Archives: #tericase

Holiday shopping made easy!

The holidays are right around the corner. Can you believe it? This difficult year of 2020 is almost at a close, and I’m hoping and praying for only goodness and grace to cover all of us in the upcoming year. And guess what? I’m finally getting into the holiday shopping mood. Are you? If so, I have some creative ideas to share.

(1) This 2020 Gift Guide was made possible by Katie Carlisle Gonzales, someone I’ve “met” (well, virtually anyway!) through a Facebook group called Moms and Ladies of Southwest Houston. There, we share tips and network with our neighbors. Katie had the idea to create a holiday shopping guide, and I was lucky enough to make the deadline and be included. The guide includes links to over 30 businesses, offering a wide variety of shopping items that you might not think of or know about otherwise. Check out the link here >>> https://bit.ly/34OY1qO

(2) Do you love books? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could read the first chapter of a novel before you purchased it? Well, my friend Teri Case has made that possible with “Great Beginnings: An Anthology.” More than 30 authors—myself included!—have joined together to share the first chapters of their books for free, especially for you. We hope you find new authors and books to add to your must-read pile, and who knows, maybe you’ll even find gift ideas for your friends and family. Here’s a link that will walk you through the easy process of downloading the free e-book >>> https://BookHip.com/NMLQAW

(3) How about an open-air outdoor holiday shopping market? I’ll be one of about 30 vendors at the 16th Annual Heights Holiday Market from 10am-4 pm, Saturday December 5th, at The Church at 1548 Heights Blvd. I’m going to be autographing and personalizing my two children’s books: Arthur Zarr’s Amazing Art Car and Yazzy’s Amazing Yarn. Meanwhile, my friend Bonnie Blue will bring her “Women That Rock” artcar/van, and she’ll be selling her hand-painted driftwood Santas (and more). Such a fun photo op for the kids! You’ll also find a coffee truck, a taco vendor, and so many amazing one-of-a-kind gift ideas, so please join us if you’re in the Houston area. Masks are required for both vendors and visitors. #houstonheightsholidaymarket

(4) I’m also in another online Holiday Gift Guide, thanks to Lone Star Literary Life, a wonderful organization that helps readers find stories and helps Texas authors find their ideal audiences. Owner and publisher Kristine Hall has put together a Holiday Gift Guide, and I’m in it! You can find my two books and so many other children’s books here >>> https://www.lonestarliterary.com/content/2020-hgg-books-young-readers … and if you go to the Lone Star Literary Life website, Kristine has put together some other gift guides for fiction and non-fiction adult books as well (go to the LSLL website and look under the “Features” tab).

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and the merriest of holidays in whatever way you celebrate, if you do. And, as we shop and buy and—as best we are able—find ways to safely fellowship together, let’s also remember those less fortunate. I’m trying to be mindful of the people whose lives have taken a turn, friends who’ve lost their jobs, that person who might be home alone this year, and those who are working so hard but not quite getting ahead. Every year at Christmas-time, I choose a charity or a specific family to support, and I hope you will consider doing the same if you are able.

BE AMAZING!

Amazing Author #1: TERI CASE

Picking up on an fun idea that I’ve seen on other websites, I decided to start a periodic column on my blog called the “Amazing Authors Series.” I didn’t even have to ponder who I would feature first—I knew. TERI CASE is a witty, smart, talented writer I met in an online Mastermind course in 2016. After chatting through that Slack group for awhile, we eventually became friends beyond the course. I’ve never met Teri in person, but not for a lack of trying. We planned to meet for a cup of coffee last year when I was visiting New York with my family (Teri lives a train ride away from where I was staying); alas, an unexpected blizzard prevented her from traveling to the Big Apple. Maybe next time!

Teri and I share texts, emails and the occasional phone call to bounce ideas off each other and discuss our various book projects. I’ve served as a beta reader on two of her novels; she has done the same for me. It’s invaluable to have a colleague who enjoys brainstorming (ad nauseam, lol) about the same topics that I like. I highly recommend you find a Teri Case ♡ if you don’t already have one! Read her interview below, and perhaps you’ll order a copy of her moving, raw, powerful, debut novel Tiger Drive. It’s a wonderful vacation read; I couldn’t put it down! It’s also recommended for book clubs, and Teri will Skype into your book club, schedules permitting.

Q: What genre of books do you write?

