ANOTHER NEW WORD SEARCH STYLE!

I just came up with another NEW type of word search.  Testing has gone well, but it's still in development.  It's something new, something different and I hope a lot more challenging!  

Thanks for looking in.  Till next time!

-- Teri

IT'S HERE!! AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!

So excited!!  It's an amazing thing to see your hard word turned into an ACTUAL BOOK!  It turned out exactly as I had it planned too.  That really eases the mind.  Since it's my first content book, I had no idea if my printed version would resemble the actual book, but it does!  YAY!!

Please check it out on Amazon:  Tall Tales Word Search

Now that the waiting is over, it's all about marketing.  I'll soon start my next one with all the ideas I have running through my head.  Hope you like this one though. 😁

That's it for now.  My brain is exhausted.  Till next time!

-- Teri

Waiting for THE BOOK to arrive...

Was able to order author copies, but they won't arrive for a couple weeks. 😫  So, I placed a regular order and they'll arrive tomorrow!  Wooohoooo!  I cannot wait to share the new book with you.  I'll record the big reveal!  LOL

Really anxious to start on the next book, but marketing is really important now.  Love writing the stories.  They're so much fun.  But, it is what it is.  Marketing first!

In the meantime, I'm thinking about getting a pet stroller.  No, I'm not THAT kind of cat mom... he wouldn't let me dress him up even if I tried... but, he needs to get out as much as I do.  Should be interesting.  HA!

Till next time!

-- Teri

IT'S A BOOK!!

My book is finally A BOOK!  Happily, it didn't take as long as I thought it would to publish.  It's available on Amazon HERE.

Now, massive marketing to get honest reviews.  Seriously, Amazon knows when reviews are bought or submitted by friends and family.  So, I search for real reviews, that are honest and forthcoming.  Honest reviews help readers find the right book.  What more can I say?

I'll get my copies on Monday.  CAN'T WAIT!!!  To finally see something come to fruition is so exciting.  

I'll keep ya posted!  Till next time...

-- Teri

SUBMITTED!! Now, wait...

The book has been officially submitted to Amazon.  Once they approve, it becomes a real life book!

Sitting on pins and needles.  Sit and wait...

Till next time!

-- Teri

Changes Means More Editing

Last minute changes means more editing.  And I made A LOT of changes.  Why do I do this to myself??  Oh well.  It is what it is.  So, one more editing session tomorrow and I still have to format the cover.  It should be ready to go to Amazon by Tuesday.  🤞🤞🤞

Till next time...c'ya!

-- Teri

Down To The Wire

Working on final corrections and changes now, then formatting the cover and pages for placement.

Target submission date is Tuesday, the 17th.  WHEW!  This is getting scary!  Low content books are one thing, but this is a totally different kind of scary.  Time to make it happen.

Till next time...C'ya!

-- Teri

Final Editing!

We'll be going through the final editing on Thursday.  After that, the only thing left will be formatting the cover, then off to Amazon for approval and publishing!  Can't believe I'm actually seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  LOL

'Til next time...

-- Teri

Making Progress!

The second part of the book is coming along nicely!  If it continues, and it should, I may be able to publish a week or two earlier than anticipated. 🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️

Updated the website with the 3 books already available on Amazon.  Basically, they were test books to get my feet wet.  LOL  Still, they were published!  Two are for jotting down image ideas and notes and the other is a 13 Hour Day Planner.  Check them out!

That's it for today.  C'ya!

-- Teri

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! 🌷 🌺 🌸

The Happiest of Mother's Days to all of the wonderful moms out there!  Hope you're having a fantastic day celebrating with your loved ones! 💖💖💖

TTFN!

-- Teri

Editing Went Well!

My sister and I managed to get through the first half of the book.  Took 3-4 hours and, I'm happy to say, revealed that only minor corrections are needed and only one letter grid error needs fixing.  

Still have to format the second half and will have to go through this process again.  Hoping to move up the publish date by a week or so.  Really getting excited!!

