I have had this blog for over 3 years ( I think) but I didn’t actually start to get serious about it until this past November. I wanted to really give my dream of being an author a go.  I am also thinking about going back to school to finally get my bachelors. My kids are now  9 and 7 but like most young couples,  we had money issues and we had two babies. My goals for finding a job at that time was to find something I didn’t mind going to, that was close to the kids, that would pay me a decent wage, and that would allow me to have time off for vacations and such. That’s what I have found. I feel really lucky to have found exactly what I needed.  I do like my job and I do like most of the people I work with but it’s not what I want to do forever.

I would love it if I could make enough money on the side to cut my hours at work and be able to pick my kids up from school and have time to really give writing a go. So I challenged myself last year. I wrote a couple memoir’s with things that have happened in my life. I wrote a couple books with the kids  that we still need to illustrate. One is available for sale on Amazon but it’s not quite finished yet. It needs pictures. I’ll add the links to the other books at the end of this. So if you are reading this and would like to support me I would really appreciate it.

After I got the books up on KDP, my husband recommended that I start a twitter account to try to find a group of people. I did, and the groups I joined have been incredibly supportive.  The #writerscommunity #amwriting #bloggertribe are just a few of the super supportive groups that are available. A lot of the people have been inspiring and encouraging and wonderful. I love twitter. There are a few that follow you and then unfollow you once you follow back and that a little frustrating because that’s not really what I think the community is about. Overall, it’s been a really positive experience. If you want to follow me I’m @sambel08 , And I will follow you back.

 I started a new Facebook page at the advice I had received to a previous blog post and started to join some groups. I am currently working on growing that. I just started a pintrest and an Instagram, I an not sure how those work yet, so any advice would be appreciated and if there’s a way to follow or pin each other, drop me a link in the comments and I will!

I deleted my personal Facebook after my father passed away and I am really trying to do this without using my “warm” market as the insurance sales people refer to it… I am NOT an insurance sales person but my husband was for a few months. I honestly don’t want to use my friends and family to sell things. If I am totally honest it is because a lot of the things I have written are the tough times that I have gone through and not everyone I know, knows it. Or they might remember that time and then that’s weird too, no? I don’t know… Maybe eventually I will reactivate my Facebook but there were friends from high school that I have never heard from again and I don’t know… Plus, family that I barely talk to.  Anyway, I’ll revisit that in the future, maybe.

So far it seems to be going well. I have kept up my challenge of posting something new on the blog every day that I go to work. And I have grown my blog following from 1 to 39!  That’s amazing. (by the way, follow me please! and drop me a link to your blog and I will follow you too!) And I just hit over 1000 followers on twitter. So that’s really encouraging.

I did actually sell one book too. Of course it’s the one that still needs to be illustrated. Then the librarian at school told me it was her and I was so embarrassed for some reason. I think that I will always feel that way if someone comes up to my face and is like “Hey, I bought your book!” My initial reaction is “I’m sorry!” Weird, right? Hopefully that will change as time goes by and I gain more confidence. We’ll see…

So I will continue to blog for the rest of this year and I am hoping that it sparks an idea for my next book… I journal write on evernote everyday as well. I am already rolling a couple ideas around. I feel like I am just going to pour everything I have into it this time and really try. Before I have written things and then mailed them off and never heard from anyone and then I would get side tracked and 2 years later I would be like let me try again. This time I am going to keep trying.

So, what’s your experience? How long have you been doing this? Have you found things that work?

And if you would like to help support me, please buy a book and give me a review.. Or you can email directly at Jess@sirjstudio.com

Growing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J486XGH

Kissing all the Frogs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L1HPVX5

Working my Way through life: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K72DRZD

And my daughter unfinished book:

Growing in Color a caterpillar story: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HZQF5D7

You can also help by subscribing and liking and commenting below! There is plenty more to come and I look forward to making lots of new friends!