Interview with Mary Thom Shaftner

What does Live Your Best Life really mean? To me, it means being the best you that you can be, for you – not for anyone else. It means living in your truth, not someone else's idea of it. It means embracing the life you were truly meant to live and feeling okay with it deep down inside, free from what others think or approve. It means everything! It's not always easy, and sometimes it's downright scary, but it's your life, and it's okay to be exactly who you are. Want to explore this journey together? Dive into the book and keep the conversation going by listening to the podcast! You've only got one life to live – let's make it your best. Ready? Let's go!

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SPEAKER_02 0:37

With Dr. Julia Royston.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

So hello, I'm Dr. Julia Royston of BK Royston Publishing, Royal Media and Publishing, the Book Business Balls Consulting. Welcome to another edition of Live Your Best Life, where I'm always excited to bring you people, places, tools, information, and resources to help you do just that. Okay, so my guest today is I have to take it all the way back because I've known this guest. Oh gosh, let's see how long I've been out of school. I guess it's been at least 40 years now. At least 40 years now. So we go back a long ways. And you know how there are people in your life that you don't have to see all the time. They go to college, you go to college, they you move to Texas, they do their thing. And then when you come back together and meet them at a festival, Gaslight Festival in Louisville, and you're like, you know, we're back on the football field playing piccolos in the marching band, and it all came rushing back. So um, so I'm super excited to first off reconnect with my friends, people that I just love, and it was just exciting. And I'm five foot two, and uh, she stands about six foot looking like a model and beautiful hair and all that. I'm like, how we became friends, I do not know. But uh, you know, and then uh uh being in her house and and cats and animals and farm and total opposite for me because I'm a condo girl all day long. I don't I didn't even want a big house, I knew you know business and all that, but uh love is love and uh connection is connection, and when you're a person like me who pretty much doesn't too much meet strangers and uh always tell people if you don't like me, then there's something really wrong with you because I'm pretty fun. So I want my guest to formally introduce herself, tell us where she's from, tell us how we can connect with her on social media. You have a website, Mary? I I do. Um, okay, good. Give me that too. And get your pen, paper, get your phone, whatever you do to follow, connect, and support. So, Mary, take it away. Introduce yourself, love.

SPEAKER_08 3:03

Oh my gosh, Julia. What you're so right. I mean, you don't have to see people to love them and to know that that connection that you made so long ago still stands. Exactly. And um, I'm just so so happy to. I'm looking at your beautiful face, and and a lot of memories come flooding back to uh you and me and and Kim and Piccolos and Mr. Anderson and Eagles band and high school.

SPEAKER_03 3:30

Let's do it, let's do it.

SPEAKER_08 3:31

Let's do it. Oh my gosh, yes. Um, but anyway, my name is Mary Tom Shaffner, and uh I was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, and my parents were uh kind of somewhat famous uh folk bluegrass musicians called the Cumberlands, and so they moved from Louisiana to Louisville, um, and that is where I grew up from the second grade on and uh moved around a lot because of of what they did, but uh I had an extremely exciting uh life as a child uh because I got to meet a lot of amazing musicians and travel and and all that good stuff, and eventually I I guess that happened to me. So I I fell in love with a musician and we started doing our thing and been doing that ever since. So uh between having children and grandchildren and this farm that we have and all that stuff, so um anyway, uh I'm just so excited to be on your show, sweetie.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

Oh, I mean, so you got all your worlds, the music world, you got the farm world, you got your babies, grandbabies.

SPEAKER_08 4:42

God gave you all your worlds, yes, and every single day. If you don't think I don't look up to heaven and say, Thank you, Lord, for each and everything you've ever given me. Oh my lord, that is. I do not, I do not take it for granted. Not one minute. And I I think I think when I lost my mother suddenly, because that was the most devastating thing that really has ever happened to me, because she just I saw her on Thanksgiving and two weeks later she was gone.

