How my writing career took a turn into Marketing and Peppers.
Eight months ago, I was an author just starting a new podcast where I wanted to interview not only other authors but also crafters, content creators, and small business owners.
One of my interviews was with a small business out of Northeast Ohio, where I grew up. That small business happened to be owned by a childhood friend of mine, Jeff Canzonetta. I was going to interview him and his sister, Angela.
Jeff started an Italian peppers-in-oil company based on their father's original recipe that he started making in 1975, in their basement; Jeff stuck to his dad's original recipe and Papa Canzonetta's Peppers was born.
As I was preparing for the interview, I requested images from them that I could use for marketing the podcast.
Being an author and someone who has to market her own books, I was already familiar with many apps and different software that I used to make videos and content for my books. I designed some short reels and flyer-type designs promoting the upcoming podcast interview, and they liked everything I came up with. Being creative is just something that's in me, I guess.
Once the interview day had come and gone, I was still making new content to promote the show, now that it was live. They asked me if I would do their marketing for Papa's. I honestly thought they were joking, but they were very serious. After giving it some thought, I decided to give it a try. You only regret the things you never try, right?
For the last eight months, I've been working for Papa Canzonetta's Peppers, and I am loving it so far. By the way, they don't just do peppers in oil. They also have pickled products, such as Bread-and-Butter Jalapenos, Hot Pickled Garlic, and Spicy Pickles. They even expanded into seasonings. Considering Jeff is a trained chef, this didn't surprise me one bit. I can tell you from actual experience and use of the products—they are absolutely delicious.
Over the months I've been working with them, I've learned so much about the food industry and even more about marketing and advertising. This led me to brand a marketing company that I am currently running: Mandify Marketing. The name came from comments Jeff made about me magnifying everything. He said, "Maybe you're mandifying everything," and since my name is Mandy, it just took on a life of its own. He's keeping me busier than I thought, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I have not forgotten about my writing career, though. I am actually starting a new series called "The Smoky Mountain Security Company." These books will be in the romantic suspense and thriller genres. Picture ex-Special Forces guys turned private security—who doesn't love that? First up will be Dax's story. If you read my latest book, *Of All the Fates*, Dax and his crew played a role in it, and now all four guys are each getting their own story. Stay tuned.
As always, keep reading and home in on your creativity, whatever that may be.
If you would like to check out Papa Canzonetta Peppers, please do. Go to
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