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Interview With Nicole Giladi
So too, it’s similar for parents of red-haired kids. Redheads feel an instant connection with other redheads, and so too we ‘parents of redheads’ feel a similar connection. We feel special because of our kids, plus we face unique challenges too because of them. Families of redheads can identify with the looks, comments, and questions their ginger-haired kids get plus the unique skin and hair issues, etc... Admittedly, we didn’t ‘choose’ to have red-haired children, but it has turned out to be a wonderful surprise for many of us and even an adventure! I guess we feel like we’re in a sort of unique club or sisterhood in a way, so of course Nicole feels a bit like family to me. We share the same love and passion for our little red heads, and I suspect we probably both tear up and smile when see other redheads because they remind us of our own. --- SO, who is Nicole? The whole thing started after the birth of her twins, with her twin son being born with red hair (surprise!) -- then wondering where the red hair came from since she and her husband are brunettes! The project originally began as a small keepsake picture book to teach her son how special his red hair is. It then grew into a self-published, 88-page ‘coffee table book’ filled with approximately 400 photos of redhead kids from all 50 States across America. She figured others in the same situation had similar questions about all this and so the book includes the great kids photos, fun facts about redheads and origins of red hair, skin care and sunburns, stuff about freckles, stories, and more.
I’m originally from California. I was born in Santa Barbara and moved to the Los Angeles area when I was 5 years old. I’ve lived here ever since.
My immediate family growing up were all brunettes and so were my husband’s, so to have a BRIGHT copper redhead in the house is just wonderful. We were able to trace red hair on my husband’s side to an uncle and on my side to one of my grandmother’s sisters. To find the red hair genetic link on my side, I had to do a little detective work. So many of my older relatives are no longer with us, so photos and talking with all my older relatives was how I was able to find the red hair.
 Unfortunately, I had trouble conceiving and was referred to a wonderful fertility doctor here in Los Angeles. Gratefully, it didn’t take us too long to conceive. However, it was shock to see 2 babies, 2 heartbeats, etc. Having a boy and a girl was such a blessing for our family. It’s an overwhelming amount of work taking care of newborn twins; and I’m glad I had 2 at the same time because I don’t know if emotionally, physically and financially we could do this again.
My daughter Hannah is extremely verbal and has been for a long time. She loves chatting with people (no matter where we are) and is so charming and adorable (okay I’m biased) that people are very taken with her big vocabulary and sunshiny demeanor. Perhaps she had to develop it in order to garner some attention, as Sammy’s bright copper hair sure did get people talking. Hannah is an eager early reader and is able to read certain parts of my book. She is very proud of Sammy’s red hair and tells people everywhere we go the following: "I have a brother, his name is Sammy, and he has red hair and wears handsome shirts." It’s so hilarious. Anytime someone new comes over to our home, she always whips out the book to show them her picture inside. She loves looking at all the kids so much over the years that she knows many of their names.
 Once that ‘AHA’ moment came to me to create something for Little Redheads, I was on a mission to find as many redheads around the nation as I could. Yes, I was surprised to open up my e-mail every morning and be flooded with submissions, but it was also very promising as I knew I had a market for this book. I found that Massachusetts, Illinois, New York & California had an amazing amount of little redheads. In addition to little redhead submissions, I receive daily e-mails from redhead adults wanting to share their story with me about how red hair has touched their lives (stories about a mother, sister, grandmother).
I reached out to twins clubs around America. It was a no-brainer for me, as everyone knows that Moms are the best networkers in the world. You will notice that I have around 80 sets of twins in the book.
As far as an age limit for candidates, I only accepted children 10 and under. I did this because I wanted to highlight very young children. Once kids hit teenage-hood and puberty hits, they begin to look more mature.
My Sammy is almost 6 years old and happens to attend a school where he is one of 2 redheads in his class, so that’s really great. Teasing has not surfaced yet. However, I’m sure at some point in his life, he may hear things. Today is a new day. Our country and schools have a ‘no tolerance for bullies’ policy. I feel there’s never been a better time in our history for kids learning to accept others with differences.
I have spoken to hundreds of adult redheads, and every one of them said they wouldn’t have changed a thing about their red hair. They tell me that they had issues as a child having red hair (mostly in school) and feel that they’re a better person because of it. They also said that having red hair made them more personable, as they were forced at an early age to talk with strangers about their hair. As I state in my book, you have many advantages for being a red head. People always remember you. Your uniqueness brings you opportunities in life that a brunette or blonde would never have. Just remember you had nothing to do with your hair color, so why allow people to make you feel bad over something you had nothing to do with... Stand tall; be proud. I have a feeling once the teaser sees how confident you are about your hair, they’ll stop. Teasers continue to tease if they see it bothers you. It’s like you’re giving them the power. Take your power back : )
I have several children featured in the book that were adopted, some with special medical challenges, and several with autism, just to name a few. Some of the kids still stay in touch with me via e-mail. I’ve been so fortunate to have made these connections with these families and always have a place to stay in each of our 50 states.
