My Journey to Motherhood

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mom. I always had a baby doll with me and would often sleep with one at night. My favorite baby doll was my water baby and I used to pray that if the rapture came or if I died that I would be able to take my water baby with me to Heaven, lol. I figured God would allow that since there can be no sadness in Heaven and I would definitely be sad without my water baby so therefore he would make an exception!

Throughout junior high, high school, and college all of my jobs centered around children. I babysat, nannied, worked at daycares...etc. I taught for a few years after college and daydreamed about the day I would have my own to teach (I've always wanted to homeschool). My husband Adam and I just weren't ready the first few years of marriage. He was still in college and when he graduated we just wanted to enjoy each other's company for a while and form a strong bond before adding to our family. Even though I really wanted to be a mom, I also knew that it was important for us to have that alone time and I also wanted us to both be ready for this commitment, financially and emotionally.

Well, we developed such a strong bond so quickly, one that I never thought was possible to be honest. After seeing my parent's marriage, then divorce, I just assumed that at some point things would go bad and we would end up fighting all the time...not that I wanted that to happen or doubted our love. But after the first year, then the second and third, I was amazed at how happy we were and how strong our love and friendship was! After the 4th year and nearing the 5th year, we were still in the "honeymoon" stage. I missed him during the day when we were apart and couldn't wait to be together again.

We've been able to travel together and have some great memories because of it! It seems like each anniversary gets bigger and more elaborate, lol!

Anni 1-Cabin in Mentone AL...Adam ski'd for the first time at a tiny ski resort with fake snow! :)

Anni 2-Destin Fl...centered around food, lol. This was at Ruth's Chris...Mmmmm!

Anni 3-Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas!!

 Anni 4-Winter Park, Colorado...we went skiing for real this time! ;)

...and snowmobiling! This was during a snow mobile break!

And finally...Anni 5-Anchorage and Fairbanks Alaska!! Let me go back a few months...We were at a good place. Adam had a great job at a new company, we made the big move to Houston Texas (I love Texas), we were at a good place financially, and more importantly...we were both READY!! Ready to become parents! Soooo....we started trying! We were so excited! Three months passed and nothing...I started charting my bbt the 3rd month and realized we had been off on my most fertile days. Even though 3 months doesn't seem long...it definitely is when you are trying! I thought it would never happen! Adam was already talking about seeing a fertility specialist, lol! He's a little impatient! 

Well, we knew that our 5 year anni trip was coming up in January and I told Adam that this would be our last try for a while. We had planned a Christmas cabin getaway with family and friends and I didn't want to have a baby in December or be 9 months preggo at Christmas because then we wouldn't be able to go. I didn't even want to think about not trying because now that we started we didn't want to stop until we became parents! I pushed those thoughts out of my head and we went on our 5 year anni trip to Alaska. It was AWESOME!!! We had such a great time!!!

This was our last night in Alaska! Little did we know that we were parents at this time!!! And yes, since life starts at conception...we were parents! :)

I noticed the last day or so while in Alaska that I was having hot flashes...weird! I thought maybe I was just wind-burned or something. After arriving back home and getting back into our routine, things were normal for the next week or so. Then one night I was REALLY thirsty...out of nowhere. But that was just one night so I didn't think much of it. Then maybe 2 days before AF was supposed to make her appearance...I started getting unusual cramps and a pulling feeling. Nothing major, just unusual. I would dream about the cramps at night and it would wake me up...strange! The night before AF, I told Adam about these weird happenings and he immediately said that I was pregnant! I thought so too, but didn't want to get my hopes up so I tried to play it down. We laid in bed talking about baby names for a while...just dreaming about having a baby and being parents. 

The next day I ran out and got a home pregnancy test. I couldn't wait for Adam to come home that night so we could take the test. He was a little late coming home...I think I called him every 10 minutes to see if he had left yet, lol. FINALLY he walked in the door and we ran straight to the bathroom to take the test. After taking the test, I put it down on the counter and told him not to peek. I walked to the kitchen to throw away the pee cup and before I made it back to the bathroom I heard him yell excitedly and jump up and down. I came running and he met me at the doorway. I said, "You didn't look did you?!" He said, "No, of course not..." but I knew better. He had a gleam in his eye and such a sweet, tender smile and then he hugged me. I dashed into the bathroom and grabbed the test...it was positive!! My hand started shaking and I just couldn't believe it! Wow! We were going to have a family! I was finally a mom!!

