The other day I was on Facebook and I know people say that is wasting time but it isn’t when your sharing this for your business. Or checking on Family and Friends. Or the LORD is leading you to a event he knows you would enjoy.
While on Facebook this time I wanted to let you know sometimes all it takes is commenting on a post or saying hello to meet someone you would like to showcase: This week I would like to introduce you to ChristaCarol Jones.
Which allowed me a new Facebook Connection, and a new way to share my Love of Reading, and a Local Author I Can’t Wait to Meet Sometimes you never know where your next great discovery is going to come from. For me, this one started on Facebook.
I came across ChristaCarol Jones while looking through Facebook at a local event flyer, and something about her work caught my attention. I love discovering new and unique authors, just like I love discovering new and unique companies, small businesses, products, and people who are doing something interesting.
So I reached out to her. I wasn’t asking for anything. I wasn’t asking for a free book. I wasn’t asking her to buy advertising. I simply reached out and said, in my own way, “I found you, I think what you’re doing is interesting, and I’d love to share you with my readers.”
And that is one of the things I love about what we do at Greatful Moments. Sometimes you just have to think outside your box. You have to be willing to say hello. You have to be willing to reach out to someone you’ve never met and say, “I see what you’re doing, and I think other people should know about you.” And sometimes that simple hello turns into a wonderful new connection.
We hear people say all the time that Facebook is a waste of time. And yes, sometimes we probably spend more time scrolling than we intended to. But Facebook can also introduce us to people we might never have met otherwise.
You can find an author. You can find a small business. You can discover a new product. You can meet someone who has created something completely different from anything you’ve seen before.
And sometimes all you have to do is say hello. That’s what happened when I found ChristaCarol. I love being able to tell our readers: “Look what I found!” And this time, what I found was a local author with books that immediately made me think about something very important to me: reading.
If you’ve been following Greatful Moments for very long, you already know that reading is important to me. That’s one of the reasons we created our 30 Minutes of Reading Challenge. The idea is simple. Take some time each day to put down the phone, turn off the television, step away from the busyness of life, and read.
Thirty minutes. One book. A few pages. A chapter. It all counts.
When I started looking at ChristaCarol’s books, I immediately began thinking about where they could fit into the things we already share with our readers. Our 30 Minutes of Reading Challenge is one obvious place. But that’s not the only one.
I could also see ChristaCarol’s books fitting beautifully into our Summer Gift Guide. A book can be an easy gift to overlook, but I think books make wonderful gifts because you’re not simply giving someone something to put on a shelf.
You’re giving them a story. You’re giving them somewhere to go when they open the pages. You’re giving them characters to meet and a world to explore. Books don’t have to be reserved for birthdays and Christmas, either.
They can be a summer gift, a “just because” gift, a reward, a graduation gift, a stocking stuffer, or a gift for someone who simply loves to read. And when you’re shopping for someone who enjoys reading, discovering an author they haven’t read before can make the gift even more special.
We’re also talking about back-to-school ideas right now, and books are always something I like to consider when we’re putting together gift ideas. Parents aren’t only shopping for their children. They may also be looking for something special for a teacher.
A good book can make a thoughtful teacher gift, especially when you know the teacher enjoys reading. And wouldn’t it be fun to give a teacher a book by an author they may not have discovered yet? That’s another reason I wanted to introduce you to ChristaCarol.
Of course, Christmas is another natural fit. We’re always looking for unique Christmas gift ideas, and I would much rather help someone discover something they might not have thought about than simply give them another list of the same things everyone else is buying.
Books belong in a Christmas gift guide. They belong under the tree. They belong in stockings. They can even become part of a cozy little Christmas gift basket for a reader. And they can be especially fun when you discover a new-to-you author.
ChristaCarol Jones is a fantasy author whose work is now also being published under the name C. C. S. Jones. Her writing includes fantasy, mythology, adventure, strong characters, and imaginative worlds. A genre of books David loves reading that would allow me to share my love of reading with David.
Her work includes Magicbound, the first book in The Last Mage series, followed by Magic Rift. Her newer novel Daughter of Ash and Myth begins another series, The Mythic Saga. She is also connected with the DFW Writers’ Workshop and the local writing community.
That local connection is one of the things that makes this discovery especially exciting for me. I’m always interested in finding people who are creating, writing, building, and sharing right here in the area.
