important stuff

Today is a special day! Not only is it the birthday of my favorite character in the world, it is the day I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and publish the first chapter of the eleventh book in the series on Kindle Vella, The Harder They Fall! I struggled with the idea for a while, but then realized that there was no better way to get myself in gear than to just jump right in and start sharing. I realize that for those who’ve never read Rona, there will be some big spoilers in book 11, but I’m hoping it won’t deter them from going back to read the earlier books. Consider them a prequel to a new era for Rona. She’s 55 today, so why not throw caution to the wind?

It will be good to have her back! I’ll have the link for you soon. It’s being processed as we speak, so in the meantime, if you haven’t caught up on books one through ten, now would be a great time. All are available in the HGBM Shop, on Amazon, and on Audible! http://www.highergroundbooksandmedia.com/shop

P.S. – Wishing a very happy birthday to my aunts Betty & Bonnie today! Hope they have a wonderful day! Ladies like these inspire me to keep writing empowering stories like the Rona Shively Stories. Love you ladies!

I’ve been extremely busy this week and although I’m certainly starting to feel it now, I’m also very motivated by what I’ve been doing. On Monday, I started a new job as a librarian for a local elementary school. In addition to my part-time schedule at my previous job and my writing and my promotional efforts, I’m just a wee bit tired. I haven’t had time until today to put together a thought much less enter it here on the blog.

I didn’t realize just what schools were up against until I was told by my principal that I have absolutely no budget for books. My first thought was, “No budget for books? How are you supposed to run any kind of library without a book budget?” After a few moments of panic, I started to think about ways that I could get what I need for the library. People are always willing to donate things for kids, so I think the logical place to start is by asking people what they can do to help me build up the library’s collection. This would be easier, of course, if people weren’t scraping to put together what they need for their own families to get through each day. It’s a shame that our government is so focused on fighting this war and manipulating us with their political shenanigans that they can’t take care of what is needed here at home.

I always enjoyed visiting the school library when I was a kid. I spent lots of time there, so I’m hoping that I can make this library a place where kids really want to be. I think that without the library, my life would have been missing a very important component. I’m motivated by the notion that what I put into this job can make a big difference to a kid who might not realize what they would miss by not reading. Books open up doors for kids and make them realize that there is more to life than what is right in front of them. Readers become productive members of society. They get it. Some of them might even take up writing. It makes me happy to think that some years down the road, one of my kids might even be the next R.L. Stine or Beverly Cleary or even James Patterson all because they had a librarian who taught them to appreciate a good book.

The challenges I am facing in this new position are welcome challenges. As a writer, I know that I will truly enjoy having yet another ongoing opportunity to encourage children to read. I’ll keep you posted as to my progress with the new job.

Until next time…

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