Dear Fellow Writers,
This week’s episode of Jolene’s Book and Writers Talk brought me a guest unlike anyone I have had on before, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Vida Gecas spent more than 30 years serving her country as a U.S. Army veteran and then as a Supervisory Special Agent with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. She lived and worked across Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. She led a Girl Scout troop at American embassies. She is now a hospice volunteer, an animal rescue advocate, and a mentor to young people in her Southwest Florida community.
And now, she is a children’s book author.
Lucky Puppy Finds Two Families is the true story of a scruffy street dog who wandered into Vida’s life while she was posted at the U.S. Embassy in Conakry, Guinea. It is a book about dreams, about staying open to exploration, and about the families we are born into versus the ones we build along the way. It is also, quietly, a book about resilience that speaks to every Foreign Service family who has ever had to pack up and move across the world.
What This Episode Is Really About
Yes, we talked about Lucky. But this conversation is also a masterclass in what happens after you finish writing the book.
Vida chose the hybrid publishing route and was refreshingly honest about the learning curve. She discovered that children’s books require a ruthless economy of words. What she originally imagined as four books had to become one tightly focused story. Every sentence had to earn its place. She worked with illustrator Lisa Alderson under a work-for-hire agreement, which means Vida retains full copyright of the artwork. That is a detail worth knowing before you sign anything.
She also did not shy away from the business realities that catch new authors off guard. In Florida, selling physical books means collecting sales tax. That means registering with the Department of Revenue. That means quarterly filings. Nobody puts that in the writing craft books, do they?
Her solution: the Small Business Development Center. Free. Available through community colleges. Genuinely helpful. And she had not yet heard of SCORE (score.org) when we recorded, but I am adding it here because it is another strong free resource for author-entrepreneurs at any stage.
The Marketing Warning Every New Author Needs to Hear
Once your book is out, you will be approached. Repeatedly. By people promising enormous reach, massive sales, and literary fame, for a fee that would make your eyes water.
Vida was direct about it: do your research. Ask other authors. DM people in your genre. Only spend what is affordable and justifiable at your stage of the journey. The community of writers is more generous with information than you might expect. You just have to ask.
A Series Still Growing
Have a Good Trip, Lucky! is already out. In this second Dog Diplomat Adventure, Lucky travels solo from West Africa to the United States, with an unexpected layover in Paris. A third book is in development, and Vida hinted it will address the emotional complexity of relocation, pet travel, and family transitions, themes that will resonate with any family who has ever had to say goodbye to one home and hello to another.
Her Best Advice: Just Do It
I asked Vida for two things to do and two things to avoid as a new writer. Her answer was simple.
Do it. If it is in your heart, stop waiting. Join a local writers group. Apply for book awards even early. Use the process to learn more about your book and meet other authors.
Avoid the shiny promises. There are too many people happy to take your money in exchange for very little. Be skeptical, be curious, and stay close to your community of fellow writers.
That last point is exactly why this podcast exists, and exactly why I am grateful for guests like Vida.
Listen Now
You will find the full episode linked below, along with Vida’s website at laimebooks.com and her author Instagram at @vidagecasauthor. Both Lucky books are available on Amazon. Links are in the show notes.
Until next week, keep writing. The story is waiting.
Jolene MacFadden
Host, Jolene’s Book and Writers Talk
Southern Dragon Publishing Services
