Jessica Samuels's Blog, page 3

Author channel link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JessWolfie

Jess Wolfie's Wonderful World!Writing, reading, games and life!By Jessica Samuels

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Published on March 23, 2025 16:48

March 21, 2025

How to spot a Fake Book Marketer and Why I'm taking a break from Publishing on Amazon!

Ever since I published and promote my books and joined other ones to promote it my messages get flooded with these idiots. I’m really tired of it since some are pretty rude. Especially when you say no and they don’t get it when we say broke. Like bitch re-read I don’t need your help in marketing my book. Then some will even say let’s be friends like no got a life dipshit. I am tired of them and they steal photos off google and have fake names. The dumb bitch didn’t understand I wanted to be left alone. They have shit spelling and they are definitely scripted by the way they talk. They ask about the genre when it is on my profile and won’t take no for an answer. I literally turn off commenting due to them because I don’t want to hear their bs scripted responses they copy and paste everything and ask the same questions. Like yes I have a book trailer and no I don’t want your AI generated one. They really think they are miracle workers when they are just sad idiots trying to scam people.

They even pretend to be authors! Congratulations on your book! It’s always inspiring to see fellow authors bringing their stories to life. I’d love to connect and support each other on this journey — feel free to send me a friend request.

You can also tell if the person is a fake marketer by seeing these posts!

What strategies do you use to market your books effectively?

It’s Friday Authors!

Display your attractive book cover!!!

Are You Missing Out on More Readers?

You poured your heart into writing your book — but is it getting the attention it deserves?

Video content is the most powerful marketing tool today, and book reels are your secret weapon to reach more readers, increase sales, and boost engagement! We know dumbass like author 101 stuff.

Stop blending in — stand out with a dynamic book reel!

DM me today, and let’s make magic happen!

I love how this book dives into deep and thought-provoking themes. Did you always plan for it to go in this direction, or did the story evolve as you wrote? She didn’t even read it.

First names are also like last names. It will state he changed his profile when they have women pics. The person I mentioned even said brah okay it is obvious you are a scammer and then they proceeded to cuss me out in their language like I knew you were a fake not hard to tell.

What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in getting your book or writing project out to the world, and how can I support you in sharing your message? Book marketers spamming me for services I don’t need lol

Future-Proof Your Author Career

The publishing world is evolving, and an author website is your long-term investment. Whether you’re traditionally published or self-publishing, having a website gives you control, credibility, and a hub for your growing career.

If you could add one feature to your dream author website, what would it be?

Congratulations on your new release! This masterpiece is sure to engage readers and leave a lasting impact. A book trailer is the perfect way to bring your story to life, capturing attention, enhancing visibility, and creating a deep emotional connection with your audience. Both on Facebook, Instagram , YouTube channel and more.

Looking to elevate your book marketing? A cinematic book trailer can help attract more readers and boost sales. I’d love to share a few samples of book trailers I’m currently working on.

Let’s connect and discuss further!

No shit we have websites….

Also some of these idiots are offering paid review services and that is a no no since I don’t pay for reviews. It’s part of the reason why I’m taking a break on publishing.

Another reason is I’m burned out with marketing and marketers, fake authors and everyone in my inbox trying to get me to pay for their services. I’m fucking broke and I’m not making sales it isn’t even about my lack of marketing or reviews as a bitch book marketer mentioned it takes time and fucking money. I’ve wasted more money promoting my book, editing and cover art more then I cared to admit. Like self-publishing isn’t easy or cheap. I had to get a day job or else I won’t have a roof over my head. It is hard to make it as an author if everytime I promote my book I’m bombarded with request for paying for reviews or marketing. It’s not worth it mentally and I want to just write for fun now without the pressure to turn it into a job. Also my books were pirated again for the second time I’m one of the authors affected by the Libgen using my books for AI training. So I’m done for now I want to focus on new stuff. I’ll be making more stories for my Ko-fi members, Patreon Tiers and paid Subtack subscribers I feel like my stuff is safer that way especially since everytime I publish a book it isn’t feeling fun anymore. Not to mention a fucking book marketers reviewed my book and put 2 stars all because I don’t have a fucking arc team. Those idiots don’t understand advanced reader copies are for after publishing. I wanted to tell one bitch it is already out why would I pay for them? All this just means I need a break and to focus on myself all my new stuff will be paywalled and I’ll put up some free stuff. I’ll also be focusing on my Twitch streams and Youtube channels. I still want to do the reading book marketer, fake author and weirdo dms so follow me below and I’ll see you in the next article!

Subscribe to my Substack for all news!

