Tricia Spencer
Author
Here's the official scoop....
Tricia Spencer received the BEST NONFICTION BOOK award for Tips, The Server's Guide To Bringing Home The Bacon: The Customer Speaks To Every Waiter, Waitress and Restaurant Manager in America! from the SOUTHWEST WRITERS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION. Published in 2002 with a 2nd printing in 2006, Tips became a
training manual for restaurants and food servers
around the country. Her short story, Deviled Eggs,
was a winner in both the L. RON HUBBARD
WRITER'S OF THE FUTURE SCIENCE
FICTION CONTEST and
CROSSQUARTER PUBLISHING'S PAUL B.
DUQUETTE MEMORIAL SHORT SCIENCE
FICTION CONTEST.
Deviled Eggs is published in the 2002 science
fiction anthology, CrossTime. Her short story,
Miracle Man, was a winner in the 2005
CLOAK and DAGGER MYSTERY WRITING
CONTEST where the finalists were judged by
renowned mystery author Jeremiah Healy.
And her short story, Noses, Toes, and Elbows,
was a winner in the 2005 SCRIBES VALLEY
PUBLISHING SHORT STORY COMPETITION, and is
published in the winners anthology, They Do Exist.
Her spirit prayers collection, entitled Spirit Prayers For Joyful Living - The Gentle Path to Spiritual Well-Being was published as an Amazon Short in 2007 and became a Kindle exclusive in 2010. Her short story, Empty Shoes, took top honors in the 2008 SCRIBES VALLEY PUBLISHING COMPETITION and is published in The Road To Elsewhere.
2011 saw the release of the unusual fan-driven book, The Touch of Roy and Dale, The Impact and Influence of Roy Rogers, The King of the Cowboys, and Dale Evans, The Queen of the West, As Only Their Fans Could Tell It, a 2012 USA BEST BOOK AWARDS FINALIST and a 2014 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST and a 2014 READER'S FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS HONORABLE MEDALIST.
The 2012 release of Tricia's 1001 Wedding Ideas: The Ultimate Resource For Creating a Wedding No One Will Ever Forget is a comprehensive wedding planning book that is the beginning of many wedding books to follow.
The 2014 release of The Touch of Roy and Dale, Volume II: Personally Told Stories of Lives Changed by Roy Rogers, The King of the Cowboys, and Dale Evans, The Queen of the West, CONTINUE completes the 2-volume tribute to American icons, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Volume II was a 2014 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST and the BRONZE MEDALIST in the 2014 READER'S FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS.
2020 is Tricia's "year of the dog". Forever Dogs: Wit and Wisdom from the Great Canine Beyond - Wagging Tails Telling Tales! will be released October 6, 2020, and has already been honored with a pre-release INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FINALIST award.
Tricia believes that variety is truly the spice of life. From food service to touring with the International Company of Up With People to creating and marketing her own line of wedding accessories, to author, with a world of diverse creative pursuits in between, Tricia has reveled in the highs and lows of self evolution and in the myriad of endeavors life has to offer. She is listed in "Who's Who of American Women", "Who's Who of Emerging Leaders", Who in The West, and Who Who in The World.
Tricia blogged for the Huffington Post from 2012 to 2016, sharing thoughts, ideas and observations on a variety of topics.
Tricia and her husband, Mark, live in Southern California where they share their home with all manner of furry and feathered creatures. They also share a passion for the simple pleasures of life, like sharing a great meal or driving through unknown territory.
And here's me up close and personal....
My life has been a colorful tapestry of pursuits. From my stint as Editor of the 6th grade newspaper to becoming a speech-writing winner in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy competition at the age of 14, I've been hooked on writing. But I've also cherished other pursuits, like music. I've written dozens of songs, including 7 recognized at the Music City Song Festival in Nashville. I fronted my own band, Masterpiece, and once recorded in Johnny Cash's studio. That was a hoot. I wrote and recorded a song about Abraham Lincoln for the 1976 Bicentennial celebration, played the role of Cherry in a Muni Opera production of Paint Your Wagon, and marched my heart out in drum and bugle corps. (Note: Once drum corps gets in the blood, it never leaves!) I spent a year and a half with Up With People--touring, singing, and sharing the homes of host families. What a life-altering experience that was. There was even a performance at Carnegie Hall and the filming of a TV special. I remember when my time with Up With People was over, I thought to myself...whatever will I do again in life that could possibly compare to Up With People? It's that amazing.
I worked as an extra in movies and delivered singing telegrams. I created a line of bridal products called "For Just A Bit Of Wedding Wit," and my husband and I once ran our own limousine service that featured a fleet of unique limos. During our "limo days," we appeared on the TV show People's Court with Judge Wapner and had one of our cars chosen to film a short with Roger Rabbit for the Academy Awards. Alas, the piece was cut before air date, but we still have the photos of the shoot and the great memories.
I competed in horse shows from the time I could walk, (until I discovered boys,) and I've been "Mom" to dozens of animals over the span of my life. I am deeply commited to animal welfare and to the responsible treatment of our environment. Throughout the years, I've tried to help whenever and wherever I could. After hurricane Katrina, I created the "Dear Family" letter writing campaign that was responsible for supportive letters being sent to the victims of the hurricane, and I organized the "Operation Actvity" drive by getting book publishers, office supply stores, games companies, etc., to donate materials to the people in the shelters to give them something to do other than worry.
As with every person on the planet, my life experiences feed my writing and my soul in one way or another. And for all I've done, and for all I have yet to do, the one thing I am most grateful for is the ability to reflect on the good times, and the bad, and appreciate them all. For without them, I just wouldn't be me.
Strength
May I always understand and accept
That I am strong,
That I can face the mountains of daily life
With integrity and passion and commitment,
That I can handle whatever life deals me
Because I am not alone
I am not afraid
And I am not lost,
I am strong
excerpt from my Kindle short book, Spirit Prayers For Joyful Living - A Gentle Path to Spiritual Well-Being
...and as this tree shall grow fuller and stronger, so shall we...
Mark & Tricia, August 21, 1982