It was all so surreal! We immediately started calling family and let them in on the good news! We just couldn't wait...even if we were to have a miscarriage...there was still a little life inside me NOW and we were just too excited not to share that with the people we loved! 

Sooo....what did we do to celebrate?!? We went out that weekend and got 2 puppies, lol! What were we thinking?? I'm still not sure, but that's what we did! Meet Zoe and Daisy!

So to conclude, things could not have worked out more perfectly! We've had our alone time, we've traveled, and we've conceived on our 5th wedding anniversary...how cool is that! Life is great! :)

New Happenings

Hello there...it's been a while! A lot has happened since my last post! A lady from Oriole Beach Elementary in Gulf Breeze Florida contacted me about speaking to some of the students during Florida literacy week. I was thrilled for this opportunity (Thank you Denothras for passing my book along! I look forward to meeting you next week!). I will be speaking on Monday, January 13th with the children and am excited to share Shoo Fly Shoo with them!

I really wanted to make Shoo Fly Shoo more affordable for the children and wanted to make sure I had enough copies on hand...so I decided to order books from Tate for this event. I know, it won't go towards my 1000...but if it means getting my book into more hands then I think it's worth it! This allows me to charge a more reasonable price for the book (retails for $15.99...I'll have it available to the children for $12.00). I ended up ordering 300 because Tate was having a Christmas special at the time. I thought that would be more than enough since I will be speaking to around 450 students and don't plan on selling to even 1/4 of them...just thought I could use them for future events like this. Travis, my marketing rep, assured me they would be in on time...SURPRISE...only 100 have arrived and I leave today! Well, I wasn't surprised, and 100 should be plenty so I'm not too upset about it.

I was also contacted by Barbara Coloroso (Author of The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander) and she so sweetly purchased my book as a possible resource in her latest revision of her international best-seller. She also gave me some great advice and tips on publishing and mentioned a publisher (Free Spirit) that I should look into for my newest book as our themes are very similar. I am very thankful to her for taking the time to contact me and for her support and encouragement! :)

Barnes and Noble in San Pedro, San Antonio also contacted me with an invitation to the New Authors Event February 22 at 2pm. I will be there with a few other authors giving a brief speech with a book-signing to follow. Thank you to Angela and Jennifer who so sweetly said they would be willing to help pass out rack cards and tell their friends about the event! I am overwhelmed by all the love and support from everybody! :)

I'm so excited for what the New Year has in store! Here's a picture of my husband and I on our Christmas cruise! We had a blast with the in-laws...below the pic is a video for proof! :)

My first royalty check finally arrived!

Soooo, my first royalty check arrived a few days ago!! Can you believe it?? I somehow thought I'd never really see this day!

I was so excited to see it in my mailbox, but fearful as to what would be inside. This was the one true way for me to know how many books have been sold! When I opened it, the first thing I saw was a check for $0.67...gosh, I know I've sold more than one!! Then behind it was another check for $43.75. I wasn't so much interested in the money as I was at the numbers...how many had been sold? Upon further investigation, these are the numbers so far...

Audio Downloads: 4 sold

Paperback copies: 82 sold

I was a bit discouraged at first by these numbers because I was so certain I had sold more than 82. I read further and here's what I read:

"Distribution royalties are earned once we're paid by a wholesaler. These payments are typically received 90 days or more after copies are ordered, and are not directly tied to when they are sold at retail. It is very possible copies ordered at retail during the quarter described will appear on a different quarter's statement, once we have received payment."

It made more sense to me after that. I know I've sold more than 82...I sold around 100 to Barnes and Noble alone (past book signings and upcoming signing). I've also sold at least one eBook and I know that from a review I got (eBook's count toward my 1000) and that wasn't on the check. So yet again I'm in the dark about how many have been sold. I was hoping I could keep better track of the numbers to keep everybody informed as we got closer to my goal of 1000. Oh well, at least we know I've sold 82 copies for sure!

If you are in the Houston area on Saturday, December 7th, please come out to my book-signing at Barnes and Noble in The Woodlands! It's from 2-4pm. "Shoo, Fly, Shoo" would make a great Christmas present!! I'm also selling signed copies through my website at www.danielledail.com while supplies last!

***Update on my second book, "What About Me"...I've sent a query letter along with the manuscript and some sample artwork to a literary agent. I've decided to try that approach and see where it gets me. They would be able to get me in with a bigger, better publisher. It could take up to 6 months to hear back from an agent...patience is definitely the key in an author's world!

