One of the things that makes Daycos different is the investments we make in our employees. We believe in being better tomorrow than we are today, and one way we do that is through our focus on personal growth. Through this program, Daycos employee Angela Henery has been reigniting her passion for writing. She penned the following post to share her experience.
After coming in as a new employee last year, I loved the idea of using this opportunity to focus on my writing. The first step of my plan was to create a website for my monthly blog, “Gratefully Ever After.” These anecdotes depict the trials and tribulations of motherhood and my family’s outdoor lifestyle.
Once I had the website launched, I decided to work on a children’s book I came up with for my infant son a few months prior.
The alliterative tale “Landon Lands the Plane” was written after putting my son down for a middle of the night feeding. Born out of sleep deprivation, the story lived only in my phone’s Notes app for half a year. I had no intention of doing anything with it outside of the occasional bedtime recital.
Before coming to Daycos, a former coworker had sparked the idea of getting it illustrated. But having no artistic ability myself, the thought was pushed to the back of my mind.
Once I began working on my development plan, I decided I wanted to take a crack at this and started to investigate how to illustrate the story. I finally landed on the idea of designing the illustrations myself using Canva. From there I was able to assemble the book and print a hardback copy from Walmart.com.
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to have a book on the shelf with my name on it, and I finally made it happen. But my story didn’t stop there.
Somewhere along the way, I discovered I was pregnant with another little boy. Once we finally landed on a name, I knew I needed him to have his own adventure. Following a similar format, the story of “Where Will Weston Wander” came together in a matter of days.
Using tips and tricks I learned with his older brother’s book, I was able to create a sequel that was printed shortly after he arrived this spring.
My Daycos family cheered me on every step of the way, and through their support I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and attempt to self-publish them online.
It was a learning curve to navigate Kindle Direct Publishing, but I was able to make my books available in both eBook and paperback versions.
At a recent Daycos event, I shared my story and my books alongside fellow author and colleague Tammy Day. We answered questions about what inspired us and what the writing and publishing journey looked like.
Afterwards as coworkers asked us for autographed copies of our books, I was in awe. It was an incredible moment that made me feel like a legitimate author and that there was value in what I was creating.
The books that began as silly stories to read to my boys are now out in the world for anyone to read. I was so touched by the appreciation I received from coworkers who said my story inspired them and for those that shared my books with their own children. I’m so grateful for this experience and for everyone who buoyed me along the way.
The next chapter in my writing journey is already underway, as I tackle my first full-length novel, a feat I once felt was out of reach. But that is the great thing about working for this company. I have the opportunity to continue doing the things I love and growing as a person. I’ve made one lifelong dream come true, but I have a lot more dreaming (and writing) left to do.
Daycos is definitely different!
