Tiffany Sunday

Author | Poet | TEDx Presenter

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My Favorite Bookshops

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Bookstores and libraries are my favorite places, or my son would say my obsession. I can spend hours wandering around, following my curiosity to my next book. Books changed my life. I became an author for my love of writing and passion for books and reading.

In bookshops, my creativity feasts on book-related merchandise, handcrafted journals, and books! Bookstores are important. They are a lifeline to learning about new books and finding unique writing materials. In addition to my book obsession, I also have a strong tendency to purchase journals during my travels. Earlier this year, I thought of driving around the country, visiting libraries and bookstores, and then sharing my experiences with readers. I have added this idea to my 2023 to-do list.

The first part of the list is my favorite bookstores I have visited and purchased books. The second part of the list is my favorite bookstores that I follow on Instagram.    

London, UK

Hatchards on Piccadilly 

In 2018, when I was speaking at a conference in the U.K., I had an opportunity to visit Hatchards. The whole experience was overwhelming as I roamed around, scanning the books. Deciding which books to purchase was a difficult task. While we were in London, I made multiple trips. The sensation of being in the store, thinking of the authors who had held their book signings while gazing at the brilliant book collections, was inspiring. The store ooze of literature intelligence. I thought of all the stories, historical tales, and poems waiting to be discovered and read.

East Sandwich, MA, USA

Titcomb’s Book Shop

Last year, my son and I drove to the East Coast, and I discovered Titcomb’s Book Shop in East Sandwich, MA, which reminded me of Hatchards. We were on a tight travel schedule, and I had only twenty minutes to shop. Titcomb’s is one of the coolest bookshops I’ve visited. The books, merchandise, calendars, vintage books, and everything I saw instantly charged my creative batteries. I could have spent a day in the store, which is an excellent reason to plan a return trip! If you are visiting Cape Cod, be sure to stop by Titcomb’s.

Carmel, California, USA

Pilgrims Way Community Bookstore and Secret Garden

On my first visit to Pilgrims Way, I purchased a book that would change my life. At the time, I didn’t know that the road I was traveling would shift course. The store has a curated collection of books for the mind, heart, and soul, plus best-selling authors. Each time I visited the bookstore, I discovered a book that would leave a lasting impact on my life. Unfortunately, this is the last bookstore in the Carmel area. 

Dallas, Texas, USA

Half Price Books

About three times a month, I visit the Flagship Half Price Book stores, I’ve had three book signing events at this location, and the staff is always friendly and helpful. Management is supportive of local authors, even though the store is focused on selling used books. When researching a book, I always go to Half Price because I can always find unique books that are out of print or no longer available. HPB is like a second home, as I can spend an hour or more in the store. 

Austin, Texas, USA

 Book People

In 2014, I had my first book signing event at Book People. The thrill of having my book on the shelf and people listening to what I had to say was exhilarating. The store is two stories filled with a fantastic collection of books. 

Instagram Favorites 

These are the bookshops I follow on Instagram that I love based on their posts and websites. 

Paris, France 

Shakespeare & Company 

Where do you begin to write about Shakespeare & Company Bookstore in Paris? The original bookstore was founded by Silvia Beach in 1919. In April 1964, George Whitman renamed the bookstore he had started in Paris after Beach. Both Beach and Whitman were Americans and committed their lives to books, authors, and the printed word. 

Paris, France

Librairie Le Divan 

Following bookstores in Europe feels refreshing as the topics and stories are different. I also follow The American Library in Paris. I do not speak French. However, listening to author interviews, I think I’m in Europe, for a moment, on another adventure. 

Mystic, Connecticut, USA

Bank Square Books

I started following Bank Square Books after our trip to the East Coast. Unfortunately, the store was closed when I arrived, but I was able to window shop!

Belgrade Lakes, ME, USA

Oliver & Friends Bookshop

I love the story of how Oliver & Friends was founded. Most authors, at least the ones I know, dream of owning a bookstore. I know I do. Renee launched her business during the pandemic, and I admire her determination to succeed. 

Please take a few moments to purchase from an independent bookstore. Indie Bound is a great place to start. 