Website:

Patreon: https://patreon.com/jdsamuels25
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/jdsamuels

Author channel link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JessWolfie

Gaming channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwO5Why2tii4WA3yqEksclw

Buy Me A Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jdsamuels21

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Published on March 21, 2025 14:53

March 17, 2025

How to Spot a Fake Author profile on social media!

Promoting stuff on social media can be difficult when starting out! Especialy after you publish a book and get the link and description and share it everywhere. A variety of people will reach out to you to get you to pay them to promote their book don’t do it. A group of people you will also encounter when promoting your book on social media is the fake author. They have a low follower account and the real ones have high follower counts. Also do research there was someone pretending to be Kim Harrison one of my fave authors and on Kim Harrisons official author page she states there are people pretending to be her.

Their bios are in third person and they message you after you follow them back! Alot of the times the authors will link their official accounts on their websites and some don’t have any social media. Their grammar is also terrible English isn’t their first language. Some dead giveaways are using the words fund for money. And am instead of I am. Their endgame? They will refer you to their book marketing expert, specialist or in the dipshit Carley Fortunes case their ads manager. They also don’t read the no dms people have in their bios. They also get mad when I tell them to go read my profile like I get tired of being asked what genre I write when it is on my fucking bio. They misspell names. A dead giveaway is them pretending to be best sellers in their bio as well. Fake accounts usually have NYT best selling authors. They have messaged me at night when I was sleeping at 3 or 4 in the morning another dead giveaway they aren’t the real one. Lolz is a dead giveaway too. Fellow author is one too these guys are super pushy about sales and reviews. It is annoying dealing with them I don’t drop my book links for them anymore either no point in showing them. I plan on doing a series of videos on my Tiktok and youtube with me reading the conversations with them link below:

Jess Wolfie's Wonderful World!Writing, reading, games and life!By Jessica Samuels

Author channel link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JessWolfie

Just do research and block and report them especially if they dm after follow back, have shit English, voice is a weird bio and low follower count. Usually the authors will link to their official social media accounts on their website! Also if they have NY bestselling author, mentions marketing or promoting. Says follow back and asks about your book cover in a post. One even put their book link on my book post like no go promote your book in another post. I hope you will subscribe to me on Youtube and follow me on tiktok since I’ll be doing a series reading dms from book marketers, digital marketers, fake reviewers, fake authors and weirdos who contact me on social media this is going to be fun to film and tear apart these scammers!

This is where to find the AngelWitch series if you want to read the old stories before it is rewritten. It needs major changes so it will be revamped so if you want to see it before then join my paid Substack newsletter, become a Ko-fi member, Patreon member, or join my website’s paid tier and you can see it all!

Subscribe to my Substack for all news!

Website:

Buy Me A Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jdsamuels21

Angeline's Gift
Angeline was celebrating her 30th birthday when she found herself on the side of the road. The snow had begun to fall… www.amazon.com

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Published on March 17, 2025 12:44

March 8, 2025

What no one tells you after you publish a book and free ways to promote it! Angeline's Gift is live on Amazon Kindle and Paperback!

Book 29 is out and it is the first book in the revamped AngelWitch series it is pretty. There are a ton of articles on the querying process, writing but I don’t see any that has what happens after you publish a book. Like when I first started seriously promoting my book I didn’t understand the challenges that go along with it. Like yayy a book is out and available for sale but shit I have to promote it everywhere. I mean really how the hell do you get people to read and buy it.

Word of mouth seems to work and also you need more then just one book honestly. Your first book will rarely take off it takes a backlist to be successful. I have a Website with all my books listed. My substack is my email newsletter. Tried mailchimp and hated it. I paid a book marketer to promote my book once it didn’t do shit for sales she just put up an ad and that was it. Waste. Paid a tiktoker even it didn’t help sales the way I hoped. Paid to promote my books and all I got was very little in turn. I even tried places like Story Origin and Book tasters to help me get reviews and them giving out free copies just led to shit reviews and very little in terms of sales. Even paid tiktok ads and facebook ads it didn’t do shit for me.

