How will you measure your time this year? My book, Time Measured Out! suggests this question about time? I am starting 2026 with reflection and intention because I always wonder on New Year’s Day. What does this year hold? How will I achieve my dreams? Is my writing authentic? How will I grow as a writer?
Also, today I joyfully joined the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I agreed to writing a blog post every day in January, tweeting using the hashtag #blogboost, posting it on the UBC website, and commenting on 2 other blog posts. Yes, it’s a big commitment, but I did it in November 2021 and had a great experience. I learned new ideas to enrich each blog, so I’m sure I will learn more this year.
From my new poetry collection, Time Measured Out!, here’s an excerpt of one of the poems that displays my usual intentions:
I fashioned this poem after Emily Dickinson’s “I Dwell in Possibility.”
July 26, 2002
I dwell in possibility . . .
It's a rich life Full to the brim. I face it in every question that comes. I move from abundance. I have all I need. I have all I want. What a sweet refuge!
Both formats of Time Measured Out! are available now:
My intention for this year moves away from my five-book poetry series for awhile to a serious topic: the effect of being an incest survivor and the healing available. In 2016, I wrote over 50,000 words of an autofiction, an autobiography fictionalized. The flurry created by the Epstein Files and all of the survivors’ betrayal forced me to return to this book to support the victims. My story illustrates my pain and my healing. So, 2026, I plan to focus on the revision of this book and releasing as soon as possible. Then I will return to my poetry series.
Our first Panamanian Christmas has come and gone like so many others in my lifetime, but we had some interesting serendipities along the way this year!
From December 19 to 27, I launched my new poetry book, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry. I’m excited to say that the launch broke records for my poetry books with 1192 downloads! You can still get the e-book for $.99 for a limited time.
Our Christmas Decorations
Lin Putting Up Our LightsOur Psychodelic Christmas TreePoinsettias Grown Locally & A Pregnant Mary & JosephOur Lights Lit Up
Thursday, December 18
Because I had been gone until December 1st to the states, I hadn’t done any shopping for Lin, and we kept talking about it but finally put it into action.
We drove into Boquete together, but then we separated and went shopping for each other. I had an enjoyable day shopping at La Reina, a department store, that reminded me of stores in Trinidad, Colorado during my childhood. I shopped at other shops featuring local artisans. Lin and I rejoined and had ice cream to end our shopping day.
Friday, December 19
Lin and I had wanted to take an evening to go to the plaza in Boquete to take pictures and walk around downtown, so we decided it was time. We left home at dusk and headed towards town, noticing an unusual amount of cars and people heading into Boquete and then in Boquete. Something big loomed ahead of us.
When we arrived at Restaurante El Puente, The Bridge Restaurant, and parked, I texted Jason, our Panamanian friend to see what was going on.
He replied, “The Christmas Parade.” So, we ate a delicious meal and walked over the bridge to stand for about an hour and half to see just the very beginning of the parade. Festive high school bands entertained us. A beautiful horse farm had a float in the parade, and the horse’s black color and high-spirited nature stood out in the Christmas lights.
On The PlazaOne of the Bands PlayingBeautiful HorseSea of Christmas CapsFather & Son
Because I’m still recovering from the dog attack, we had to leave early because the standing hurt. So at 9:00 PM when we left, cars lined up to come into the city, and we passed families bundled up in coats and blankets headed into the festivities. This parade didn’t end until after midnight.
What a great Christmas family celebration it was!
Saturday, December 20
I attended Fr. Tom Weston’s recovery retreat that started Friday night, continued all day Saturday and Saturday night and ended Sunday. The hosts asked me to share my story at the open meeting Saturday night—what a privilege that is always! Three people shared our recovery stories and each had something unique to tell!
Sunday, December 21
Sunday morning I finished Fr. Tom’s retreat, and during the afternoon I watched football. I’m an avid Bronco fan, and repeatedly this year, the games have been down to the wire, except for this day. Jacksonville Jaguars beat us easily which ended our winning streak.
Monday, December 22
Normally, I bake pies and lots of different Christmas candy, but I have had trouble finding supplies and ingredients here in Panama. I did find chocolate chips, but they were expensive. So at first, I didn’t buy any, then I decided to try one batch. I couldn’t find salted peanuts at the big grocery store, so I bought a Trail Mix that sounded interesting. So I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave and added the Trail Mix. The consistency didn’t match my regular chocolate-covered peanuts, but it was okay.