Magicbound is the book that began The Last Mage series. The story takes readers into a fantasy world filled with magic, danger, and characters facing difficult choices.
The current edition identifies Magicbound as the first book in The Last Mage series. For fantasy readers, this could be a fun book to add to the reading list. And for someone participating in our 30 Minutes of Reading Challenge? Well, there’s nothing wrong with having another book waiting on the nightstand.
If you finish Magicbound and find yourself wanting more of the story, Magic Rift continues The Last Mage series. That’s one of the things I love about finding a series. You don’t necessarily have to say goodbye to the characters after one book. You get to keep reading.
ChristaCarol’s work doesn’t stop with The Last Mage. Daughter of Ash and Myth begins her Mythic Saga, bringing mythology, monsters, and strong female characters into another fantasy adventure. For readers who enjoy fantasy but are always looking for a new world to explore, this is another title worth putting on the radar.
But Here’s the Part I’m Most Excited About. I’m not just writing about ChristaCarol because I found her books online. I’m writing about her because she is going to be right here at a local event that I plan to attend.
The Muses of StoryTelling Texas Author Con is coming to Haltom City on Saturday, September 5, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event is scheduled to take place at the Tarrant Events Center, 5230 Denton Highway, Haltom City, Texas.
The event is listed as free to attend, with free parking, and will bring authors and readers together for a celebration of storytelling. And that makes this feature even more special to me. I’m not just telling you about an author somewhere across the country. I’m telling you about someone I discovered online who will be participating in an event right here in our area.
I’m planning to attend the event myself. God willing and the creek don’t rise! So I’m especially excited about the possibility of getting to meet ChristaCarol in person after first finding her through Facebook.
I started this connection by saying hello online. Now I’m hoping I’ll get the opportunity to say hello in person. And if you are planning to attend, too, I hope you’ll take some time to visit the authors, talk to them, ask about their books, and maybe discover your next favorite author. If you see me at the event say hello.
One of the things I love about author events is that you get to do something you can’t do when you’re simply shopping for a book online. You get to meet the person behind the story.
You can ask an author what inspired a character. You can ask which book they recommend starting with. You can find out what they’re working on next. You can discover books you might never have found while browsing a bookstore. And sometimes you can even make a new friend.
So if you’re a reader, an author lover, a homeschool family, a teacher, a parent looking for something different, or simply someone who enjoys discovering local talent, this is the kind of event I think is worth checking out.
At the end of the day, this is really what Greatful Moments is about. I want to share things that make me stop and say: “I think our readers would enjoy this.” ChristaCarol did that for me.
Her books caught my attention. Her connection to the local writing community caught my attention. The fact that she will be participating in the Muses of StoryTelling Texas Author Con caught my attention.
And my love of reading made me want to learn more. I can see her books becoming part of several things we already enjoy sharing: 30 Minutes of Reading. Summer Gift Ideas. Back-to-School Gift Ideas. Teacher Gift Ideas. Christmas Gift Ideas. And, of course, simply finding something new to read.
I wasn’t searching Facebook that day thinking, “I need to find an author to feature.” I simply happened to find ChristaCarol. I reached out. I said hello. And now I’m getting the opportunity to introduce her to you. That’s a pretty good reminder that sometimes we need to think outside our normal routine.
Maybe Facebook isn’t just a place to scroll. Maybe it’s also a place to discover. Maybe that small business you’ve never heard of is waiting for someone to notice it. Maybe that author you’ve never read has written your next favorite book. Maybe the person you almost scrolled past is someone you were supposed to meet. You just have to be willing to say hello.
So mark your calendar for September 5, 2026. Come discover authors. Come discover books. Come support local and independent storytellers. And if you see ChristaCarol Jones, stop by and say hello.
Tell her you read about her here at Greatful Moments. I’ll be doing the same. And who knows? Maybe I’ll come home with another book for my own reading pile. Because there is always room for one more book.
If you would like to start exploring her work before the event, here are a few places to begin:
Daughter of Ash and Myth — Amazon
Book availability, editions, and prices may change.
Affiliate Disclosure
This article may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a book or other product through one of our links, Greatful Moments may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help support the work we do while allowing us to continue discovering and sharing authors, books, businesses, products, and experiences with our readers.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates