post I have added small glimpses into the next book through the illustrated clips. I hope it piques your interest in what’s to come. As always, I encourage you to follow whatever dream you hold dear, it is amazing where it can take you.

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My Favorite Rhyming Picture Books

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Crafting a rhyming book is a tricky task. First, you need to make sure the cadence of the book stays strong from line to line while also writing a compelling story. It definitely takes time to perfect the flow of the words on the page and create a story with a beginning, middle and end. Sometimes the words flow very naturally, but more likely than not, it takes many edits until a final version is complete.

So, when I was asked by shepherd.com, an online database of terrific books, to select my five favorite rhyming books, it definitely took some time to decide. Initially I thought back to books that became favorites for my own kids and we enjoyed reading night after night. Some of these books evoke such warm memories of everyone snuggled in bed or on the couch reading together. But then I thought about the books that made us laugh or taught us a lesson or were so creative it made me want to start writing that minute. Each of the books I selected hold a special memory for me and help capture that point in time with my kids.

And even though they are now 14 and 11, when I was reading these stories all over again while writing the blog post, they both took time to check out my selections and share a memory or two about their favorite. This post gave me the opportunity to jump back in time for a little and remember how much we always treasured our time together reading a picture book. It truly is a magical experience.

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Where does a story start?

As I speak with students and even other adults, many people ask where my ideas come from. I am sure every writer has their own creative process and it’s definitely not a one size fits all kind of thing, but my ideas normally start as a fleeting thought and then either splutter out or keep building until I realize an actual story can be formed.

For me, I find most times, short rhymes come to me in bits and pieces so I jot them down. As more rhymes begin to form the story begins to take shape and although I don’t always know where it is going, I keep writing whatever comes to me. Obviously not everything is going to make it into the final draft, but even sentences that don’t work push me down an unexpected path and the story goes in a different direction. Sometimes that works, other times it doesn’t.

One of the most important aspects of writing these rhyming books is the actual flow and rhythm of the book itself which works in tandem with the story. Mapping out a rhyme scheme helps me craft a stronger and more readable story. It also means a lot of editing and creative thinking to develop a sentence that follows the rhyme scheme, contributes to the story, and moves the story forward. At times, it can be very stressful to try to fit my thoughts into the rhyme scheme I’ve determined, but the challenge is also very exciting and in the end, I believe helps me develop a stronger story for my readers.

Recently, a story has been percolating in my mind and I think it is finally time to tackle a new story and see where it leads. This is always an exciting time in the process, because even though I have a general sense of what I want to write, it is so exciting to create a character and develop a completely different world for kids and parents to jump into when they sit down to read a book together.

I LOVE thinking about kids and parents snuggled up together reading the stories I have poured my heart into developing. It is such an honor to hear how people are connecting with Ramone‘s journey and I can’t wait to hear how parents and kids alike relate to my second book which will be released in 2022. Until then, enjoy following Ramone on his journey and know I am continuing to craft stories that I am hopeful will become a favorite book for some child somewhere.

 

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Happy Book Birthday SOAR!

It’s hard to believe SOAR has been out for an entire year, and what an amazing year it has been. In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, the connection to Ramone’s journey has been so touching and overwhelming to see. It is beyond my wildest dreams and each day keeps getting better.

In the past year, Ramone’s story has made its way to Australia, England, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Scotland, Wales and numerous states within the U.S. Bloggers have created the most amazing crafts, puppets, songs, lesson plans, and thoughtful reviews in honor of this book. Just this month SOAR was awarded Honorable Mention for the Purple Dragonfly Book Award which was the icing on the cake!

When I started writing about this fledgling hummingbird, I had no idea where it would lead, but the journey, like Ramone’s, has been scary and wonderful. I have heard from so many people how they are using Ramone as an example as the world begins to open up to help show their children that while it may be hard, the reward to overcoming your fears is wonderful. Thank you so much for the support this past year, I am humbled by the incredible ways people have celebrated this book.

Happy Birthday SOAR!

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