I promote it on X, Threads, Bluesky, Tiktok, Youtube, IG, safe Facebook groups and I say safe since if you just join free promo groups you’ll get scammers attention. These guys are the worst and Facebook and X is full of book marketers, promoters, digital marketers and people pretending to be authors to hype up their book marketers services to you or ads manager. Lets also not forget the annoying as fuck cinematic video trailer people. Yeah, I get it people like book trailers but not that AI generated garbage they use. This is a book not a fucking movie. Trailers may draw in people but very little return for me. The biggest thing I’ve been doing is social media and making more books. Writing is a marathon not a sprint. I got in a convo today with a fake author who kept making book review like they were god no they aren’t. Nice to have but not everything. I’ll be doing a series on my Youtube where I’ll be reading messages from these book marketers, digital marketers, fake authors and review scammers. That is another thing people will message you about paying for book reviews tell them to go fuck themselves since you shouldn’t need to pay for reviews. Hell, get author copies to give to friends and family. Or do what I did text everyone about your book you can even do it drunk. JK that is my thing! But it is a pain in the ass to market. Canva is your best friend for making graphics and book trailers don’t pay for one. I’m tired of these people messaging me for services since I don’t have money. I’m tired of them bothering me everytime I’ve published and promoted a book. Hell, some of us indie authors are getting together on X and discord to help each other out since marketing is one of the hardest things. Also have articles on these scammers too. They don’t understand the process or how hard it is to make sales. Like no we can’t become best sellers just by using your services it is unrealistic to think that. Marketing is harder then writing since writing is easier. But one day my books will take off as long as I work on my back list!

Angeline’s Gift is out!

Description: Angeline was celebrating her 30th birthday when she found herself on the side of the road. The snow had begun to fall, and she felt drawn to it. She couldn’t figure out why the snow seemed to be calling her name, but the urge to let the cold ice crystals hit her face was all she could think about.
Her life would take a turn into something she didn’t recognize after standing in that cold abyss. Everything she thought she knew about life would be nothing more than a question. And Hecate.
Felix was driving up the mountain when his car started to sputter. He pulled into an old turn-about with a small store off the mountain side road. He met a man who called himself Lord Pan and was given directions to a small village.
After going to the village, he learns that he’s got a mate waiting for him. His mate would challenge him and turn him into his true form. The only stipulation was that he could not seek out his mate.
Will Felix find the one who’s made for him or will he live a life of self-loathing torture?
Will Angeline stop questioning her life, or learn to live it freely?

Paranormal romance, fated mates, no spice just a cute love story and free with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription! Next Star is in there with details in this book and Kyle’s General store too!

Excerpt: “NEXT STAR REHABILITATION.”

Angeline had no idea what Next Star was, or why she was drawn there. Taking a right turn just past the sign she found herself driving up to what she can now see as many buildings as possible that were no more than seven stories high. She pulled into a parking spot and got out of her car.

Looking around at the buildings she could see faces looking back at her. This sparked her curiosity wondering if it was a hospital of sorts. Before Angeline could go into the building Hecate appeared before her.

“Ah, ah, you need to be dressed appropriately to go inside there.” Hecate said.

Startled Angeline looked at Hecate confused.

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Angeline asked.

“You’re soaked to the bone. If you want to go inside there then you need to be prepared.” Hecate replied.

“What is this place?” Angeline asked.

“This is Next Star Rehab; it’s a place where they bring people who may or may not have certain kinds of abilities.” Hecate replied.

“Are they experimenting on people in there?” Angeline asked.

“Yes, and you’re going undercover.” Hecate replied.

“You’ve told me that I’m a born witch of sorts, and you want me to go inside this place and get captured?” Angeline asked.

“No, I want you to go inside and gather intel as a nurse. You’re applying for a job in there. I’m looking for someone who was born around the same time you were, and she’s trapped in this place.” Hecate replied.

“I can see all of those people looking at me.” Angeline said.

“You’re seeing ghost from the past and present. If you come across the dead you’ll need to cross them over before you can gain access to the living.” Hecate said.

“Why?” Angeline asked.

“Because they won’t allow you entry if you don’t. The leaders of this place have been trying to get rid of them for a long time, so don’t get rid of all of them.” Hecate replied.

“How will I know the difference between the living and the dead?” Angeline asked.

“Trust your gut. You’ll know right away who is living and who isn’t.” Hecate replied.

“Why haven’t you ended this place already? You’re powerful, and can obviously appear where you want to.” Angeline asked.

“This place is warded against me. It’s ran by a very powerful being who’s using stolen magic to keep me out. You’re powerful on your own without coming into your power, so you can get in and do what’s needed to shut him down.” Hecate replied.

“Who is he?” Angeline asked.

“You’ll see when you’re safely inside. Any knowledge of him prior to your entrance can cause an uproar and you’ll be captured. I need you to be smart about this.” Hecate replied.

This is the link for Kindle and Paperback an audiobook is currently in the works too!

I’ll post writing people have never seen before and behind the scenes stuff one will be Ghost Reapers before the developmental edit. Being an author isn’t easy and I’ll post excerpts from stuff I’m working on and you can comment what you want to see more of!

