On Pens and Needles: March 2026 Newsletter
Happy March, Friends –
Because, in my creative life, I “major” in writing and “minor” in knitting, I call my newsletter and blog “On Pens and Needles.” In the Pens category, I’ve been busy taking marketing courses through the Atlanta Writers Club and the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). I’m getting tons of good information from those, and also from reading everything I can about effective self-publishing.
However, it’s not enough, obviously, to research best practices—you have to put them into action. Promotion requires getting out of my comfort zone: asking people to buy or review my books, or to devote space in their bookstores to them, or to host me for a reading. Creating a presence on social media. Putting myself out there, when, as a confirmed introvert, I’d rather stay in here.
I’m guided by the advice of my marketing mentors: “Don’t try to do everything.” “Find a promotional activity you enjoy, or at least can tolerate.” “Only do what your budget—of time, money, and emotional energy—permits.” And this favorite: “Keep in mind you’re not just asking, you’re offering. You’ve worked hard to make your books quality products, and you’re letting people know about something potentially of value to them.”
At the same time as I’m promoting the first book in my trilogy, Stones River, published last September, I’m preparing the second book, Soldier’s Joy, for its release next September. (It’s available for pre-order at a steep discount here: amazon.com/author/mimijo575)
As I promote the first book and plan the launch of the second, I’m planning to revise the third novel in the trilogy, Bright Canaan, toward a 2027 release date. I will clear time this summer, hopefully in a cabin in the beautiful Adirondack mountains of NY, to work on that. It’s a more solidly historical novel than the first two, so there’ll be lots of research into 1860s life in the South after the ravages of the Civil War.
I may sound overwhelmed, but I’m thrilled to be living the writing and publishing life I always longed for. As an editor, I vicariously experienced that joy through helping other writers realize their visions—though I admit to having felt some envy. Now, however belatedly, I’m producing my own books and, through choosing to self-publish, getting them to market in the most timely way.
Now, for news of Needles: I had to wait to give my two-year-old granddaughter her Christmas present—she lives in New Jersey, we live in Tennessee, and snow dumped on our holiday travel plans. Last month I finally gave her the stocking pictured above and I’m overjoyed to say it was a hit.
The path to completion of this project was strewn with the usual mistakes and re-dos. The biggest of them came when I was maybe six inches up the calf and suddenly thought, “Hey, wasn’t there supposed to be a heel somewhere?” I wasn’t about to give Mira a Christmas tube sock, so out went rows and rows and rows of painstakingly knitted dots and holly etc., yielding a tangle of red, white, green, and gray yarn to work again.
So it goes with writing . . .
I hope the coming of Spring brings you a surge of energy for whatever creative pursuit gives you the greatest fulfillment.
Mimi
P.S. Can’t thank you enough if you’ve posted a review of Stones River. Indie authors rely on reviews to get our work noticed in the ever-more-crowded marketplace. If you’ve read or listened to it, and liked it, a rating and/or comment on Amazon, Goodreads, or Audible will bring you bouquets, sparkly beverages, and songs of praise—virtual until we have the pleasure of being together!
