Hillary Daecher's Blog, page 3

First author visit was a Success!

I had my first “virtual” author visit today and it was totally awesome (yes, I am a product of the 80’s)! The kids were absolutely amazing and so engaged in our conversation. They had a slew of terrific questions ready to go and I could tell they really put a lot of thought behind their questions. Some included:

“How did you decide Ramone was going to be a hummingbird?”

“How do you write stories for kids to relate to?”

“When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?”

The list goes on. Since this was my first “virtual” visit I took a lot of time to prepare and create a presentation I thought the 5th graders could relate to. What a smart class and so kind! And, to top it off, the students wrote some journal entries after I left about their experience. Their words are so touching and really just fill me up so much. A few samples are below.

“Today, while Mrs. Daecher was talking to us, I learned how you become an author. She has inspired me to keep working on my books. I really love writing and reading too. I have always wanted to be a writer or teacher….or both! I hope someday I can get a book published. I am glad we got a chance to ask her questions about her book and writing career.”

“Being an author is hard.”

“She told us that it took a very long time to publish it so I will do whatever it takes to have a book published I thought it was so inspirational and so fun to see that she took her time and had a zoom with us. I like how she was talking about how kids can get books published.”

“Something I learned about being an author is that you might need to make a few tweaks when it comes to writing.”

At the end of the day I can see this class is going places and I can’t wait to see where their journey takes them! What a terrific author experience! Thank you 5th graders for allowing me to share my writing journey!

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Virtual author visit to my favorite school tomorrow!

Tomorrow I am participating in my first “virtual” school event at Lititz Elementary School. This is where my children attend school so it is the perfect place to begin this “virtual” author journey. I am presenting to a 5th grade class in the school that is jump-starting the new trimester with a SOAR theme! I mean, check out these amazing inspirational messages from the class!

I have my google slides ready to go. I have rehearsed my “words of wisdom” and I am beyond excited to share this moment with the students. Their teacher has informed me that there are a few “budding authors” in the class and they have created some insightful questions to keep me on my toes!

I am supposed to give the kids a sense of the writing process along with the publishing process which I plan to do. But I also want to be open and realistic about how difficult and emotional publishing a book can be. I have discussed it before on this blog, but tomorrow I will be sharing with this idea with students- rejection is a big part of the publishing process and life in general. Even though the path may be difficult or take longer to reach your goal than you expected, all of the bumps in the road and rejection makes you a stronger person and a better writer.

My goal tomorrow is for the students to leave our virtual visit with a sense of inspiration to pursue their dreams, embrace their innate gifts, and a goal to contribute their passion as they grow and become leaders in society. I know many of these kids personally and I am beyond excited to share this experience with them and see where their goals lead them.

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We Got the Contract! A Second Book is in the Works!

I am excited to announce my second book submission has been accepted by Schiffer Publishing! The book submission was given the green light a little while ago, but I received the official contracts in the mail yesterday and wanted to share the news.

Angie Hohenadel, illustrator of SOAR, will be illustrating this new story as well. We are both extremely excited to work with the Schiffer team again and can’t wait to see this second book completed.

You may ask, “What’s next in the process?”

In order for the submission to be accepted, we only needed one full color illustration along with a storyboard of the pages. Now that we have been awarded the contract, Angie is going to paint the other 30 pages in the next few months. It is a big undertaking, but she is up for the task.

I can’t give too many details about the story—no spoiler alerts here—just know it is a story near and dear to my heart. This story touches on another childhood issue and one I faced myself. I think it is a story every child and parent will be able to relate to. I will keep you updated on our progress as I navigate the second book.

Oh, and if you’re wondering, the puppy’s name is Amelia and she is the mascot for the SchifferKids line of books.

 

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Thankful

November is always a great time to reflect and take a moment to recognize what you are thankful for. A good friend of mine is posting something she is thankful for every day this month, and it is wonderful to see how the little things impact her life and what she truly values. Her posts made me think about what I am thankful for, specifically in this writing journey and some things may surprise you.

First and foremost, I am SO thankful for my family and all of the support they have given me and continue to give on a regular basis. My husband is my biggest cheerleader and my kids are my inspiration. They understand and support my passion and allow me the time—away from them—to pursue my dream.