Buy Me A Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jdsamuels21

Jess Wolfie's Wonderful World!Writing, reading, games and life!By Jessica Samuels

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Jess Wolfie's Wonderful World!Writing, reading, games and life!By Jessica Samuels

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Published on March 08, 2025 17:28

March 3, 2025

Writing a book for Beginners Part 1

It all begins with an idea. One that you are passionate about. There is alot of work that goes in a book. There is alot of subjects to talk about too. It all begins with what if also if you are stuck then grab a writing prompt book in the genre of your choice. There are a ton of good books on it. I'm tempted to grab all my writing prompt books and pick a prompt a week. Do you think it is a good idea if so I will? I was going to use Scarlet book 2 as an example. She is one I hold dear to my heart. I love her character and I've already decided Luxor academy since I want a academy style book. The next phase is research on it. I've never written one of those so my next step is to spend time reading books in the Academy genere. That is also something you should do which is read in the genre you want to write. If you like horror then pick horror books. I was a reader before a writer. Heck there is a ton of books out there that teaches you the craft of writing. I have a shitload of books on writing fiction, YA, Reverse Harem, horror romance you name it. I'll be reading and reviewing all types on my blog, Medium, Youtube and Tiktok. I also have books on vampires, shifters, dragons and mermaids. Even witchcraft, voodoo and animal magick. I get inspired to write alot even inspired in the shower or at night. Movies, video games, tv shows, daydreams. But after the research there is outlining the first steps are having an idea and researching the shit out of it. I'll be making a separate post about the researching and outlining phase since those are important any questions just ask!

Subscribe to my Substack for all news!

Paid tiers get aweoms benefits especially for Substack, Patreon and Ko-fi special access and behind the scenes stuffs!

Website:

Patreon: https://patreon.com/jdsamuels25 paid tiers get aweoms benefits

Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/jdsamuels paid tiers get aweoms benefits

Author channel link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JessWolfie

Gaming channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwO5Why2tii4WA3yqEksclw

Buy Me A Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jdsamuels21

Jess Wolfie's Wonderful World!Writing, reading, games and life!By Jessica Samuels

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Published on March 03, 2025 11:38

March 1, 2025

All the places I've published my ebooks besides Amazon!

I know we have all heard of Amazon but I know some people are boycotting them and if you are wide there are other places you can sell your books on. Here is where I sell all mine that is not amazon!

My Discord server!

If you are on discord and have a server you can sell your ebooks on them! I have a server and I set up a shop there in case people want to buy my books! Discord is pretty cool it is a place where you can create a community and get feedback from people mine has various food, booze, games and it is where I even have voice calls and a good way to keep in touch with your community.

Ko-fi!

https://ko-fi.com/jdsamuels Ko-fi is an awesome platform where you can have people buy from your shop, you can even get donations from people, and you can even do tiers for people who become members. It is awesome and one of the ways to sell your books. If someone joins one of my membership tiers they get bonus behind the scenes and a special discord server role.

How does Ko-fi work?

Creators set up their personalized Ko-fi page and share it with their lovely fans (like you). When you visit a creator’s page, you can choose to make a donation and also leave a short message of encouragement if you like, and that’s it! The money goes directly to the creator, acknowledging their hard work and fuelling their passion to keep going.

Freedom for the creator

Creators can use Ko-fi as a simple ‘tip-jar’ to receive donations or expand it to offer loads more. They can create membership tiers with rewards, set up stream alerts, sell physical or digital products in their Ko-fi shop or even offer commissions and services. All of this from one place!

Creators keep more of their money

Ko-fi charges just 0–5% platform fees for the service (most other services take between 12% and 30%). That means more of your money goes directly to the creator.

Buymeacoffee is another! buymeacoffee.com/jdsamuels21

I use mine for my ebooks and you can get tips it is like Ko-fi.

Buy Me a Coffee is a platform that allows fans to support creators with one-time or recurring donations. It also allows creators to sell digital and physical items.

How does it work?

Content creators can set up a Buy Me a Coffee page

Fans can donate any amount they want

Creators can also sell digital or physical items through their shop

Fans can become members to support creators on a recurring basis

Benefits for creators

Creators can build a direct relationship with their fans

Creators can accept support without using multiple apps

Creators can keep most of their earnings, as Buy Me a Coffee only takes a 5% platform fee per transaction

Benefits for fans

Fans can easily support creators without adding extra tasks to their day

Fans can show their appreciation for creators’ work

Draft2Digital! It is an ebook distributor I use mine for my ebooks after my time in Kindle Unlimited it made the process easier!

Draft2Digital helps you publish books to:

Amazon

Apple Books

Barnes & Noble

Kobo (including Kobo Plus)

Smashwords Store

Tolino

OverDrive

cloudLibrary

Everand

Baker & Taylor

Hoopla

Vivlio

BorrowBox

Odilo

Palace Marketplace

Gardners

Gumroad! Gumroad is an e-commerce platform that allows creators to sell products directly to their audience. The platform was founded by Sahil Lavingia in 2011 and is based in San Francisco, California. Gumroad enables creators to sell digital products, such as e-books, music, videos, software, and physical goods.