SPEAKER_04 5:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 5:13

And um that that rocked my entire world for about a year. Uh, I was um I did a lot of things. I made four quilts out of her clothes. I um I just just really stepped back uh and realized that that something that you love so deeply can be taken very quickly. Yes, and you you have to adjust to that. You don't you don't get over it, but you you have to adjust. And she's been gone 12 years. And um, and then my daddy died 17 months after she did. So it's it it was a it was a rough uh few years for me. Um, but you know, again, God is good, and I have had so many amazing spiritual moments in this house that they built that I live in. Um, and um I know I know their spirits here and and so so many good things have happened. So anyway, I'm I'm thankful for that.

SPEAKER_03 6:14

Well, you know, I know what that's like because my dad asked to for us to drive him. He had uh early signs of dementia, but it hadn't gone that far yet, but it was going that way. And he asked us to take uh him drive. My mother was like really pleading in the background, please drive us, please take us. And this was in 2010. And so my daddy's been gone 14 years, yeah. And so he asked to take uh him down to Tennessee to one of his friends, passed away, and uh so Brian and I drove him down, went to the funeral, you know, did the cracker barrel thing, and then came back, you know, from um Tennessee. And you know, that was the last thing I remember, you know, besides calling him and talking to him on the phone for two weeks. Two weeks later, my daddy was gone. He gone in the bed, you know, with hands in the air, like he was in worship. Um where he, yeah, that's the way we found him. The corner was like, oh my gosh, what a what a peaceful way to go. He's like, you know, his hands is up in worship, and uh that's it, bottom line. So, you know, that um I guess I'm a little bit different in that um I had a dream, probably, I don't know, probably like five or six, seven years before that. And that God speaks to me in dreams. So I had a dream that we were trying to find. I've I've talked about it before, but that we're trying to find my father, trying to find him. He was lost. We was all there, but we couldn't find daddy. And mom was like, I don't know. I done rent it, was like we ran a big hotel or something. And uh my sister was like, I don't know. But we were planning my wedding, and I was single at the time, so I knew it was at least you know seven years before that. And then Mama says, I'm gonna go out and try to find your daddy. And sure enough, I was like, Oh, he's not gonna be alive for my to march me down the aisle in 2006, and no, he did, and so um I was like, Okay, phew, I got that. And then after that, he didn't pass away until four years after I was married. Oh, but God had prepared me before, but it's still a shocker, it's still you know, grieving during the holidays and you miss them, and stuff is happening, just like you talk about. I turned 62 and great stuff, stuff is happening. You want to tell them, you want to call them up and say, hello, guess what happened?

SPEAKER_08 8:35

Oh my gosh. I I if my mom and dad were here, I mean they would just be so tickled, uh, especially the fact that I've got you know this acoustic trio, we have this classic rock band. Uh, Trent and I still lead worship after 25 years. We're still doing that. Um, there's just so much going on. And on top of that, this book that just came out of nowhere. I I could just see my mother just laughing hysterically, saying, Oh, Mary Catherine, you you just, you know, you surprised me. You you're, you know, my mother used to always say, I don't know why she said that, because she was so beautiful and talented. My gosh, what a great musician and artist she was. Um, but she used to always say, Mary Catherine, you just come in a room and light it up. And I used to put it. It's funny, I'd say, I'd say, Mom, you just walk in a room, you don't have to do anything. People just walk to you because you're you're so beautiful and so kind.

SPEAKER_03 9:30

So yeah.

SPEAKER_08 9:31

But I I come in the room with all them legs. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

Honey, all the way live, always having. And I would be I would be mad if you didn't always do it. I would be too mad. What happened to Mary? What's going on with Mary? I'm all up to Mary.

SPEAKER_08 9:48

Yeah, I'm all up in your grill.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

I'm like, yeah, no, I'd be I'd be mad if you I'd be so disappointed if you change one hair on that beautiful head of yours. I'd be too mad. Okay, so I gotta talk a bit before I get to the book. I've gotta ask about the music world.

SPEAKER_08 10:05

The music world, wow. Um, just the love, one of my loves. Uh that that it's it's it's it's the passion uh that that wakes me up in the morning. Um, and the fact that I get to do it with my husband, uh, you know, he's an incredible musician, and I met him, gosh, 40 years ago. And um, you know, I I I I was destined to marry uh someone like him because I I had dated other people that you know didn't know anything about music, and I was terribly bored. And I uh terribly bored, and it it didn't matter if they had money or not, I was terribly bored. And I meet this guy that had nothing and played music six nights a week, and he um was just amazingly mature and loved and worshiped his parents. And our first date was uh at his mom and dad's house having hot dogs, so and then he cleaned up the kitchens. I said, Yep, I'm marrying you.

SPEAKER_03 11:00

I know well, but you know, it's amazing because uh what people see on the outside and what really matters on the inside, you know, you can build something incredible, you can you can work with them and build something incredible. So I take a pause right here. If you're single listening to this, you really need to sit and see what's very, very important because it's it's a work ethic, it's a common uh drive and common goals. Because if you can find that commonality with someone who is heading in the same direction that you're heading has the same drive, they may not have the same ability. Fortunately, Mary has somebody who's musical. I married somebody who's musical. He he's always the same background in all my projects, all my concerts. Brian's my tenor, and he's my husband, but he's my tenor. And so, you know, and he's got a wonderful voice, and so it is it's it's that finding that commonality that we can make money, we can we can find ways to generate income. But if you if you've got money and you can't be on the same wavelength, don't matter how much money you got, we're not gonna be able to work it out. I mean, it's not gonna work.

SPEAKER_08 12:16

Money does not make you money, does not make it doesn't make me happy. I as long as I'm paying the bills and I get to go on vacation once a year, I'm happy. I don't have I don't I don't know I don't I don't require a lot. I I never have. I'm uh you know, I don't need a bunch of jewelry, I don't, I don't need things. I need Trent and I need my family and I need my animals and I need my music. Um, and and like I said, even if I don't go on vacation once a year, I'm still all right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:48

Well, I mean, you know, we can all make allowances for that. And and believe me, I I travel all the time, you know. I travel with my books constantly. Yes, and there are some times where I'm like, I don't want to put clothes in a bag, I do not want to go nowhere.

SPEAKER_08 13:03

I want to be in the house, in my pajamas, in my own bed. Exactly. Well, and then you know, as far as far as the music, we um, you know, Trent and I had a very, very successful music ministry called Tender Mercy for many years. We traveled all across the country. We had uh made two CDs, we had worldwide airplay off of our original music. Um, we got to tell our testimony to a lot of people in a lot of churches, and that was just an amazing time. God truly blessed us, uh, especially with three kids in tow. Oh, yeah. And um able to do all that, and and it was just such a time. Unfortunately, you know, season there are seasons for everything. Yeah, and those seasons were starting to change because our kids were uh very talented athletes, and so we were missing out on the things that they wanted to do. So we kind of had to curb that and just honed in on doing more uh worship uh in town. We were in Lexington at the time. And um then, like I said, fast forward grown kids, my parents passing away, you know, us moving into their uh farmhouse that my father had requested that we, you know, I do before he died. And um all of a sudden uh we are uh forming uh another band, and we decided to do this classic rock thing, kind of go back to our our musical roots um in the 70s and just have had an absolute ball, have some unbelievably talented musicians in our band. Uh, and one of them is my son, who's on keyboards and can sing like nobody. Whoa! And uh yes, it's so awesome. Logan is his name. He's uh 32 years old, he's just an incredible piano player. He went to a performing art school as a young child, and so did my daughter. Uh, all three of my children, thank you, Lord Jesus, they all are musicians and talented and have hearts for the Lord, have hearts for the Lord. That is what I'm most proud of, is that they have the heart for the Lord, and that took a lot of work. Two parents, whoever you are, you gotta be on the same page with your faith. You have to be. And I know the Lord helped Trent and I raise those three babies, and I tell you what, if that's the best thing I have ever done in my life, it's my best accomplishment, it's everything. I I don't care what you say, that those three children were gifts to me. And you know, you have to let them go. That's why they're gifts from God. You just gotta let them go. Yeah, and I'm so proud of the adults that they are, the parents that they are. And uh, so anyway, uh, so that's you know, now pause right there.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

