How many parents have walked in a room only to find their children dancing with their dog? In celebration of her soon to be published children's book "Tootsie and Lulu: Lulu Wears a TuTu," Wendy Botts, independent author and AQ continuing education student, invites the Aquinas community to her release party December 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Potters House High School, 810 Van Raalte SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49509.

Modeled after an event that took place in her life, Botts reflects back to when her four-year-old daughter, Elaina, decided to dance with Lulu, the family's English bulldog.

"Elaina and her dog are always doing things together," Botts said describing Lulu and Elaina's constant companionship. "She's always doing stuff with Elaina so I kept saying I need to write a book about the dog and our daughter." Botts said that she played with the idea for awhile and one day she suddenly thought of the title for her first story.

"I like writing but I had never pursed any sort of publishing," said the special education and reading major. Having originally written the first story this past summer, Botts began researching how she could become published. Through the help of the Internet, Botts was able to find illustrator Julie Weaver, Alan Forray (an editor for TIME magazine), a print house and all of the essential elements she needed in order to become published independently.

Two tentative agreements with Barnes and Nobles and Schuler Books are thrilling for Botts who is excited for what the future holds for her "Tootsie and Lulu" stories. If they do well, she is planning to expand the first story into a series. "I didn’t really think it would snowball so quickly,” said Botts. She has already written several other stories about the adventures of Tootsie and Lulu since the idea's conception.

For Botts, creating the books has become a family affair. Her daughter Elaina has even helped in designing the layout of the books - from suggesting little details to commenting on entire pages.

With her aspirations to be a special education teacher and later a principal, the former paramedic would like to donate copies of her stories to libraries. Botts also plans to create another series in collaboration with a friend. She understands the need to build up a personal library. As a teacher and as a parent, she hopes to help other parents encourage their children to read.

Botts believes that young writers should do exactly what she did - use the Internet to become an independent author. She's surprised by how smoothly everything has gone from filing a copyright to finding a print house and fully believes in utilizing social media as a form of marketing.

Botts’ book will be available on her website at www.tootsieandlulu.com. She will also have other Tootsie and Lulu merchandise and fan contests. Fans can also connect with her on the Tootsie and Lulu Children's Book Series Facebook page.