Meet Dayle



I recognize God as the source of all things. I can do all things through Christ, and I can do nothing without Him. Above all, I'm undeserving of His great mercy and favor. 

In 1986, as an exhausted new mother getting a mere three hours of sleep at night, I had a crazy idea: I would be a writer. Not just a writer, mind you, but one who got paid to write. Silly me. With nothing more than a notion and a cranky typewriter, I entered a little contest and nearly passed out when I won first place, and received a modest check for my efforts.

What started with a bang, however, soon fizzled. I quickly learned that the road to publication is lined with a zillion rejection letters, and just as many reasons to give up. But I hung in there, and God blessed my efforts.

Since 1987, my work has appeared in a host of publications, including:


DeSoto Magazine
The Tennessean
The Dallas Morning News (where I was a special contributor from 1999-2008 in both the Editorial section and Healthy Living section)
Houston Chronicle
Beaumont Enterprise
Focus on the Family
Mississippi Magazine
Southern Families
Houston Woman
Guideposts
King Features Syndicate
The Appeal-Democrat
Moody Magazine
Mature Years
Living With Teenagers
HomeLife
Christianity Today
Christian Educator
Upper Room
The Lookout
Signs of the Times
Vital Christianity
Virtue
Catholic Digest
Standard
Power for Living
Christian Home and School
Today’s Christian Woman

In 2012, I was honored and humbled to receive an Amy Writing Award for my work in the Beaumont Enterprise, and in 2001 for my work in The Dallas Morning News.

 I am the author of three books and contributor to a host of other works, including A Family Christmas, by Dr. James Dobson, The Gardener's Bedside Reader, (Kari Cornell, Voyageur Press), and more than a dozen Chicken Soup titles. 

My articles and essays have also appeared online at: 

www.desotomagazine.com

I'm pleased to have served as part of the adjunct faculty of Lone Star College in Houston, Texas, teaching creative writing, and what a privilege to be a charter member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

When people ask why I write, I have to say it's for people like Joe. In December of 2005, I received an email with the subject line, “a note of gratitude.” The email came from a man named Joe. Four years earlier, Joe had read an editorial I’d written and wanted me to know how it affected his life. This is what Joe wrote to me, and I’ll never forget what a profound impact his words had on me:

Ms Shockley, you wrote a small article in The Dallas Morning News “FAITH COMFORTING IN TROUBLING TIMES” a short time after 9-11. I was so impressed with it I cut it out and placed it in my billfold. Two years ago my wife kicked me out because of my drinking. Later that night agonizing over the loss of my family I came across your article in my billfold. After reading it, a renewed hope began to build up in me. I knew God was going to see me thru. Today, my marriage has been restored and I belong to a Christian based 12 steps called 'CELEBRATE RECOVERY.' Ms Shockley I shall forever be grateful for your article because I felt the Presence of God.  

Joe

Quite frankly, Joe turned my world upside down. When I read his sincere words, I was overcome with emotion and wept. To imagine this dear man carrying around my article in his wallet for years was humbling and inconceivable. I simply could not believe it. 

I’m forever grateful that Joe took time to send me that email. He made me realize, all over again, why I write. I don't write for the masses, or to be recognized and put on a pedestal in the publishing industry. I write to encourage, to motivate, to offer a glimmer of hope when all seems lost, and to maybe—just maybe—make a difference in somebody’s world.
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