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My Nine-Year-Old Friend Was Abandoned
Hi Friends,
When my friend Stephen Jon Thompson was nine years old, his mother abandoned him and his four younger siblings (ages one to six) in a hotel in Reno, Nevada.
I met Stephen Jon Thompson in a youth group in ~1984. He lived at Carson City’s orphanage, known as The Home. I lived in the Safari Trailer Park on Tiger Drive. We instantly hit it off and have been fast friends ever since.
When Stephen began working with Memoir Mentor, Marnie, she asked to speak with me. Stephen and I’ve known each other for over forty years, and as she guided him through his revisions, she wanted to understand Stephen and our long-term friendship better.
FINDING [pie in the sky for] IMOGENE
Photo by Stephanie Hockersmith, Pie Lady Books
Friends,
When I came up with the idea for Finding Imogene several years ago, I didn’t start writing the book immediately; I was too afraid.
What if I couldn’t do the story or theme(s) justice? What if I’d been lucky with my first two award-winning novels and had only been able to write Tiger Drive and In the Doghouse because each had elements of my life in them?
A while ago, one of my brothers encouraged me to write something unfamiliar to me. I am a fiction author, after all. Authors write very good books about experiences that have nothing to do with their lives all the time. But I worried, What if I’m not one of those authors?*
As Finding Imogene‘s January 2024 release date neared, I told my partner, “The pie in the sky is for every early reader to love Finding Imogene, as in review it with four-stars-or-above love it. But I’m afraid I’ll eat a lot of humble pie instead.”
Little did I know how relevant PIE would become, because friends, I’m elated to share that the incredibly talented Stephanie Hockersmith of Pie Lady Books not only shared her Pie POV of Finding Imogene, but she loved the novel! “Captivating,” she said. Captivating! Thank you for being you, Stephanie Hockersmith! I think you and the pie are both gorgeous!
According to a write-up in Better Homes & Garden by Emily Van Schmus, it’s an honor to have your book selected. “Since she does book reviews and makes recommendations from her Instagram account, it’s important to Hockersmith to choose a book that’s as beautiful as it is meaningful. And while the cover art is normally a large part of how she chooses which books to feature, she says she’ll only promote books she actually loved.”
Friends, if you’ve ordered Finding Imogene, thank you. I know the book won’t be for everyone, but for now, the reviews are holding at four to five stars. I’m enjoying how sometimes pie in the sky can become a reality.
As always, thanks for being you!
Teri
Learn more about Finding Imogene
*It didn’t help that the publishing path for Finding Imogene hasn’t been easy. You can read more about the journey here.
If you have read Finding Imogene, please consider sharing a review on your vendor site and/or Goodreads. It can be a super simple note of what you liked about Finding Imogene or about your reading experience, such as “I couldn’t put it down.”
Available in Ebook, Hardcover, Paperback, and Large Print
Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Google | Kobo
Releasing Finding Imogene
Finding Imogene is finally here. For those of you who have ordered Finding Imogene, the ebook should be waiting for you, and print copies should be on their way (if they haven’t arrived already, thanks to early printing). I cannot wait for you to meet Frances, Imogene, Jean, Art, Griffin, and the cast. Please let me know what you think, and please consider writing a fair and honest online review (it can be brief!) once you finish on your vendor’s site or via social media. Word-of-mouth is still the best marketing.
I couldn’t have published this novel without the help of several people, so I’m recognizing the helpers today by sharing the Acknowledgments section of the novel. You can read it here.
Learn more about Finding Imogene
Until next time, thanks for being you!
Teri
What Is Doga?
Dear Friends,
Have you heard of Doga? I first learned about people doing yoga with their dogs while I was drafting my novel, In the Doghouse: A Couple’s Breakup from Their Dog’s Point of View (now available). And since the novel focuses on rescue dog, Skip, and his heart-broken human, Lucy, I decided doga was a must for Skip and Lucy’s journey from the achy-breaky-heart club to … well, I don’t want to spoil the book for you if you haven’t read it.
Continue readingA Valentine’s Day Gift for Singles and Dog Lovers
Available in e-book (Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Apple, Google Play) – if you’re not sure how to gift someone a digital copy, email me and I’ll explain: teri@tericase.com
Available in Audiobook (all vendors)
Available in hardback and paperback (Amazon, B&N, Indiebound.org, and more)
To e-Share A Valentine’s Day Card, Download the Below
Continue readingAnnouncing the 2022 Tiger Drive Scholarship Recipient
Today is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s time to announce the annual Tiger Drive Scholarship recipient, which was inspired by my novel, Tiger Drive. This is the eighth year I’ve been able to grant this pay-it-forward scholarship, and I do it with tears of happiness each time.
Continue readingA Happy Misunderstanding and the Power of Collaboration
A Happy Misunderstanding and the Power of Collaboration
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, I’m working with an agent and an editor on my third novel, Finding Imogene. We’ve exchanged multiple drafts for their feedback over the past six months, and in my humble opinion, we’ve made a great team – I love working with them and look forward to a long-term relationship. But when I submitted what I thought would be my final-final-final draft two months ago and waited for their praise, they instead responded along these lines:
Continue readingBig News and New Ways!
Dear Friends,
I’ve taken the plunge.
First things first … no, I’m not getting married. But I have made a potentially life-changing commitment to someone.
After a series of events that I can only call serendipitous, I have a literary agent to find a publishing house and home for my precious third novel, Finding Imogene.
Continue readingI’m in Jane Friedman’s Blog!!!
Wow! I’m “in” Jane Friedman’s blog. JANE FRIEDMAN!! My author friends are freaking for me right now; I can feel their energy. I’m honored that Jane Friedman posted Michelle Melton Cox’s article about building an author platform where she used me as an example. ME. Michelle, if I could hug you right now, I would.
Thank you so much, Michelle, Jane, Author Accelerator (for the chance to be a writer-in-residence for the Author Accelerator Membership Circle), and Jennie Nash, Abby Lamb Mathews, and Terri LeBlanc.
To my author friends, Michelle Melton Cox’s advice is actionable and spot on. And you can learn more about Michelle here.
And as always, thanks to my readers. Go, Tiger Drive!
TFBY
Teri