Patreon! Patreon is the best place to build community with your biggest fans, share exclusive work, and turn your passion into a lasting creative business.

Payhip! Payhip is the easiest way to sell digital downloads and courses.

Ichio

https://itch.io/

it lets you sell ebooks and I will eventually put my books there to give it a try!

I have an Etsy shop where I sell them as well. I even put my entire novels on Medium since it is a good way to earn money. I even have a paid website where people can buy my books from there. And a paid substack where I am going to put my ebooks there a well. As you can see there is alot of places besides Amazon where you can upload ebooks for free and sell there.

In other news I plan on doing a series of blog posts on my Medium, Substack and wordpress where I take you step by step from beginning to end on how I write my novels. I figured it would be a cool way to show people the process and I also plan on putting my Medium and Substack articles as a video on Youtube I have a lot of content planned and I hope you are there with me!

Subscribe to my Substack for all news!

Website:

https://jdsamuels.gumroad.com/

Author channel link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JessWolfie

Gaming channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwO5Why2tii4WA3yqEksclw

Gumroad:

Buy Me A Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jdsamuels21

Jess Wolfie's Wonderful World!Writing, reading, games and life!By Jessica Samuels

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Published on March 01, 2025 14:31

February 26, 2025

Self-care and Life updates!

Self-care is something I’m beginning to love. I am off on Wednesdays on a new schedule my job lets me have 4 day work days as opposed to 5 and it is awesome. At first I regretted it since working 10 hour days can take a toll but now I am discovering it works for me. I love the thought of 4 work days and I chose Wednesday since it is the middle of the week and it gives me time to have extra time off for self-care. I haven’t been feeling well mentally stupid depression and life. Days like today though means I can make it a me day. I also spent the weekend cleaning and now I can use my table for once. The table used to be a catch all till we started cleaning. Cleaning is definitely a good form of self-care and reset. Hell ever since we began cleaning I have noticed I’m feeling way better mentally. I love chicken pho too since it is so good to eat definitely part of my self-care plan as well as a hot shower. Days like today are just good. I also got a cool laptop desk coming to me from the Tiktok shop I’m on my laptop a lot in bed unless I’m at work or streaming at my gaming desktop.

I plan on reviewing it for my youtube channel and tiktok as well! I love stuff that makes it comfortable to work. I love being in bed and this will help as well. I love days off since it allows me to write and game. Also, gaming is a hobby and writing. I’ve also got a slew of these fake author profiles and stupid book marketers and honestly tired of them. I’ll be releasing a new book soon and these people are just annoying. None of them get writing is a hobby and in my Wordpress I wrote about one particularly nasty book marketer who called my book cover trash and persisted to be rude until I blocked her link here: https://jessicasamuelsauthor.wordpress.com/2025/02/26/another-reason-why-authors-dont-like-book-marketers-in-their-dms/

None of the book marketers or fake authors get writing is a hobby to me. It is fun and I’ll be doing a series on my Medium, Wordpress and Substack about The Killer Contract Agency stories of getting even with shit exes, shit friends, shitty book marketers and fake authors. Hell have any fun stories tell them to me and I can write about it names will be changed though like always and it will take place in my fictional world. Self-care is something I needed especially since it was a long work week. It is also important for mental health as well especially since writing is my form of self-care. I love taking me time to unwind and use this day to do stuff I enjoy like showering and eating chicken pho hell it is one of my favorite ways to unwind. A good bowl of soup also cures hangovers. I can’t drink like I used to so I make booze days Tue, Friday and Saturday since I love to drink to relax. We also plan on working on organizing more of the apartment and I plan on reorganizing my books for videos. Wednesdays are going to be writing days so expect to see updates ever Wednesday! I also plan on streaming more soon and plan on getting guinea pig subbadges and a guinea pig and capybara channel redeems I found a cute pngtuber of a capybara and guinea pig with cute expressions too. Hell, I love streaming on Twitch as a vtuber I can even do a video on how I created a 3D one in Vroid studio. Also, when I publish my book I’ll be doing a Twitch stream and then uploading it to my Youtube channel after like usual. The rewrites for Angeline are fucking awesome and I can’t wait to release the book! I’ll even take pics after I finish the cleaning for the place we have access to our storage place so we can get the place into shape for Youtube videos! Expect to see more in the future!

Subscribe to my Substack for all news!

