It's Been a While

I haven't written anything on blogspot in two months because in October I was busy reading my children's books, Tired of School and Tired of My Bath at various schools and events. I had the same plans for November and the month started out great. I read and shared my books at a local Dayschool on November 3rd. Then came November 4th. I broke my shoulder and never dreamed what all that would involve. I thought six weeks of healing and I would be good to go. Wrong! I'm in therapy now which has helped with the healing process, but one of the biggest hurdles has been range of motion. Ouch!
The second hardest thing through all of this has been lack of sleep, but each day is a new day.
Check out my website for events, school activities and my other blog at http://www.dicymcculloughbooks.com/.
Happy New Year!

Thanks for the Blog Post on One Extra Degree

I was totally surprised today when I opened up my email. Amanda Nickerson, a teacher from Ohio, sent me an email telling me how much she likes my books, Tired of My Bath and Tired of School. I sent her the books a couple of weeks ago because I was impressed with her blog and how much she is helping teachers with ideas for their classroom.

In the email, Amanda told me she blogged about my books on Wed. Oct. 5th. When I checked out the blog I was brought to tears. Amanda's students requested to read the books during their independent reading time, and they also wanted the books spotlighted. What made this even more special was that Amanda included pictures of the books in the spotlight.

I'm sending this personal message to every student in Ms Nickerson's class to let you know how much you have touched my heart. You have an awesome teacher, but she has awesome students.

The best feedback for any author is to know that others are enjoying their books.
You can find Amanda's blog at http://www.oneextradegree.blogspot.com/.

Thanks again,
Dicy McCullough

SCBWI Carolinas Conference in Charlotte

This past weekend was a whirlwind of workshops and meeting new people at the SCBWI Carolinas Conference in Charlotte, NC. Many of those who attended the conference have other jobs or interests, but everyone I met has a passion for writing and especially for children. I can't thank my new friends enough for their suggestions about how to promote and market my books, Tired of School and Tired of My Bath.
The workshops were well organized and informative, with a lot of work behind the scenes to get ready. Jenn Bailey, one of the presenters, especially opened my eyes to a world out there I didn't even know existed. That world is Google + 1. Well, I knew it existed, but I didn't know how to play in the circle so to speak. I signed up today and have had fun playing this afternoon. I hope some of you will come join me.
I'm already excited about going to the conference next year and can't wait to see what new things I'll learn and new people I'll meet. In the meantime, I have a lot of living to do and a lot of circles to make.

Dicy McCullough: Get to know real farms | Salisbury, NC - Salisbury Post

Dicy McCullough: Get to know real farms Salisbury, NC - Salisbury Post
This tells the story of how a business is helping consumers and farmers build a closer relationship.

Farms and Farmers

This past week I wrote an article for the Salisbury Post about a tour of farms sponsored by a local business, Know Your Farms. Know Your Farms is based in Davidson, NC and is owned by Wes Shi. Wes wants to help farmers market their produce, meat and eggs and feels one way to do this is for people to interact with farms and farmers. Many of the farms on the tour had special activities scheduled that visitors could participate in such as cooking demonstrations or corn shucking. This was the third annual tour with thirty plus farms participating in a nine county area.
I was able to visit several of the farms and had a wonderful time. I especially enjoyed eating the ice cream at the Hoffner organic farm. Organic means no chemicals. In order to qualify the farm has to have been chemical free for at least three years and from that point on must stay chemical free. If you would like to read the article about Know Your Farms and the tour go to salisburypost.com and type in Dicy Mccullough: Getting to Know Real Farms in the search bar. The article was printed on Friday Sept. 16.

Keep Your Head Up

I've been married to my husband for thirty years and during those entire thirty years he's been a football coach for the local fifth-sixth grade teams. One of the sayings he uses on the football field applies so aptly to life. He tells the players to keep their heads up. The reason is because while on the field the players need to see where they're going. They can get hurt otherwise.
This isn't true just for football but in life as well. If we don't keep our head up and watch where we're going we too can get hurt. So many times we blindly go through life not watching what's ahead. We get hurt in relationships because we don't notice the signs. For example, when someone says they care about us and yet continually mistreats us, we're not seeing the signs. We're not keeping our head up.
I'm proud of my husband for the years he's spent teaching young people not only about football but also about life. He insists each player must perform in the classroom in order to perform on the football field the following Saturday. He never cusses or disrespects any player and yet he has had many winning seasons. It just goes to show if a coach respects his players then the players will respect him back. Remember keep your head up. It will take you far in life.

Gone Fishin!: New Blog Post: Be THOR3

Gone Fishin!: New Blog Post: Be THOR3