Tag: publishing

Introduce Yourself: Introducing Guest Author Sharon E. Cathcart

 

Today I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Sharon Cathcart. Welcome to The PBS Blog! Let’s get started.

What is your name and where are you from?

I’m Sharon E. Cathcart. I was born in Portland, Ore., but now make my home in the Silicon Valley, Calif. In between, I’ve lived in Lawrence Township, Indiana, and literally all around the San Francisco Bay.

Are you employed outside of writing?

I’m the global grant coordinator for a major medical device firm.

Wow. That’s neat! What was your childhood dream?

I wanted to be a veterinarian. I love animals, and that was the best way I could think of to help them. However, I have dyscalculia (which is like dyslexia, but with numbers) and so my math marks were not high enough to qualify. I still help animals, though, by volunteering with our local humane society and caring for a colony of feral cats.  I also donate all of my royalties from “Hugs and Hisses” to Humane Society Silicon Valley.

Hugs and Hisses is available now on Amazon.com

I love that. Speaking of writing, when did you publish your first book? What was that like?

In 1995. I was still working for the DoD and was tasked with writing the history of Sixth U.S. Army, which was decommissioned that year. The resulting work, “Born of War … Dedicated to Peace,” was given as a souvenir during the closure ceremony.  It was kind of amazing, to be honest. I’d said for years that I wanted to write a book and suddenly I was holding one in my hand.  However, when that job went away, I stopped thinking of myself as a writer for a very long time. I didn’t publish anything again until 2009 (that’s when my first novel, “In The Eye of The Beholder,” was released).

I’m glad you got back on the wagon. What skill would you like to master?

I would like to be able to draw (I can manage stick figures, and a passable horse head, but that’s about it). I would also like to be a better swimmer. I get claustrophobic when my face is in the water, so I’m really lousy.

I get it. What state or country do you never want to go back to?

Indiana. I lived there whilst attending the Defense Information School (I used to work for the Department of Defense as a public affairs specialist), and I tell people the same thing whenever they ask: “There were three things I loved about Indiana: the Connor Prairie Living History Center, the Indianapolis Zoo, and seeing Indiana go away under the airplane.” The main thing that sticks with me about living there was the day I looked something up in the phone book (remember those?)

Lol. I do.

…and found the KKK openly listed. I don’t remember what I was trying to find, but I sure remember that. It colored my feelings about the entire state – and not in a good way.

Doesn’t surprise me. Since you brought it up let’s go there. What are your views on racism? 

Racism is a systemic thing, to me. It is about policies and laws that punch downward against people who are not in the majority. Any damn fool can be prejudiced/bigoted, but it takes political power to create racism.

By the way, I firmly believe that any white person who doesn’t recognize that the US is a white supremacist system is deluding themselves with willful ignorance. We all need to speak up against injustices like racism. If “social justice warrior” is an epithet, it’s one I’ll wear with honor. I spend a little time tackling racism in “Bayou Fire,” where my hero is an abolitionist in Jacksonian-era New Orleans – an unpopular position at the time, to say the least. I firmly believe we need to be speaking out today, and that’s why I created that personality trait for him.

Nice. I’d like to read this book. You said it takes political power to create racism. How so?

One has to be in a position to create systems designed to keep others down … and that means political power. We see numerous voter suppression laws being enacted, and attempts to roll back hard-won civil rights … because those holding the power are afraid of losing their hegemony.  Holding the power to back up bigoted beliefs with action is what creates racism.

What songs have you completely memorized?

Just about everything by The Beatles and David Bowie. I’m not kidding.

So I guess I don’t have to ask what kind of music you like…

I have found something to like in every single genre except Chinese opera (which, even according to fans, is an acquired taste). My love show tunes, classical, bluegrass, just about everything you can imagine. My favorite artists are David Bowie, Ramin Karimloo, and The Beatles.

What’s your favorite color?

My long-time favorite is purple. However, I’m also fond of teal, which is the color of most of my author branding.

Are you married Sharon?

My husband, Jeff, and I have been together for 18 years and married for 16. It’s a second marriage for both of us.

Congrats! What’s your favorite TV Show? Movie?

My favorite film of all time is “Tom Jones,” starring Albert Finney. It’s the story of an 18th Century English rake, and is absolutely hilarious. You need to watch it just for the scene where he and one of the female characters are eating dinner; no one says a word, but the tension is fantastic!

What TV channel exists but really shouldn’t?

Please don’t get me started on TLC. I remember when it was “The Learning Channel.” Now it seems like it’s “The Lowest Common Denominator.” I’m not a fan of so-called reality TV, with the exception of cooking competitions.

I love cooking competition shows! I have to ask. Top Chef or Hell’s Kitchen?