Website:

Author channel link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JessWolfie

Gaming channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwO5Why2tii4WA3yqEksclw

Buy Me A Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jdsamuels21

I’ll even be uploading the bed desk review to here as well and using my Amazon affiliate link if I love it!

Jess Wolfie's Wonderful World!Writing, reading, games and life!By Jessica Samuels

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Published on February 26, 2025 12:48

February 23, 2025

Struggle meals food to eat on a budget!

I did research since it looks like stuff is getting more expensive but there are a lot of ways people can make a budget friendly meal.

I fell down the rabbit hole that is tiktok and it got me thinking about what people eat when money is tight. Lately I’ve been feeling it since all my money lately is going to rent, credit card bills, Wifi and electric. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for much in the way of groceries so I started to do research on what people eat as a struggle meal. I asked people in discord, Youtube, even family and friends and this is what they said:

Rice with soy sauce and egg

I once heard someone talk about how they would eat tortillas with cake mix. like they put some in the tortilla, and microwaved it because it was all they had sometimes. That is a true struggle meal, otherwise it is oatmeal, ramen, quesadillas, and rice. Those are also "im broke" meals

Buttered tortilla, burritos, white rice with whatever I can find, ramen, pb&j

Ramen with boiled eggs and veggies

beans and rice

baloney and bread

You cook the chicken ramen, make a little bit of extra broth. eat the ramen for like lunch or whatever. Get some minute rice.. cook that with the ramen broth and get some canned chicken.

Add whatever toppings and spices you deem suitable.. for me a bit of adobo.. salt pepper onion & garlic powder. with a lil spoon of butter for good measure.

I ate ketchup sandwiches and sometimes I would put coke in my ramen

Hot dogs with eggs: Just slice the hot dogs into small pieces and cook them in some oil and after a bit crack some eggs with salt and pepper to season it let them cook and bam nice meal

You could also incorporate small pieces of onion and a side of ketchup.

Small pieces of onion goes in and cooks with the hot dogs after the hot dogs cook a lil

Chips and salsa. When I first moved away for school and money was a concern, practically lived off this "snack" meal for a hot minute (read: a week or two)

Dip bread into anything runnier than bread. Preferably soup.

I had so much soup lol. That was basically all I had for lunch and/or dinner for 2 years while I was living in a college dorm

My struggle meal is Ramen with turkey sandwich slices in it

But I can add soy sauce and boiled egg and feel fancy

I guess beans on toast with cheese on top counts

Sopa de pobre (poor mans soup in spanish)

ingredients:

1 package of lipton soup (chicken noodle preferred)

1 can of campbell's vegetable soup

1-3 eggs (depending on what you prefer)

cook the lipton soups as normal. when cooked, add in the Campbell's vegetable soup and egg (cracked, not hardboiled) to cook the egg with the soup.

The final product is soup with cooked egg whites and yolk. filling and warm.

Pork and beans with hamburger, potato boats

Chicken Alfredo butter noodles tuna cans with crackers

Casseroles, lasagnas, pasta dishes. Anything that goes a long way. Ex: I got an extra large specialty pizza for just myself at $27. But I also got 5 meals out of it, so I spent $5/per meal, essentially.

Something nutritious, with veggies, but not a lot of prep

Ramen noodles, spaghetti,

Beefaroni, hot dogs

Also Hamburger helper

Mac N cheese, and Pork n beans are some others

Gnocchi

Chicken and gravy over white rice. 4 chicken breast or whatever cuts of chicken you want. 2 cups of water salt pepper garlic Italian herbs blend. Put it in the crockpot high for 3-4 hours until chicken will shred if frozen chicken then 6 hours will thaw and cook down nicely. Shred the chicken mix 1 cup of cold water and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a cup and then add it to the chicken and let it cook for 30-45 minutes until the gravy is thick make rice according to package serve chicken and gravy over rice.

You can use this same concept with beef tips and pork if you like pork. I’m not a fan of pork but I do like beef tips.

Goulash: elbow macaroni 1 can Rotel tomato mild flavored 1 can tomato sauce 1 medium onion chopped 1 bell pepper chopped ground beef. Cook the chopped onion and peppers with the ground beef, boil the noodles, drain both when cooked and mix everything together in a large pot and salt and pepper to taste and if you have cheese it’s really good.

Hell some struggle meals below are affordable too!

Here are some ideas, drawing from common themes:

Rice and Beans:

This is a staple for a reason. It's incredibly versatile and inexpensive. You can season it in countless ways. I love rice it is good with eggs and soy sauce as well and there is a hack where you can put it in the microwave for 10 min.

Add canned tomatoes, onions, or spices for variety.

Pasta:

Buttered noodles: Simple, filling, and comforting.

Add a can of tuna or vegetables for added nutrients.

