My Book is in Libraries!
I am excited to announce that my children’s book, “You Are Always With Me: A Poem for Those at Home When a Loved One Deploys,” is now available at all Fairfax County libraries in Virginia! Check it out Here!
This is just the first of what I hope will be many districts carrying the book in their collections — and was one of my major goals in publishing the book. This will make the book available not only to the 24,000 patrons in Fairfax, but anyone wishing to check out the book in VA through inter-library loan!
A Heartfelt Thanks to “Operation We Are Here”
While spreading the word about my new book, “You Are Always With Me: A Poem for Those at Home When a Loved One Deploys,” I have come across some amazing organizations that offer resources and support to military families. One such group, Operation We Are Here, curates book lists for military families. I feel very honored that the founder, Benita Koemen, not only listed my book on her site, but has now included my book on her list of “2020 Best New Books for Military Families.” Please check out her site, the other great books on the list, and spread the word about this amazing organization!
I’m an Award-Winning Author!
I am very excited to announce that my children's picture book, "You Are Always With Me: A Poem for Those at Home When a Loved One Deploys", has **WON** a bronze medal in the Military Writers Society of America book awards! (See the awards page HERE for more info)
I never imagined when I set out to bring this spark of an idea to the world that I would one day be able to call myself an award-winning author.
A sincere thank you to all of you who have supported me on this journey. I hope this recognition will help me expand the reach of the book and get into the hands of those who need it -- the men and women who serve our great nation abroad.
I’m a Finalist!!
I am excited to announce that my book, "You Are Always With Me: A Poem for Those at Home When a Loved One Deploys", has been selected as a **FINALIST** in the Military Writer's Society of America's Book Awards Contest!!
See the announcement at 4:30 in the selection video HERE
This means that the book will at least garner a bronze medal when the awards are announced next month!
Thank you to my family, friends and supporters who have stood by me as I've taken this book from idea through publication -- and now recognition for an award!
My Interview with MWSA!
Check out my interview with the Military Writers Society of America! I discuss my newly-released book, “You Are Always With Me: A Poem for Those at Home When a Loved One Deploys”. Topics include: how and why I chose to publish the book, hurdles I faced during the publication process, and what’s next for the book.
Link to the interview on MWSA’s website: Here
Full text of the interview:
Date of interview: 15 June 2020
MWSA: What do you think are the main benefits of being an MWSA member?
Daniel L. Berry: Participation in MWSA’s annual review and awards contest has helped me to get my book in front of my readers through MWSA’s website and social media connections. The review I received from MWSA’s professional reviewer not only provided excellent feedback on my work, but also aided my marketing efforts. Being associated with MWSA’s cadre of authors working to honor the Military has lent additional credibility to my work as well.
MWSA: How did you come up with the idea for your book, “You Are Always With Me: A Poem for Those at Home When a Loved One Deploys”?
Daniel L. Berry: As a deployed defense contractor, I was always looking for ways to connect with my wife and young daughters. For my children especially, I wanted to address the emotions they might be feeling while I was overseas — loneliness, sadness, fear, and even anger — and let them know that they were always in my thoughts. My wife informed me that my oldest daughter kept her copy of the poem close by her bed and would read it often. That’s when I realized the poem could help others connect in a really positive way with their loved ones back home as well.
MWSA: There are several books on the market aimed at families of deployed service members. With that in mind, why did you think it was important to publish another book on this subject?
Daniel L. Berry: Many of the books that address deployment are intended for male soldiers at a time when not only many women deploy, but also many contractors in support roles. In fact, in Iraq and Afghanistan, at times contract personnel outnumbered those in uniform two-to-one. While these personnel do not necessarily face the same dangers as our troops, they do face many of the same hardships — namely, being separated from their loved-ones for long stretches of time. My aim with “You Are Always With Me” was to create a book that can be given by any deployed person to the ones they love, regardless of race, gender, branch of service, sexual orientation, or family formation.
MWSA: How did you go about making the book universally appealing to all of those who deploy?
Daniel L. Berry: I decided to use cartoon rabbits for the main characters of the book — one leaving for deployment, and the other staying home. The two rabbits are physically different from one another, but not of one specific age, race or gender. This allows anyone to relate to the characters. whether they are deployed or staying at home. This did pose some challenges, since military clothing often seems very masculine. However, I think that the illustrator, Brian Azhar, did an amazing job of making the characters universally relatable. Also, the poem that comprises the text of the book was written for a first- or second-grade reading level. So it is easy to understand for all readers, young or old.