Hell’s Kitchen. I kind of adore Gordon Ramsey. He puts on an enormous display of temper, for sure, but you can tell he really cares about food.

Ha! I am in the middle. I love Top Chef but I just got into Hell’s Kitchen and I can tell Ramsey is fair in his decisions.

Speaking of Ramsey’s temper, what do you think of the bullying in our schools? How can we do better?

I was one of those kids who was bullied, pretty much from 6th grade on until high school graduation.  Teachers need to take it seriously rather than blowing it off as “they’re just jealous” or “they’re teasing you because they like you.” Kids are not stupid; they know the difference between a buddy teasing you and someone being actively cruel. Parents need to teach their children to be kind rather just laughing off their aggression as “kids will be kids.” The teaching has to begin at home, and classrooms need to reinforce it.

We agree there. What advice would you give your younger self?

It is going to get better. Find the drama kids sooner. Don’t hold people at arm’s length because you’re afraid; everyone is struggling and you will discover that most people are genuinely kind.

Thank you Sharon for spending this time with us. We enjoyed you!

Copyright©2018. Sharon E. Cathcart. photo used with permission.

Bio.

Sharon E. Cathcart is an award-winning author of fiction featuring atypical characters.

A former journalist and newspaper editor, Sharon has been writing for as long as she can remember and always has at least one work in progress.

Sharon lives in the Silicon Valley, California, with her husband and an assortment of rescue pets.

Be sure to follow Sharon on Social Media!

Blog: http://sharonecathcart.wordpress.com

Twitter: @SharonCathcart
Facebok:  http://www.facebook.com/sharon.e.cathcart

Are you an author? Looking for more exposure? Learn more about my Introduce Yourself Feature HERE. Stay tuned for our next featured author.

Introduce Yourself: Introducing Guest Author Frank Prem

Today, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Frank Prem. Let’s get started!

What is your name and where are you from?

I’m Frank Prem, and I live in a pretty little town called Beechworth, that’s nestled not far from the Victorian Alps in Australia. It isn’t famous for the Alps, though. Beechworth has a gold mining history that dates back to the 1850s, an association with an infamous band of bushrangers (outlaws) (The Ned Kelly Gang).

That’s the old fame, and it’s a well preserved and highly successful tourist town off the back of that, but in this day and age it may just be as well known for its bakery (The Beechworth Bakery), which seems to draw folk to it from everywhere and is almost too full some days for me to have my before-work cuppa at six in the morning. Not really, but it gets very crowded in there most days.

By the way, I grew up in Beechworth back in the 1960s and 70s, and that childhood is the subject of a memoir I’m in the process of releasing as first indie publication. That’s very exciting.

I bet! Releasing your first book is very exciting. Congratulations to you. Are you employed outside of writing?

I have had a lifelong association with psychiatry and psychiatric services over here in Victoria. When I was a young child, my parents were both employed to work in the local mental asylum (as they were known then). My first associations were through riding my bike up the Mental Asylum hill to visit either of my parents while they were working. My mum was part of the nursing staff while dad worked in the Kitchens. Subsequently, I became a student psychiatric nurse at the institution and went to work in a wide variety of jobs and roles in the system of Psychiatric care, including helping – in a very modest way – to close them all down in the 1990s.

These days I still work as a psychiatric nurse in a small rehabilitation facility in the town. The squaring of the circle, completed. The manuscript for a memoir of my time in psychiatry is complete and waiting its turn in the queue. I hope to produce it in book and electronic form within about a year, but there are other projects already in the pipeline that need to be completed first.

Wow, that is neat. Since we keep going back to writing let’s talk about that. Does blogging help you to write?

I find I write my best, or at least with the most pleasure from the work, when I am writing for a reader. I do not write for myself.

Since starting my poetry blog, I have found inspiration with every view recorded, with every ‘like’ for a poem, and absolutely with every comment and conversation that a reader has initiated. Similarly, with reading to an audience I delight in engaging with listeners, especially when something I have written and/or read has acted as a catalyst for a person to start telling me of their similar but unique experience.

I believe that all poetry, and especially mine, needs to be a means of communication, and needs to be accessible. I want people to understand what the poem is about, to be able to consider it, respond to it, discuss it with a neighbor. As my readership at the poetry blog has grown, I have felt myself to be freed up to write more and better, curious about how the new poem will be received, while hurrying on to write the next.

How did you come to the decision to write for your readers? Are there any instances where you write for yourself?

I think there is a point around when a writer realizes that the need to write has become a fundamental part of him- or her- self, that this issue has to be confronted. Who am I writing for?