In the meantime, we needed to go to Ivan’s to buy a light bulb for our kitchen. Adjacent to Ivan’s is a smaller grocery store. They had Hershey’s chocolate chips and salted peanuts, too! Yahoo! So I bought enough to do three batches.
That evening, I had a Virtual Book Launch Party on Zoom which I love to do—sharing my poetry with the world.
Tuesday, December 23
I baked two batches of my new concoction, and they turned out great. Lin had to go and get enough for two more though.
Later that evening, Kenny and Lorrie Cote invited us out to eat at an Israeli restaurant. What a delightful evening we had, sampling a variety of delicious food and enjoying wonderful conversation.
Wednesday, December 24
So I fixed two more batches. You may wonder why so many—we had three workers here in our compound and an uncle we wanted to give goodies to this holiday. We have two neighbors also who we really enjoy and wanted to treat. And we have Jason, our tour guide turned landlord, too. Also, Lin and I wanted a few for us.
Lin joined me at 7:00 PM our time to attend Hope in the Desert Episcopal Church’s Christmas Eve Service coming from Albuquerque, NM on Facebook Live Stream. What a beautiful service it was!
We ended the evening with a Christmas movie.
At midnight, we heard fireworks going off and went outside on our porch to see. We had a bird’s eye view of the city and the lights. In front of us, multiple fireworks exploded. Then to the right of us and behind us. What a celebration of our Savior’s birth. Very different from the United States and another serendipity. The displays lasted for about twenty minutes.
Thursday, December 25
Lin & Larada Christmas MorningLin in His New Panamanian ShirtOur Christmas Dinner
We started the morning off with fruitcake and Panamanian coffee, while we opened our gifts. We both had surprises for each other.
For our Christmas dinner, we had a delicious meal with all the trimmings, prepared by a company here that Lin used for his Thanksgiving dinner. Then we added pecan pie (I didn’t bake it, though!) to the meal to top it off.
I messaged family members and loved ones back home. In the afternoon, I called my brother.
It was a football Christmas which I didn’t like really, but the Broncos played and we won! Yahoooo!
Friday, December 26
Because Lin bought me the exact same blouse twice, we went to Boquete to exchange one. Afterwards I treated him to ice cream at our favorite shop. While there, we enjoyed a lengthy conversation with a woman and her daughter from Costa Rica.
That evening we went back into Boquete to look at Christmas lights and enjoyed a coffee at our favorite coffee shop, Kotowa. We had another serendipity: a large Panamanian family of about twenty people were trying to take a family picture in front of the Christmas tree in front of Kotowa’s as a selfie. I offered to take their picture—their gratitude for my gesture surprised both Lin and me!
To end the evening, we stopped at another plaza. We found two more restaurants to eat at that we had visited before, but everything looks better at night. Also, they both are on the Caldera River! The decorations captivated us!
MenorahCaldera RiverLin with SantaLin with a Polar Bear
Saturday, December 27
Saturday evening at 9:00 PM, we enjoyed cheering for Jason’s basketball team that plays in a town team league. The camaraderie amongst the players and fans has solidified us as strong fans! The locals greet us each game like long-lost friends. Many of the team members, especially Jason, thank us each night for coming to the game, and they won last night!
Lin and a couple of the children at Jason’s game
Finally,
Christ is the same all over the world. We saw celebrations of His birth like we do in the states—the same exuberances and joy! I marvel at the similarities and the differences each country has.
I hope your Christmas holiday was as wonderful as our first Christmas in Panama.
Our Christmas Newsletter
Download our annual newsletter, click here, to read about our year and our move to Panama!
“Measure your journey one heartbeat, one verse, one moment at a time!” I released my second book in my five-book poetry series on Thursday, December 18. Each book launch teaches me something new and different.
When I first started writing, I had no interest in e-book sales because I loved handing you, the reader, a autographed copy. Also, I didn’t care much for online markets like Amazon, Kobo or Barnes and Nobles, because again, the sale had no face for me to connect with.
