Hey, Cowgirls! Need Some Pampering?

I’m pretty excited to be joining these lovely ladies in Cheyenne, Wyoming for a night of pampering on July 23rd! I’ll be signing copies of The Real Thing, Nashville by Heart, and all of my books. I would love to meet you.

If you are attending Cheyenne Frontier Days or are just in our neck of the woods, come do some shopping and be pampered and encouraged by my friends, speaker and encourager Laura Whitmore of Beehold Cakes, Georgeann Wearin and The Squash Blossoms, as well as the amazing Susie McEntire and Keenie Word.

I hope to see you there for some cowgirl fun and pampering! If you can’t come, I’d be happy to send you a signed book sticker for your purchased copy of The Real Thing!

Gardening & Books

My garden, as imperfect as it is, is probably the best place I have to be creative. Growing a novel is a whole lot harder than growing a garden, so gardening is a break for me. Also, with a garden I get faster results! I still make mistakes, plants die, weeds sometimes take over, but I am not nearly the perfectionist in the garden as I am when writing a book. I have even written about gardeners in my books, including Kitty who grows lush gardens in Ruby Among Us and Gillian’s mom who grows beautiful flowers on her front porch in Nashville by Heart, and I admit I’m not as meticulous as those characters would have to be in order to have their results. 

Any gardeners out there? What are your best backyard gardening tips? Favorite gardening books? My favorite gardening book is Digging In, by Robert Benson. It’s more philosophical and less how-to, but I find it inspiring.

 

 

 

Wellness & Writing

From Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/133771051404655330/

Staying physically fit and healthy as a writer isn’t always easy. All that time sitting in a chair can be bad for your health, so I share my tips with Colleen Story’s readers over at her wonderful website, Writing and Wellness. Check it out:

Featured Writer on Wellness – Tina Ann Forkner

Share the interview with friends who might be interested, and let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

Be sure to bookmark Colleen’s blog, and don’t forget to get up out of your chair sometimes!

Save an Author, Read Local

Do you know who your local authors are? There is a good chance that a published author lives in your community. In my own community of Cheyenne everyone knows about C.J. Box, but Cheyenne friends, did you know there are other nationally-known (and internationally-known) authors here, as well, including Amanda Joy Cabot, Joanne Kennedy, Mary Gillgannon, and ahem, Tina Ann Forkner? And that’s not even counting the Indie authors who have cropped up in the last few years. In the name of literacy, local authors need you to know about and talk about our books.

 

We authors know without a doubt that local readers are often the most supportive, so if you know who we are, you can help spread the word. We would also love for you to read our books!

 

You can almost always find our books at online stores or order them from stores near you. And don’t forget the champion of local authors everywhere, your local library. We just want you to have access to our stories and to know we are here in your own communities.

 

Authors rarely talk publicly about the difficulties of trying to reach readers in today’s complicated publishing industry, but privately we are saddened by how few books the stores are able to carry anymore. That means you might not be hearing about our books very often, and possibly not at all.

 

Consider replacing a couple of your weekly lattes with a book by a local author that you’ve been meaning to buy, online or in-person, or purchase a book by a new-to-you author you’ve never tried before.

 

Please support your local authors by reading their books and spreading the word in your communities, and beyond.

 

#ReadLocal

 

Happy Reading!

 

Tina Ann Forkner, Author

The Real Thing Goodreads Giveaway

I’m so excited that Tule Publishing is giving away 20 copies of my novel, THE REAL THING over at Goodreads! Be sure to sign up for a chance to win a copy, and don’t forget to add it to your reading list, as well.

Enter the Giveaway: bit.ly/TheRealThingGR

Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1944925058

Happy Reading!