Mac and cheese (boxed or homemade): A classic comfort food.

Staple for me I love pasta.

Eggs:

Scrambled, fried, or boiled, eggs are a great source of protein.

Add them to toast, rice, or pasta.

An omelet can utilize any leftover vegetables you have.

Potatoes:

Baked potatoes: Top with whatever you have on hand (cheese, beans, vegetables).

Mashed potatoes: Another versatile and filling option.

fried potatoes, with onions.

Simple and Quick Meals:

Grilled Cheese:

A classic for a reason.

You can add other ingredients like tomato or ham if available.

Ramen Noodles:

An incredibly cheap and fast option.

Enhance it with a fried egg, frozen vegetables, or a dash of soy sauce.

Tuna Melts:

canned tuna, mixed with mayonnaise, and melted cheese on bread.

Bean and Cheese Burritos:

Canned beans, and shredded cheese, rolled in tortillas.

Tips for Budget-Friendly Cooking:

Utilize Canned Goods: Canned beans, tomatoes, and tuna are inexpensive and have a long shelf life.

Frozen Vegetables: Frozen vegetables are often cheaper than fresh and are just as nutritious.

Buy in Bulk: If possible, purchase staples like rice, pasta, and beans in bulk to save money.

Minimize Food Waste: Use leftovers creatively and store food properly to prevent spoilage.

Focus on Staple Ingredients: Rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, and eggs are all inexpensive and versatile.

I grew up on bologna and cheese, grilled cheese and tomato soup is always a classic. Even recently tried vienna sausages and don’t forget about spam. Hell, been trying to find ways to make stuff last at home too.

We even made poor mans oysters since it was a good idea using tinned oysters. We did make it in the microwave and cooked it in the bowl not the tin. Smoke oysters, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic and parmesan cheese. There are also a lot of people making videos on using food from the Dollar Tree, budget challenges and honestly think some are worth trying so I might do some Youtube videos trying it out!

What are some of your struggle meals? What did you eat when money was tight?

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Published on February 23, 2025 19:49

February 12, 2025

Misery movie Review and my thoughts while watching it!

Based on one of Stephen Kings novels this is one of my faves since it touches up on the subject of psycho fan for writing. Also love how it starts out as him going to a cabin to finish a book. Author goals. I hope one day to have fans like he does and write alot of books. My goal is to write as much as Stephen King does and more. I love Paul’s tradition of champagne and a cigar in the mountains to finish a book. Writing a book is one of the hardest things at times. And I’m not going to handwrite then type since it is a pain in the ass instead I’ll just be hand writing outlines and typing novels directly to save time! Author goals to sell alot of books like one million and to make a living is the dream for me.

One day but I am finding articles and short stories are easier then full blown noves. It would be cool to own a typewriter but they have keyboards that can mirror it. Definitely would be a dream to make money writing and paying off my debt with it. It would be kinda nice to go to a writing retreat one day and just spend time writing like a proper vacation. He gets into an accident and that is how his fan finds him and nurses him to life. I heard the book is different then the movie so I’ll be reading the book and seeing the differences. I love Kathy Bates playing Annie Wilkes. It does get pretty obvious she is a psycho the further the movie goes. Annie is the fan every writer wants minus wanting to kidnap them though. I like how she asks to read the novel. I want to do something with my blog, Medium and Website where I write short stories for it and publish it. Annie is right reading is an escape from life. I write because I love it and have a voice and a story to tell.

The movie is good though and it was fun to see her reaction to when he wanted to end the series. This is also when the movie shows Annie’s psycho side. Her reaction was kinda crazy and that is when she turns into psycho fan mode. The rest of the movie is good as the dynamic changes and she puts him through the wringer too even broke his ankles to keep him hostage. Reminds me of me and the day job at times slave to the time but I love the stabilty. It was a good movie with a good ending and shows how far some fans will go for their favorite author!

I’ll be writing more articles, short stories, and novellas. I’ll even put the series I’ve unpublished for on my Ko-fi, Patreon and Substack and paywalled for my website since I want to do more exclusive stuff.

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Published on February 12, 2025 15:49

January 1, 2025

Awesome products I brought on Amazon for my books and Streams in 2024!

Happy New Year!!!

I got a lot of cool things on Amazon some for my streams and some for my writing. I'm a streamer and author so all this stuff made my streams and books better. I even got a better mic and webcam the one I had before I was too short to have the Vtube Studio tracker track me. The mic was better then the other one since I neededded to replace it and it is good with ASMR! Heck I love getting stuff for my gaming desk and for writing.

