Meet Melinda Falgoust | Publisher and Independent Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melinda Falgoust and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melinda, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I write for the curious, the puzzle solvers, the searchers. I write to foster social cooperation and communication. I write words to change worlds. I use my stories to find aspects of ourselves in others and others in ourselves—to remind us that our connectedness to the world does not always mean some have more and some have less, but that we all have stories, and that is what brings us together.

Beyond those ideals, I am grateful for the opportunities that owning my own publishing company and being an independent author afford me—opportunities that might get lost in the cogs of a regular daily grind. I meet the most amazing people in this business and often get the chance to work with other, like-minded people to pursue social goals near and dear to my heart. Currently, Wagging Tales Press is preparing to launch a new nonfiction children’s title “Church: Da Surfin’ Staffy,” a delightful, warm-hearted true story about a service dog residing on Maui.

Many visitors to Hawaii harbor debilitating fears or anxiety. Church uses his friendly disposition, his incredible patience, and his diligent training to help people manage their anxiety and enjoy an unbelievable experience out on the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Sadly, many residents of Maui are experiencing their own anxiety right now after the devastating wildfires that leveled Lahaina and other areas of the island. Our Kickstarter campaign for “Church: Da Surfin’ Staffy,” launching November 24, 2023, includes opportunities for backers to help us give back to the island community. The campaign also includes ways for backers to help us support animal shelters in the United States—just a few ways Wagging Tales Press tries to make our world a better place.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Well, okay. If we’re being totally honest, there was a brief stint when I was eight years old where I really wanted to be a truck driver. Thank you, “B.J. and the Bear.” I may have come to my senses, but the road to becoming an independent author and publisher has been a long haul of another variety. There have still been roadblocks, detours, and breakdowns. And even with the GPS, I still get lost sometimes. But the community of authors and professionals in the indie publishing industry is an amazing group of people who are always ready to help get you back on track. That is not something always readily apparent in other industries.

Born and raised near New Orleans, Louisiana, I started writing at a young age. I didn’t start submitting for publication until after my honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy. After a short piece was accepted by Reader’s Digest, I also wrote briefly for Harlequin Books through their Writing Round Robin Program. I began to realize I might actually be good at this whole writing thing and made a firm promise to myself—I wanted to be employed as a full-time writer by the time I was fifty.

I did it by forty-nine.

My work has been honored by the New York Book Festival, the Oshima Picture Book Museum International Picture Book Competition, Doubleday Books, the Green Book Festival, Readers’ Favorite, and the Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Society. Other works have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and Writers’ Journal. Building from that success, I established my own independent publishing company, Wagging Tales Press. This year, we have launched a new children’s nonfiction line, Wagging Tales Fun Facts, whose hilariously “punny” titles we hope engage young readers with new concepts. The trick to teaching is 10% lecture and 90% entertainment—something I learned from my years as an elementary educator.

For me, books and writing aren’t just something I do for a living—it’s something I have to do. When you have so many wonderful characters occupying your thoughts, ones who are having so many incredible adventures, it’s almost impossible to get anything done! Still, I’ve been honored to speak at the Japan Writers Conference, the Orange County Children’s Book Festival, the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Literature Festival, and many, many more. Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine that there’s any time left for writing, but I still manage to carve out slices of time to do what I love—create whole worlds and characters that I hope invite readers to join in on the adventures.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a grateful shoutout to James Wiley Pamplin, my friend and surf instructor at Beach Fresh Maui, and his incredible service dog, Church. Stories like theirs are the fuel that continuously feed my writer’s fire. Without the connection that I made with James on a visit to the island, I may never have experienced the joy of bringing their story to life. People often ask writers where we get our ideas. The answer is simple…they are all around us. They are in the lady at the grocery store behind you in line. They are in the homeless man sitting beneath the interstate overpass. They are in the white-haired woman feeding pigeons in the park you pass each day on your way to work. We all have stories if we just take the time to reach out to one another. So, a great big “thank you,” James and Church, for listening to MY crazy idea and opening your hearts to another human being.

Website: https://www.waggingtalespress.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtf_books/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-falgoust-17a514127/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MTF_Books

Facebook: https://www./facebook.com/MelindaTFalgoust