That is that is phenomenal. That is wonderful because I know so many parents who are not with their children, they don't know where they are, they don't uh have a communication with them, they don't, you know, they they they they just don't. They they um I was on with a client the other day, and she was like, My life is a wreck. It's you know, my kids and everything is just uh a wreck. And to know that you have um three children who love the Lord and the pictures I've seen on social media, the grandbabies are adorable.

SPEAKER_08 16:35

I know they have I literally I eat their faces off. I know it, I know it, I know it. They don't even have time to breathe, okay? Yeah, uh, yes, I'm in love with them. I I tell people kiddingly, I thought I loved my children. I really love my grandbaby. So what are you, G mommy, grandmommy, anybody? I I I am I was called you know, when I went to college, all my friends called me mayor, M-A-R-E instead of mayor. They call me mayor. And so um I just went with Mayor Me. So I'm a mare me.

SPEAKER_03 17:11

You're mayor me.

SPEAKER_08 17:12

I just added a me. I thought it'd be easier to say than mayor, so I just went mare me. And my my my Colti, who's two, he gets mixed up and he'll say Mimol. And I'm like, baby, you're gonna change that real quick. It's mare me. I don't feel like a meme. And and Trent, my husband, it's so silly. He doesn't even know why he is that. But he um the boy, our boys asked him a long time ago when they were still living with us, like, dad, what what will you be called when you're a grandfather? And he just blurted out champ. So now we're Mary and Champ. And it's a champ of what he's a champ of my heart.

SPEAKER_03 17:57

Yeah. That is great.

SPEAKER_08 18:00

But our our our band, our pre our uh website, uh, and I I guess I'm just not good enough on the computer, but when I when I got the book, you know, published and all that, I didn't really um I didn't really know how to, uh I wanted to get it out fast, so I just connected it to our band page. So I actually have a it's Mary Shaffner um slash uh musician, or excuse me, excuse me, it's it's um it's author slash musician, and then that is my actual page that's dedicated just to the book, but I do have my band website on that. Um, like I said, I just haven't haven't separated them yet because I self-published, obviously.

SPEAKER_03 18:47

Well, okay, so let me ask so let me just tell you, as a publisher, you don't want to do that, you want to keep it all together, you want it all together so that they have one place and they don't have to go over there. That's that's very um oh okay to teach that probably 15, 20 years ago, that oh, everything needs to be separate, but when they get you married, they should get everything about you. It all goes together, it does not need to be separate unless you you know you got a specific thing for paying for the CD and then paying for the book. But if you can get it all in one cart, that's what you want to do. You want to make sure it's the easiest way for them to get everything about you in one place. So, what's the website? Give it to me.

SPEAKER_08 19:32

Okay, so the website, but see, that's the thing though, it doesn't really take you to my book. Our website is uh frequency, that's the name of our band. Frequency F-R-E-Q-U-E-N-C-Y frequency bandluval.com. That is that's our website for our band. And and then if you if you typed in just my name, Mary Shaffner, you will also see my page for my book. So it's Mary Shaffner Hyp Hyphen, author and musician. That is my my page for my book.

SPEAKER_03 20:10

Okay, is that on Facebook or where is that?

SPEAKER_08 20:12

It's it it's on yeah, it's on Facebook.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_08 20:14

So so the the book is on Facebook. Um, and then the frequency band, yes, we have a Facebook for that, but our website for the band is what I gave you.

unknown 20:23

Right.

SPEAKER_08 20:23

Frequencybandlewable.com. I know it's confusing. I'm not good at this.

