The launching of a new book is always exciting! This holiday season I will be launching two new books. The first is “Counting Christmas Kittens” (launched September 5), and the second will be “Candace’s Big Audition” which is the second book int the Adventures on Apple Orchard Farm series (Scheduled to launch in October or November). These new launches will bring the Tall Girl Publishing catalog up to 10!

My husband and I have been working many vendor shows throughout the area to gain exposure and accrue sales. The positive responses from our local communities has been reasuring, as well as motivating for me to continue moving forward with this business.

Another area of positive reinforcement has been the addition of winning awards in book competitions. Recently, “Lemonade Lilli” and “Finding George” were finalists in the Next Generation Independent Author Internatonal Book Award Competition. They each received silver Finalist medals for a specific category: “Lemonade Lilli” in Middle Grade Chapter Books, and “Finding George” in Best Illustrations/Picture Book 5+.

The following books were also finalists for the Purple Dragonfly Award in the following categories: “Finding George” Best Illustrations/Picture Book, “Millie Mammoth” Social Issues, “Lemonade Lilli” Middle Grade Chapter Book, “Carl Corn” Humor and School Issues.

The future looks bright for Tall Girl Publishing, and I’m excited to ride the wave! Thanks for stopping in and supporting my journey!

“Write what you know . . . know what you write.”

The above quote, or mantra, is one of the central areas of focus for my writing. Some experts say that you should study the market and write what is popular. I disagree. For me the best advice I took was “write what you know.”

Some of my characters are family pets: George is my cat, Raj and Gary are pets of my sister and brother-in-law, and Grandma Biker is me. But the majority of the characters are created based on what I like. I like owls, squirrels, and cows. I am fascinated with the various colors of red hair people have. I love animals and all things farm-related. Above all, I am drawn to the hard truth of the matter . . . no matter what it is.

I write for kids, and kids always want to know the truth. The truth is sometimes painful and kids need to go through a series of painful failures in order to experience the truth. I realize this is also true for adults, but adults should already have gone through enough experiences to know how to manage the process in a healthy way. Kids are in a rapid state of learning and growing. The majority of what they experience is for the first time.

I also write about new experiences that don’t involve pain or trauma. Think about how excited you were when certain cousins came over, or when an adult invited you to join them in an activity like riding along in the tractor. These kinds of experiences are valuable, too. In The Adventures with Grandma Biker series, most of Percy’s experiences are just that . . . new experiences that his grandmother shares with him. She provides Percy with opportunities to go to new places, develop new skills and habits, and meet new people. Ultimately, she is a key player in helping him develop into a kind and hard-working member of society.

The first two books, “STATE PARK” and “MEMORIAL DAY PARADE” will both be releasing this month. The series is primarily for the reading levels of kids in second, third, and fourth grades. Below are the book blurbs:

“STATE PARK”

Every kid loves an adventure . . .

 . . . especially if they have an adventurous grandma who rides a motorcycle!

Percy, an inquisitive, redheaded fourth grader, loves to discover new things with Grandma Biker. He never knows what she has in store for him, and this adventure is no exception!

A surprise camping trip to a state park turns into an exciting start to Percy’s summer vacation.

Join Percy, Grandma Biker, and her dog, Sprocket, as they meet new friends, experience new adventures–all while practicing their civic responsibility and patriotism.

“MEMORIAL DAY PARADE”

Every kid loves an adventure . . . 

 . . . especially if they have an adventurous grandma who rides a motorcycle!

Percy, an inquisitive, redheaded fourth grader, loves to discover and experience new things with Grandma Biker. He never knows what she has in store for him, and this adventure is no exception!

The meaning of Memorial Day is revealed to Percy as he spends an unforgettable day with his favorite grandmother. Unexpectedly, he also learns more about his grandfather.

Join Percy, Grandma Biker, and her dog, Sprocket, as they travel to a small town and experience their Memorial Day activities.

Feel free to share information about this series with anyone you know who works with kids of this age. I appreciate you!

