Ridge Publishing Group: The Creative Dynamos Behind Our Brand

The Enigmatic Forces Reshaping Writing, Publishing, and Marketing

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – July 30, 2024 – The Ridge Publishing Group spills the tea on the creative dynamos behind their brand, the enigmatic forces reshaping writing, publishing, and marketing, in this exclusive interview with L. A. Moeszinger and Erica Geane Sage.

Even if you haven’t read her works, chances are you’ve seen her about town. She is a bit of a serial entrepreneur, residing in our small town, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (also known as the Lake City). Over the past several years, she has had two thriving businesses, and tonight at the AuthorsOpen holiday party, she’s our headline speaker. Her fans are devoted to her. Others seem mystified by her. Is she a real publisher or a marketing expert? Editorial gifted or a flash in the pan? I wasn’t sure what to expect when I caught up with her — in the final months before she wrapped up yet another lucrative career — only to find out, she was ready to move on to her dream venture, Creative Brand Officer.

Who Is She?

Her real name is Erica Geane Sage. She’s just 32 years old. Each time we met her, she surprised us, not just with her candor and her frank talk about prescription drugs that may concern some parents. But she also surprised us by never appearing the same way twice. When we first met Erica, in downtown Coeur d’Alene, we planned a quiet stroll on the lake town. As we passed by local businesses and pedestrians, it seemed as though she knew everyone.

“Do you ever get used to this?” I asked.

“No,” she said.

Make no mistake; Erica uses her popularity as much as those that know her use her. Her over the top outfits, designed to grab attention and get people talking, work magic for her as a businessperson. Everywhere she goes; she is wittingly dressed for that occasion. In fact, she had just come back from riding horses.

“How do you ride horses in those boots?” I asked.

“I’m very talented, multi-talented,” she replied.

To get away, from what seemed like an endless flow of people who knew her, she took us to a small pub for a drink. At the pub, inside seemed much like outside.

“Do you take days off?” I asked, “or do you feel you are in this whirlwind and you have to keep going?”

“Right now, we are in a bar, right?” she said. “And there’s a client there, a colleague there,” she pointed. “But if I were to be sitting in this bar, and we didn’t have a scheduled interview, there would still be a friend over there and over there. I’m always surrounded by people who know me.”

“From what I understand, you are very talented,” I continued, “you are a student of music, a student of fashion, and a student of the written word. But you are also a student of entrepreneurialism in a way.”

“One of my greatest works is the girl’s guide,” she continued, “a series of magazine articles that I am writing, which I will later turn into a book. Everyone holds a secret desire to be confident, fashionable, and independent. And I’m a master of the art of transforming lives for the better.”

To understand how Erica got so notable, you have to start with her background. She’s an only child; her father was a professional piano player, who played across California and parts of Canada, and was Frank Sinatra’s personal piano player for his private parties. Naturally, she followed in her father’s footsteps: she too played the piano from the age of five on. In fact, she made it to the California state championships as part of a duet when she was just in the fifth grade.

Growing up, her mother was very studious and a stickler for the English word — rules of usage, principles of composition, matters of form, and so on. It rubbed off; she has that old school traditionalist values when it comes to matters of American English. Her writing is top notch and editing skills are superb. Her most popular articles are a series of works that read like a finishing school — but for young women who are just entering into society.

She studies the artistry of others, but is a creation of all her own — a classically trained editor, who writes or co-writes all her own books. She insists, she never employs ghostwriters, and alone, her works pack a powerful punch. It’s not just the books her fans respond to, however, it’s also her message — an uplifting mantra of self-empowerment and an entrepreneurial spirit mindset. It’s an attitude and approach to thinking that actively seeks out change, rather than waiting to adapt to changes. In other words, it’s a mindset that embraces critical questioning, innovation, service, and continuous improvement — all of which caught my attention and sparked my curiosity.

“It sounds like, you are hoping to reach people who might feel depressed; who may even feel like they’ll never get ahead,” I continued.