Puppy Love

I recently did a session for the sweetest couple ever and their precious new puppy, Gypsy. I think this was the easiest session I've done so far! We went to Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens and had awesome backdrops for their family session! They knew how to pose themselves and had great ideas, which made my job so much easier! :)

Here's a few of my faves from the session...it just might make you want a golden retriever puppy!

 

 

 

Book Signing, Barnes and Noble in Baton Rouge

I booked an event in Baton Rouge so my Louisiana family could come and show their support! It didn't even cross my mind that it was going to be on the same weekend as the LSU/Auburn game...yikes! Despite the game and the dreary rain, I had a great turnout! It was so nice seeing everybody and catching up! Thank you to everyone who came! It meant so much to me that you cared enough to come!

I'm sure you are wondering how many books I sold...well, there was a little problem. I was under the impression Barnes and Noble was going to have 25 books. I brought 8 books myself just in case we sold out. Upon arriving I noticed there were only 9 books on the table in the story time area. I thought surely they had more somewhere else and they just hadn't gotten around to setting them out yet. I continued on as normal...

This was my first story-time, so I was excited to see all the smiling, eager faces! I can't remember the exact number of children that showed up...maybe 12? I read to them and asked questions afterwards. I tried to drill in their heads the theme of the book-"Everybody has worth!"

Barnes and Noble had prepared a little craft for the kids to do afterwards! They made little flies, using their hand-cut-outs as wings!

Here's Sophia making her fly! This is my cousins little girl...such a sweetie! After craft-time they brought out little slushies for the kids, and I had cookies and lollipops...I'm sure their parents were happy! :)

During snack-time I signed books for anybody wanting one. I noticed the pile of books dwindling fast and asked the lady who had been helping me if they had anymore books. She went and asked the manager and surprisingly they did not...they only had 9 books to begin with!! I sold out quickly and was told that I could not just sell the ones I had brought...Barnes and Noble would have to go through a process to get them into the system and the money I spent to buy them would be lost. There was nothing else I could do so I just chatted with my family for a little while.

My Granny (who helped pass out event cards and spread the word) and my sister!

I finally got to meet Andrew, my cousin's son! Such a cutie...I got to snuggle with him later that night! 

I also read the book again since some of the kids missed the reading! Sophia knows all the words and was mouthing them as I read! :)

I also got to meet sweet Clara for the first time! This is another cousin's baby girl! I could pinch those cheeks all day!

Then I remembered that I had a birthday gift for my dad!

And here is my announcement...Book #2 is finished!!! It is titled "What About Me" and is based off of my little brothers. My dad has been telling me to write this one for a while now, so I finished it just in time for his birthday. My youngest brother, Nick, always says, "What About Me?" because Paul is better than Nick at a lot of things. The story is written in the perspective of the little brother pig who feels like he can't live up to his older brother. It ends on a happy note, of course, and he discovers that he is good at many other things and doesn't have to be good at the same things his brother is good at. I was so excited to show it to my dad! We actually had a little story time for the adults with this book, lol! I read aloud to my family as they circled around me in Barnes and Noble. My dad loved it and is now the sole owner of 2 originals! I will be looking for a different publisher this time around! Wish me luck! 

My next scheduled event is Dec 7, 2-4pm at Barnes and Noble in The Woodlands! Bryan, the manager, called me as I was writing this and said that because they liked working with me and my book was received so well, he wanted to invite me back for the Christmas season! I'm the second person he has ever invited back! I feel so honored! Of course I said yes!!

Also, you will be seeing a lot of changes with my website, Facebook page, and this blog. I am updating everything to "Danielle Dail" instead of "Danielle Renee" since I use my first and last name as an author. On my website there is now a way you can order signed copies from me! I know many of you were asking so I've been working on that! The website is not fully updated yet, but you can still order signed copies now!

I contacted my marketing rep today asking if they had booked an event in San Antonio yet. He said they are working on it. I will let you know if anything gets booked! :)

Book Signing, Barnes and Noble in The Woodlands!

Hello all! In my last post I mentioned that my royalty check was late...well it never came in! I had wanted to update you all on how many books I've sold so far, but my royalty check is really the most accurate way to track it.

I contacted my marketing rep about the delay and he said that since my release date was so close to the end of the quarter (release date June 11, end of quarter July 31) then I would not be getting a royalty check until the next quarter (sometime in October). I emailed back and asked if he knew how many had been sold because that's really what I was wanting out of the check. He replied and said a ballpark figure is 80 which is really good at this early point! That was over a month ago, so with my sales at Barnes and Noble I'm thinking that it's closer to 150 by now! Yay!!