In my own case, I tend to write and move on. I don’t enjoy revisiting old work and I resist doing anything beyond superficial editing. I would rather discard a poem and start over afresh with the next thought than rewrite what I have, in my mind, already completed.

For my own purposes, I concluded that when I have thought the thought, I don’t need it anymore. It is written for another person to contemplate, if they wish to. My problem, is that every thought can become a contemplation. Every contemplation become a poem.

I have a big backlog!

I love what you said about not needing it anymore and how it is now for someone else. That’s powerful. Frank, what do you wish you knew more about?

I’ve become quite fascinated with the universe in recent times – pictures that the good folk at NASA have made available through their library archive are simply amazing and become a feature of and inspiration for my writing in recent times.

What’s your favorite drink?

I confess to being a bit of a coffee fiend. Nothing uncommon in that, except that I buy my beans green, then roast them myself in a popcorn whirligig that I had to import special from the US.

Wow that’s nice! I, too, am a coffee fiend. Shout out to all the coffee lovers out there.

The making of coffee for my wife and myself assumes the role of ritual in our household. A certain number of spoons of beans into a hand grinder, then the ground powder into a stove-top espresso maker. Milk into a pot to bring to boil on the stove, with both of them timed to coincide in their readiness to be blended and poured. The hissing and boiling carry-on of the espresso maker as it approaches its climax is a delight to me, every morning.

Ha! Ya’ll are all over it. What is the most thought provoking book you’ve ever read?

The most inspirational books that I’ve read in recent times have been the translated works of a French philosopher named Gaston Bachelard – who died back around the 1960’s. He was a scientist as well as a philosopher and he spent a lot of time thinking about poetry and poetics and reverie – tying them up, breaking them down, showing how others had addressed these things.

I found that, for a long time, I couldn’t read beyond a paragraph without needing to pen my own interpretation, my own story of what he was illuminating for me. I’ve ended up with a set of around 800 poems that I intend to bring to book when I clear the queue in front of them, just a little.

That’s what’s up. Keep the creative juices going. Loving your cover by the way. So, what’s the most difficult thing about being a writer? The most exciting thing?

The hardest thing about being a writer is turning the work into a book. I feel that I am on a fast-track learning curve that will take from being a writer to being an author, but at the same time requires me to become a publisher, and a publicist and an interviewee, and press release source, with all of it looking professional and as though it is as straightforward as taking the next breath of air.

The next book, of course, should be easier, because I am learning hard. The book that I am just about to start writing will be the easiest of all because all my new work will be in a book style and format even while it is in draft form. It will be surrounded, in advance, by the front matter and the back matter and copyright statement and the dedication page and …

It is hard because there is so much to learn. But this is work I badly want to master, and so I shall.

In the meantime, since I began thinking about these questions, my first book – Small Town Kid – has listed on Amazon in e-book form (with the paperback hurrying along behind it, I hope). It can be found at the listing below, and I feel unbelievably proud of this work.

I’m so happy for you. Tell us, why writing is important to you.

Writing my poems is the oxygen in my lungs. Ink is the blood in my veins and arteries.

I can’t imagine myself without my poetry, searching for the next thought that will bear scrutiny by the poet.

What genre do you write in, why?

I am primarily a free verse poet, but I have come to think that I don’t really have a particularly poetic genre or style. I feel my work is something of a hybrid between poetry and short story writing.

I have always been attracted to poetry as my best means of creative expression.

Over my journey through life I often have encountered strange and seemingly inexplicable events and phenomena – particularly in psychiatry. I often would use my writing as a way to unravel and better understand what I had done and what I had seen during the day gone by.

I needed a way to get difficult things out of my head, so that I could be at peace with myself, but not to have them lost to me (or to a potential reader, of course).

I use very little punctuation in my writing, and I use very short lines, as I attempt to incorporate the cadences of reading aloud with the pauses and accents and emphasis that go with that, and the additional natural pauses that come with taking a breath.

I hope that a person unfamiliar with my work could pick up a poem and read it aloud with a natural flow and feel, just by using the line breaks and stanza breaks as a guide to the pace of their reading.

Nice. Are you a spiritual person?

I think I’m a very spiritual person. Not at all religious, but respectful and in awe of nature and the life around me. Of the sky and the moon and the night. I dance to the tune of rain on my roof and the rumbling of a storm that I can feel deep in my chest.

You sound just like a poet too lol.

So, yes, Yecheilyah, I think I’m a very spiritual person, and I am grateful for it.

Thank you Frank for spending this time with us. We enjoyed you!

DYANNE PHOTOGRAPHY

 

Bio.

Frank Prem has been a storytelling poet for forty years. When not writing or reading his poetry to an audience, he fills his time by working as a psychiatric nurse.