🌸 🌷 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND!! 🌷 🌺

-- Teri

Big Editing Day

Finally reached a point where we'll be editing half of the book.  My sister and I will first have lunch then get to work, so it'll be a semi-fun day.  LOL

Still have to format the second half, so we'll be going through the editing process again.  SIGH.  iiwii. (it is what it is)

Happy FriYAY! 😍 Have a fantabulous weekend!

-- Teri

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

✨ Happy May 5th to all who celebrate!  ENJOY!! ✨

Not much else going on at the moment...other than...editing. 😩 🤪

Have a great weekend!!

-- Teri

Marketing. UGH.

I think the most difficult part of this entire book process is getting the word out.  Marketing isn't a strong area for me.  IMHO, aside from the book itself, marketing is the most critical aspect of the book.  If no one knows about it, who'll buy it?  Right??

Anyways, just needed to vent a little.  Plugging ever onward...

Oh, finished the final story.  Forty stories.  Now massive editing.  Still targeting the end of May for my book submission.

-- Teri

The Steps for Creating the Book

One more story and the writing part will be finished.  Then comes editing. 😝  I will probably have to hire a professional editor after my sister and I go through it.  I mean, what do I know about publishing a book??  Zero.  Anyways, what I've learned so far has made it a fun and enlightening journey.

There are several steps to get to this point:

Step 1.  Write the story

Step 2.  Choose the puzzle words (keep a spreadsheet of words to avoid duplicates)

Step 3.  Create the puzzle & solution

Step 4.  Format the story, letter grid and solution pages

Step 5.  Create a few hidden messages (that's another whole process)

Step 6.  Create a separate message (and another whole process)

Step 7.  Create any other pages (title page, copyright page, contents, etc.)

Step 8.  Come up with a book name and create an eye-catching cover

Step 9.  Edit, edit, edit (corrections have to be made in 5 different places)

Step 10.  Submit for publication (hopefully it will be accepted on the first try).  

I think that's everything.  I use CorelDraw 2021 for creating the pages.

This book will have 40 mini stories, about 800 puzzle words, 9 hidden messages and one separate message... a total of 100 pages.  It's VERY DIFFERENT than any other word search book you've seen.  I started it at the end of February/early March and hope to submit it for publishing by the end of May.  🤞  To be notified when it's published, please join my email list... Rusty Bay Publications Email Opt-In

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

That's it for now, till next time.  CYA!

-- Teri

How It Started

A really nice care package was delivered to me a few days before Valentine's Day.  Among the thoughtful items was a Bible Word Search book.  It sat on my dining room table for a couple weeks before I flipped through it.  This particular puzzle book contained passages from the Bible with several of the words highlighted in the passage as the words hidden in the letter grid.

I jumped on the Internet.  After researching A LOT of puzzle books, I found that a few of the Bible based word search books were formatted like the one I had with a passage and words pulled from it for the puzzle, but NONE of the other books were like it.  ALL of the other word search books were the same:  letter grid with a list of words below or on the side.  Some had images of the the puzzle's subject, some had hidden messages and some were more artistic with a colorable background image...but, the grids and lists were still the same.

A light bulb appeared over my head (really!).  That's when I decided to give it a try.  I had no idea what I was doing or how I'd accomplish it, but I figured it out and just started writing short, mini stories.  It's a lot of fun writing nonsensical stories.

I'm at about the 95%-finished-with-the-stories stage, but still have a great deal of editing.  Hope to be finished about the third week of May for an early June publication.  I'll keep you posted!

FINGERS CROSSED!!

First Blog!

Brand new to blogging, this is my first, so please bear with me.  

Launching this blog to introduce my upcoming puzzle book, Tall Tales Word Search™.  Mini stories contain the hidden words in the letter grid.  A very different type of word search book.  Targeted for publication early June 2022.  More to come as I get used to this!  LOL