Mystic, Ct. and The Writing of Book Seven

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Mystic, CT December 2021

In September, I decided not to republish Proper Grey Areas. It was my second poetry collection released in 2020. After reviewing the book and discussing the next steps with Lynne Knight, my new editor, I let the book go. Proper Grey Areas has been removed from the market. I have learned that better things will arrive when we are willing to trust our gut and let go.

So, the new thing is a new book that focuses on flash fiction and short stories. The book may include a novelette. Since August, I’ve had several epiphanies related to my writing. I also discovered a hidden interest in writing flash fiction and short stories. This leads us to Mystic, Ct.

Why Mystic, Ct. It’s more than 1600 miles away. Why does my writer’s soul seek to be there? I have no clue. I know that four years ago, starting in September, my soul longed to visit Mystic, Ct, and Cape Cod. Each year, the feeling intensified. I could not understand why. My soul’s longing to walk around the village and write was intense. So, last Christmas (2021), my son and I made the trip. When we arrived in Plymouth, MA, my soul felt at home. I wrote about the experience in my January in my post 2021 Holiday Road Trip to New England.

In September, I shifted my focus to completing my seventh book, which may include several poems from Proper Grey Areas. One Sunday afternoon, I started writing a story about a young woman who made unexpected decision to quit her job and move halfway across the country to Mystic. In the story, she closes her eyes and places her finger on a map of the U.S., and under her finger is Mystic Sea Museum. This is how she determined where she was going. The story is set in the 1990s.

At first, I thought the story would be about the character (Nicole) finding herself by channelling Thoreau (Walden and Cape Cod). Last year, while walking on the Cape Cod beaches, I felt a tiny spark of transformative energy, and thought to myself – am I willing to accept the opportunity to change course? The tall cliffs lining the beaches were intimidating as they stand tall against the mighty and unforgiving Atlantic Ocean. Gazing across the ocean, I thought of Mystic, the community, river and bridge and the area felt like a protective womb for healing and rebirth.

Instead, as I have worked on the story, it shifted with Nicole becoming part of a fishing family in Mystic, Ct. The family is healing from the unthinkable loss of losing a key family member at sea. The men are fishermen who fish for lobster and Black Sea Bass in Long Island Sound. This shift has surprised me. However, my intuition nudges me to follow the story and its characters, so I continue write and conduct research.

As a result, I’ve been making phone calls to Mystic seeking information about the area and the fishing business during the 1990s. As an author, my goal is avoid writing mistakes about the fishing industry and community. I’m reading everything I can find about the area, history, and fishing industry. As the character and story change, my research shifts as well. Nicole is discovering an interest in Maritime history which has been added to my research list.

The seventh book also has two other stories that may interlink with the Mystic Ct. story. I am continuing the dystopian story, The Girl and Librarian from Insatiable Consumption of Being, which is about a world without color, creativity, or imagination. The story is also set in Mystic, Ct., the only place that has not been changed after the Event.

For now, my writer’s soul is hyper-focused on the Mystic, Ct, and the characters as they make their way through life. The story has been in my subconscious as I feel a strong internal pull to be near the ocean. To walk, like Thoreau, along miles of open beaches with the sea challenging my thoughts.

Rarely do I ask for “Cups of Coffee,” or donation tips for my writings. My focus and passion is telling stories and writing book. However, 2022 has been an interesting year, and due to family matters, I’ve lost six months of work. Therefore, in September, I launched a crowdfunding campaign to help offset the book costs of moving to a new distributor and to support the writing of this book. Please share the link if you know anyone who loves helping indie authors.

Thank you for your continued support.

As always – stay creative and keep reading,

Tiffany

Outside the Box – The Life of An Artist and Creative

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In the box, people are protected by the box. Artistic, creative, visionary thinkers are, by nature, outside the box. I was placed in a box with the lid shut as a child. When I became an adult, the box was placed in the recycle bin and never seen again.

Inside the box is void of light, curiosity, imagination, and expanding thought. The box is designed for limitations. Individuals who reside inside the protected corrugated fibers find it difficult to understand an artist’s desire to go beyond and test ideas daily while fully exposing themselves to others and their ridicule.