SPEAKER_03 20:27

I know, but the no, but the thing about it is is that unless it's something legally, the reason why your book can't be there, then I would put a store. This is my tip. I'll put a store and put a picture of the book and then the link to either your payment system or Amazon and go. Okay, so that they get it all at one time in one place.

SPEAKER_08 20:48

That's probably a good idea. I'm writing that down. Okay. Um, and that's the thing. Uh I I'm you want to talk about the book? Yes. I definitely do. I need to pref I need to preface this because um I need I need your your listeners to know that um, you know, uh one of your questions is, you know, how did you, you know, uh come to to write the book and who's your favorite author? And honestly, from the bottom of my heart, writing a book, a children's book, has absolutely never, ever, ever, never, ever been in my mind or part of a plan. Absolutely never. It is just something I was never interested in. What happened was I have uh my first grandson, uh Luke, um, loves coming to Marmy and Champs. Uh, you know, we have this little farm and animals and creek and bridge and a little cabin that my husband built for the grandkids. And just, you know, he loves coming and he got enamored with hedge apples. I used to call them horse apples when I was a kid, those big green, you know, uh it's it's the oatmeal. Orange trees, what it is, and really they're annoying. Uh, but but he just I don't know what it was. He started when he was about two years old. He wanted to pick them off the ground and put them in a bucket and take them to the bridge and hurl them into the creek, and you know, just wanting to get on the ATV and go get hedge apples, ma'am. Go get hedge apples, mammy. And so I I just documented for two years, you know, uh all his adventures, walking through the creek, getting the hedge apples, we'd cut them open and see what they look like, and just did all that. And out of the blue, one day, I just thought to myself, just to myself, I thought, that should be a cute little story because there's not really any children's books about hedge apples. There's books about every apple that you could eat, but no children's stories about hedge apples. I said, I wonder, I said it would be cute, I think, if if Luke could ask the animals on the farm who eats these things anyway. And I it just crossed my mind and it went away. And I was babysitting my granddaughter Stella, uh, and and it was, I think it was in February, and I sat down with a a pen and paper, and I just wrote this like this this little poem, this, this to Luke, you know, just I wrote it about his adventures. I and you know, I, you know, the rhyme and rhythm, that's real good. You know, I'm I write songs, so I kind of had a feel for that. And um I just wrote it and and came home and read it to Trent, and he's like, oh my gosh. And then I read it to Logan, whose son is Luke, you know, that's his daddy's my son Logan, and he got a tear in his eye and said, Mom, you you you gotta make this a book. And then I read it to my oldest boy and my daughter, and they're like, Oh my gosh, this is this is so cute, you've gotta do it. And so that began my journey of looking up how do you write a joke? I mean, I you know, I did come to find out that of the five things that you have to do for a children's book, I think I met three of them. But um, I just watched videos. I, you know, I I talked to uh people that had uh I had a friend of mine who has a friend who is a children's author, and we got a lot of we had a lot of conversations on the phone. Just she was helping, guiding me. You know, just and I just researched. Uh obviously, once you you get your your manuscript the way you want, then you have to look for your illustrator, then you have to look for a publisher. Yeah. And so all again, Julia, all this is so foreign to me. I know it is.

SPEAKER_03 24:57

But what you do musically would be foreign to somebody else. You just do it. But you know, it's like anything else when you try something new. That's what happened.

SPEAKER_08 25:06

I I just uh decided uh after much research, um, that I did not want to um go the traditional route of publishing. I first of all, it was extremely costly. I didn't really want to spend that kind of money. Number two, um it it uh I didn't want to sell it on Amazon or any of those other uh uh platforms because they they take 40 percent. Um uh a lot of them do. Uh I kind of found out that's kind of across the board. Even local books, even local bookstores or really local places, they and I, you know, I understand for tax reasons, you know, people if you have you if you have your book at a store or something, they they've got to do all that paperwork. I understand that. And I do have my book in a few boutiques um that locally here, but anyway, so I decided not to do that. And um I went with a mom and pop publishing company that I absolutely love called um Reformation Publishers, and it's 24-hour uh publishing, and they are a retired um pastor, his or the man is, uh, and they are the sweetest couple, and her name was Martha, and they're diehard Christians, so am I. So Mary, me, and Martha had a lot of conversations, and I felt I felt the Lord was telling me this is who I needed to use. It was an excellent fit, and um, she walked me through that process of you know what it what the manuscript had to be on and blah blah blah. So we did all that, and then of course, before the publishing, uh I I've I've gotten ahead of myself, I had to figure out who my illustrator was because I'm extremely picky when it comes to when I'm creating something. And in my mind, I knew exactly what I wanted in this book. I knew the pictures because I had photographed them all. I've taken them and I wanted every page full of vibrant colors. I didn't want any white pages. I wanted, I wanted, I wanted it to feel, I wanted you to almost feel like you were in in each page. Yes, and so I it didn't take me long to find an illustrator because we have a phenomenal friend, musician friend in Nashville named Kyle Frederick, and he has the most talented daughter. Uh her name is Edie, and she is a um college student at Lipscomb University. Oh, okay. And um, she was born with a really a deadly um disease um that affected her heart, and she was born with one eye.

SPEAKER_03 27:54

Wow.

SPEAKER_08 27:55

And she had absolutely she she really wasn't supposed to live very long, and now she's a vibrant 21-year-old beautiful girl. Thank you. Uh yes, and she uh God gave her this amazing talent. So she is an artist, she's double majoring, I think, in biology and graphic arts. And the fact that she did what she did, and the fact that we were able to work so well together and bounce off of each other's ideas. I also did not want an illustrator exactly telling me what I needed all the time. And so I and when I when I say that, there are some you especially if you go the traditional route, you have to let go of a lot of that.

SPEAKER_03 28:40

You do. Okay, so you've done your homework, so you know you no longer have any control. You go the traditional publishing route, they give you an advance and they take over. Exactly.

SPEAKER_08 28:53

Exactly. And I and I knew that I did not want that.

SPEAKER_09 28:56

That's not you, no.

SPEAKER_08 28:57

So um I had seen some of Edie's work, but I didn't really know if she would be interested in what I was doing, and because she was doing some other kind of characters and stuff. And so anyway, when Kyle, our friend, found out about us doing this book, she's like, You've gotta, you, you've gotta, you've gotta call Edie. You just have to, Mary. And of course I did. And it was a beautiful, beautiful union, her and I. And um it was just the most wonderful, wonderful experience working with a young woman who's so bright and so talented and so willing to listen to an old lady like me uh with my ideas. And um, so it I'm so proud of her. So, and the fact that she has one working eye, really honestly, that is still legally blind. So she really is legally blind, and she's able, people who look at my book, they're like, This this young woman is so talented, yeah. So talented, and so I'm so proud of her. Um, when the book came, I've had four shipments already. And when when the first shipment came, I just balled. But I of course I sent her and my husband had posters made, so she's got the poster of it hanging in her college dorm room. Yeah, oh that's so great. And you know, honestly, this is so wonderful on her resume because she was her it was her first children's book ever done. Yes, so I also love that.

SPEAKER_03 30:31

I love that she can say, Yes, that's a part of her portfolio, and that it can be forever a part of her portfolio. That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_08 30:40

So, Julia, you can't tell me that God was not in the process.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

