Ruth C. Mitchell's Blog, page 5
June 10, 2021
Ingram Spark Delivers
It was so disappointing to check out the newly released Ingram Spark Spring Catalog and see that my novel Beyond had been placed in the pets category! After waiting for months to see the ad and what the response might be, my hopes were dashed.
I can't imagine how this happened, but they were great about it and said they would place it in the right category in the summer catalog.While this is a certain setback to marketing the book, I have to accept what has happened. At least Ingram is responding to my dilemma in a positive way.
Since Covid struck they have cut out personal contact via phone, but they have been responsive and treated me fairly.
Whenever I find myself in a pinch I tell myself, someone else has been in the same place and there are always solutions to our obstacles.If you haven't already read Beyond I hope you will purchase it soon. I've had some wonderful reviews. Check them out here:
February 26, 2021
February 11, 2021
NOT LARGE PRINT
It was a rooky mistake. Publishing Beyond: A Tale of Discovery on the Other Side of Life is my first time to publish with Ingram Spark, and I had mistakenly selected large print when putting in the details of my account. It only took two months and multiple calls to Amazon and Ingram, but now the book description is fixed. YEA!!!
While self publishing can be mysterious and many authors have several decades jump on me, I really like the freedom it provides. And I even sometimes enjoy marketing, although I'd much rather be writing. I am progressing on my next book, Two Moons of Merth. I had started out writing it in the past tense, and now I'm starting over with the present tense. While this is a trend I have admired for years, I much prefer writing in present tense.
So, the ice has locked us in for a few days. Great opportunity to write, right? I sure hope so. Be safe out there.
January 23, 2021
Getting the Feed Going
Social media can be a great gift when it is appropriately monitored. I have no tolerance when it is used to spread hate or organize dangerous activities such as the recent violence perpetrated at our own Capitol. But in the case of this photo, I have a fun story.
I personally don't own a White German Shepherd, but I wanted to create some fun Instagram posts to help create buzz and awareness for Beyond: A Tale of Discovery on the Other Side of Life
That's when I came across White Energy Kennels on Instagram and got permission to use some of photos of their beautiful dogs located half way around the world.Done within minutes
The world is a much smaller place now than it used to be. Let's hope we take advantage of this to the betterment of us all.
January 16, 2021
On the List!
From a person that has never had a flu shot and maybe only had the flu once or twice, decades ago, I am exultant to be on a list to receive the Covid-19 shot. While I love solitude to soak my thoughts in and let them settle on the page, enough is enough. Let's end this dastardly plague I say.
I now have a handful of friends and family that have come down with it, and have, with prompt attention to the Devil's own disease survived.
My daughter living in LA, tells of sirens screaming past frequently, and bodies being stacked up in temporary containers. This macabre reality is something I am happily distanced from, but this eerie disease is so dangerous, deadly and random. So here's to the vacine. I sincerely hope you are on a list too.
January 2, 2021
My Favorite Instagram Post to Date!
Learning the ins and outs of Instagram has been a fun challenge. The most difficult task of all though is mastering photograph inclusion into this blog.
Thank you Alessandra Torre for the instruction that made this work.
Write Now Podcast
This is the link to my podcast last Spring. Somehow it never got posted.
Not Dead Yet!
So excited to be included in the 2nd Volume of Not Dead Yet,an anthology of essays to be released November 1st. The topic sounds dreary, but don't be fooled. The stories are great fun and uplifting as various authors reflect on their lives and how they perceive what is next.
Writing for this book was really life affirming as I reviewed some of the more chaotic highlights in my life experiences.December 31, 2020
Independent Bookstores
Sales of Beyond: A Tale of Discovery on the Other Side of Life aren't too shabby for the initial few weeks it has been available.
The cover--thank you artist, Lorna Trigg-- looks even better in your hand than it does online, and your Independent Bookstores may soon be getting Beyond on the shelves too. The key here is that you might have to request it at this point, so early in the game.
And don't we all love our independent bookstores, where we have had our first introductions to book clubs? They are a vibrant part of our communities. Most Independent Bookstores are providing curb side service and online shopping during the pandemic. I hope you support them whenever possible.