Now on to the book-signing at Barnes and Noble last weekend...it went great!! I really enjoyed working with Barnes and Noble, especially the manager Bryan! The staff were friendly and helpful! They sent out announcements over the intercom every 30 minutes or so about my book!

A few days before the event, Bryan called to confirm the event. He was very enthusiastic about Shoo, Fly, Shoo and said that they had already sold 4 copies! Apparently one of his employees liked it so much she hand-sold copies for me! Bryan had originally ordered 25 copies for the event, but said that after the positive feedback from the book he ordered 15 more! He also liked the look of the poster I had sent and said it was the first poster he put in the window for an event like this! After that phone call I was on cloud 9! I couldn't stop smiling! That was just what I needed...some encouragement!

The day finally came and I set up 30 minutes before starting time...I was just too eager to wait!

I'm getting emotional talking about this day...I guess because I met so many great people and everyone was so encouraging! One lady in particular was such a huge encouragement to me! She said that she had read my blog and the struggle I went through and was so excited to meet me! She had such sweet words of encouragement for me...I don't think she will ever know how much that meant to me! :)

I also met a children's author, Sandra Howatt, who is getting her first children's book Sleepyheads published soon! She was so much fun and talked with me for a while, offering some great advice! She recommended that I read Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market (2014). I purchased it that day and it is awesome!! I wish I had read this at the beginning of my journey! It tells you what to expect as an author/illustrator, gives a detailed list of publishing companies and their policies, lists conferences...and much much more!! One thing that stuck out to me was that first-time picture book authors can receive advances ranging from $500-20,000 and illustrators can receive $2,000-15,000...boy was I duped! At the least I could have received $2,500 (since I wrote and illustrated my book), but I paid them almost $4000! You live and learn!

I was excited to learn that Sandra was a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) as was I, so maybe we would see each other again at a meet up! I highly recommend new authors join SCBWI and get involved!

My sweet friends, Vivian and Arian, came to show their support (and bought a few books as well)! :) Thanks so much for coming!! Also, a special thanks to Chary (my husband's co-worker and our friend) for coming out and buying a book for his niece in India!

All in all, it was an awesome day and went much better than expected! I was a little nervous at first because Bryan had ordered an additional 15 books, and I didn't want to let him down! A few days before the event I ran across this article: 40+ Ways to Make Your Next Book Signing an Event! http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/james.shtml  Larry states "According to book store managers, on average, book sales for a non-celebrity author will range from about 4 to 7. If you sell more, you're doing great!" After reading that, I was really worried! At my first event I sold 21 books, which was all I had brought...but about half was to people that knew me or knew my parents. I didn't know very many people in Houston yet! I was hoping to sell at least the initial 25 Bryan had ordered and then a few more! I ended up selling 33 books! I was so excited, and a bit relieved, that it went so well! The 7 books that did not sell during the event are sitting in a special section by the door with other signed books. Hopefully they have sold by now! 

My next event is September 21 at Barnes and Noble in Baton Rouge (Citiplace). It starts at 2:00pm during story-time and there will be a craft afterwards! Please come out if you are in the area! I'm also trying to set up an event in San Antonio! I'm waiting to hear back from my marketing rep about that! Those of you in Mobile...I've contacted my marketing rep severals time about an event in Mobile, but since your Barnes and Noble recently closed they are having a hard time finding a place to host the event.

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive and encouraging! I appreciate each and every one of you! Look for my next blog post after the event in Baton Rouge this weekend...I will have a special announcement for you all! (No, I'm not pregnant, lol)

My First Book-Signing Event!!

Now that my book has officially been published (happy dance), the next step is book signing events! I was a little nervous about this part...I hate being the center of any type of attention! But I got through speech class in college so surely I can get through a book-signing event!

I contacted my marketing rep the beginning of May saying that I wanted to set up a book signing tour for mid-June and visit many different cities across 4 states (places that I am familiar with and have family in as I have family and friends spread all over). My marketing rep said he would try to get something together. I recommended Bayou Book Co in Niceville (recommended to me by my MIL) and he said he would look into it.

After not hearing from my marketing rep (for three weeks) about any book signing events and after multiple emails and phone messages that were not returned, I decided to try a different approach. I reached out and asked to speak with another rep (anyone else!) who could help answer some questions about the upcoming book signing tour. I was directed to a lady that said it was not possible to do the tour during the dates I requested because it was too close to my release date (why didn’t they tell me this from the beginning?). She also said that niche marketing (buy and sell books myself) is the way to go, not retail because it could take years to sell 1000 books retail. I started thinking, why did I pay $3990 for marketing if I have to do it all myself!

