Retired educator, Dicy McCullough may no longer be teaching, but has found a way to express her love for the noble profession through writing.
The author of four children’s books in what she calls her Tired Book Series, she remains productive in her retirement with ideas for more books in the same series.
Obviously, she shows no sign of tiredness and instead continues her tutelage through her self-published educational and value-laden books. Proof of her success, the titles have earned good reviews on Amazon and have been enjoying good sales to date. One of the books in the series, Tired of Being Different, also won the 2013 Kart Kids Book List Award.
Dicy shares with the Xlibris Blog her post-teaching writing exploits and the pleasant surprises along the way. She also reveals why she has chosen the leading Indiana-based self-publishing company Xlibris to release her books.
Embracing New Life after Teaching
For any teacher who wants to retire, but wonders what on earth they will do, I’m here to tell you, there’s plenty.Yes, there is life after teaching. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine writing would become my passion, but that is exactly what happened.
I retired from teaching elementary school music in 2006; the same year my dad passed away. As a way of dealing with my grief, I started writing poetry. Wanting to grow and develop as a writer, I began taking workshops with published authors as clinicians, sponsored by the Farm at Weathers Creek in Cleveland, NC. Learning at the feet of experts, I developed a love for human interest stories and began writing a column for a local newspaper, the Salisbury Post. With an idea for a children’s book, I began searching for a publisher during this time.
Self-publishing with Xlibris
Not having any knowledge about publishing, I felt fortunate to have found Xlibris. They have always been patient and kind and available to answer any questions. As a result, slowly, but surely, in 2010 my first children’s book began to take shape and now three years later, I have four books in what I call my Tired Book Series.
The Tired Book Series
The four books in the series are Tired of My Bath, Tired of School, Tired of Being Different and Tired of Being a Bully. The newest book, Tired of Being a Bully, opens up a discussion about the “hot topic” of bullying through the eyes of two dogs, in a non-threatening way children can understand. All four books are written in rhythm and rhyme, and although fun and entertaining, have a message children can relate to. For example, in Tired of My Bath, John Allen (the main character) realizes Mom knows best. In Tired of Being Different, the little dog in the story, Rocky, finds out being different is okay.
The third book, Tired of Being Different, recently won the 2013 Kart Kids Book List Award, while the newest book, Tired of Being a Bully, is now in Kindle format on Amazon.com.
Those who know me, laugh, realizing how far I’ve come in technology. Not long ago, I didn’t even have email and now I have a website, a blog and a book on Kindle.
With the Tired Book Series doing well in the marketplace and being a blessing to children, there will be additional books in the future. If you would like to learn more about my story, I invite you to check out my website and blog at www.dicymcculloughbooks.com. Each week I write about my favorite people, places, pets and things. If you have a story to tell, who knows, one week I might write about you.
Congratulations, Xlibris Author Dicy McCullough on your creative quest to teach children valuable lessons through your educational books. You truly deserve the good reviews and sales your books are enjoying.
Get to know more Xlibris authors on the Xlibris Indie Authors Roundup, and learn writing, editing, and book marketing tips from the Xlibris Writer’s Workshop.