I got this Yansanido Spiral Notebook, 3 Pcs A5 Thick Plastic Hardcover 8mm Ruled 3 Color 80 Sheets -160 Pages Journals for Study and Notes (Light Pink,Light Green,Light Blue, A5 5.7" x 8.3"-Ruled) I've purchase them twice since I love things like this for notes and even have one for writing ideas. It comes in handy having a nice notebook to write ideas in. https://amzn.to/3DAWicF

I am a remote worker I have a work at home job and having a comfortable pair of slippers is a must since I'm at my desk for writing, working,streaming and gaming long hours these even have memory foam! https://amzn.to/4j1vpyC

I also love to stay comfortable in my chair and back support is important when spending long hours sitting at a desk! I also love cats so this chair cushion was perfect for me! https://amzn.to/49Yzfo8

This is also the year I invested in a proper gaming desktop and it was well worth it too also I am a content creator with a Youtube channel and I love modding so it is important to have tons of storage for everything which is why I got: Seagate Expansion 16TB External Hard Drive HDD - USB 3.0, with Rescue Data Recovery Services (STKP16000400) well worth it and I can store a ton on it and not run out of stuff anytime soon! https://amzn.to/4gCCAvA

I have an IPAD pro 12.9 inch and one of the items I rebought was the Apple pencil it made it easier for handwriting book notes, articles for my website, Subtack and Medium and Goodnotes is an awesome app I'll definitely need to do reviews on IPAD pro apps I use as an author and content creator it was well worth every penny! https://amzn.to/3W2pDD3

My gaming chair wasn't exactly comfortable for me for my small stature so I got a better chair for my gaming set up that curves to my back. It made stuff more easier and doesn't make my back hurt after sitting for 8 hours or more!

https://amzn.to/4a3brzr

This is also the year I got my Steam deck and it was worth every penny I also invested in some cool accessories for it. One is the keyboard which is pretty neat since it means I can use it like a travel laptop and it even comes with a track pad! https://amzn.to/400zzhH

I am a klutz and like to drop stuff so I got a protective case for it as well since I didn't want to break it at all and I even got a protective cover for it so I won't ruin the screen or scratch it. Perfect combo to keep it safe on long trips.

Steam Deck/Steam Deck OLED Standing Protective Case, Thickening Silicone Accessories Protector, Soft Cover Skin Shell with 2 Pairs Thumb Grips, Full Protection for Valve Stream Deck (Blue): https://amzn.to/3PgGazL

ivoler 2-Pack Matte Screen Protector for Steam Deck 7.0''/Steam Deck OLED 7.4'', Matte Anti Glare Tempered Glass with [Alignment Frame] Anti-Scratch Full Coverage Guard for Valve Steam Deck: https://amzn.to/4iZ38sv

I even got a dock so I can hook it up to my tv and game in bed on days where I don't feel like gaming at my desktop or laptop it is well worth it! https://amzn.to/4gtFwe5

I have a planner that I use for writing down important dates and it helps me keep track of bill dates as well! JUBTIC 2024-2025 Planner, 2024-2025 Weekly and Monthly Planner, Academic Planner with Monthly Tabs, from Jul 2024 - July 2025, Stickers Included, A5(5.8"×8.5"), Hardcover,(Black) I love it! https://amzn.to/3BNWZPp

I needed a foot rest since it was more comfortable to put my feet up when working long hours at my desk so Foot Rest for Under Desk at Work - Memory Foam Office Foot Stool & Under Desk Footrest Leg Elevation Pillow for Gaming & Home Office, Supports Posture came in handy for me and I use it daily! https://amzn.to/3BVrgf5

I got a new mic for gaming, streaming and discord calls and this is more clearer and perfect for ASMR too. A good quality mic is essenential for Youtube, Twitch and discord calls! FIFINE Gaming USB Microphone for PC PS5, Condenser Mic with Quick Mute, RGB Indicator, Tripod Stand, Pop Filter, Shock Mount, Gain Control for Streaming Discord Twitch Podcasts Videos- AmpliGame. This is good for a good price and well worth it and better then the hyperx quadcast which is what I used originally! https://amzn.to/4a87p9i

And lastly is my cute light up cat ear headphones. I love these since I am a gamer and they look cool light up and they fit my asthetic. I am a cat person so I wanted a cute head set with cat ears! Kids Headphones with Light up cat Ears On Ear LED Kitty Headphones with Mic for Kids Boys Girls Children Wired Headset for School Learning Tablet (Purple) I'm tiny so it for me perfectly! https://amzn.to/3DHqOlm

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

I will do one every year since I'm always wanting to get new stuff. Since 2024 is over and 2025 is here I'll be streaming more on Twitch, publishing more books and I'll even do more Youtube videos. I'll be doing a post on my 2025 goals too!