“People who are unemployed, or let’s say, have lost their business due to things out of their control, or even failed in business,” she explained, “feel desperate, disheartened, or that they’ll never be great in anything.”

She sees herself in her fans; she wants to help every one of them, and they are devoted to her. She is inspirational; she teaches you, never to give up, and to believe in yourself. She gets people. She seems to have an intuitive understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses. And then the know-how, to help one take control of their life — setting goals and making positive choices.

Two months after our interview, we met up with Erica a second time. She had transformed herself once again: new hair, new makeup, and determined to work. She had put the notion of ever working for someone else, again, behind her. She had even quit her day job. She had been writing for years and realized this was her passion. She wanted to start her own publishing business and she instinctively knew where to turn . . .

Why Did I Take A Chance On Her?

I’ve been in the publishing business since the early 1990s, when I launched Step-by-Step Publications. In its brief history, I had taken on the early challenge of becoming one of the world’s largest marketers of self-help and how-to books before the Dummies book series and the Idiot’s Guides — currently owned by Penguin Random House — came about. Our catalog of books broached every subject from Starting Out for Teen’s Succeeding in the ‘90s to Minor League — Understanding Investment Basics to Careers in Salon Ownership to Life After Bankruptcy to Guide for Entrepreneurs to Meat Lovers to First Time Home Buyers to Camping and Survival, and the titles went on and on. I left the business and enjoyed a long career in fashion and law, until I realized, my passion was and has always been in publishing all along. Sound familiar?

In 2010, I was at it again. I launched two parent companies: Aauvi House Publishing Group (my books) and Fox Hunt Publishing Group (my husband’s book series). Aauvi House exploded into several imprints and then life happened . . . I’d have to spend the next few years putting my family first. But I yearned for more; so in the interim, in 2013, I opened an e-book store, Aauvi House Publishing Group, powered by Smashwords with 25 titles.

Spending time with Erica, I realized that the outfits and transformations are not just attention getting — they are also attention directing. More like a way for her to keep the public focus on her work as opposed to her personal life.

“It’s part of my mastery of the art of others,” she continued, “I see a book inside everyone I meet,” she tells me. “Part of it is getting people to pay attention to what you want them to pay attention to (it’s about them) and not pay attention to the things you don’t want them to pay attention to (it’s not about me).”

“You studied the successes of other people, how they got it, how they kept it, and how they lost it,” I continued.

“My philosophy is if I am open with them about everything, and yet I art direct every moment of my life, I can maintain a sort of privacy for them and their personal stories in a way,” she explained. “I maintain a certain soulfulness that I have yet to give. But when asked about the sociology of celebrity and what artists do wrong — what artists do wrong is that they lie and I don’t lie. I am not a liar. I built goodwill with my clients. They know who I am and I’m just like them in so many ways.”

Much like the year I went on tour promoting my husband’s book, Chrysalis Chronicles, The Eyes of the Desert Sand, mentoring and writing these book series with Erica has been another — yet unexpected — incredible journey; one that could have never happened without the love and boldness of Erica insisting on taking on the role of protégé.

I had moved on, still embracing my passion for writing and publishing, but took another direction focusing solely on the study of God and becoming an expert in theology. But she got me and I could no longer resist her. When people heard I was going into business with her, everybody asked me the same questions: Why her? What does she have to offer?

My passion is studying and writing about matters of God under The Ridge Publishing Group and Guardians of Biblical Truth umbrellas. Yet, I would still have to go through all the motions of publishing, marketing, and selling my books — tasks that I had perfected over the years. But still, I no longer had any interest in working hundred hour workweeks anymore. And that is where Erica came in. I’d teach her the business and co-author books with her . . . she would edit, publish, market and sell my, our, and her books — there was no longer any hesitation. This partnership was meant to be.

