Last weekend at the Black Diamond Writer’s Network the monthly speaker was Tisha Tolar. Tisha is a freelance writer and co-owner of Trifecta Strategies , a writing and content management company that specializes in articles, blogs, ebooks, web content, and marketing materials. She graduated from the Art Institute of Philadelphia and worked as an administrative assistant and band manager before starting her own business. She encouragesGenX other moms to work for themselves at Empowering Mom Blog . In her free time she coaches her daughter’s soccer team and is a Brownie leader. And somewhere along the way she wrote a novel, Gen X. That’s what she’s here to tell us about today.

VISION: First, let’s start with the story of Gen X. Tell us what you novel is about.

TISHA: Funny enough, this is my least favorite question for some reason. Essentially, Gen is a girl in her twenties looking to make a career managing actors. It turns out that her best friend and roommate is a pretty great standup comedian and by chance, he gets up on stage one night at a local Philadelphia club and gets discovered. This opens the door for Gen to realize her career dreams in California and also learn about the true feelings of her friend…feelings she has also harbored for quite some time. They leave on a whirlwind comedy tour but do not get very far when all h*** breaks loose, leaving Gen right back where she started from.

The novel is best described as chic-lit. I have to say though that several men (many I don’t even know personally) who don’t even read outside of the sport’s column have raved about the book. It is the kind of fast-paced story I like to read. I wanted it to be realistic to people my age because I dislike when books seem fake in dialogue and scenarios. I wanted to make a book I would love to read. I think I did well for the first time out.

VISION: Tell us the truth–are you(or a little part of you)the main character Gen X?

TISHA: This is the most popular question. The truth is there is some non-fiction in the book, reminiscent of my twenties but the majority of the book is indeed fiction. I started with one idea and as I wrote, I had no idea what was going to happen. It, in essence, wrote a lot of itself. I LOVE comedy. I have a great sense of humor and appreciate those who are witty. I guess that is why I used a comedian in my book.

There are some parts of the book that are me but it was more fun thinking about the ‘what if’s’ of my past. I wish I was brave enough to get up on stage and crack jokes. But I really did want to be behind-the-scenes in entertainment. I really did go to school for artist management. A long time ago I worked with new bands. Some of which have turned out to be major award winning stars. After some time spent in that arena, I decided it wasn’t really for me. But I did have fun while it lasted.

VISION: Have you always wanted to write a novel?

TISHA: Many people say ‘I should write a book’. But I am of the mind-set that I’ll also take action and not just talk about it. I think that is why I have been drawn so much into entrepreneurialism. I started the idea for the book when I was in college in Philly in 1993 but it wasn’t until about 10 years later, working a temp job, that I came up with the book’s title and main characters name – Genevieve Xavier, shortened to Gen X. I am a nostalgia buff for the X generation. The television shows, movies, cartoons only on Saturdays, and 80s music. I was really excited about the title and how I was able to incorporate it into a whole character.

VISION: You came up with the idea for the book in 1993, added more details in 2003…when did you start writing?

TISHA: I wrote Gen X while working a full time job after moving back to Schuylkill County. I didn’t actually write the full manuscript until 2006. I did it in 6 weeks just to see if I could. I never meant to publish it. I had been out of the entertainment industry for a while by then and there wasn’t much of a music scene in Schuylkill County where I could get a job. I do think that was a motivating factor to follow through and publish Gen X later on. It might be a way to work for myself in some capacity. I knew I wanted to be my own boss, I just didn’t know what to do about it at that point.

VSION: So what made you finally decide to take the plunge and publish Gen X?

TISHA: I had worked with one of my current business partners at a local company. After I finished writing a good bit of the manuscript, I started to let her read the first few chapters. She is an avid reader but not necessarily of that genre. She was more into mysteries and the like. I don’t actually think she ever read chic-lit until I made her. But the weird thing was, she began reading faster than I could write. She started bugging me about when new stuff would be done. It was really fun during that time. I was beginning to catch the buzz of what could be. I started researching and querying agents. I had a few bites but a lot more rejections (about 60+).

About a year later, I met our third business partner and after a few months, I sent her the completed manuscript just to see what she thought. After that – neither one of them would let me forget about the book. The first weekend we ever got together for a social visit, the girls had surprised me. They had uploaded the manuscript and had three copies of the book printed out and delivered to my house. I had no idea! But seeing my work there in print and their belief in me was just overwhelming. After that, I began in earnest to consider self-publishing.

VISION: Do you think your day job writing online content helped you when it came time to self-publish your book?

TISHA: I had done a lot with the novel before I ever became a freelance writer. However, by the time self-publishing became an idea, it really did seem like the next logical step. I had built up recognition as an online writer by then so promoting the book would be a bit easier. I considered myself a writer but I was smart not to put all my eggs in one writing basket. The novel is what it is and I adore it but the career is where I grow and make money. Interestingly, being a writer by day is the downfall of my novelist career because I spend so much time writing for work, writing for fun just isn’t that fun anymore. I do think that if…when…Gen X takes off a bit more, I’ll find some new motivation to get back to finishing the next novel.

VISION: The next novel…tell us about that. And where can we purchase Gen X?

TISHA: I have several new books started and in various stages of completion. One is the 2nd in the Gen X series. The others are completely different.

Gen X is available online at Amazon.com. I also usually have several copies on hand to sign and sell. The novel’s website is the best resource for all of the links and we also have a mailing list so I can keep people updated.

VISION: And finally, a little about your connection to Schuylkill County. Where in Schuylkill County is home? And since you’re a Brownie leader, what’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

TISHA: I was born and raised in Frackville until I left for college. In my early 20’s I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for 7 years. When I had my daughter in 2002, we decided to come back to the area with the baby since my family was still here. I imported my husband from Louisiana so we try to get back to the South as much as possible. One of my half-completed novels is based on my experiences in MS and the law office where I worked so I am looking forward to going back for more research. We currently live in Hegins and really enjoy the community. My husband loves living in Pennsylvania despite the drastic differences in culture from his home state.

As for cookies, I’d have to reprimand you for even mentioning cookies at this point! (Just kidding – we are on cookie overload.) My favorite is a tie between do-si-dos and samoas. But I have to say the new Thank You Berry Munch’s are excellent!

Cookie Time

If you’d like to learn more about the new Thank You Berry Munch cookies stop by the Girl Scout website. They can also help you trach down your closest troop so you can order a few boxes. If you’re thinking it would just be easier to just stop by the grovery store for a box of cookies check out this eye-opening video about the Girl Scout Cookie Sale.

Did you know the first cookie sale by Girl Scouts was held in Philadelphia in 1933? They were made by a local bakery and sold for 23 cents a box or 6 for $1.35. Girl Scouts now sell over 200 million boxes a year!

There is one sale I know about this weekend:

February 27 – 28
Fairlane Village Mall–Center Court
enter CourtSat., Feb. 27:  Daisy Troop 1026 will be selling cookies from 11am – 5 pm
Sun., Feb. 28:  Junior Troop 1112 will be selling  cookies from noon to 5 pm . Both troops
will be located in the center court area.

Every box sold helps support local Girl Scouts!

So which is your favorite type of Girl Scout cookies?