Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina R. Briggs

Hi Gina R., so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

It all started when I saw those two little lines on the pregnancy test… when Poppy first made herself known and I became a mother.

My story just doesn’t make sense without discussing my first daughter, Poppy, who we lost to miscarriage in 2021. In the wake of Poppy’s passing, I sought creative escape in the form of fiction-writing. Because it felt too raw to process the loss of my girl, I wrote a story about another time in my life—when my high school best friend died. This happened over ten years ago, but in a roundabout way, writing a story based on a different kind of loss enabled me to heal, process, and carry the grief for my baby. This book, my debut novel, is titled The Isa Project. It’s a New Adult Paranormal Mystery about a college-aged artist uncovering the truth behind her best friend’s death. From there, my indie author journey had begun,

Fast forward through months of battling infertility struggles, my husband, Matthew, and I decided to pursue domestic infant adoption to grow our family. It was the next right thing and the BEST thing. Our daughter, Sofia Rose, was born in January 2023. We had the unique privieledge of watching her make her entrance into the world, as well as forming a strong bond with her birth mother. Adoption can be fraught with painful emotions (for ALL members of the triad), while also life-altering and beautiful. The entire process humbled us and taught us to be better humans—to rise to the occasion of parenting our rainbow miracle. Inspired by this major life event, Matthew and I penned and illustrated our first children’s book, How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story. This story follows a flower family as they embark on the adoption process. They meet a cast of garden friends (the adoption agent is a snail because adoption can be slow!) and experience all the ups and downs of waiting for their little bloom. The “baby” in the story is our own Sofia Rose–we named the character “Rosebud,” which has been Sofia’s nickname since she was born.

Feelings starry-eyed about this whole adoption thing, I thought I’d try my hand at creating adoption profiles. For those who aren’t familiar, adoption profile books are basically online dating profiles but for waiting families. They include up to 20 pages of photos and text, describing the family’s desire to parent as well as the basics of their careers, home, hobbies, etc. I have an affinity for graphic design, and, being a writer, I thought, “How hard can it be? Plus, I’ll be giving back to the adoption community!” Sounded perfect.

Well… not so much. Not only did designing/writing profiles turn out to be an arduous task while learning to care for a newborn, but I quickly became disenchanted by the circles I was forced to run with. Adoption isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. As I made connections with others in the industry, I realized just how much of an Industry it really was for some. The agency we used to match us with Sofia’s birth mother had a genuine mission to support all parties. But it wasn’t long before I discovered this was sadly an anemology. Many organizations aren’t concerned with birth parent rights and will say what’s necessary to make sure the match doesn’t disrupt (i.e. the birth mother “changing her mind” and opting to parent instead of placing). It felt… icky. And that’s saying the least! After four months of running my profile business, which I named Poppy & Rose Adoption Profiles after my girls, I threw in the towel. Money didn’t matter. I was NOT living in my purpose. I was happiest when writing stories. THAT is my path for advocacy and connection.

Poppy & Rose Press was born. I now take my author life more seriously. I show up for vendor fairs, farmer’s markets, and participate in book signings at independent bookstores. At least once a month, you can find the Poppy & Rose Press booth in downtown Tallahassee offering signed copies of my books as well as handmade soaps, bookmarks, stickers, and greeting cards. I use my press as an outlet to spread awareness for the topics that matter to me. This month (October), is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, so I decorated the booth in pink and blue and gave out free remembrance ribbons. Next week, Matthew and I are going on a mini book tour from Tallahassee to Panama City, promoting our Angel Baby children’s book (Forever in Bloom: A Remembrance Lullaby, based on Poppy) to loss families. The options are limitless because I am in the driver’s seat.

Turning Poppy & Rose into my press, I feel artistically fulfilled and at peace with the community I’m dipping my toes into. The indie author world is inclusive; there is so much space at the table for MY stories and what makes me, ME. Unlike the adoption industry, I don’t need to temper my emotions or moral standards to make a sale; I am unabashedly me and my stories are written from the heart–those who need to read my work find it, and (according to reviews!) love it.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Now that I’m strictly focused on writing, I have less challenges with work-life balance and zero daily moral conundrums. I recognize this is a privieledge and it wouldn’t be possible without my hard-working husband who has a traditional 9-5 career. Though, if I had to pick something, I would say marketing remains an obstacle. Being an indie author, I do my own marketing. Be it social media promotion, scheduling signing events, or finding opportunities to collaborate with other creators. Self-promoting is out of my comfort zone as an introvert. I’ve only just become more comfortable with pitching my stories and showing up for more regular in-person events. Luckily, I had the good fortune of joining an all-female virtual writing community called Quill & Cup this year. The ladies in this group have helped me tremendously as I find my footing in this creative space. Indie authors don’t just sign up for writing books, but they also have to become content creators, editors, and designers. The price of freedom is maintaining the grit and discipline to be self-taught.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

I have many, many stories in the works for both young adults and adults. My upcoming second novel will be titled Porch Light On. It’s a suspenseful women’s fiction piece that includes mental health rep, adoptee voice, and pregnancy and infant loss as a major plot point.

Published works currently available for purchase:

-The Isa Project (New Adult Paranormal Mystery novel)
-How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story (Children’s picture book)
-Forever in Bloom: A Remembrance Lullaby (Children’s picture book)

All my books are on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online, but you can purchase signed copies (with stickers and bookmarks included!) on my website.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?

I’m no expert, but I would say the outlook for independent authors is extraordinarily positive! Since COVID-19, the option to self-publish has become increasingly popular. While it may seem the market is saturated, there are so, so, so many ardent readers out there (on BookTok, Bookstagram, and BookTube) who love digging up hidden gems. This is where us indies come in! If you want to be the first one to make an unknown author popular and read a book that isn’t over-hyped by the NYT Bestsellers List? Read indie. The misbelief that self-published means “not as good” is just that—a misbelief. Many of us who choose the indie route do so because we are dedicated to going the extra mile. We may write in niche genres that big publishing houses don’t think will sell as well, but that means our stories offer a truly unique experience for our readers. Another perk? You don’t have to go through an agent and a million other gatekeepers to get to know an indie. If you message me on IG, I WILL respond personally!

Pricing:

• The Isa Project – $14.99
• How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story – $11.99
• Forever in Bloom: A Remembrance Lullaby – $11.99

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ginarbriggswrites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginarbriggswrites/
• Other: https://www.quillandcup.com/offers/ZtsLiHPG/checkout

Image Credits

Gerry D’Arco