He has been published in magazines, zines and anthologies, in Australia and in several other countries, and has both performed and recorded his work as ‘spoken word’.

He lives with his wife, musician and artist Leanne Murphy, in the beautiful township of Beechworth in northeast Victoria (Australia).

Be Sure to Visit Frank Online!

Frank’s Author Page: https://frankprem.com/

Frank’s Poetry Blog: https://frankprem.wordpress.com/

Frank’s Seventeen Syllable Poetry Blog: https://seventeensyllablepoetry.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frank.Prem.Poet.Author

Are you an author? Looking for more exposure? Learn more about my Introduce Yourself Feature HERE. Stay tuned for our next featured author.

Put Your Reader Hat on and Comment Below!

I came across a question posed on Twitter from an author I follow. The answers to her question may shock some of you but I don’t want to give it away. First, I want to conduct my own study. Then, I’ll reveal what most readers (who weren’t authors themselves) said in response to this question on twitter along with the results of my own study (your commentary). I will reveal this first in my next email issue and then on this blog (my final email of the year will also include a copy of my goal-setting chart which you can use to set your goals for 2019. Click here to subscribe). If you are an author, please put your reader hat on. Think about your reading habits when you’re just buying a book to read for leisure. Be honest and be real.

The question is: “Do you read reviews before buying a book? Why or why not?”

Comment your answer below! Go, Go, Go! Please? Lol.

9 Authorpreneur Habits You Can Start Today

Usually, I present author tips for new authors but this is not really a new author tip. This is more so for those authors who’ve been publishing for a while and want to level-up their writing career. Also, these are not rules, must-haves, should-haves, writer commandments, should-dos….you get the point. I call these tips because they are nuggets and tidbits I’ve picked up along the way that may help you. In the end, everyone must find their own way. I just hope I can help in that journey by sharing what I’ve learned. Will this be helpful to you? Maybe not. But also, maybe it will.

What is an Authorpreneur?

Authorpreneur means merging the concept of being an author and an entrepreneur. Typically, an author’s book stops selling after their family and friends have bought it and then it swims in the Amazon sea of unread books. Most authors starting out will probably not sell more than 100 books. This is a real bummer considering the amount of time, emotional investment and money this author may have put into the book. Going from Author to Authorpreneur is not just about writing books and publishing them on Amazon. For most Indie Authors, Amazon royalties will not be enough which is why I think it’s so important to develop more entrepreneurial habits. Indie Authors must start to think about ways of earning money that will produce long-term sustainable income.

“Indie Fiction writers don’t fail at writing. Indie Fiction writers fail at starting a business. – Anne R. Allen

We are living in an age where you do not need to go to college to start a business and you do not need to be signed by a publisher to be a successful author. That’s why authors who are entrepreneurial and run their book publishing like a business are the authors that tend to be successful. Here are nine Authorpreneur habits you can start today:

Promote Your Books Offline Too

Something I have ventured into myself, get into the habit of promoting your books offline, not just online. There is an entire community of people who are offline. By neglecting them you are leaving money on the table. We can do radio shows, events, bookstores, book readings and a ton of other face-to-face activities that will help us to expand our brand. Social media is vital to an Indie Author’s career and very necessary. That doesn’t mean, however, that we should neglect other ways of networking and making money. Get out of your comfort zone and go talk to people face-to-face. As an introvert that is what I have had to do. I have had to get comfortable being uncomfortable. You will be nervous but by surrounding yourself with people who are a level up from where you are, you will see signs of your own growth.

Offer a product or service related to your book

I had a hard time coming to terms with this myself but I learned that you can’t be afraid to charge for your services. Yes, times are hard but that’s why your service is not for everyone. The people who need you and can afford you will invest in you but first, you must have something of value to offer. This product or service can be connected to your book in some way, but it must exist. You can become a motivational speaker or offer a service for something you do well. The book is the start, but it is just the beginning.  What do people need that you can provide? You may think charging for your services will mean that people won’t want to support you.

I’m not gonna lie to you. Some people won’t support you. There will be those who don’t think it’s worth it or that you’re valuable. There are also those who don’t trust you. They trust your free services but they may not value you enough to pay for it. That’s okay because charging means that you are reaching a certain group of people. These are people who see your worth, the value in your product/service and who can afford you. Also, those who do want to support you will when they can but they won’t complain about you. They may not have the money but they do understand your growth. Bottom line: You can’t talk butterfly language with caterpillar minded people. The truth is that free does not always mean valuable. Charging for a service increases the value of the product or service and produces a spirit of commitment from the client to follow through.

