Recipes, Art, Fiction Writing, Author Support

RECIPES

I thought I’d include that photo above of my BEST RECIPE for Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars because, surprisingly, this childhood favorite is tied in popularity with my BEST RECIPE for Brownie/Cream Cheese Brownies on my Etsy shop this week. That’s made me rethink the idea of expanding my recipe offerings.

After spending a LOT of time in many different entrepreneurial endeavors over the years, I’ve found a few things especially appealing about Etsy:

1. I don’t have to market or post on social media, or build an email list to achieve success.

2. I don’t have to use Etsy’s paid ads to see sales in my shop. As long as my photos are compelling, my description enticing, and I’ve used well-researched SEO tactics like keywords and categories, people will find my listings.

3. If I focus on selling DIGITAL DOWNLOAD products, then I can create an item one time, and it will sell over and over again.

I think I’ll be adding more recipes going forward. 😉

ART

I’ve stepped away from my pyrography projects for the moment to spend time exploring other media. I thought I’d try pastels for portraits on heavy cardstock-type paper, thinking that I might offer these as an alternative to the bulkier wooden pieces used in my wood-burned art. Portraits on paper are easier to ship than wood pieces, and offer my clients the option to mat and frame per their personal preference.
While I do like some aspects of using pastels, there are other things I definitely do not like. I don’t like the powdery chalk residue that results when creating with pastels. So, I find myself resorting to my old, reliable, artist-grade colored pencils. I also wanted to try doing pyrography on paper. But I don’t like it. I have to be very careful with the temperature so that I don’t burn right through the surface, and it’s difficult and time-consuming to get the heat just right so that I can shade effectively. Here are some of the pieces currently in process.

: Gene Hackman

: Norse Spirit Goddess

: Childhood Sisters

FICTION WRITING

I’m currently working on several different stories and conceptualizing a handful of others.

: Isabella the Invisible and the Sumerian Sorceress

: Dark Awakening in the Demon Realm

: Angel Touched

: Queen of the Demon Realm

Isabella the Invisible and the Sumerian Sorceress – This is my primary focus at the moment. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback about this storyline, so I have put other books in my Jack Mac Paidin fantasy series on the back burner for the time being to focus on this new YA (Young Adult) series instead.
Isabella is a 16-year-old Sumerian princess in line to inherit her father’s throne when an evil sorceress casts a curse of invisibility on her. Isabella is then thrust forward in time to present-day USA, where she and her new friends strive to solve the mystery of removing the curse and returning her to ancient Sumer and her awaiting kingdom.
Dark Awakening in the Demon Realm: Book One in my Demon Realm trilogy – This is a YA spin-off series from my Jack Mac Paidin series. It takes place in the same world, so there are some familiar characters and environments. Twenty-three-year-old Celeste Hulder lived a simple life, dreaming of fame as an artist while working late shifts at a local dive bar. Then one fateful night, she is attacked in the parking lot, and her reality changes forever. Suddenly, wrenched back into her body and reborn, she is colder, harder, and more lethal than before. Thirsting for vengeance, Celeste discovers a world of vampires, demons, and power struggles. Her quest for justice and retribution leads her to Ethan Mac Paidin, a demon lord with mind-bending powers. Despite her instincts, she’s drawn to him. Rumors speak of the Bloodstone, an ancient relic said to grant power over both the living and the dead. Celeste vows to claim it before darkness consumes humanity. But Valdis, who transformed her, returns with a chilling warning: nothing in the realm of Blarjord is as it seems. A prophecy declares that Ethan must kill her to stop an even greater terror.
Angel Touched: a Jack Mac Paidin universe novella – An engaging short story further evolving the Jack Mac Paidin universe. This gripping story of hope, courage, and redemption will enthrall readers who love the series. Nathaniel Gray was a 15-year-old boy dying from cancer. Until Faith Portner, Jack Mac Paidin’s future mother, touched and unknowingly healed him. This is the story of what happened to Nathaniel after his miraculous healing.
Queen of the Demon Realm: Book Two in the Demon Realm Trilogy – Valdis, the vampire queen of Blarjord, is the great-grandmother of Jack, Ethan, and Sadie Mac Paidin. So, how is it that a human evolved to rule the darkness on the world of Dyrrheim? This highly anticipated story reveals her background.

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AUTHOR SUPPORT

Below are book covers for some of the authors I’m currently working with, either editing/co-writing/cover design/formatting/publishing, and/or promoting their work on my social media profiles and pages.