Life is a Book

In honor of National Book Month...I'll be sharing some highlights from some of the many book events that I attended in September as it was definitely a month to remember as an author! I am also celebrating the fact that my 1st book written at age 17, titled Transforming Tears won 2 awards this past month - the Silver Literary Titan Book Award and the International Impact Book Awards Distinguished Author Award! I'm so thankful to God for this and all the many opportunities that have been given to me! So here was some of my very busy month of September...

Kroger Book Signing in Tucker, GA

I've truly loved getting to spend a Saturday each month at a local Kroger! It is great getting to meet new people in different communities and have meaningful conversations with them while sharing writing insights and more about my books. I think I can confidently say that I have solidified my pitch for my book "Transforming Tears" since this is the only book that I sell in Kroger stores. This month, the highlight of this book signing was meeting another author that gave me some helpful tips! She suggested that I reach out to high school libraries to see if they will order copies of my book to include in high school library collections. I don't know why I did not think of it before, but it is now on my to-do list!

North Georgia Regional Book Fair at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA

I was so incredibly excited for this event since I got to be on my very first author panel! Although the event was quite "dead" since it was raining all day and I did not sell any books, I am so thankful that there were people that attended the author panel and that I got to talk about my writing process in terms of writing Christian non-fiction. The other author on the panel spoke on Christian fiction so that we covered both topics, and I think that it went better than I expected it to! I definitely still need to work on my public speaking skills since I relied heavily on my pre-written script, but I'm working on it!

NAMI Walks Hall County at Rock Creek Veterans Park in Gainesville, GA

I was so honored to be asked to speak and share my story at this National Alliance on Mental Illness event where they also allowed me to sell my books at their table! It was a suicide prevention awareness walk which is incredibly meaningful to my story since I am the survivor of 6 suicide attempts and it is a miracle for me to still be alive. I also did the walk in memory of those I have met along my treatment journey that lost their mental health battle to suicide. During my speech in sharing my story it was actually my first time telling it without relying on my script and so I am super proud of myself! Praise God for what he has done in my life and what he will continue to do as I continue sharing my story in the community!

Inkling Creative Expressions Fall Collective at The Mill on Etowah in Canton, GA

At first, I thought that I was going to this event just to sell my books and art collages since it is a place for all creative arts...however, I was surprised that we had guest speakers and I learned SO much! There was an editor that spoke on the topic of AI in writing and another editor that spoke on how to self-edit your writing, as well as an author that touched on the topic of marketing. I got to speak to each of them individually and they gave me so many helpful tips and tricks, where I also learned what to do with my press release that my publisher gave to me since I did not know what to do with it! Another blessing is that the event had a silent auction where the funds were going towards an at-risk youth mental health organization and I got connected with them to hopefully have another speaking opportunity in the near future!

Gwinnett County Literary Arts Festival at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse in Lawrenceville, GA

I was very frazzled at the beginning of this event since I was a bit late to set up, however, I am very thankful that I showed up since I got to network with some publishers and editors that I had met previously. The crazy thing is that my 3rd book is actually submitted to their publishing company right now and so I'm really hoping that my connections might help get it traditionally published! I also met a very sweet customer that bought one of my books and had many other sweet conversations with a lot of the people that were attending the festival and browsing for their next read. The highlight of this book signing was the fact that a therapist bought some of my art collages that I made in my past mental health treatment days and she will be hanging them up in her therapy office. My heart is so full and happy that they are going to such a good cause and that what I made in my darkest moments will be a tool to help others!

Overall, September was a busy month, but I am feeling incredibly blessed and thankful to be an author during this time and to get to connect to so many other like-minded individuals. I'm also out here advocating that those with serious mental health conditions can be successful and live a fulfilling life too! There are some exciting things in store for October that I can't wait to tell you about next month!

Stay tuned!!

You might see me on your TV screen!!