It’s really random how the Good Morning America shoot came about. I got an email from a producer from ABC wanting to talk to me about back-to-school photos. I was going to blow it off. Not because I’m a snob but more because I’m a terrible speed reader and I thought it was some kind of PR pitch. I get those emails all the time. They are impersonal and usually have nothing to do with me.

Luckily, I happened to be working at (my publisher) Calee’s house that day and I mentioned it to her. Calee’s ears perked right up. She told me to get on the phone and call this woman right away because maybe it could be about back-to-school and I happen to have a back-to-school book out right now. How great would that be to talk about my books on national television? Really super awesome, right?

After a quick pep talk from Calee, I called the producer. I was a ball of nerves. We talked a little bit. She seemed super nice. She has a daughter Bug’s age, etc… She’d seen my photos on Alpha+Mom and wanted to do a little story about what Bug and I do on the first day of school. I was confused because she kept asking me if I had any props for these photos that I take, like backdrops or funny signs or I don’t know, something special.

I had made a sign. It was just an 8.5×11 piece of computer paper. I also made a free printable for people to fill out but it wasn’t anything crazy. No backdrops, no professional photographers, no snow machines or giant fans. Just me and my camera. Did she want me to make something special? I could. I mean that’s what I do, after all. I am the queen of cardboard. I told her I was going to let Bug wear her cat ears in her photos, did that count? The producer said that sounded wonderful and that was that.

In hindsight, I think what happened was the producer had seen all the comments on the Alpha+Mom post and thought it had gone viral. When really what had happened was that Alpha+Mom had given away free clothes at Target on that post (the contest is long over and the contest copy removed). It wasn’t my amazing photos everyone was commenting on, they just wanted to win free clothes! But I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If ABC wanted to do a story on me then I was going to let them and tell them about my books while I was at it.

Little did I know this would be a big joke on me.