Don‘t spend a whole lot of time measuring your growth by numbers that are not representative of actual Sales

Checking your Amazon stats will drive you crazy, especially when Amazon’s algorithms is funny acting. Your Amazon ranking does not necessarily mean that you have made sales so don”t hype yourself up too much or get down on yourself. I sold more pre-orders for Even Salt Looks Like Sugar than I did with I am Soul but you can’t tell by the ranking. I made it to number seven on Amazon’s ranking with I am Soul. Meanwhile, Even Salt Looks Like Sugar didn’t rank well at all. Shouldn’t it have if I sold more? My point is, your Amazon ranking or number of reviews does not always mean book sales so get out of the habit of measuring your success by what other people are doing. I’ve seen plenty of authors with less than 20 reviews do great things and make good money. The level-up is about results and real progress, not perceived progress. Look at your efforts and check to see if those efforts are producing actual sales, which nobody will see but you, instead of rankings that everyone sees but may not be representative of the truth. A good example of this is Alice Walker’s new book “Taking the Arrow out of the Heart.” At this writing it only has 3 reviews, but it is also a best seller.

Write a Book Business Plan

Serious business people have business plans to help them to map out the goals for their business. Creating a Book Business Plan for every book you release is a fun and helpful way to create a roadmap to help guide you through the process and to identify your goals for each book. The good thing? You can create this plan at any stage of the process. I am creating one right now for my new short story. It’s never too late to begin.

A business plan is a written document on the plans, goal, and overall creative vision of the business. It is what you plan to do and how you plan to do it. A Book Business Plan helps you evaluate the possibility of a new book idea in an objective, critical, and unemotional way. It provides an operating plan to assist you in planning your book release realistically and improves your probability for success. But you don’t have to create a boring and complicated business plan. You can take elements of the business plan and apply it to the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch strategy of each book that you write. Your business plan really just needs 7 Basic Elements:

1. Name your book
2. Write a Log-Line for your book
3. Write your book summary
4. Book Marketing Budget
5. Book Marketing Strategy
6. Publishing Timeline
7. Executive Summary (In a business plan, the executive summary is first but it helps to write it last for your book plan.)

Put Together an Author Media Kit

About 95% of Indie Authors don’t have a media kit which means that you can quickly rise above and stand out from the rest with yours. An Author Media Kit is a major marketing package that helps influencers to learn more about you and your work quickly. It ensures accuracy in news stories, helps people to promote you and your book and is free publicity (beats paid Ads).

7 Key Audiences Who Will Access Your Media Kit

  1. Journalist – Broadcasters, Talk Show Hosts,
  2. Bloggers – Easy access to photos bloggers can use, social media handles
  3. Reviewers— Amazon reviews in your kit
  4. Retailers
  5. Individual Buyers
  6. Event Planners
  7. Anyone Who Wants to Promote you or Your Book

One Key Goal of the Media Kit: Make these people’s job easier. By making their job easy, they are going to promote you and your book.

Purchase Your ISBNs

Get into the habit of purchasing your own ISBNs.

I know there’s a big debate in the Indie Author community concerning whether to purchase an ISBN number. I am not going to get into all of that. You can’t tell people what to do with their money. What I will say is this:

ISBNs are expensive, so I wouldn’t stress out if I can’t get one for every book. But, if you can afford to do so, and if you’ve already created your own company, it looks more professional for you to own your ISBNs and is a level up from what everyone else is doing. With your own ISBNs your name or your company name will be listed as the publisher of your books. As an Independent Publisher with your own ISBN, you can publish under your company name, go to a different printer if you choose, open your own account with major companies and opt for national trade distribution. You can even create your own team of publishing experts.

This post is not about doing what everyone else is doing. This post is about the level-up.

Get Legal

Speaking of ISBNs, get into the habit of legalizing stuff, starting with your name. Legalize your business or Author name. You can create a business name or register your author name as an LLC.

You can file the paperwork easily through Legal-zoom under an LLC, Sole Proprietorship, or S-Corporation (please Google these terms for further understanding on what they are). Or, you can just get a DBA. A DBA is a doing business as name that gives you the opportunity to legally write and conduct business under your author name. This will really give you the feel that you’re in business. You will be able to open a bank account in your business name, acquire a debit card, and do so much more. Sure, you can just set up a PayPal account but having a business bank account will take you to a new level of business. You can even upgrade your PayPal by setting up a business PayPal account that is connected to your business bank account. You can then apply for a PayPal debit card (which is free) which gives you another avenue to access your payments directly from your PayPal account. With a PayPal business account, you can purchase a PayPal Here card reader and accept payments on the go!

Website

Having a website for your author business is one of the most basic but professional things you can do. Even if this is just your blog it helps to have a website where people can access all your work in one place. To learn more about the difference between a blog and an author website and if you need both, see a recent post here.