 I had never published a book before, so I was learning everything from scratch. I do have a marketing and sales background, as I worked for 12 years at Universal Studios. However, it was my determination to finish this project and my resourcefulness that allowed me to see this project through to fruition. I spent so many hundreds, even thousands, of hours at my computer for years compiling and creating the book. Honestly, I had no idea it was going to be such an overwhelming task. My kids were very little when I began this project and I would work during nap times and through the night. It took a lot out of me, but I loved every minute of it. Connecting with families from around the United States was amazing. And the photos were so cute; it just motivated me to keep going. My husband has heard my kooky ideas for businesses over the years, but this was the first one that he was totally on board with. He loved the concept and of course saw that this was a labor-of-love project for me. I’m glad that I’m a Momtrepreneur -- I wake up every day knowing I’m my own boss. It allows me to focus on my kids when I want, and then focus on my business when I want.
My advice would be to print out a small run of them and give them to friends, family, and neighbors and see what their feedback is. Have them be super honest. Once you have a printed book, you can even begin selling them on Amazon. Just make sure you follow ALL the rules about Self-Publishing your own title, like getting an ISBN # (which are the universal numbers featured on the bar codes on every published book). That way, if you ever want to try and have your book sold at a bookstore or on Amazon, it’s possible with that ISBN #. **A special note about self-publishing, I picked up a book called ‘How to Write a Children’s Book for Dummies’ which I found invaluable. There’s also tons of web sites that give you information on how to self-publish so make sure to read those too !! My thanks again to Nicole for sharing and indulging me with my many questions! I actually learned a lot about self-publishing plus was touched by her journey with the families included in her book. I thought her advice regarding the teasing and being proud of who you are was very important. I also admire her tenacity finishing the book as well as appreciate the positive message her book provides for red-haired kids. I have my own copy of the book and it's very cute! My own redhead daughters are grown up now, but I think they would have especially loved looking through its pages when they were young gals because it's full of red-haired kids that look like them! Check out her website to see more. Again, her website links are:
Plus, if you have someone particular in mind you’d like me to chat with, drop me a note at my 'Contact Me' page.
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I really enjoy the interviews I’ve done so far, and I’m especially excited to be interviewing a fellow ‘mom of a redhead.’
So onto the interview -- grab your favorite beverage, put your feet up, and let’s find out more...
My next major tactic was to contact local children's photographers in their respective states; that turned out to be a gold mine !! The photographers usually had photographed a little redhead at some point, and the parents were super excited about taking part in the project. I gave all the photographers credit in the book, and they provided me with the images. 
Advice about bullying: Everyone has something that makes us different whether it’s a unique family situation, a physical feature on our bodies, the way we sound or eat -- I could go on. But your hair is something you had absolutely nothing to do with; it was given to you as a gift, like a badge of honor. And with this gift you will be challenged to rise above all the comments you may hear about your hair in your lifetime. It may not feel like it now, but what you’re going through will make you so much stronger and will help you to have an understanding of who you are and what you’re made of. 
Oh my.... where do I begin? Creating this book took me over 3 years and has allowed me the incredible opportunity to enter the lives of hundreds of families -- especially the 400 or so families that are featured in my book. I love these kids and feel a deep connection with them and their parents. Most are too young to remember me; however, I do thank them in the book’s acknowledgment page. SO many of these parents and kids have touched my heart. 
One in particular is Morgan, a little redhead boy featured in my book from Carrollton, Texas. Unfortunately, right before my book was published, Morgan passed away from leukemia, just shy of his 2nd birthday. It was very emotional for me to see his bright shiny face in the book, knowing he was no longer with us. His mother Amber is an extraordinary person who I’ve become friendly with. This book means a lot to her family, as it’s something truly positive. 
There has NEVER been a better time to self-publish that now. YOU can publish the children’s book you’ve always dreamed of writing, or a bunch of love letter exchanges, recipes, etc. and turn them into a hardcover published book. It’s called Print on Demand (companies: Lulu.com & xlibris.com) You will send them the text and or illustrations and they can help you with anything from editing, lay-out & design, printing them and even help you with the marketing for the book...(think Amazon). The great thing about Print on Demand is that you can print a very low amount of books on your first print run. I printed in China with a minimum order of 5,000 for the first run. It was certainly cheaper in China than it will be going with a Print on Demand Company; however, you don’t have those large minimum orders. 
To my readers, let me know your thoughts on the interview.