Secondly, I am thankful to my amazing network of friends and extended family who continue to be a positive light on what can sometimes be a dark journey. Even after rejection from book agents, they encouraged me to continue writing and to pursue my dream. It is a true friend who supports your dreams no matter how unattainable they may seem at some point along the journey.

Next, I am thankful to the book agents who rejected my initial submissions, surprising I know! Without their feedback and “NO,” I wouldn’t have pushed myself to keep writing and improve my skills to the point where I eventually received a “YES!”

This leads me to the next person to thank on this journey- my illustrator Angie. She captured the very essence of the story so beautifully it takes my breath away every time I open the book. It has been an amazing journey to share with Angie and I am thankful, not only that we were awarded a book contract, but also that I met and became friends with an amazing person.

Another team I couldn’t have done this without is obviously Schiffer Publishing. The team at Schiffer awarded me a book contract for SOAR, and it has been an amazing experience. I have learned so much along the way about the publishing process and about myself as a writer. I am so thankful to be experiencing this opportunity that I have worked toward for years with the team at Schiffer.

My final THANK YOU goes to all of the people who have supported me on this journey by purchasing a copy of SOAR. So many people have reached out to me that I haven’t heard from in years, and it has been so wonderful connecting with them again. I love seeing their kids reading a book I have poured so much time and energy into knowing they are connecting with Ramone. I have also heard from many people who don’t know me at all, but instead reach out because SOAR has made such a positive impact on their children. It is heartwarming to see how many people are connecting with Ramone and opening up a dialogue with their children about anxiety and fears. These are hard discussions, but it is nice to know SOAR is helping make them a little easier, and for that I am truly grateful.

 

 

 

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Timing is Everything

These past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. SOAR has been released, my first author event has been completed, and so far, SOAR has received extremely positive feedback, so much so that I was able to get some time lined up on the Picturebooking Podcast with Nick Patton! It is overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time.

So, with all of this positivity to bolster my confidence, I am again going to throw my hat into the ring for another book contract with Schiffer Publishing. It is a daunting task and one that can definitely end with a “not interested” at the end, but this time around at least I know what to expect. Originally this book was supposed to be submitted earlier this year, but as we all know “2020 Happened!” So, timing got pushed back, but Angie and I are back on track.

Our personal deadline is October 15 for our final submission materials to be shipped to Schiffer for consideration. This is around the same time we submitted SOAR together two years ago, so maybe getting pushed back is a good omen! The manuscript is written, and it’s a story that I hold near and dear to my heart. Angie’s rendering is beautiful and captures the main characters perfectly. She is using a different medium this time around which is exciting.

As I embark on this journey once again, the nerves and jitters are just as powerful as the first time around. My hopes are higher though because I have more confidence in my ability as a writer and in the final submission Angie and I are creating together. Just like Ramone’s journey in SOAR, we have taken our time to work through our jitters and nerves to create what I hope will be our next published children’s picture book. Time will tell…..

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First author event…AHHH!

As I’ve already mentioned in previous blog posts, I have dreamed of becoming an author for pretty much my entire life, even if it was a long shot. It was the way the stories would unfold in my head, and the notebooks I would write in that made me believe I could do it and I could succeed. But as many of us know, as we get older the negativity can get in and you start to doubt yourself. It isn’t that you don’t believe in yourself anymore, you just grow up and realize how hard it is to make that dream become reality and let’s be honest, you have to live in the real world which doesn’t always embrace dreams.

With this in mind, I am a bit trepidatious about my first “Live Author Event” this Saturday with Aaron’s Books. I mean yes, I have waited for this moment for a lifetime, but now that it’s here, I want to make it the best event possible and that’s a little scary. Angie and I have poured hours upon hours into making SOAR the finished product it is today and we want to do it justice. We want to provide the virtual audience with a great experience and help them fall in love with Ramone the way we have.

It’s been an amazing journey creating the story of SOAR and watching a few lines of text turn into an entire book. I have loved every minute of this experience and I want to project that to our virtual audience. It is important to me that people realize that while I am riding a high because the book has been received with such positivity and love, I am still conquering my own fears just like Ramone. I hope you can join me for my first “Live Author Event” and help me along this next step in the journey.