Your website should be clean, well-organized, and not changing in design every three months. For blog websites, be sure that you have a clear follow button, contact page, about page, and visible social media widgets. Make it easier for people to find and follow you.

Business Cards

Get into the habit of carrying business cards around with you. You never know who you’re going to meet!

The truth is that people throw business cards away so I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on business cards. Keep it simple and professional and give your cards away sparingly. While you may have bookmarks that match your book covers, your regular, standard business cards—the ones you’ll pass out on the go at meetings and bookstores—should be simple, easy to read and clean. It should not have any major designs that distract from the important information, should include your name, business name, phone number, email address, website, and social media handles.

This does not scratch the surface I know, but I hope these basic tips can give you the push you need to put yourself in position to level up your writing career and go from Author to Authorpreneur!

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Meet My Sponsorship Friends

Being an Independent Author / Publisher can be expensive. Many self-publishers do not have large teams of people and companies rallying behind them or supporting them financially. And yet, Self-publishers cannot expect to do well without producing quality content. So, today I’d like to introduce you to my new sponsorship packages! Meet The Bookworm, The Readerpillar, The Writerfly, The Editing Eagle, The Love Bug, and Mrs. Professional! They each have their own personalities, pet peeves, and special benefit packages.

The Bookworm

Meet The Bookworm! Bookworm loves to read, sometimes to his detriment. He’ll read anything. He’s especially fond of characters who wear glasses like he does. Just don’t tell him to go to bed early. That really gets under his wormy skin and when he starts to remove his glasses, watch out! That means he’s especially upset. How dare you tell him to stop reading to go to bed. He’s a bookworm!

The Bookworm Sponsorship Includes:

  • 1 signed copy of one of Yecheilyah’s books (your choice of book)
  • Brag Swag: Name or Company Name and Logo on website, event flyers, and social media pages
  • Get listed in The EC Bookstore. Sell your book or product in my online store.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOKWORM PACKAGE

The Readerpillar

Meet The Readerpillar! Readerpillar loves to read as well, just not as much as Bookworm. He’s especially silly and loves to laugh. If you can make him laugh while he’s reading you have a friend for life. Just don’t call him a caterpillar. He hates that. When Readerpillar stops smiling, you know that he’s really upset.

The Readerpillar Sponsorship package includes:

  • 2 signed copies of two different books by Yecheilyah (your choice)
  • Brag Swag: Name or Company Name and Logo on website, event flyers, and social media pages.
  • Get listed in The EC Bookstore. Sell your book or product in my online store.
  • Author / Business Spotlight on Yecheilyah’s blog of over 2600 subscribers and over 70k views weekly.

CLICK HERE FOR THE READERPILLAR PACKAGE

The Writerfly

Meet Writerfly! Writerfly’s a sweetheart and enjoys taking pictures of her beautiful wings. One day, she hopes she can be a writerfly model. Just don’t tell her there’s no such thing. She really hates that. When Writerfly stops posing for pictures, you know she’s upset.

The Writerfly Sponsorship package includes:

  • 3 signed copies of three different books by Yecheilyah (your choice)
  • Brag Swag: Name or Company Name and Logo on website, event flyers, and social media pages
  • Get listed in The EC Bookstore. Sell your book or product in my online store.
  • Author / Business Spotlight on Yecheilyah’s blog of over 2600 subscribers and over 70k views weekly
  • Free Book Business Plan Template

CLICK HERE FOR THE WRITERFLY PACKAGE

The Editing Eagle

Meet Editing Eagle! Editing Eagle is a little shy (can’t you tell by his nervous smile? I had to beg for this pic.) but good at his job. He’s laid back and likes to remind all his friends of the importance of proper English. Just don’t use any emojis with him. He hates emojis. When Editing Eagle stops correcting your grammar, you know he’s upset!

The Editing Eagle Sponsorship package includes:

  • 4 signed copies of four different books by Yecheilyah (your choice)
  • Brag Swag: Name or Company Name and Logo on website, event flyers, and social media pages
  • Get listed in The EC Bookstore. Sell your book or product in my online store.
  • Author / Business Spotlight on Yecheilyah’s blog of over 2600 subscribers and over 70k views weekly
  • Free Book Business Plan Template
  • Free Author Media Kit Template

CLICK HERE FOR THE EDITING EAGLE PACKAGE

The Lovebug

Meet Love Bug! Lovebug loves to give! Nothing is too hard or too much for him. He’ll give you the smile off his face if he could. Just remember to forgive one another. Not forgiving each other makes Lovebug really upset. He hates that. When lovebug ignores you, you know you’ve gotten under his round belly!

