Straight From the Mouth of Karen Carew Oakes, Author of 'Drewsilla: The Shelter Puppy'

It’s Never Too Late

By Karen Carew Oakes

I  believed Drewsilla the Shelter Puppy was a good story and I wanted to tell it.

This book was my baby. I had written it and then wasn’t sure where to go from there. I really didn’t know what to do next. I thought should I try sending it out and see what happens? Well a chance encounter with an established local writer influenced my decision to go forward in the publishing process. This author was celebrating the release of her new book. I told her that I had written some childrens stories. She was great and we spoke for quite some time. She suggested self-publishing. I had never heard the term.  She gave me the name of someone to contact that could give me more information. That chance meeting really changed my life. I went home that night and dug out all my stories.

I was so excited by the concept of publishing. It had been my dream.

The original stories I had written 20 years ago.  In retrospect I think they were ahead of their time. These stories are so pertinent now. These stories are true and deal with hard subjects such as bullying, divorce, and death of a classmate. There are also many fun stories.

Promoting the book has proven a little more difficult than I originally thought.   I work at my day job 6 days a week. You really have to believe in yourself and your book.  I had to get out of my comfort zone. I called local bookstores to see if I could book some signings. I also sent out many mailers and got some signings out of them.  I have also read at local schools in the library.

I called the local TV stations to see if there was any interest in interviewing me. I was able to get to interviews on different local stations.  Great Day SA, and SA Live in San Antonio Texas. They were tremendous fun and one of the interview is on You Tube.

It has not been an easy road but no one said it would be. But I believe now is the time to go forward with all my projects,

I have accomplished what I set out to do. I got published. I took me 20 years to get it done but it’s never too late.

About the Author

Karen Carew Oakes, has been writing for many years and her articles have been included in the Lutheran Advent, as well as an article in several magazines. She is a mother and grandmother. She lives in Helotes, Texas with her two schnauzers Ella and Mackenzie. Her stories are based on true experiences her children encountered growing up.

Visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/karencarewoakes.  

About the Book:

Title: DREWSILLA THE SHELTER PUPPY
Author: Karen Carew Oakes
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Pages: 22
Genre: Children’s Picture Book

BOOK BLURB:

When Drewsilla and her siblings are tiny puppies, an accident steals their mother away. A kind stranger rescues them and takes them to a shelter, where the staff works around the clock to care for the pack of newborns. Soon, her brothers and sisters begin to thrive. Drewsilla has a beautiful black coat, intelligent eyes, and ears that stand straight up.

Drewsilla, though, is scared. She seems afraid of everyone and everything and hides in the back of her cage when families come to visit. As her friendly siblings each get adopted, lonely Drewsilla remains. The staff even worries that she might never find a home. Then, one day, something amazing happens.

The Johnsons come to the shelter to look at another dog and see Drewsilla, who miraculously finds the courage to stop hiding and say hello. All shelter dogs deserve the chance to find a loving family, and this is the true story of Drewsilla -- how she overcomes her fears, finds her family, and gets a second chance at a happy life.

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