This is my post during the blog tour for Looking for Caylie by Misty Wolf. In Looking for Caylie, author Misty Wolf takes you inside her journey as she fights to discover the cause of Caylie’s rapid cognitive regression and mental health deterioration.
This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from the 11th to the 24th of July. You can see the tour schedule here.
Author: Misty Wolf
Genre: Non-fiction Memoir
Release Date: 15 July 2022
Book SummaryMy Review
In “Looking for Caylie,” author Misty Wolf takes you inside her journey as she fights to discover the cause of Caylie’s rapid cognitive regression and mental health deterioration. Wolf bravely challenges traditional IEP narratives in education by dismantling the school vs. parents mentality and establishing each team member was on Caylie’s side. The authentic and raw accounts as Caylie and Misty’s navigation within the US medical system and disability support reminds us that we are not alone in our journey.
The ten-minute drive to Caylie’s school felt like hours, like floating through a slow-motion movie, the tension rising second by second, every sound exaggerated—the crunch of a leaf underfoot, the faint swish of your running shoe on the asphalt. Just when you think you can’t stand the
wait any longer, you’re in the building, and my Mom is there.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Your dad and I were over at Jack-In-The-Box getting dinner. We’d brought something for Caylie, and we were about three minutes late getting here. She wasn’t where she always waits for us . . .”
“But Jack-In-The-Box is in the school parking lot. It shouldn’t have made any difference . . .”
“It shouldn’t have.”
“So?”
Mom looked like she was about to cry. “They have people looking everywhere,” she said, “and they’re calling Caylie’s teachers.”
“Well, I dropped her off at school. I watched her go through that door—right there—and she walked past that desk—right there . . .”
“I know you did,” Mom said, putting her hand on my arm.
“Where’s Dad?”
“He’s going toward the 5 freeway and the Old Road.”
“Why?”
“Maybe she went that way.”
“Why would she go that way? I never go that way. She wouldn’t know what was over there. Why would . . .”
“Your dad is just trying to find her, Misty. We’re all just trying to find her.”
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Book Trailer
You can watch the book trailer for Looking for Caylie here on Youtube
When I began to write Looking for Caylie in early 2021, it was because our journey was so extraordinary. I knew that writing a book about our experience allowed us to help others. I remember thinking to myself that I would eventually complete the book if I could write a paragraph each day. However, my best-laid plan became heart-pounding anxiety each time I opened the document to sit down and write.
Over the last four to five years, I had bottled up my feelings to keep fighting for Caylie. Although I didn't want to admit it, I had to put myself first and go to therapy to get help and healing for myself and Caylie. The amount of stress and trauma from our experiences was both hard and healing to put into text. My therapist asked me to write one memory of the journey, and then I would write about how I felt and the emotion I experienced with it. We would talk about the chapter each week, and eventually, I made substantial progress.
By the late summer of 2021, I had completed the first draft of Looking for Caylie. At this point, I had to decide if I wanted to find an agent or self-publish. While a publishing company would have given Looking for Caylie a larger market, I would have to sign away my creative rights and characters in the process.
How could I allow someone else to change our real story to fit a publisher's requirements?
I couldn't. I couldn’t hand away our story to a publisher that held creative control over the book.
While I might have had to work harder on the book going solo, I decided that I would self-publish. It took hours of scouring the internet for everything I could find to succeed in publishing. I discovered that Reedsy would be the best platform for me as it had freelancers with different specializations. I could pick my support team based on what I found necessary.
I can honestly say that the ebbs and flows of self-publishing can feel daunting. I pushed through the fear of failure by breaking down each roadblock and increasing my time to work through them. Before I knew it, it was 2022, and I was finalizing covers and edits and getting the book to distributors.
It is surreal that here we are, and Looking for Caylie will be out in the world for people to read. It’s our story, and now it gets to be shared with others through the country and even the world. Even when I started getting some early feedback, it hit me that people felt like they were living in my shoes. I don't know if I will ever stop feeling awe when people want to know about our journey. I love knowing that our story is inspiring and motivating so many others about disability and the journey of life surrounding it.
Misty Wolf resides in Santa Clarita, California, alongside of her beloved Caylie, her parents, and their Shih Tzu named Gilly Goose. Misty focuses her writing and speaking on her experiences of being a mother of a child with a rare mutation disability. Misty shares her time between writing and being a full-time caretaker. In addition to her book and writing works, you can find Misty at home crafting or watching Angels Baseball.
Prior to being a full-time caregiver and writer, Misty enjoyed a career in quality and project management. Misty completed her educational experience with a Bachelor of Arts in Project Management with a minor in Criminal and Civil Law, and Masters in Criminal Justice with a specialization in forensics. Misty has always had a dream of becoming a lawyer. She advocates for always finding the truth logically in situations that translate to her experiences shared within her book.
Author links
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There is a tour-wide giveaway for the blog tour of Looking for Caylie.
- 3 big prize packages that contain: a tumbler, 4 pens, a mini-tote bag, a custom notebook, a custom keychain, and an autographed advance reader copy of Looking for Caylie.
- 2 author swag packs that contain: a bookmark, a rack card, a button or lip balm, a magnet, a sticker, and a key chain/ mini lotion.
Here's a picture of the big prize package:
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much for posting your review and hosting our book! I appreciate it so much! Please be sure to drop your amazing review over on goodreads and amazon! I love that you had all the fields in which our story covered. I'm so grateful to have been connected to your blog!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! I hope more people will be able to now find your book to help them and their children. I posted reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo! :)
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