My First Book’s Launch
In June, 2014, I will never forget the big box of books of This Tumbleweed Landed that arrived at my mom’s house in Colorado right before the Branson-Trinchera reunion at the end of June. When I held that book in my hand for the first time, emotions whirled around inside me—elation, pride and shock! And people bought my book there, in the location where so many of that book’s stories originated. So, I felt successful!
On July 24, 2014, I did a book signing in Pueblo, CO. My brother drove me up there and no one came. This humiliated me but didn’t stop me. I had to learn how to measure success.
On September 11, 2014, I did have a book signing at the library in Trinidad and had great response—many family members and friends attended and bought that first book there.
My Second Book’s Launch
I collaborated on this book, Let Me Tell You a Story, with my mom and dad. Dad dictated the story of how are our ranch was put together to Mom and she wrote it out. Then I took her notes and put it on the computer in a book format, and we gave it to my dad for his 75th birthday in 1993. We gave copies to family members at that time. Because I already had it together, I decided to release it to the world on November 10, 2014
For some reason, I didn’t honor it with a launch. I wasn’t thinking marketing!
My Third Book’s Release
I released When Will Papa Get Home? on November 15, 2015 with no book signings. For some reason, I lagged on this—maybe because of the time of year.
I did promote it to friends and family and my aunt Joan Horner and called me after reading it and said, “So, who was Maria? I don’t remember her?” This book was a historical fiction where I fictionalized a story I had heard all my life about a homestead my grandfather bought during the Depression. My aunt grew up in that community, and I loved her comment.
I told her, “Maria was just a fictional character I had in my story. She wasn’t real.” That blew Aunt Joan away because she seemed so real to her—great feedback for any writer of fiction.
But because I did no book launch for these last two books, I can’t measure their success which feels sad because I love these two.
My Fourth Book
On June 17, 2017, I released A Time to Grow Up: A Daughter’s Grief Memoir with no launch really. The topic of grief seemed too heavy for me to promote, but I had to write the book. Mom died in 2013, so it took me four years to process what I learned in her death and Dad’s death. I have had people buy it and thank me for helping them with their grief.
What’s interesting is this is my most awarded book, receiving five awards.
My Fifth Book
My next book, Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo, was released on May 8, 2020—notice I didn’t release a book for almost three years. This book took a lot of work to research, write and produce.
On May 21, 2020, I did a virtual release party and had attendance from all over the world. I had thirty+ plus there and we had a party, but by the nature of the book, people wanted a paperback or hardback copy. My final words to people at that release party were optimistic, “When the virus ends, where will I be going? Hopefully a book tour to your event.” The event meant a square and round dance festival, but the pandemic curtailed those sales.
I sold a lot of books from home, mailing them out, so I could measure the success, but I stocked up on both hardback and paperbacks, being positive we would start dancing again and I could sell my books. But the pandemic lasted longer than the interest in the books, so I still have a stack of those books.
On May 8 2121, I had a Zoom “One Year Anniversary Release Party,” and again I had good attendance. People loved to tell their “Flippo Stories,” and it kept the book in front of the public.
What I Learned!
But after six books and seven years into this new venture, I realized the importance of online sales especially e-books, but the pandemic hit. I released Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? on August 25, 2021. Because of the pandemic, I couldn’t do a book signing, but I did a virtual book launch on September 21.
The sales lagged and I connected with Paul Brodie and he did a “Relaunch” of my book, and I achieved five #1 Best Seller categories on Amazon with that launch. And he taught me how to launch a book, so I have followed his and Derek Doepker’s format since then.
My Seventh Book
In September, 2023, Lin and I were in Germany when I launched my book, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir. I did all the promotional setup before we left, and I used Paul’s system and had a successful book launch. I ended up with 2899 downloads when the book was free and another 20 downloads at $1.99. This by far was my best book launch.
My Eighth & Ninth Book
Screenshot
2024 was a hard year for me because of the dog attack, but I released a chapbook, Is My Truth Universal: A Woman’s Poetic Journey, which is free always and the first book in my five book poetry series, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry. I did a book launch for both of these books with Paul’s formula. Was It a Dream? had 640 FREE downloads, and Is My Truth Universal had 379. I added five more Dream books at $.99. But I didn’t do a Virtual Launch Party because of my leg.