• Literary Fiction

Q: Do you write anything besides books?

I write a (mostly) weekly newsletter called Vitality Stories where I share a variety of stories, experiences, Dear Me letters, and updates on my current projects.

Q: What did you like to read as a child?

• Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder;
• My dad’s True Crime Magazines (I wish I were kidding);
• I’m not sure if schools still do this, but when I was in elementary school, we’d get a Scholastic order form each month to order books (and kitten or puppy posters). I always got to buy a book to read. I wish I could remember all the titles;
• I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books, too.

Q: What jobs have you had?

• I was the youngest assistant manager ever at Round Table Pizza in high school;
• I witnessed weddings for the Justice of the Peace in Carson City, Nevada, for four years, three Saturdays a month. I made $5 per wedding (and the judge always bought me lunch);
• I worked as a cocktail waitress for one summer to catch up on bills—the hardest job I’ve ever had to be sure;
• I held a variety of secretarial jobs at the University of Nevada, Reno, both as a student worker and as a full-time employee after I graduated;
• I once assisted a CFO at a luggage and leather goods company. The owner was paranoid, so our office was in a warehouse with no windows because the owner was afraid of snipers and assassins;
• I was a credit manager for an outdoor apparel company;
• I was a c-level executive assistant in the biotech industry for decades;
• And now, I’m an author!

Q: Is writing your full-time job or part-time passion? In other words, do you have a day job?

Writing has been a full-time job for the past four years (though I’m hard pressed to prove my productivity looking back on it—you’d think I’d have four books published by now. Egad!).

Q: How long have you been a writer?

I wrote my first book in the third grade. It was about a Native American boy named Andy who had a pear-shaped head. All the kids picked on him for the shape of his head. I wrote my second book thirty-two years ago. I was fifteen, and it was a teen romance. I entered it in a contest with Seventeen magazine. I punched three holes in the margin and bound it with light blue yarn. I didn’t win.

Q: Do you have an agent? Do you think it is important to have one?

I do not have an agent because it’s not important for me to have one. I think whether or not an author needs an agent is a highly subjective decision and influenced by the individual’s goals, capabilities, and resources, as well as the specific project.

Q: Did you publish through the traditional route or self-publish? Any thoughts you’d like to share about this?

I chose to self-publish Tiger Drive based on my goals, capabilities, and resources. I have no regrets. In fact, I am going to self-publish my second book, In the Doghouse, as well.

Q: What can you tell me about your most recent book or project?

Tiger Drive is about four members in a white trash family trying to break the mindset and habits of generations to change their futures and to prove they matter (February 2018 release). I’m super proud of the novel and some of the reviews have made me cry happy tears.

I’m currently editing my second novel, In the Doghouse, but I’m not ready to share the premise yet. I’m afraid someone will beat me to the idea (laughs out loud, maniacally). People usually respond to this fear with, “Only you can write the story your way.” But sometimes a story’s premise is different enough that it would be a challenge to have more than one book out at a time with the same premise, and that’s how I feel about my latest project. But I promise to share more as soon as possible.

Q: Now’s your chance to brag a little … anything you want to add?

Writing Tiger Drive inspired the Tiger Drive Scholarship for high school students who want to reach, learn, and grow beyond their familiar environment by pursuing a college education. So far, eight scholarships have been awarded and a few of the recipients made the Dean’s List their first year in college.  [Cathey’s Note: I love contributing to Teri’s scholarship program. Here’s some information about donating.]

Q: What advice do you have for other writers?

Dear Writers:

To break a writing rule and use a worn-out cliché, there is no time like the present. In fact, there is no time except the present. Sit your butt down, turn on a timer for twenty minutes each day, and write.

Love,

Teri

Q: Do you have any pets?

I currently don’t have any pets because my partner and I travel (and move) a lot, and I’d hate to leave them behind. Growing up, I had a dog, Marie, who lived to be thirteen; she died just six months after my father passed away. As an adult, I had a wonderful Labrador-mix, Kimo, for thirteen years. I lost him in a breakup, and in hindsight, losing him was the hardest part about the breakup. But it was the right choice and he lived four more very happy years without me.

Q: Would you mind giving us the LINKS to your social media? 

https://www.tericase.com

Instagram: @TeriLCase

Facebook: TeriCase_Author

Twitter: @tericase_author