Picture Me Organized by Author Ritter Ames

Juggling…Organizing…Wearing a lot of hats…It’s all kind of the same thing in the life of an author. I never imagined when I penned my first story that I would eventually have to balance my writing work with such daily tasks as comb research sites and flag them for later use, file tax records, discover marketing options, network with advertisers, find fabulous clothes for my characters to wear, locate spy and tech stuff for my characters to use…and still find a way to write and have some fun in the middle of this publishing circus. One social media invention that helps me keep on top of all my data is Pinterest.

Yes, Pinterest. I know, a lot of people say it’s a time waster, but for me the site is an organizing sensation.

Since I write two mystery series, I can have multiple boards about the endless number of things that relate to each series. I have fabulous European sites and travel tips for my Bodies of Art Mysteries series (and yes, this is where the spy and tech research comes in), and organization, parenting, and money saving tips for my Organized Mysteries series. The pictures are fun to find, easy to post, and a snap to locate later when I need to describe a scene or how to do something in one of my character’s lives. The site also allows me to create boards for each of my series, so I can add new covers as books are readied for release.

And you can learn some really unique things. Take a look at these shots of London, England and Florence, Italy, for example. Who would have thought that you could get similar shots with a horse statue anchoring the street scene in each city? Sure, it isn’t an earth shattering fact that will make or break a mystery novel, but it is an interesting factoid I can have one of my characters mention to another. Little things like these that I can’t necessarily catch in a week-long vacation are some of the greatest attributes of Pinterest.

Even better, others can see my boards and follow the ones that interest them, giving us a connection we never had before. And the people who follow me often pin things on their boards I’m interested in, too, so I discover new places and tips without the time consuming searches.

Does it sound intriguing to you? If so, feel free to wander over to my Pinterest site at http://www.pinterest.com/ritterames  I have a couple of dozen boards up now, and I welcome everyone to come and browse. And if you follow me, you’re likely to find I’ve wandered over to check out yours as well. Happy pinning.
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BIO: Ritter Ames is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Organized Mysteries series and the Bodies of Art Mysteries series, both published by Gemma Halliday Publishing. When she’s not writing or brainstorming new mysteries, Ritter is usually trying to get her favorite yellow lab to stay out of the pond, or keep her grouchy black cat from trying to give the dog away on Freecycle. Ritter would love to live on a boat and write from far flung locations around the globe, but the dog would constantly have to be fished from the water, and her husband and cat would just complain endlessly about the dog’s smell, so staying on land seems to be the only good option to keep her sanity and not get sidetracked from writing.