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Behind the Scenes of Soar: Tackling Anxiety

Has your child ever experienced a sense of anxiety when tackling new obstacles? I think all of us, even adults, encounter a sense of anxiety when faced with the unknown. How we handle it and teach our children to work through this complicated emotion is what matters.

Supporting our children and providing them with a positive and loving environment is one of the most encouraging ways to help children work through their emotions. By giving the kids time to determine what they are feeling and why allows them to realize these feelings are affecting their choices. Take Ramone for example, he is anxious about his first flight. Instead of pushing Ramone into something he isn’t emotionally ready for, Ramone’s mother gives him room to work through his various emotions, building his confidence and letting him set his own pace. Ramone watches as his friends soar through the sky, realizing all he might miss out on if he doesn’t conquer his fear. By the end of the story, readers have followed Ramone’s emotional journey, showing kids that fear must be overcome in order to grow.

After reading Ramone, take time to speak to your children about some times in their lives when they have felt anxious. Below are a few questions to help get the conversation started.

In the story Ramone is afraid to fly, can you remember a time when you were afraid to try something new? If so, what emotions were you feeling?

Ramone’s mom gives him love and support to help him overcome his fears, has someone in your life encouraged and supported you to overcome an obstacle?

When you finally built up the courage to try, did you feel a sense of satisfaction like Ramone? Or were you feeling other emotions?

At the end of the story, Ramone realizes how much he could have missed if he didn’t take a chance. Is there something that you are scared to try but know it would be an amazing experience if you let go of your fear?

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Virtual Book Launch on September 19

I recently received my copies of SOAR which means copies are in the warehouse in Atglen, PA, and shipping to everyone that has pre-ordered a copy. Thank you for the support!

For those of you who have already pre-ordered a copy, please join me and my illustrator, Angie Hohenadel on Saturday, September 19 at noon for a virtual storytime with our local bookstore Aaron’s Books. We plan to discuss the book process, read Ramone’s story, illustrate how Ramone came to life, and answer questions. It will be an amazing opportunity to show off the book Angie and I have put so much time in to.

For those who don’t know, Aaron’s Books has been a staple in the Lititz community, and has been amazing to partner with to celebrate the launch of SOAR. They are offering free tickets to the event for people who have already pre-ordered, or you can order a signed copy of the book for the event. I hope to “see” you there!

 

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SOAR Book Trailer

https://www.hillarydaecher.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SOAR-Trailer-New-Handles-4.mp4

A few months ago, I stumbled upon something called a book trailer, if you are unsure as what that is exactly, you are not alone. I ended up clicking the link and a short video trailer, similar to a movie trailer, popped up about a children’s picture book. It was terrific, and I thought at the time, an awesome way to display a children’s book in a new visual format.

With that said, I emailed my publisher and asked if it would be possible to create a book trailer for SOAR and she said “Yes!” So, without further ado, check out my SOAR book trailer. Big thanks to Schiffer Publishing for making this happen.

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Childhood Mental Health Challenges Associated with Reopening

With some states reopening and other states shutting down portions of their economy, it is a confusing time for everyone about next steps, especially children. With this in mind, it is important to communicate your expectations to your children as your area begins reopening.

Experts at the Child Mind Institute recommend making plans with your family, but stress that the plans are flexible and may not happen for one reason or another. Children with high anxiety find it stressful when plans change suddenly, but prompting them ahead of time with the possibility will allow them the opportunity to make adjustments on their own.

Another topic to communicate with your children about is the expectations for when they leave the house. Children are probably excited to get out of the house, but may also feel a sense of anxiety about getting sick or getting too close to others.

“The very first thing I would recommend,” says Stephanie Lee, PsyD, head of the ADHD and Behavioral Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute, “is that parents and caregivers decide what’s comfortable for them and what the family rules are going to be about socialization moving forward. It’s important that whoever is running the show for these kids are all on the same page about what’s going to be safe.”

Once you have a plan in place emphasize that it is a gradual process and your family is going to move at its own pace which may be different from other families, and that’s ok. At the end of the day, everyone needs to focus on what works best for their families to cope with the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Explaining your thought process and including your anxious children in discussions about next steps will help lessen the anxiety and give them a sense of control. The Child Mind Institute has more information about ways to tackle anxiety as your family faces the “new normal” of our society.

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