Being outside the box has greater demands on artists as there is always the internal duality of developing their artistic vision or conceding just a little by stepping back into the edge of the fold. For a split moment, we long to be considered members of the herd. Then, overnight, the confinement suffocates and drains our energy, triggering our departure and return to the artistry wilderness.

Tilton House Press Crowdfunding Campaign

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Hello Readers,

As I wrote in my previous blog posts, I’ve had to republish To Be Human – Always and Insatiable Consumption of Being.

With inflation and the shortage of book paper, the production cost of publishing has increased. Since we moved from a print-on-demand to a traditional style of publishing, each of the new titles had a print run of 100 copies.

Therefore, to assist with the change’s setup costs and support the publisher of my books, Tilton House Press – which I launched in 2018 to gain complete creative and publishing control over my books, we (my team and I) have launched a crowdfunding campaign.

As a micro business owner, I have a talented team of editors and book designers. I am proud of the work we do and our small team.

Please share our crowdfunding campaign with family and friends who love supporting book authors and small independent book publishers.

Any support is greatly appreciated! All donors receive VIP status and receive new book discounts and future swag.

As always, keep reading,

Tiffany

New Book Release – Insatiable Consumption of Being Second Edition

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Hello Readers,

I’m excited to share the release of the second edition of Insatiable Consumption of Being. As I wrote in my previous post, the decision to switch to a new distributor and book printer resulted in creating second editions of Insatiable Consumption of Being and To Be Human – Always.

Working with Lynne Knight during the edits and creation of new work for this book was amazing. I gained so much as a writer, and discovered a talent for flash fiction and short stories. The transformation that occurred during the editing process is profound.

This edition includes new poems, edits to the existing poetry, and new flash fiction stories. A few poems from the original publication were not included in the second edition. For the first time, I wrote a couple of poems about being dyslexic.

The book is available from our new distributor Itasca and will be available soon at Barnes & Noble and independent bookshops.

A Silver Lining Leads to a New Beginning 

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Several years ago, a stranger offered advice as we waited for our haircuts. We were talking about life and the problems we were encountering. Then, as his name was called, he turned to me and said, “I discovered there is always a silver lining. The fun is finding it.” To this day, I can recall the memory and his advice.  

For me, 2022 has been an interesting and challenging year, both professionally and personally. So in April, I started encountering problems with my book distributor, which only compounded my stress. The company stopped paying royalties, books disappeared, and readers didn’t receive their orders. 

After weeks of researching a solution, I realized the only way to solve the problem was to change distributors and republish all my poetry collections. All reviews and work I had done would disappear. However, I knew continuing with the distributor would only make matters worse.  

The advice I received so long ago kept looping in my mind, telling me to search for the silver lining. Finally, weeks passed, and I knew I had to take a chance and change distributors. The best part of this transition was being introduced to a brilliant new editor and book designer. Little did I know, she would be my silver lining. Thinking back, I never thought I would say, “I am glad” the previous distributor created so much stress and then failed to correct the problem, but I am. Because if I had not made the change, I would not have met my new editor. 

Taking risks isn’t easy because we are unsure of the future, the unknown. Listening to the advice I received, I searched for the silver lining. I glazed across the ocean of possibilities and imagined a better path. So often, we become caught up and trapped by the drama of the problem that we miss the silver lining. 

Even as a writer, I struggle to think of the words or phrases that could describe the transformation that occurred working with my new editor – she has helped me become a better writer and is now an invaluable part of my writing process. 

I am excited about the new editions: To Be Human – Always and Insatiable Consumption of Being. The books also honor my editor’s artistic skills as a book designer. 

Both books include new content, design, and editing. In addition, new flash fiction stories were added to Insatiable Consumption of Being. 

The first editions of my poetry books have been removed from the market, and Proper Grey Areas will not be re-released as a second edition. So instead, I am writing a new book focusing on fiction and dystopian short stories. 

To Be Human – Always Second Edition is available now from Itasca and will soon be available at independent bookstores and Barnes and Noble. 

May you always find a silver lining, 

Tiffany