And Thus the Voyage Ended

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All good things must come to an end, as difficult as that may be. As you may have heard or read by now, TSTC Publishing is closing down due to budget cuts. Since its establishment in 2004, TSTC Publishing has published around 80 titles, including Cotton Bales, Goatmen & Witches: Legends from the Heart of Texas, Upgrade to Free: The Best Free & Low-Cost Online Tools and Apps, The RV Centennial Cookbook: Celebrating 100 Years of RVing, and the TechCareers series, as well as instructional materials and textbooks.

TSTC Publishing has been dedicated to offering faculty throughout the country the opportunity to initiate and participate in a variety of textbook development projects. TSTC Publishing also offered faculty editorial help and guidance and assistance with materials production, distribution, and sales.

These last few years have been quite the adventure, filled with conferences, social gatherings, book signings, and so much more. We are sad to see this chapter end, but we are excited for the future. We would like to thank all of the authors, freelancers, and interns we have worked with over the years, as well as all of our vendors and customers. Thank you for your time and support.

Cast

(In Order of Appearance)

Mark Long

Melanie Peterson

Sheila Boggess

Wes Lowe

Stacie Buterbaugh

Ana Wraight

Introducing April, TSTC Summer Intern

When I was fifteen, I found a love to write. At first, what I wrote did not really matter. A few strokes of a pen on a sheet of paper started as a form of relief from the stresses of high school and teenage drama, but later, it developed into an art. I wrote a lot of things, but stories became my prime focus, with genres pertaining to fiction/fantasy and some horror/suspense. After two years, I set my mind on what I wanted to be – an author.

Piracy and the Authors Who Don’t Mind

As the age of technology produces even more advancements, people young and old have discovered the ways of piracy. For years Hollywood and the music industry have been bending over backwards to stop people from pirating their products. As the Internet and e-books become increasingly popular, pirated books are popping up on many P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing networks.

New Intern Joins TSTC Publishing

I caught the writing bug later in life. It stems from my love of reading. As a child, my interests gravitated toward music and art. I spent hours either learning new songs on guitar or drawing and sketching on my art pad. I enjoyed playing outside and having fun with my friends, but I could be just as happy sitting for hours quietly by myself reading a book.

New Cookbook Focuses on Pecans

Pecans are as Texasn as the Rangers and bluebonnets. In fact, the pecan tree is Texas’ state tree, and Texas is the leading U.S. producer of native pecans.

Introducing Our New Intern: Amanda

For so many years, I thought I would be an English teacher –a teacher who would show students the wonderful universe of the written word and all the amazing adventures that it encompasses. I never dreamed  the desire to teach would slowly fade and become other desires.

Pinterest Ideal for Piquing Interest

Colored Deviled Eggs from FOODjimoto

Pinterest (pinerest.com) is a social media drawing lots of interest these days. What’s not to like? A simple photo on Pinterest shares a recipe, home décor, unusual construction and much more.

It’s more visual than other social media such as Facebook and Twitter, but each photo is packed with information. It dawned on me as I was pinning an article about editing today on the TSTC Publishing’s boards and thought new editorial interns might benefit from the editing tips.

In the past, I would attempt to email the article to those to whom I wanted to see it. I would search for individual email addresses before grouping them and sending out the article. Now, with one click of my mouse, the article is pinned for all to see.

Now I understand why a young adult told me recently that email was old-fashioned. I explained my generation embraced email because it was so much faster than typing, printing and then putting it in an envelope to be sent interoffice or through the U.S. Postal Service. New mediums are making communication even faster, with maybe the exception (for me) of texting. That mode has done more to butcher the language than any one singular thing I can think of.

But back to Pinterest. It’s fun, easy and educational. A few months before Easter, I came across a pin with colored deviled eggs. When Easter dawned, so did several photos of colored deviled eggs on Facebook. It seems many of my friends tried the recipe (all you do is click on the original pin to link back to the recipe) and then took pictures and posted their creations on Facebook. Once upon a time, no one wanted to be a copycat, but now we find “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

TSTC Publishing created a Pinterest account and boasts more than 20 boards, full of pins. Others can repin on our boards, and it’s interesting to note that two of my male colleagues are the most frequent contributors. One of them also drew attention when seminar participants were asked if they knew about Pinterest. He was the only male but was quite proud to stand with Pinterest users. His boards include ones on vintage vehicles, beers, surfing, home garden and patio. In his words, “Pinterest is the crack of social media.”

For those of you not familiar with Pinterest, find a friend who already does Pinterest and ask them to invite you (Pinterest is invitation-only). Then, start looking at other’s boards. When something catches your eye, click on the photo to repin it to your own Pinterest. Create your boards along the way.

Jello Cookies

Fair warning: Pinterest is addictive. I usually reserve 15 minutes at the end of the day to “work our boards.” If I were to start the day with Pinterest, my other social media projects would suffer, I’m sure.

Now, I’ve got to go because I want to try a new recipe I just saw on Pinterest. JELL-O Cookies. I’m guessing they will be just as popular as colored deviled eggs.

—    Sheila

Pottermore: Exploring the World of Harry Potter

I have to admit, I was a little excited a few days ago when I spotted the “Your Pottermore account is ready! Step this way…” email in my inbox. I had all sorts of questions, all kinds of things I was curious about. What kind of content did J. K. Rowling include in Pottermore? What’s excluded? How do you navigate the chapters? What will Olivanders be like? Does the Sorting Hat actually sing? I could go on and on. I was eager to get started.

Vibrating Tattoos: Never Miss a Tweet Again!

Nokia, a Finnish-based company, has come up with a patent to prevent people from ever missing another ping from their phone. Sometimes your phone can be in the other room, on silent, or you might just be too distracted to notice it through your pocket. The way Nokia suggests you may be able to do this is through a tattoo. The magnetic ink will vibrate along with your phone to ensure you note your phone is calling to you.