MWSA: Since the book has been published, what has been the response, and what plans do you have for the book in the future?
Daniel L. Berry: The book went on sale just last month, and the response has been nothing short of stunning. I have received an outpouring of support not only from friends, but from total strangers. I was contacted by a prominent marriage and family therapist who learned of the project, and who wrote a beautiful editorial review for the book. Most importantly, the book is getting into the hands of my intended readers — those who deploy — and is helping them connect with their families back home. I heard the other day from a high-school friend I hadn’t spoken to in over twenty years, who bought the book for his sister-in-law whose husband deploys. She loved the book.
Ultimately, I would love for everyone who deploys to know about the book as a way to create meaningful connection with their loved-ones during their absence. I have contacted several organizations that provide deployment support for families with the hope of getting the book listed as a resource. I would love to get the book included in programs such as the USO’s United Through Reading. Also, I plan to run a fund drive in the near future to provide copies of the book free of charge to military units currently on deployment around the world.
MWSA: Do you have any advice for other authors contemplating writing a book?
Daniel L. Berry: Do it! Publishing has never been easier or more accessible. There is a wealth of knowledge and support at your fingertips. I knew nothing about the publishing process when I started. And I put off getting started for several years, worried that “I just wasn’t ready”. It felt great when I finally committed to doing it. I hired my own illustrator and editor and, in a matter of a few months, had created a work with the power to change lives for the better. At a time when much in the world can seem dire, and in which so many of us are divided in our beliefs, the most important thing we can do is create something beautiful that brings us together.
Book Reviewed by MWSA!
It’s hard to believe my children’s book, “You Are Always With Me”, has already been in print for over a month. The outpouring of support from friends, friends of friends, and even total strangers has been amazing! While the book launch went great, I am taking steps to increase the book’s visibility and get it into the hands of my readers.
I am excited to announce that I have entered the book into the Military Writer’s Society of America’s Review and Awards Contest. The MWSA supports authors who honor our military, and has been a springboard for helping other authors expand their audience and find publishing opportunities.
Check out the review they just posted on their website:
You Are Always With Me by Daniel L. Berry is a little gem of a book, offering in lyrical rhyming couplets and charming illustrations a sort of love letter to a child separated from a parent on deployment. Beginning and ending with the words, “You are always with me,” the poem addresses the variety of emotions the child might feel—such as uncertainty, sadness, guilt, fear, and loneliness—and offers gentle reminders of how thoughts and dreams and letters and phone calls can help those who are physically separated stay emotionally connected. The illustrations by Brian Azhar are warmly appealing. The muted colors—greens, blues, browns, golds—add to the quiet, contemplative quality of the poem. The characters, illustrated as animals instead of humans, are easy for anyone to identify with. The varied physical expressions and gestures of the two main characters—sweet-faced but by no means saccharine-sweet rabbits—convey the emotions named in the text. The book is somewhat limited by the illustrations of the narrator, which limit the parent-figure to a father, and a slightly jarring rhythm caused by the varying numbers of syllables in the couplets (which, however, slow reading could smooth over). All in all, this is a wonderful book to read aloud to a young child separated from a parent. And it’s a book an eager child will undoubtedly memorize and “read” along with, time after time.
Review by Nancy Arbuthnot (June 2020)
The book is in the running for an award to be announced this August. Check out this link to the review, support the other authors on their site — and wish me luck!!
An Influential Review
It is hard to believe, but my book, “You Are Always With Me”, will be published in less than two weeks! The book goes live on Amazon May 1 in both hardcover and paperback formats, and can be pre-ordered now.
Pre-sale copies of the book have gone out to my book launch team — military members, defense contractors, and others — and I have received an outpouring of kindness and support. To my astonishment, a leading Marriage and Family Therapist in Colorado, Dr. Katie Godfrey, reached out to me after learning of the upcoming publication, and offered her recommendation of the book. Check it out below!
“As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am well aware of the effects separation has on a family. Bonding and attachment are essential to healthy development. Long absences from a loved one is challenging, whether it is military or civilian deployments. “You Are Always With Me” is something tangible to read and hold, and will bring comfort and connection to those left at home. Children, in particular, do better with something material when there is going to be a separation and this book is perfect for that.
“This touching poem captures the nuances unique to deployed families. The gender-neutral illustrations are thoughtful and inviting and make this book applicable to many family formations.”
Dr. Katie Godfrey, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist