So now that I have published a book, I feel like I am trying to merge two identities, and things might get a little confusing. So I want to have this post explain a little bit about what is going on for any new travelers to the squeaky world of Jess and Paula.

My name is Jessica Smith. I publish under a pen name of Paula Jean Ferri. The two names are interchangeable in my mind though. While I was born as Jessica, around the age of 17, I developed a new lifelong friend, who I affectionately call Paula. Her name is a little more searchable than mine is. Besides, I probably wouldn't have had anything to write about without her, so she became the author.

Feel free to wander the blog and discover a little more about Paula's antics. I am also on Medium writing as often as I can between my three outlets (books, blog and Medium). I would LOVE to hear more about you and any questions you may have. Please send an email to Paulajeanferri@gmail.com.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least... I can't thank you enough for visiting!! I LOVE that you are here and hope to see more of you! Be sure to keep up to date on my website:

paulajeanferri.com

I'm Only Human, After All

Happy Friday Friends!

It's crazy to think that another week has gone by already! There has been a lot of things going on this week and it feels like it has just slipped away from me.

However, last night I got incredibly overwhelmed and had a bit of a breakdown. Not a terrible one, just feeling like I needed to step away from all the things and take some deep breaths. 

There are still days when I feel almost super-human and forget that I can only do one thing at a time. 

I had not only double booked myself, but had packed things around the double booking, so when I finally came home and saw a dirty kitchen that needed my attention, it got to be a bit much. Not only that, but I knew the next couple of days where I will be working a craft fair were also going to be long and busy. 

At first, I got a bit manic, trying to just get stuff out of the way trying to clean, even if some dishes weren't dry. Then my sweet husband tried to point out that I was putting wet dishes where they didn't belong, trying to slow me down off my manic moment, I had to run to another room for a moment. 

I've always had an issue dealing with overwhelm, and know I need to take things in bite size chunks, but when each item on your to do list has a voice and all 30 things are yelling at the same time to be taken care of, right now, I have to turn them off somehow so that I can look at it logically and be able to actually do the things instead of walking around in circles.

My life has become a bit much, and I have to take a moment to sit and decide what is the most important thing I want done.

Like today, I chose 3 things this morning that if nothing else gets done, I'd be ok with it. First was loading up my car, then going to work, and working the craft fair. 

Easy peasy.

But also, what 3 things can I potentially get done during work to take some more things off that list?

First, blog post. I've been doing so well at being consistent and I want to keep that going. 

Second, read over the information I received yesterday from a meeting.

Third, do some research into a grant I want to apply for, which will also help me close several tabs on my computer that have been open for too long. 

Sometimes I forget how essential planning is for me. Otherwise, I get a little too excited about all the things. Which really is a good thing and I'm grateful I have this trait.

Life really is short and I'm grateful to have so many things that get me excited about life and having so many things I want to do. I want more out of life and I'm grateful I have the desire to chase after this life as I want to live it. 

Sometimes I wish I could manically complete tasks, I do love the sense of accomplishment, but the point of completing these things is to be able to relax and enjoy things as well. 

It's a delicate balance and a lesson I keep learning over and over. 

Maybe one day I'll figure it. Maybe not.

I'm only human, after all.

Holiday Update

This week has not gone at all as expected. I have started to pursue an opportunity locally and it has taken up a lot of time, and continues to do so. I'm not at liberty to say yet, and it may or may not even happen. It will be a month's long process if it does. 

The bad news in all of this, my marketing efforts have been slowed and I have had no sales in the past week. The good news is there is a craft fair this weekend, so that won't be an issue for long. 

More good news, this opportunity has opened doors that will help me as an author, regardless of the outcome of this opportunity. it feels good to be growing as a business owner. There are a lot of details to go over and see if this opportunity is really possible, then looking at steps to take to make it a reality.

That's really all the update I can give at this point in time.

I am doing research for my next two books, one will be a children's book and the other is a full length novel. Again, there isn't much of an update I can share since we are still in the research phase, but eventually I will have a lot of great and exciting things to share with you!

Remember, if you are shopping for the holidays, you will need to place your orders sooner rather than later.

The deadline for me to order from my printer and get them in time for the holidays is November 22 for hardcover and December 6 for paperbacks. 

You can place your orders on my website at https://paulajeanferri.com/shop

Happy Halloween!

This week had a lot of unexpected happen, so I never got a costume together, but I hope you are having a wonderful holiday! Here is a photo of my husband and I back when we were dating. This was actually his idea. I'm not a huge fan of Ariel, but when he made the argument of "but I wanted to be your prince Eric(h)" I melted and caved. 

As for my writing work, I am lucky to have a brother in law who is also a writer and keeps me accountable. We have a writing session scheduled this weekend, so I'm getting an idea for my next book. 

There are actually two books in the queue that I'll be working on. One is a children's book that Erich will actually be writing, but I will be outlining. He is better with prose than I am, so he will make it sound nice once I have the general idea.

I'm also beginning to research my next novel, also a biographical fiction. I have noticed that many people have a strong dislike, even hatred for Em's mother, which honestly breaks my heart. 

Em's mother, Eulalie, is in reality quite a tragic character. I want her to have some sympathy and some grace, so her story is the next one I will be writing. 

However, it does take place during a very different time period and different part of France, though some of it might overlap into Guermantes, if I go all the way to when she meets and marries Em's father. 

I'm excited to write more of his story as well as Eulalie's. We will also have another returning character in Em's husband, Louis. As Eulalie's cousin and only one year younger, he will be a fun dynamic to write about. 

And all of this while juggling a new exciting venture that I'm not at liberty to talk about yet and leading up into the holidays. 

I certainly have my work cut out for me!

I Blinked And...

I have no idea how another week went by. This week was so crazy busy with so many ups and downs. I don't know how we got here TBH. So here are a few of the highlights:

-I did make my goal on Saturday and passed the 100 books sold mark-YAY!

-The company I work for part time is selling.

-I might buy the company (looking into logistics).

-Bookmarked Literary Arts Festival has to pay a property tax? Doing research there, too.

-There was an evacuation needed at work yesterday.

-Had a meeting with my book club where we read my book. Leading up to it was nerve-wracking, but it went really well and people enjoyed the book and asked me some awesome questions. I kind of wish I had audio recorded it and used the questions for content online.

-I have ideas for my next book starting and research happening.

I am REALLY looking forward to the weekend and not doing anything for a few hours. Until I get bored and decide to tackle some of these things, but at my leisure and as I WANT to do them rather than feeling tossed around as things ebb and flow.

Anyways, I hope you have a marvelous weekend and don't forget to read Madamn and leave a review when you finish!

Whoopsie!

Soooo I missed last week. But to be fair, the past couple of weeks have been absolute chaos. In all the best ways, of course. Last week was almost entirely preparation leading up to the Bookmarked Literary Arts Festival since I am on the board.

We had a great turnout of over 30 writers from across the state of Wyoming and a fantastic book fair. 

I jumped right back into the work week, focusing on selling more copies of Madamn while also preparing for this weekend's craft fair. Which is where I currently sit, so this will be short and sweet. 

But in case I haven't mentioned it yet, I set a goal to sell 1,000 copies of Madamn by the end of the year. It's been a bit of a slow start, but I am seeing the momentum build, especially as we get closer to the holidays.

If I meet my goal today, I will have sold 100 copies of Madamn since it launched! I currently just need 3 more copies of Madamn sold to hit that. 

If you haven't gotten your copy yet you can get it on my website, Amazon, B&N, or Bookshop!

Highlight of My Week!!

I'm a little off schedule today, there were some changes made to my schedule at work and I was off yesterday, which means I forgot to post. Good thing I still have Saturday to write in the week!

It's raining here and I'm at work, though I would much rather be curled up with a blanket and a book and some hot cocoa. 

If you need a book for a rainy Saturday, let me know, I have one I could recommend.

I'm not actually sure where this week, so I'm not sure I have anything new to report. I only sold 2 books this week, bringing my total to 48, but I am seeing some awesome reviews coming in and it makes me so happy. I think my favorite was this one I got through my Instagram:

This was from a girl in the United Kingdom who also has Tourette syndrome, so this was especially meaningful to me. It's good to know that I have not misrepresented others. It was a concern since Tourette syndrome can vary so much from person to person.

Anyway, Next week will be even better since next weekend is the Bookmarked Festival in Lander, WY and I will be there selling my books in person. With any luck we will have additional reviews pouring in as well!

Hopefully I can get a bit more accomplished this week in regards to expanding my reach and promotion. My goal is to reach out to several bookstagrammers and podcasts to schedule and plan for promotion.

I want to have as many come out sooner rather than later, but I'm also planning a re-launch  or reboot during Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month from May 15-June15. So results might not come right away on that.

However, if I am going to sell one thousand copies of my book by the end of the year, I am going to have to come up with another pathway and plan for that. If you are unable to purchase a copy of your own, please mention it to your local library. If you do have a copy of your own, please read it and leave a review. I can't tell you how incredibly helpful that is for visibility!

So until next week my friends!