Pleasant Surprises & Disappointments (Oh & a Book Release!)

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

We’ll start with the bad.

Last October I was super excited to have an interview with an author I admire. He’s pretty famous and would have been the perfect addition to my Zombtober posts. But alas, his assistant (who had said he would love to do the interview and to please send it on) informed me that he had an upcoming deadline to meet and asked if they could get the interview answers to me later.

Of course. Not a problem. Then when I followed up, they ghosted me.

I ordered a copy of one of his books so that I could review it in conjunction with the interview.

I reached out another time. Not sure if it was the same assistant, but they asked for details and said they’d get back to me.

So I awaited their response patiently. And all I got was crickets. It was really disappointing.

A simple, “ Sorry, he can’t do it after all,” would have been better than no response.

I won’t mention the author’s name. I just needed to vent.

I had really good questions. 😕

Ok, enough moping. 😆

Now to the good news.

A fellow author messaged me recently to thank me for inspiration! Just out of the blue. It was so nice to hear that I inspired someone to get their books out there. 😁 Doesn’t stuff like that just give you the warm fuzzies?

And then, the same author bought two copies of Halloween Night and Other Poems! (One as a gift!) AND shared it on social media!!! 😭

Such a nice surprise and the support is so very appreciated. 💜 And I will return it and pay it forward in every way I can.

Hopefully, I can get an interview with her soon. I’ll keep you updated.

My friend across the pond, author Lee Allen, recently hosted a spooky book giveaway and my book is now being read in the UK! That’s exciting. It’s a goal of mine to get my book in as many countries as possible.

More good news: I released my first Amazon eBook, The Itsy Bitsy Fairy. It’s available to read on Kindle Unlimited until December. If you check it out, a review would be greatly appreciated! 🤩

I suck at book releases. I need to work on that. Another author friend bought a copy and tweeted a lovely review. If you’re a writer and you’ve gotten unsolicited reviews, you’ll understand how much it means.

This month I’ve sold 8 books for a grand total of $16.55! Doesn’t around like much, but it’s actually the most I’ve made in a month on Amazon so far. Every little bit helps! Don’t be discouraged if your books aren’t instant best-sellers. It takes work. And marketing skills. I will keep at it and I hope you will, too.

I now have my books in a few more libraries and in a gift shop! If you’re near Bossier City, stop by Bossier Arts Council (BAC). They always have neat exhibits and you’ll find my books and paintings for sale in their gift shop. 🎃

I also donated books to their annual Zombie Walk for prizes! I LOVE the SBC Zombiewalk. It supports a lot of good causes and is so much fun.

My writing has been on hold, but I’m still sort of working on PiRats, a prayer journal, and another poetry collection. I’m more taking notes and reading up on my craft than writing, but it’s still work, and I look forward to when I can make the time to focus on it a bit more to get actual writing done.

In the meantime, I’ve been getting ready for a move, visiting family, homeschooling (we’re actually on break right now), spending more time outdoors, things like that. I’ve also squeezed in some reading, which you’ll see if you follow me on GoodReads.

I’ve had some family things going on that have affected my blogging across the blogosphere, but I hope to be back on track soon. 🤞🙏

Make sure to catch up on Mississippi Folklore and Pikes Peak Writers’ Writing from the Peak and check back often for updates. 🙂

I’ll be back here soon, as well, with more author interviews, writing tips, and homeschool related things. TTFN! (yep, I just said that. LOL)

God bless,

~T

Spooky Giveaway in the UK!

Hey, y’all,

Just wanted to tell about this awesome Spooky Giveaway featuring my book, Halloween Night and Other Poems, The Ghost Train by Lee Allen, and Sinister Shorts by Adam Searle (and a bunch of other eerie-sistable treats)! You can get bonus entries during the week, so be sure to watch out for them! Here’s the bonus post for today.

I’ve just realized I linked US Amazon, rather than UK Amazon. I’ll try and update that later on, but I have an appointment to get to.

Update! I just got those links fixed. 🙂

Special thanks to Lee for hosting this spooktacular giveaway! Be sure to check out his website and his new book, The Ghost Tree!

I hope y’all have a great day! Good luck. 🍀

~T

Last Quarter Update!

How is it already the last part of the year? Crazy.

For me, September is the official start of spooky season. 😁 I start watching all of my favorite spooky shows and reading spooky books.

The weather may or may not cool off some (in the South, you never know!) and schools are back in session. Since we homeschool I was able to plan our schedule out to have a longer break this month. We’re excited about that. We’re keeping things simple this school year because we have a lot going on (upcoming move, declutter, family time, etc.) and we need simple.

Homeschool

This year we have an 8th-grader and a 4th-grader. I’m using Bible, history, and science curricula that they can do together (at their own level), they will each be doing their level of IEW’s Structure & Style and Fix it Grammar, and they each have their own math curriculum. I also found reading journals that I love and we’ll be reading some classics, biographies, and spooky stories together. They have a few extras that they each want to learn (dinosaurs, birds, Astronomy…). Art, Music, Computer/Typing, Languages, and P.E. Are on the schedule as well. And don’t forget extracurriculars! See? Simple. 😆

I’m leaning towards rotating two main subjects a day and rotating the other subjects as well and attempting a 4 day work week with the fifth day being a make-up/errand/field trip day.

Writing

My writing hasn’t been in the forefront. I’m working through Julia Donaldson’s BBC Maestro class on picture books. I love her books. I’ve taken several writing classes, but I feel like working through one with a particular book in mind helps to bring about ideas of things it’s missing or needs help with. I’m taking lots of notes so when I do sit down to write, I’ll be organized. 🤞

I started a newsletter! Two actually. You can now sign up for Books by Trista and/or Mississippi Folklore newsletters to get all the latest updates and news sent to your inbox!

Stepping Books by Trista down to once or twice a month and Mississippi Folklore down to twice a month has been what I’ve (and my team) needed for this season, but MSF is still growing and changing and I’m looking forward to focusing on it a bit more in the future. I still love editing for Writing from the Peak, too. If you haven’t already, check these out and give them a follow if you like. It will be appreciated and I think you’ll enjoy.

I’m working on my guided prayer journal and other planners when I have time. I’ll keep y’all updated. Here’s what I have so far.

I recently updated my website. Y’all check it out and let me know what you think!

I guess that’s it for now. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the blogs and hear about what you’re working on or (if you homeschool) what curricula/schedule you use.

K. Now let me go finish that time management book. 🤣 Y’all take care and keep lookin’ up.

God bless,

T