Well, I like challenges and I want my $3990 back so I decided to stick with retail and find places that would do book signings retail. I emailed her and out of courtesy decided to copy my marketing rep (who at this point I had still not heard from) stating that I would like to set up a book signing tour in mid-July (that should be plenty of time) and I will not be bringing the books, the bookstore needs to supply them. She said she would get started on it.

The beginning of June my marketing rep finally contacted me (a month later) saying that he had set up an event in New Orleans, but that I would need to bring the books. I re-sent him my previous email and re-stated that although I was excited about the event, I would not be buying any books so they needed to find companies that would supply the books. I re-iterated my points a few times and made sure he understood.

June 12 I got my first marketing report which lists scheduled events, event updates, and venue contacts that have been made. The third party marketing company that my rep worked with had contacted 22 venues between the 4 states.

I got an email from my rep saying that the marketing company had set up an event at Bayou Book Co in Niceville Florida and that I would need to bring the books. I must not have made myself clear before..I immediately wrote back and said that I did not have books to bring and that as stated before they needed to set up events where the books were supplied. I did this because #1. I did not have the money to buy 20+ books and #2. It would not count towards my 1000 books that I needed to sell in order to get my $3990 back. 

I got a call back immediately after I sent the email. My marketing rep was angry and rude over the phone, saying that he just didn’t understand why I wouldn’t buy the books and that I was making the company look bad by backing out of the events. He talked over me and kept scoffing and sighing throughout the conversation. It was very unprofessional and rude. 

I could not believe he was treating me this way! I calmly stated my reasons and reminded him that I had told him multiple times that I would not be supplying books, I couldn't afford it! Also, I paid good money for him to market my book and did not feel like I should have to fork out additional money for these events...after all, I was driving 8+ hours to get to this particular event! Even after I explained my reasons, he continued to bully me into buying books.

This conversation totally ruined my day! I couldn’t even be happy and enjoy the reality that I was published…I cried and moped around the house for awhile wondering why I hadn’t looked into this company more before signing the contract and handing over $3990. That money was supposed to go towards my publicist…who was supposed to help publicize my book...not bully me into buying my own book!

Surprisingly, he finally conceded and said that he did not want to cancel another event and that he would send me 20 free books for the event within 10 days. Wow, I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly shocked!!

Almost a month later (less than 2 weeks before the event), I still had not received the books. I sent an email politely asking about the books and I had a few other questions about the event. Instead of an email back, I received a random Fedex tracking update a few days later...

________________________________________________________________________________

This tracking update has been requested by:

Name:	'not provided by requestor'
E-mail:	'not provided by requestor'

________________________________________________________________________________

Tate Publishing of Tate Publishing - Print Shop sent Dail, Danielle of Dail,

I almost didn’t look at it because I thought it was junk mail. It was very confusing, but I figured it must have something to do with the books they were supposed to send. I was right...the books arrived about a week before the event! (a month after he said he would send them!) I'm not sure I would have ever gotten them if I hadn't reminded him...

I never received any answers to the other questions I had about the event so I felt very unprepared going into the book signing event…I wasn’t coached by my rep much at all (form email with a few tips). I had sent in 2 posters and some rack cards for advertisement purposes to Bayou Book Co and my MIL passed out cards and spread the word so I hoped that would do the trick!

July 20 came quickly and in the end, the event went very well! Bayou Book Co was able to answer most of the questions that Tate did not and they were very hospitable! I sold all the books I had brought (21) and was able to meet another author who was having his book signing at the same time, John J Kelley (check out his book, The Fallen Snow)! It was a pleasure meeting him and signing books 
next to him!

Whew, I did it! My first book-signing event...so surreal! I was recently able to set up two more events...this time it is retail!! Whoo hoo!!! I will be signing books at Barnes and Noble in The Woodlands (TX) from 2:00-4:00pm Saturday, September 14. On Saturday, September 21 I will be at Barnes and Noble in Baton Rouge (Citiplace Court) during story time starting at 2:00pm! I am so excited about these upcoming events! If I do well they might invite me back so please come out and show your support!!!

I was hoping to be able to share with you how many books I have sold so far, but my first royalty check is late and that's the only way I can track my progress (I've asked). I will keep you updated!