-Joan Enockson

As I sit in my office on a Saturday morning, it’s snowing, and I am having one of many cups of coffee:)

One of my goals, in 2023, was to frontload the year with writing, editing, and setting up the small mountain of publishing details necessary to launch a book. In this case it’s three books. The focus right now is preparing for a rapid-release launch of the first two books in the Adventures with Grandma Biker series. Both books are scheduled to launch in May. This series will be a collection of early reader chapter books targeted for ages 9-11. This, of course, could vary depending on a child’s reading level.

In February, I had the priviledge of presenting to Luverne Elementary, in Luverne, MN. What an absolutely fun day that was! The staff and community were very welcoming and the students were amazing! I would love to present to schools more often . . . maybe in retirement?

The Spring vendor season has also began with a two-day event in Mason City, IA. My husband and I enjoyed getting out to a new area and meeting some great people along the way. In a neighboring town, Clear Lake, IA, we met Ralphene, owner of Ralphene’s home and gift store. She is now stocking Tall Girl Publishing books and puzzles in her store! Yes, puzzles! I am now working with a wooden puzzle making company, Bugga Doo Puzzles, from Pocahontas, IA. The goal is to create the characters from the Adventures on Apple Orchard Farm series. So far, three characters have been created: George, Orville, and Simon.

As I look forward to Spring, gardening, and motorcycle weather, I am trying to keep my head down and focus on doing the work required to meet my goals. This is difficult for me because it is in my nature to procrastinate. However, there are too many moving pieces, with reliances on others, for me to give in to that selfish habit. It’s time for another cup of coffee and get back to work.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

What a year 2022 has been!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this great adventure called Tall Girl Publishing. 2022 was more productive than I expected, and I learned SO MUCH!

If I knew what my start-up costs were going to look like I probably would have panicked a bit more, but I just kept my head down and concentrated on the work. My goal was to break even, and I believe I ended up pretty close to it.

It wasn’t until the middle of December that I started thinking about my 2023 goals, but before I could really do that, I needed to reflect on what was accomplished in 2022.

2022 Accomplishments:

• Wrote 5 books
• Published 7 books – The Snail That Wanted To Hop!, El caracol que queria saltar!, Lemonade Lilli, Limonada Lilli, Millie Mammoth, Finding George, and Carl Corn Have You Heard?
• Built a website
• Learned to expand my social media
• Hired two illustrators
• Consistently published quality monthly Author Group Newsletters
• Purchased a mountain of start-up supplies
• Visited over 40 Public Libraries to let them know I exist
• Presented as a guest author at 5 Public Libraries
• Participated as a vendor for 6 vendor shows
• Participated as a guest author for 2 local business’ Holiday Open Houses

I’m sure there are more accomplishments, but those were the big ones.

I’ll save the 2023 goals until later, but for now, thanks again for being a part of this journey with me.

Here’s me raising a glass to all of you. Enjoy celebrating with those you care about most.

Sincerely,

Tall Girl

Eyeball Deep in Vendor Shows and Guest Author Events, Oh My!

I am very excited to see my Event Calendar filled with vendor shows and guest author events.  Please select the 'Event' tab in the menu bar to see the long list of events scheduled.  This is what I had hopped and wished for! (I also see myself filling up my calendar with these types of events when I retire.....not for a few years)

The primary purpose for doing these events is to let people and businesses know that Tall Girl Publishing exists.  It is up to me to market my brand. The great thing about it is that I absolutely love it!  It's like a grown-up version of 'Show & Tell'.

What is the best thing you can do to help?  Well, there are two things:  tell everyone you know, and leave a review on Amazon if you purchase a book.  The way to leave a review is after you have made a purchase, pull up your order via your account, and select the product to leave a review.  This way it will be considered a 'verified review' and carries more weight in Amazon's promotion algorithm.

On October 31, 2022, my next book, FINDING GEORGE, will launch.  It is currently available for pre-order now (on Amazon).  I am so excited for this publication of Book One in the series Adventures On Apple Orchard Farm.  The goal is to publish one book a year in this series.  CANDACE'S BIG AUDITION will launch in the Fall of 2023.

A second series I'm working on is called Adventures With Grandma Biker. MEMORIAL DAY PARADE, which is Book One in that series, is scheduled to launch by May 1, 2023.

While the series' are developing I plan to continue to write and publish individual stories for young children 0-8.  Thank you for touching base with my journey, and I hope you continue to to be a fan of Tall Girl Publishing.