“I started developing an interest on the fundraising side of things and moved into the grants manager position at the Y,” Simon says. “I’ve basically always been a writer. I’ve done curriculum development into grant writing into writing books. So, I’ve always done writing to some capacity. My audience has just changed.”
Grant writing helped her make it through the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she lost her job at the YMCA. She founded Greenhouse Grant Writing in May 2020 and now has worked with over 100 nonprofits in Dallas-Fort Worth, plus those in other states and parts of Texas.
“I decided, ‘Well, what can I lose? I’m just going to see if there’s a need. I’m going to start reaching out to nonprofits in the area and see if there’s an interest and a need in grant writing assistance,’” she says. “And it turned out there was a big need for that.”
Grant writing is still Simon’s full-time job, but she was inspired to write the children’s book series on the side — Paisley Poodle Finds Courage, released this summer, and Paisley Poodle Finds His Style, which was expected to publish last month.
Meant for children ages 4-7, these self-published books focus on overcoming fear and change, respectively. Paisley feels anxious about slippery floors, fire hydrants, sidewalk grates and a new haircut but learns to move forward despite being afraid. Simon hopes the stories help parents have conversations with their children about fears and navigating emotions.
“Most kids have pets, so they understand interacting with a pet and the feelings that pets have and also experience those feelings themselves,” Simon says. “So I feel like it makes a feeling that we all have very relatable and understandable, especially for young kids, and a way that they can deal with some of these emotions in healthy ways.”