My Tenth Book Launch Now
So, my new book, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through, has been hanging over me for most of this year. Finally, I released it December 18 and have done the promotions like Paul Brodie suggested, but the download numbers lag. Is it too close to Christmas? Is it the promotional sites I used? I didn’t look at the list of promotion sites I used for my Dream book until now—that might have helped.
Today as I analyzed the results so far, I realized the big difference: Paul starts his promotions on Tuesday. I started mine on Friday, so most of the five FREE days are on the weekend. That’s a major difference right there.
Finally,
I take book promotions seriously today—I haven’t always. How do you measure success? This most recent book launch has already taught me a lot and that’s success for me.
Do you measure your life? Do you take the time to reflect? Now would be a good time to start!
Tomorrow night, Monday, December 22, 2025, is my Virtual Book Launch at 7:00 PM MST. There will be prizes, stories, poems, laughter and maybe some tears.RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DC3628Bkf/
If you haven’t downloaded a FREE copy of my book yet, you have until Tuesday, December 23. It could be a stocking stuffer. Here’s the link:
Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to all my readers! This time of year reminds us to welcome light and love into a dark world!
My Time Measured Out! Launch snuck up on me. I have been trying to get this book published for months, and I realized this weekend I had to move on it. I have two different release dates for the e-book and the paperback, but it’s set. So this afternoon I set up my launch plan.
Why The Delay?
Because of our move to Panama, I have been working on finishing this book for months! My editor finished her work in the end of July—right when we had scheduled a three-day estate sale from July 25-27. So, I put it on the back burner. This book haunted me since then because I wanted to get it out before we moved to Panama, but I had too many demands on my time with the move.
Then when we arrived here, the demands increased: buy furniture and get set up in our new home. Quickly, I returned to United States for five weeks. Naively, I thought I could work on it when I was there, but I was busy, busy, busy!
So, here we are—mid-December and finally I have it ready. The launch goes into Christmas, so I wonder about that, but this would make a great stocking stuffer for those who love e-books!
My ARC Team
Remember back in September, I offered an “Advanced Copy” to my ARC (Advance Reader Copy) team. As a part of their agreement for receiving it free, I will remind them this week to go and leave a review for this book on Amazon and/or Goodreads which helps boost the way Amazon promotes a book.
Pre-Order E-book
Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry e-book has a release date: December 18! I decided to try a Pre-Order from Amazon. I’ve never done one before, and I’ve wondered about it, so I decided to try it. If you choose to pre-order my e-book, you need to know the price is $4.99. If you pre-order the paperback, it’s $15. Just wanted to be upfront with you.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR MY BLOG READERS: If you pre-order this book which is book #2 in the five-book poetry series, I will email you a FREE e-book copy of book #1, Was It A Dream? Just email me at larada@laradasbooks.comwith your receipt when you receive my new book! Two books for the price of one! What a deal!
Paperback Release
It will be released December 21 because I delayed the finishing step because Amazon has a focus time for new books: 30 days after publication, so I wanted to be wise about that. I plan to continue promoting this book through mid-January!
My Launch Plan
A couple days ago, I researched the sites I have used during the launch time of my last couple books, and because I had waited too long, many of the sites were sold out, so I had to delay the special prices. I put together a list of the sites I used to launch my first book in this five-book series that help get it to be #1 in three Amazon categories:
#1 – Contemporary Poetry
#1 – Poetry About Specific Places
#1 – Women’s Poetry
The list of promotional sites I used for this book launch I’ve used for the last couple books and it’s worked well for me.
It’s so strange to work so hard on a book then to give it away FREE for five days. The reasoning: the book ranks high in at least three categories, and you can claim that success!
On December 22 , I will have a Zoom Launch Party at 7:00 PM MST. Come and hear some of the poems read and get the inside scoop of what this five-book series is about.
A Free Copy?
FREE is appealing to lots of us! If you’re interested in a FREE copy of Time Measured Out!, it will be on the following book promotional sites and many others:
Would this be your first book of mine? Come on, and go to one of the sites listed above, download the book, read it and leave a review! That would be a great Christmas present to me!
Merry Christmas—Feliz Navidad—and be sure and download my new book!