About The Ridge Publishing Group

The Ridge Publishing Group, Inc. is an up and coming American worldwide book, film, and board game Company. It will become the largest theology teaching resource in the world in terms of books, textbooks, documentaries, board games and card decks. The Ridge Publishing Group owns the trademarks and copyrights of the Guardians of Biblical Truth Publishing Group and the New Narrated Study Bible (NNSB) series, the Hoyle Theology Publishing Group and the Hoyle Theology Encyclopedia seminary textbook series (independent study program), Documentaries in Print Publishing Group and the Defending the Faith — Two Worlds, Lost World, New World series, and Education in Games Publishing Group and the Heaven’s Seminary board games and card decks.

New Narrated Study Bible Series

Guardians of Biblical Truth Publishing Group is an imprint of The Ridge Publishing Group and publisher of the New Narrated Study Bible edition titled The Secrets of the Bible Revealed End Times. It is aimed to revolutionize your understanding of God’s Word and world religions. There is no other Study Bible like this on the market today! This New Narrated Study Bible series presents scripture (full unedited text of the Holy Bible: King James Version, 1611 Edition) in chronological order to provide a single, continuous account of biblical history and prophecy from Creation to End Times. It also includes key events as it relates to world history and Middle East history. In other words, The Secrets of the Bible Revealed End Times (in nine volumes) interweaves the scriptures within the books of the Bible for an unbroken roadmap from beginning to The End. This too means, you can read the 66 books of the Bible cover to cover in nine volumes — including much commentary.

Hoyle Theology Encyclopedia

Hoyle Theology Publishing Group is an imprint of The Ridge Publishing Group and publisher of the Hoyle Theology Encyclopedia seminary textbook series (an independent study program). The Hoyle Theology Encyclopedia was designed to cover all branches and topics of knowledge that you would find offered at a traditional Bible college, seminary or university. The Hoyle Theology Encyclopedia consists of 44 volumes: Volumes 1–14 covers Systematic studies of theology and its numerous branches, Volumes 15–21 covers Biblical studies, Volumes 22–28 covers Practical (Christian) studies, Volumes 29–35 covers Historical studies, Volumes 36–42 cover Apologetics studies, Volume 43 is the Text Index, and Volume 44 is the Concordance — alphabetical list of words present in the Text with citations of passages in the Bible concerned.

Defending the Faith Documentary Series

Documentaries in Print Publishing Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Ridge Publishing Group and publisher of the Defending the Faith — Two Worlds, Lost World, New World series (Documentaries — Mythology, Theology, and the Debate) comprising 31 books with an astute mix of cultural critique and biblical scholarship. The publisher presents and defends 31 propositions supporting a literary and theological understanding of: (1) two worlds, the “invisible world” before creation (the Universe) and the “visible world” after creation (habitable Earth); (2) the lost world before Noah’s flood (cleansed Earth); and (3) beyond, new world (new Earth, new heaven). The publisher, does this within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world, and unpacks its implications for our modern scientific understanding of origins.

Heaven’s Seminary Board Game Series

Education in Games Publishing Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Ridge Publishing Group and publisher of the Heaven’s Seminary™ — Flagship Edition — board game series comprising three games: (1) Heaven’s Seminary Mission I (strategy board game; an overall study of the Bible, i.e., think Bible college associates degree program), (2) Heaven’s Seminary Mission II (tactics board game; study of theology as a whole, i.e., think seminary or university bachelor’s degree program), and (3) Heaven’s Seminary Mission III (arsenal board game; choose and submit a theology thesis, i.e., think master’s degree program). The Heaven’s Seminary board games include: game boards, “Heaven’s Seminary Rules for Play” book, Heaven’s Seminary playbooks (“Heaven’s Seminary Strategy Playbook,” “Heaven’s Seminary Tactics Playbook,” and “Heaven’s Seminary Arsenal Playbook”), card packs and card decks. A unique feature of the card decks is that they can also be used to play additional card games outside of the Heaven’s Seminary — Flagship Edition.

It is my pleasure and great joy to bring you these special series, and my hope that you’ll find my journey as enlightening and inspirational as I did.

The Ridge Publishing Group, Inc.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

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Visit our website at www.NewYouniversityChronicles.com and our blog site at www.ManhattanChronicles.com as you continue your transformation journey.