A U.S. Army veteran and retired Supervisory Special Agent with the Diplomatic Security Service at the State Department, Gecas spent decades navigating embassies across Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. When a scruffy street puppy wandered into her life at the U.S. Embassy in Guinea, she had no idea he would become the heart of an award-winning children’s book series.
Now based in Southwest Florida, Gecas joined host Jolene MacFadden on Jolene’s Book and Writers Talk Podcast to discuss Lucky Puppy Finds Two Families, the hybrid publishing process, the business side of authorship, and the one piece of advice every aspiring writer needs to hear.
A Story Built on Three Themes
Lucky Puppy Finds Two Families is aimed at third and fourth graders, roughly ages seven to nine, and carries three core themes that Gecas says resonate well beyond the classroom.
The first is the importance of dreams. The second is exploration. Gecas draws on her career traveling the globe to show young readers that staying open to new ideas and new places is how dreams come true. The third, and perhaps most powerful, is the concept of family.
We all have families throughout our lives. Sometimes our first family we are born or adopted into. But through our lives we meet all these second families through our work, our school, our church, our activities. We all lean on those second families throughout our entire lives.
Hybrid Publishing: What New Authors Need to Know
Gecas went the hybrid publishing route and was candid about the learning curve. Children’s books demand an economy of words that surprised even an accomplished writer. She had originally envisioned four books’ worth of material that had to be condensed into a single tight story. Every word matters, she says, and finding the right illustrator is equally critical.
She worked with illustrator Lisa Alderson under a work-for-hire agreement, meaning Gecas retains full copyright over the artwork. For writers considering children’s books, she notes this is an important distinction to understand before signing any contract.
The Business Side Nobody Warns You About
Beyond the writing, Gecas found herself suddenly running a small business. For Florida authors selling physical books, that means registering for a sales tax certificate and filing quarterly returns. Her recommendation: visit your local Small Business Development Center, a free resource available through community colleges across the state, and look into SCORE (score.org), a nonprofit of retired business professionals offering free online seminars for entrepreneurs at every stage.
Marketing as a New Author
Gecas is active on Instagram at @vidagecasauthor and maintains her author website at laimebooks.com, a name that pays tribute to her Lithuanian heritage (laime means luck in Lithuanian). She is candid about the challenges of social media for someone whose career required a low digital profile, but she is committed to learning and growing her platform.
Her advice on marketing scams is worth bookmarking: once you are published, a flood of people will promise you massive reach for exorbitant fees. Do your research, ask other authors, and spend only what is affordable and justifiable for where you are in your publishing journey.
What Is Next for Lucky
The second book in the Dog Diplomat Adventure series, Have a Good Trip, Lucky!, is already out. Lucky navigates international travel solo, with a layover in Paris, as he follows his Diplomat Mom to the United States. A third book is in development and will tackle themes around family transitions, pet travel logistics, and the emotional complexity of relocating across borders, themes close to the hearts of every Foreign Service family.
Her Advice for Aspiring Authors
Gecas keeps it simple and direct: if it is calling you, do it now. Do not wait ten years. Join a writers group, find your local SCBWI chapter, direct message authors in your genre, and apply for book awards even early on. The awards process teaches you about your book and connects you to a wider community of writers.
As for AI, she is cautiously optimistic. She values audiobooks for long drives and sees utility in technology as a tool, but holds firm on the irreplaceable value of children learning to read real books on their own.
Lucky’s story started on a dusty street in West Africa. It found its way into classrooms, award lists, and now a growing series. And for Vida Gecas, it seems, that is exactly the kind of adventure worth writing down.
Listen to the full episode on Jolene’s Book and Writers Talk, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Find links to Vida’s books and website in the show notes.
Latest Book by Vida Gecas
Watch The Video Interview with Vida Gecas
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