Like all of you, I am many different things.
I've homeschooled three of my kids all the way through and am still teaching my high schoolers.
I am the author of The Tater Tot Casserole Cookbook and also The Mother of All Writing Market Books: 600 Homes for Your Family, Parenting, and Women's Articles, Essays, and More. I grew up loving writing and have written for over 180 regional parenting magazines since 2009.
Check out my main blog at TheKerrieShow, then click over to The Published Parent, where I write about the life of a work-at-home writer mom. I also blog at Homeschooling Mommybot and attempt to cook and bake at Kerrie the Kitchen Queen.Below is a Q&A you can use on your own site if you'd like to help promote my books and blogs, and I'm also available for interviews and podcasts! You can email me at TheKerrieShow@gmail.com.
How long have you had your business?
Since late in 2009, when I was pregnant with my 5th child (Samuel, who now keeps me hopping with his love of all sports).
What led you to pursue it?
I've always loved writing, and once I hit a certain point in being a mother I realized I had much to say and much advice to give! Also, it's the perfect thing for an attachment parenting mama to do ... nursing while typing is no problem! Plus, I now homeschool, so I can be with my kids and write.
Are you full-time or part-time?
Part-time until all my kids are grown, but lately I am able to find more time while they sleep late in the mornings before we start our homeschool day! Also, I write more in the summertime.
How do you market your business?
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What is your favorite part of the business?
Too many favorites! It's portable and I can do it on my own time and do as much or as little as I want or am able to do. I love being able to homeschool the kids while being with my traveling-for-work husband sometimes.
What one question do you get most from people about your business?
How much money can you make? So I put that monthly on my blog, The Published Parent. I'm very honest. I started getting really serious in April of 2013, then made about $1,300 in May. Check it out. I also list my sources of income with links so you can do what I do if you so desire! Some months I make over $2,000, but that's usually in the summer when I'm not homeschooling.
What one myth or misconception do you want to dispel about the work you do?
That you can't make good money as a writer. If you have many balls in the air, and you are organized, you can do it!
What advice do you have for others who want to get into a similar opportunity?
Keep at it and don't get discouraged and don't worry about rejection ... keep moving forward. If you have multiple queries and writing opportunities and ebooks in the works and are writing every day, you will get better and you will sell work. And please don't languish in the content mills! You are worth more money than that!
What is the first step?
If you want to write for regional parenting magazines for clips and money then work your way up to nationals like Parents, Working Mother, and the like, get my book! Just get your stuff out there. There are so many different ways to freelance! For instance, my regional parenting work led to writing a marketing manual for an editor who had another business. It also led to Contently.com, where I wrote great-paying blog posts for companies for a short time and Scripted.com.
Write on, and Kerrie on 💗
Hi Kerrie,
ReplyDeleteI happened to see your article in NJ Family magazine. Cute. However, as a mother of 3 young boys, and a new Catholic who "transfered" to the Catholic faith this past Easter, I realize that you fail (big-time) to see the danger in what you term as cute little Halloween celebrations. How unfortunate and how discouraging. Let me tell you whats "out" Christmas! Ok? Christmas is out... entirely! and while it might be easy (as well as un-empathetic)for you to say " Oh, keep Jane home from school if you don't want your child to dress up or participate in Halloween festivities (which is easy to say if your homeschooling your kids) and your child is not in the public school. From one one Catholic woman to the other, what you are unfortunately failing to see is that Halloween has taken over for Christmas.Completely!! Witches, ghosts and Demons (cute, huh?) are the mainstream in schools now. Trust me... I know. If you feel it's fine to give Satan a foothold on your children by enticing them with the "sweetness" of Halloween and some lame excuse to be "socializing" you are decieved (big time) But do me a favor, OK? Call me in a few years... maybe five or ten and tell me how your kids are doing with all the enticing evil infuences in the real world that your children deem as harmless and cute because their Mom was unable(or unwilling) to understand the power of darkness. Halloween is a reason to celebrate? NO thanks! I'll be celebrating the birthday of a Saviour who came to earth as a baby to save the human race... Oh, but I forgot... babies aren't celebrated anymore are they? Too controversial. Only witches an demons. What a shame!
Cheryl Internoscia
908-751-5263
Flemington, NJ
cdweberdesigns@netscape.net
I think my kids will be fine in 10 years, but thanks for writing. You seem to take life VERY seriously. I'm sorry you didn't like my article but it was a little tongue-in-cheek. Maybe you'll enjoy my next one! Have a great day :-)
ReplyDeleteKerrie- that lady is nuts! You took it so well.
ReplyDeleteMelynda, then there was the person who wrote me directly. An atheist who didn't like the SAME article b/c I made a joke about how my kids probably wouldn't grow up to be atheists b/c they were ghosts for Halloween! Can't please 'em all!
ReplyDeleteOkay, well I grew up a DEVOUT christian. I went to 3 services a week, bible study once a week, and saturday night for other studies. We had no TV in our home, never listened to secular music. You know what we did do? We dressed up for halloween, nothing scary, and had fun going door to door. Now I'm a grown mom of 6 kids. Still Christian, following my parents example. I turned out pretty darn awesome and my sister and her husband are missionaries. She dressed up for Halloween too. So yeah, I think Kerrie's kids are gonna turn out great too.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, this comment thread is too funny! My sister in law is a nun, (yes, an honest to goodness nun) and guess what the Daughters of St. Paul say? Celebrating Halloween makes a mockery of the devil, turning him and his minions into children's play things. So it's GOOD for Christian families to have fun with it! And since when has scary stuff been anti-Jesus? Like He never went through anything scary? Yeah.... ;)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I can't help but wonder if she regrets listing her phone number in the comments. LOL Kerrie, as always, you are awesome. I'm atheist and I love Halloween AND Christmas. And get this, I'm the one who usually hosts Easter Dinner! People need to lighten up and love each other. It's the Christian thing to do right? Love thy neighbor as they say.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the awesomeness, lady!
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I stumbled across your blog while researching Fiverr and wondered why I was suddenly reading about Halloween and Satanists? LOL! Love the site though and it's got my wheels turning.
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