No, no, you know, he he does all he does all things well, and the mere fact, well, see, another thing too that I often tell authors too is that you have an audience, you have a following, you have music, because that's how I started. You know, I was singing and my books and music, and I still sell my music sometimes, but I don't do as much singing, but and I have way more books now, but I put those things together, and so the being a recluse uh in a writing hut is wonderful to write, but that other piece of promotion and getting out there and moving the book and talking about the book and being interviewed like this, as well as see you're on a platform, you have a stage, you have you can do that everywhere you go, you can do book signings all over the country, especially since you sing and you have music and people buy a book and your CD by a book and download stream with I mean at the same time, and that's that's a part of it, and that that's the reason why I'm so proud of you because all your gifts are in total operation. Oh not have to give up one for the other, and that creative ability to write music, to play music, to sing, to write books, they go right into the creatives. I mean, we're just if you decided you said, okay, I'm gonna draw, I now have a whole clothing line, I wouldn't be shocked. I now have a whole whatever uh coaching uh academy, I wouldn't be shocked. I wouldn't be shocked because creatives create, and we are in God's plan, um, he gives us ideas, you know why? Because we'll obey. If we won't obey, he's not gonna give you no idea. He gave you that idea. He just you said, Oh, it just came to me. I know it was God who gave it to you. All right, you put all that together, and he says, I'm gonna allow Mary to do it because Mary's gonna do it. Oh, but that idea if you if if he didn't that's the reason why I asked him, okay, what are other people doing? I'm writing music, I'm singing songs, I'm writing books, I'm helping other people write, but he said, It's because you'll do it, Julia.

SPEAKER_08 32:55

Well, you know, I I love that because you know, people always accuse me of, you know, I I'm the I'm the girl that can never sit down. You know, I'm I'm just busy, busy. I I'm not the grandmother making varieties of cookies in the kitchen. I am all over the map. I'm busy. I I probably only sleep six hours a night. I'm just very, very active for my age. And I always have been. It's just and I and I know what you just said that that has to be it. He knows I'm gonna do it. You're gonna do it, yeah. I'm not gonna sit there and think about it for a while. I'm gonna just get on it. And that's what I did. And you know, when you were talking about the music and and kind of incorporating all this at our shows, um, I set up a table where my book is.

SPEAKER_03 33:43

Of course, absolutely, and where your music is and where your t-shirts are and where your lippies are and everything else. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_08 33:50

So it's been a joy to to not only talk about the band and the music and what we do, it's been a joy to to talk about this book that was completely a hundred percent inspired by my grandson Luke, yeah who who who just you know made me think of this story. And um I'm so I and it's a legacy. I not only do Trent and I get to leave our music to our children and grandchildren, we get I get to leave this book that I dedicated obviously to Luke, but to to all of my grandchildren and to my future grandchildren because because Julia, I'm gonna tell you right now, I do not feel any um leading at all to write uh another book. That's it. I think this is my one and done uh because I um I I'm not that creative.

SPEAKER_03 34:50

No, wait a minute. Wait till wait till that two-year-old says, where's my book? Wait a minute, where's my book? I know. Wait, wait, just wait. Uh uh, you come back in in two years and tell me how many books you wrote. Yeah, inbox me on Facebook and say, uh, Julia, uh, or no, I'm gonna follow you and see it. I'm like, uh, excuse me. Because you know, I I I see you. I see people on Facebook and I'm like, well, wait a minute, I thought they said uh look in your inbox again and say, okay, let's talk about book two and book three and book two because all your babies is gonna do it.

SPEAKER_08 35:24

So I know I I also wanted to let people know that um I read to the elementary schools, so I dress in character, I went and had uh I picked out some material, and my girlfriend made me a hedge apple outfit. And so I I am I'm in this big green dress kind of thing that I stuff with pillows so that I can be nice and round. And she put all these amazing um material, couldn't put them in like little bumps so that so the you know hedge apples are bumpy, so I look all bumpy. I have a big bow at the top of my where my collar is. Oh my gosh, and I have a basket with a ribbon, and I have my hedge apples in the basket. And so when when I'm gonna read, I'm hiding, and the children come in, and the librarian says, Oh, we have a guest reader, and we've told you about uh um my my name is my my name is Hattie the hedge apple. And so when they when they introduce me, the kids go, Hattie, where are you? And of course I come around the corner skipping and dancing and doing a little dance, and and I, you know, I'm silly with them, and you know, I sing a little song and I sit there and and read the book, and then of course I get pass the hedge apples around, and I have one that's cut open, they can see what it looks like on the inside, and and then of course they they want to hug me and we want to get pictures, and usually the boys punch me.

