A Fortune Cookie Attitude

Missy Tippens

How many of you get a kick out of fortune cookies? I want to share with you a recent fortune I got in a cookie at one of my favorite restaurants…

In case you can’t read it, it says: Your abilities will shortly bring you to fame.

Ha! I took a photo so I could kiddingly send it to my kids. My husband and the kids and I had a good laugh about it, and then the thought faded as newer photos overtook it in my phone.
Then last week I attended the Novelists Inc. (NINC) conference in gorgeous St. Petersburg, Florida.
Photo I took from my balcony at the Tradewinds Resort. See how the clouds mimic the palm trees!
As I attended workshops taught by successful authors and publishing gurus and chatted with other professional writers, I noticed a spirit of confidence, of can-do. Of course, success requires loads of work. It’s not like confidence alone will create it. But when I’m around successful people I notice a sense of excitement, of expectation, of determination, and the gumption to try new things. These same people also have a willingness to share their knowledge and are happy to help. As we had meals together or chatted outside workshops, they generously (and patiently) answered my questions about publishing and promotion. And let me tell you, some of my questions were embarrassingly basic.
As I was on the way home, reading Newsletter Ninja by Tammi Labrecque, about building and maintaining a newsletter list, it hit me that I’ve had the wrong attitude about many things having to do with promotion and reaching out to readers. I’ve always felt my readers considered it a blessing that I only email them quarterly or that I don't post on my Facebook author page multiple times a day. However, I’m discovering through these other authors that their newsletter readers and social media followers love to hear from them.
What an attitude shift that is from my old one!


Excitement is contagious. If I’m excited about my books (which I am!), and I share that excitement (which I sometimes feel sheepish about doing), then my readers will be excited to hear from me.

Sounds a little like a math problem!




I have many new goals after attending the NINC conference. It’ll take a bit of time to get organized and figure out how to do it. But mainly, it hit me that I should have an attitude that goes along with my fortune from that cookie. I thought I’d share a few tips for how I plan to adjust.
1.  Watch successful people. Make note of their attitudes and try to mimic their work ethic and confidence.2.  Let go of negative self-talk. Or maybe I should state that more strongly: Recognize and destroy negative self-talk.3.  Allow yourself to be excited about changes you’re going to make. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Failure will just teach you what works and what doesn’t. (It won’t end the world!)4.  Surround yourself with supportive people (like us here at Seekerville), people who will pray for you and help you along the way.5.  Come up with a plan. (And of course, pray for direction as you plan.) You can have the world’s best attitude and loads of excitement, but that has to translate into ACTION.
Now, I’m off to work as if I have fame in my future! :)
I hope you’ll try that as well. In fact, I’ll share my fortune cookie with you: YOUR abilities will shortly bring YOU to fame!
Think like it.
Act like it.
And watch your business grow.
I have a new novella coming soon!!  His Perfect Christmas . I’m in the middle of the formatting and uploading now (learning more about choosing keywords and categories!).
One of my other goals post-conference is to sign up and learn how to deliver books on BookFunnel. So today, I’ll be giving away two copies of my novella, His Perfect Christmas, to two commenters (please let me know you'd like to be entered)--to be delivered as soon as I get my account working. :)

So let's talk about our attitudes! Is there anything you need to change to put on your fortune cookie attitude?


His Perfect Christmas
Unlucky in love, police deputy Hardy Greenway has spent his life in the friend zone. But now he’s fallen hard for the girlfriend of his nemesis. Dori Blanchette has been waiting for a proposal from her boyfriend, but how can she say yes when she has feelings for Hardy? With Christmas tree ornaments playing spontaneously and secrets being revealed, there’s no telling who will end up together at Christmas!


Also! Don't forget to check out my true story about adopting my dog in this recent release! Second Chance Dogs. My story is titled "It Started with a Guinea Pig."













After more than 10 years of pursuing her dream of publication, Missy Tippens, a pastor’s wife and mom of three from near Atlanta, Georgia, made her first sale to Harlequin Love Inspired in 2007. Her books have since been nominated for the Booksellers Best, Holt Medallion, ACFW Carol Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Maggie Award, Beacon Contest, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, and the Romance Writers of America RITA® Award. Visit Missy at  www.missytippens.com , https://twitter.com/MissyTippensand  http://www.facebook.com/missy.tippens.readers .