Blog Tour and Giveaway: Looking for Caylie by Misty Wolf

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Looking for Caylie by Misty Wolf. This blog tour was organized by Lola's Blog Tours. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a fascinating guest post from the author. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win an awesome prize pack! Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Looking for Caylie
Author: Misty Wolf

Publisher: Forever Charmed Art

Publication Date: July 15th 2022

Print Length: 156 pages
Genre: Memoir

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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.

Goodreads * Amazon * Apple Books *

Author's Site * Barnes & Noble * Bookbub *

Kobo * Other Purchase Links

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BOOK TRAILER:

Watch the book trailer below or by clicking here.

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EXCERPT:

“Misty has overly high expectations of Caylie,” my Mom chimed in.

I remember looking at my Mom as if she were an alien that had grown a third head. What was she saying? In what world did I have unreasonable expectations? My kid had walked away from school on a freeway. She had also hit, scratched, and bitten me. I believed something was wrong, and I expected someone to help me find the answer.

“Caylie lost her Great-Grandpa last year,” Mom continued, “and her Grammy about five years before that. Her band teacher was also killed in a hit and run last year. It’s a lot for a child to deal with.”

If ever I wanted to disappear, now would have been that moment. I now knew how this conversation was about to go.

I put my head in my hands, just listening and trying to be respectful.

“So, do you think it’s normal that someone walks on a freeway?” Dr. Fleisher’s calm voice inquired of Mom.

I remember counting the squares on the carpet. I could not in my wildest dreams have predicted Caylie’s appointment going this way. I already blamed myself for Caylie’s being sick, and now, it appeared, my Mom blamed me too. I wondered if Dad, also, believed it was my fault.

How many people thought my daughter’s illness was my fault in my small world?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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.

Website * Facebook * Twitter *

Instagram * Pinterest * TikTok * Goodreads

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GUEST POST:

When I began writing Looking for Caylie in early 2021, it was because our journey was so extraordinary that I wanted to share it with others in a greater capacity. I had encountered many parents who felt isolated and alone facing the unknown future with their special needs children. Writing a book allowed me to tear down the illusion that everything within the disability and mental health area as it was working as intended.

My writing goal is for readers to feel like they have lived the journey in my shoes. In the early versions of Looking for Caylie, I wasn't successful with the emotional impact necessary to pull people into the book. That led me to take a writing class with Emma Heatherington of The Players Conservatory to build my writing skillset.

It had to take two editors, therapy, and a writing class, for Looking for Caylie to start to develop into an actual book with the writing and to further develop on the experiences we had gone through. Writing the book allowed me safely process the emotional side of what Caylie and I experienced. I discovered during the writing process that I had dismissed my feelings often because I had to be the logical one which often felt awful emotionally in the end.

I feel confident my book allows readers to learn how to empower themselves in the face of overwhelming odds. I also want readers to understand that whatever they may find themselves going through at the time is that their feelings are valid. Equally, it is also okay to put your feelings aside, as I did, and come back when you have the emotional bandwidth to deal with them. We are human and we can only handle so much, yet with a special needs child many times we have to put our emotions aside to understand the best needs for our kids. Only you know what will work for you, and I can say that putting myself first to improve my mental health was very difficult to do but something I had to do to heal and grow in this journey.

I believe that writing a book such as Looking for Caylie allows our story to be available to people now and in the future. It allows our story to live on and be shared for years and years to come. I hope that parents, teachers, lawmakers, or doctors can use what Caylie and I went through to understand the impacts of a complex system. Beyond that, I hope our story conveys that sometimes you need a team even if you struggle to ask for help from them.

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GIVEAWAY:

Three Winners: A big prize package that contains a tumbler, four pens, a mini-tote bag, a custom notebook, a custom keychain and an autographed advance reader copy of Looking for Caylie by Misty Wolf

Two Winners: An author swag pack that contains a bookmark, a rack card, a button or lip balm, a magnet, a sticker and a key chain/ mini lotion

Photo of the big prize package

(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prizes. Lola's Blog Tours and the author assume all responsibility over this giveaway.)

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