We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mandy Squires a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mandy, appreciate you joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

It’ll be 2 years in December when I was at an arts & crafts show selling my own books. I overheard the lady that was selling coffee that she was having some pop-up events with local creatives. At the end of the show I went over and asked her about having a book signing at her coffee shop. She thought it was a great idea and invited me to check out her shop. Although I have seen her at many events, I had never been to her shop, because I don’t drink coffee or tea. We set up a time to meet at her shop and that’s where I found out that they have hot cocoa and lemonade, which I do drink. As I looked around the coffee shop, I noticed that there would be enough space for a group of us. I asked if I could have friends join me with their books. Karen, the owner, was agreeable. She also let me put up signs in her shop to let patrons know who would be there and when. We reserved one day for each of the first three months of 2023. Karen started getting authors asking her how they could be a part of the program. She forwarded me their information and it evolved and expanded from there to include writing sessions and book festivals.

I owe the beginning of this group to Karen at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea in Novi, MI. She encouraged me to expand to more locations, which we have successfully added the Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea in Canton, MI.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always loved writing, in fact, back in high school, I went to a creative writing summer camp at Valparaiso University in Indiana. When I went to Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan, my electives were in creative writing and literature, as I love to read.

My journey to published writing is a bit different. I never thought about publishing my fictional stories. However, when I was coaching people to walk half marathons, I kept getting the same questions year after year, even with having completely different people in my groups. I decided to write all the answers to those questions out. However, I did not want it to only be a training manual. I changed it up and put part of my story into it. This book was published in 2018, which is 10 years after I had a training manual accepted by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) for Human Factors Training.

When I decided to form the group – Creative Slingers of Ink, I didn’t have to think too much about the branding, because all 3 of my published fiction books were in shades of purple.

How did I come up with the name for the group? One of my favorite television shows is CSI and I did a brainstorming session for words that would describe the group and fit into the initials.

One thing I had learned with my three books was that the journey of an independently published author can be confusing and lonely. So, I wanted to bring together authors that were independently or small press published along with writers that were just starting or somewhere in their writing journey. I want to help them connect with each other and with readers.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I didn’t have to pivot, but I wanted to pivot both my business and my personal life. I got married and moved from Michigan to South Carolina within a couple weeks of each other.

One of the reasons for this was that I had always planned on moving out Michigan for quite a few years before I even met my now husband. Another one was that we had come to a point where we could pack up and move to wherever we wanted to. I had wanted some place warm, initially I thought about Arizona, however my husband was not going to move there. We found a great place in South Carolina and worked to move there. Part of moving was essentially a new beginning and we both wanted to be married when we moved.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes, there is a goal and mission driving my creative journey. The goal is to have an indie author global community. The mission is gathering together writers to help them achieve their writing goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://creativeslingersofink.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativeslingersofink/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativeslingersofink
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creative-slingers-of-ink
• Twitter: https://x.com/creatslingink
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@creativeslingersofink