The Lovebug Sponsorship package includes:

  • 5 signed copies of five different books by Yecheilyah (your choice)
  • Brag Swag: Name or Company Name and Logo on website, event flyers, and social media pages
  • Get listed in The EC Bookstore. Sell your book or product in my online store.
  • Author / Business Spotlight on Yecheilyah’s blog of over 2600 subscribers and over 70k views weekly
  • Free Book Business Plan Template
  • Free Author Media Kit Template

  • Special Email promo of you and your business to my over 170+ email subscribers.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LOVEBUG PACKAGE

Mrs. Professional

Meet Mrs. Professional! Mrs. Professional is neat, tidy, and on time at all times. She’s very organized and dependable. Professional just ask that we all do our best to do things the right way. What can she say? She’s a professional! If you’re late for anything, Mrs. P will give you a really good talking to. That’s when you know you’ve upset her. She’s married to Mr. Professional, they have three professional children and a professional dog.

The Mrs. Professional Sponsorship package includes:

  • The EC Paperback Book Collection (11 Books total, all signed.)
  • Brag Swag: Name or Company Name and Logo on website, event flyers, and social media pages
  • Get listed in The EC Bookstore. Sell your book or product in my online store.
  • Author / Business Spotlight on Yecheilyah’s blog of over 2600 subscribers and over 70k views weekly
  • Free Book Business Plan Template
  • Free Author Media Kit Template
  • Special Email promo of you and your business to my over 170+ email subscribers.
  • Your name and logo on digital products and banners during book signings
  • Complimentary I am Soul Poster

CLICK HERE FOR THE MRS. PROFESSIONAL PACKAGE

3 New Pages on yecheilyahysrayl.com

Help me to make my books even greater by sponsoring my writing business. Your contribution will help me to hire quality editors, custom book cover designers, account for bulk book orders for book signings and more. The benefit of supporting my work is being promoted across my websites and social media, free books and products, and being featured on my banners and products at live events and book signings with the potential for your brand or product to be exposed to celebrities, bookstore owners, black business-owners, and best selling authors. Get listed in my EC Bookstore and keep 100% of your profit. You can also now order my books and services directly from the website. Just visit the Services page for author services and The EC Bookstore for books.

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Tuesday night at Medubookstore at the Greenbriar Mall in ATL. Be sure to stop by and grab your copy of I am Soul by Yecheilyah.

Entrepreneurship isn’t easy so I am thankful to Yah that I’ve sold out my first few books at Medu and have been asked to restock for this fall. I have a lot on my plate so I am also thankful to all of you who have supported and do support my work. Those of you who support this blog and share my posts daily, those of you who beta read for me, and those of you who buy my books. Thank you for your love. I love you back.

p.s. forgive this teacher-looking dress I got on….didn’t have time to get fancy lol

Introduce Yourself – Introducing Guest Author Tehilayah Ysrayl

Today I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Tehilayah Ysrayl. Welcome to The PBS Blog! Let’s get started.

 

What is your name and where are you from?

My name is Tehilayah Yahqar Ysrayl. I am from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

For those who don’t know, tell us what your name means.

My name means a song of praise to Yah.

Wonderful. What would your perfect writing/reading room look like?

Oh…I have never been asked this before. Hmm. I would have to say it would be white with splashes of earth tones, you know browns, tans, and greens. I would have an oversized reading chair with a tan blanket laid across. Next to the chair would be a table that displays the current book I am reading and an always ready wine glass. Across the room would be this glass desk with an executive chair and a new computer would be waiting for me and next to it a monogrammed notebook with my name in gold, (I love notebooks). My coffee cup to keep me energized. The sunlight would beam through the room because of the sky windows and land on my beautiful bookcases. There would be a beautiful rug in the middle of the floor, maybe white to cover the cognac colored hardwood floors. In the winter I would be able to light my fireplace so that I can stay cozy while I read and write. Yesss, and there would be a sign on the door that says “leave me alone I am writing/reading”. I would have a tranquil waterfall in the corner to give it that relaxed feel. Yess, lol… I kind of went there huh?

You did but we love it. That room sounds nice! What’s your favorite food?

Mexican food, I love it. Can’t get enough. I love nachos and guacamole.

Do you have a favorite color?

It changes, right now it’s purple and burgundy. Those colors have always been royal to me.

So Tehilayah, married? Children?

I am and my hubby is awesome. We have been together for almost 16 years and married for going on 6 or 7 years. Oh, wait, I better get that right. lol. Well, we have an anniversary coming up in October. We actually celebrate 2 anniversaries. The day we met and the day we got married. I think that is why I get it all messed up, lol. Truth is I knew he was my husband 2 weeks after we met. When he finds you, you just know, hee hee hee. I do have 4 children. three boys and one girl, she’s the baby.  They are the ages of 19, 17, 14 and 9.