SPEAKER_11 36:57

Oh Lord.

SPEAKER_08 36:59

Oh Lord The little boys come up, they just and of course they all say the same thing. I see your pillows under your head.

SPEAKER_03 37:08

They don't even know how to go along with the thing. They just too honest for me.

SPEAKER_08 37:15

So anyway, I I I've enjoyed going uh to the schools and and um just just it's just I l I love little children. I love their little faces, I love the things that they say, and I've been called everything from an avocado to a lion to a to a uh you added something else on your list.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

Oh Lord, Hattie the head top. Oh, hair dwell, oh love.

SPEAKER_08 37:42

Oh my lord. Now you need a hair top. If you go to my, like I said, it's Mary Shaffner author and musician. That's my book page. Okay, and if you go to that page, you will see all these children and me reading, and all the and and of course, there are lots of um, you know, it's an opportunity too for people to post, like there's a little boy who's going through the worst cancer. He's three years old, and it's so precious. And he was reading my book, and his grandfather took a picture of him reading my book, and so they gave me an opportunity to tell everybody to pray for this little boy. And um, so so now people are sending me pictures uh of their children reading my book, and so I've posted all that, and and of course, you get to see Hattie do her thing, yeah. And um, it's just it's just fun. It's it's like I like I said, this came out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting this, but I still have had fun.

SPEAKER_03 38:46

God says she'll do it, and uh uh Hattie the hedge apple. Oh, that is so great. Oh, thank you. I'm so proud of you. Oh my gosh. You know, my time has come to an end, and and I gotta move on to my next spot.

SPEAKER_08 39:03

But um, I love you. I love you. I love you too. I love you. Um, lots of wonderful memories. Thank you so much for having me be a part of your wonderful show. And what what a success you are. My goodness. I can't wait to I'm gonna call Kim and tell her all about this.

SPEAKER_03 39:23

Call Kim and tell her I said hi. We'll have to meet up somewhere sometime.

SPEAKER_08 39:27

Oh, she's in New Mexico, girl. She's been there. That's where she's been living. Yep, yep. Riding horses, she's on horse break, she loves it. What? Oh, yeah, she's gotten into horses. It's her, it's her number one love. I'm so proud of her. She's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 39:44

Well, Lord have mercy. I'm I as I say now I know the rich and the real famous, rich and famous. It's not cheap to have keep horses. I know that's not.

SPEAKER_08 39:56

I have two of them. Believe me, it's not cheap.

SPEAKER_03 39:59

No, it's definitely not. Mary, Tom, Shaffner. It's been a pleasure, love. Oh, I pray God continue to lead you and guide you and whatever the next is, because I know it's something else. Got something else for you to do. I'm I'm not worried about it, honey. I'm just gonna see it online and be uh uh and congratulate you and be super excited for you. Thank you so much for being my guest. And uh my prayer is today, tomorrow, and always that you live your best life. Until next time. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_11 40:38

Each and every day, love and live your way. Your very best, learn and leave today. The best you can. It's your life, take the best of it.

SPEAKER_02 41:09

With Dr.

SPEAKER_03 41:10

Julia Royston, being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. Easily discouraged or one who quit at the slightest problem or issue. On the other hand, there is not a business owner, entrepreneur, nonprofit director, ministry leader, or office that has not wanted to pause, slow down, or even it is in the nature. But if you could just take one more step, if you could fix that one stop, if you could find a friend or a coach to talk to about the situation, it could point you in the right direction or be the answer you need to keep moving. There are three things that I want this book to encourage you to do. Watch your mindset, make moves, and don't lose momentum. Mindset moves momentum by Julia A. Royston is available now at juliaRoyce's store.com. That's juliaroyst's store.com.

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