Spinning ‘Round & ‘Round
Shelley signs a copy of A Very Strange Reversal of Scales at Impression Books in March.
Photo courtesy: Tatia Kiser
Note to self: Add “plate-spinning” to résumé.
This will be a first for me because I have never been a multitasker. I have always put my whole self into a project and only moved on when I’ve finished.
But this season of Creekline House is about learning to juggle lots of projects…and smiling while I’m at it.
I am currently managing no less than five of my books—all at different stages yet all needing attention at the same time.
I’m wrapping up the last heavy marketing push for my first book, A Very Strange Reversal of Scales.
I’m launching How to Fry Chicken & Ditch the Nightlight this week.
I’m in the throes of major edits and finish work for the 2026 fall release of Lost & Found in Lantern Hollow.
I’m clearing the runway to begin writing a new middle-grade novel for spring 2027.
And, finally, I have begun working on something very special for fall 2027—a collaboration I could not be more excited about or proud of…but more on that soon.
I am definitely earning my multitasking badge. That’s for sure!
Audio-Tuned
And because printed books aren’t enough, I have begun working with my incredibly talented brother, Cooper, on Creekline House’s first audiobook!
Cooper produces Myth & Moon, a popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast where he writes and records an ongoing story/campaign. He voices his many characters with so much charm and charisma that I sit in awe. I’m even more in awe that he will be using his voice talent, as well as his producing chops, to record and produce an audiobook version of A Very Strange Reversal of Scales.
We are still in the beginning stages, but I promise to share more when we move closer to launch.
Sign o’ the times
One plate that is, thankfully, slowing down is A Very Strange Reversal of Scales. Marketing for this book culminated with my first book signing March 28 at Impression Books in Flowood, MS. The event couldn’t have gone any better. Family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances stopped in to buy and have me sign their copies of A Very Strange Reversal of Scales. Hosted by store owner, Ron Traxler and his son Brendon, the event at Impression Books ended with me selling out of all 30 copies of my book and needing two days to recoup from the excitement! Thank you to Ron and Brendon for the welcome. I felt like a superstar!
And now I’m gearing up for book signing number two! Sara Worsham at The Next Chapter Bookshop in Leland, MS (home of Kermit the Frog, for those of you who do not know) will welcome me to her store April 11, just two days after How to Fry Chicken & Ditch the Nightlight launches into the world. I can’t wait! If you’re in the Delta Saturday, please stop in!
Shelved
While juggling the excitement of book signings can be thrilling, the quiet discovery of seeing my book on a bookstore shelf is exhilarating in its own way.
I stopped in at Lemuria Books on St. Patrick’s Day to drop off a marketing packet for How to Fry Chicken & Ditch the Nightlight. Little did I know that sitting on a beautiful red shelf in the children’s section were copies of A Very Strange Reversal of Scales. Talk about finding a pot of gold! I was ecstatic!
I have to extend my thanks to Jené Barranco (herself an author) for her support of the book. She manages the children’s section of the store and recently shared my book at a local school book fair. To know that students had the opportunity to find my book at their school meant so very much to me.
But Lemuria wasn’t the only book store to stock my little book. Scott Naugle emailed me to let me know that Pass Christian Books had copies in the store! The Mississippi Gulf Coast is where I grew up, so to be represented there makes me overjoyed!
Finally, my friend and Bookstagrammer Extraordinaire Tatia Kiser (@mississippimomreads) surprised me at church this past Sunday by placing a copy of A Very Strange Reversal of Scales in The Little Free Library at Parkway Hills United Methodist Church.
A girl couldn’t ask for better people in her court.
More Live Events Planned
And I intend to keep spinning into new events, as opportunities arise. While I don’t have hard dates yet on future events, I am in talks with a Mississippi library to host an author talk, and I’m working with another Mississippi bookstore for a third signing.
I’m so grateful for every opportunity and will keep you posted on what’s to come!
The Bigger Picture
Juggling all my goings-on requires focus. So, I’m grateful when something reminds me to keep my focus not on how much I’m juggling but on the importance of why I’m juggling.
In marketing How to Fry Chicken & Ditch the Nightlight, I mailed more than a dozen Advance Reader Copies to a host of people across the state. Some were sent as thank-yous. Some were sent to expand awareness about my work.
I have already heard from several recipients, one of whom is Mississippi’s First Lady Elee Reeves. She mailed me the nicest letter (pictured below). In the letter, she wrote that “Literacy is such a huge component to the education gains we have made in Mississippi.” And she’s right.
Mississippi’s literacy journey has been touted as a miracle in the news. The state ranked 49th nationally in fourth-grade reading scores in 2013 but now ranks ninth in the nation and leads the country in overall reading improvement.
Mississippi is my home. I was born here, and I was educated here. I have stayed in this state because I believe I have a responsibility to help it be the best it can be. I want to see Mississippi make the same strides for middle-grade readers that it did for fourth graders. And if I can play even a small part in this effort, I would be so proud.
Like the First Lady, I, too, cannot wait to see what happens in my future with Creekline House. I plan to keep those plates spinning because so much good is on the horizon.
A gracious letter from Mississippi’s First Lady, Elee Reeves