Beautiful. What is your favorite movie or TV show?

Movie is The Matrix hands down. That has always been my favorite. I have the whole trilogy but nothing is like the first one. My favorite TV show is Underground. I really hope they bring that back soon.

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No Idle Word, a collection of poetry and prose. Coming Fall, 2018

I loved Underground myself. Let’s talk about writing a bit. I hear you are working on a book. Tell us about this project and what inspired you to write it.

I am. No Idle Word is my first collection of poetry.

Congratulations!

Thank you! This project is my baby. It’s the start to a new beginning and venture. It was last year when I took to the stage and I realized that I had a voice. It was then that hubby said, “you should release a book.” I thought he was gassing me up! I was nervous and anxious but I am here, trying new things and stepping out my comfort zone. I decided to leave it all on the page.

I love “No Idle Word.” Why this title? What does it mean, “No Idle Word?”

I meditated on a title for a while. I had so many written down and scratched out. No Idle Word was my last thought. I chose this because words are living. They have the power to build up and break down. They are always moving. It’s just a matter of how you choose to use your voice.

You heard it here first people!

Now. If you had one superpower that could change the world, what would it be?

Well, my son is my go-to guru on everything superpower. But if I had to choose without his consultation it would be love. Love conquers all things. If I could touch someone one to make them feel loved and give love we could change the world one touch at a time. Make it contagious. “Don’t touch her she got that love bug.”

Love it. In your own words, what is truth?

Truth is taking off the mask and walking in the you that people don’t see. It’s the bearing of all unapologetically. Truth has never been gentle. I would say it’s the one experience that is always authentic. There’s a phrase “truth, you can’t handle the truth,” something like that. It’s true. We can’t handle the truth. Truth handles us, it refines, tears down and builds. Truth has always been the start of construction and growth within yourself.

Why is writing important to you?

Writing is the way that I can release all the ideas and thoughts that I have flowing all day and night. If I didn’t have a pen and notebook on my person I would probably be frazzled and confused all day. It’s a way that I can get whatever is on my heart and mind out so that I don’t let whatever feelings I have had throughout the day overtake me. Writing is my place of freedom.

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Thank you Tehilayah for spending this time with us. We enjoyed you!

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Copyright©Tehilayah Ysrayl

Bio.

Tehilayah is a poet, wife, and mother and has presented her poetry at various venues and impromptu poetry gatherings in her city. She enjoys singing, sewing, reading, wine, whiskey and, most importantly, words. Some of her favorite poets include but are not limited to, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Countee Cullen, Sonia Sanchez, Steven Willis, and Rudy Francisco.

Tehilayah is also a voracious reader and fell in love with Urban Fiction because of Donald Goines. From there she branched off to discover other authors like Sista Soulja and the love stories that Eric Jerome Dickey brought, Carl Weber and many more. Currently, Tehilayah is enthralled in the Ashley and Jaquavis novel series. Tehilayah reads not only for the entertainment but also for the techniques in writing.

Tehilayah is working on her first book, a collection of poetry she is calling, No Idle Word. No Idle Word is about encouraging the faint at heart, providing awareness to the ignorant, and healing to the broken.

Be Sure to Support Tehilayah online!

 

IG: @tehilayah/

Twitter: @tehilayah

Blog: https://nolineleftbehind.wordpress.com/

Are you an author looking for more exposure? Schedule an author interview. (Now with 15 NEW questions!) Click HERE.

For a list of the interviews conducted so far click HERE.

Blog Tour by Yecheilyah Ysrayl, a poet.

Thanks so much! Guys, today is day 2 of the I am Soul Blog tour. Come on over and show me some luv 💕

V.M.Sang's avatarDragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author)

I am Soul Virtual Blog Tour – Day Two

I would like to welcome Yecheilyah to my blog today. She is a poet, and is doing a virtual blog tour. Today is the second day of the tour. You can find out more about her by visiting the other blogs she is appearing on. The dates and addresses are at the end of this post.

BLOG TOUR
Tuesday, August 14, 2018 @ 1:00p EST

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Bio.

Yecheilyah (e-SEE-li-yah, affectionately nicknamed EC) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet and lives in Marietta, GA with her wonderful husband. She has been writing poetry since she was twelve years old and joined the UMOJA Poetry Society in High School where she learned to perfect her craft. In 2010, at 23 years-old, Yecheilyah published her first collection of poetry and in 2014, founded Literary Korner Publishing and The PBS blog where she enjoys helping other authors through…

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