My Blog Circle:

• 777 Peppermint Place

Although I'm Texan through and through, I have lived up north (Oklahoma) and back east (Georgia). Currently, I'm in my home state and live in a forest with my husband, three cats, five ducks and a pond full of fish.

Other than the day I confessed my faith, I've experienced two major turning points in my life: The first in my 30s when I decided I no longer cared what people thought of me, and the second in my late 40s when I began my career in writing and editing. Being a Christian author/editor has given me a wonderful sense of purpose and direction for my mid-life and beyond.

I have a writing site I share with other authors, AuthorCulture, where young writers can learn tips of the trade. I'm an editor for Port Yonder Press, a traditional publishing company for Christian and family friendly authors. Also, look for me on Facebook. I love to make friends!

How did you get to where you are now?

Back in the '90s, I was seriously ill with a condition that eventually was diagnosed as Crohn's Disease. The disease left me with very little strength, and about the only thing I could do was write. So I did--badly.

Then, as I was getting well again, I began to take my writing seriously and studied everything I could get my hands on. I've had two novels become finalists in the Genesis Contest (a nation-wide competition hosted by American Christian Fiction Writers [ACFW]), several of my articles have been published in Christian Romance Magazine (an ezine), and I've been invited to co-write a novel.

As for editing, I've done it on the side for years, beginning as a critique partner for other authors. The job with Port Yonder Press kinda fell in my lap. When a friend bought the press, I asked if she needed help. She did.

How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?

It's amazing what changes a decade can bring. I'm healthier now (read: fatter), and a bit wiser, more "educated" through dealing with a then-newly widowed mother and trials of the role-reversal that brings. I'm also a grandmother now, and since all my kids are step-kids who were grown or practically grown when I married their father, I'm enjoying watching our grandchildren grow.

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

God willing, we'll be on our farm in a tiny Polish community raising horses and cows, chickens and ducks, dogs and cats. Hopefully by then I'll have a few published novels under my belt and will be thriving as an editor. One thing I won't be in 10 years is old. Aged maybe, like a fine wine or cheese, but not old. I refuse.

To Younger Self:

Stop worrying about folks who don't like you and rejoice in the ones who do. Someday, you'll have a man who cherishes you (wait for him--don't marry that first guy. Big mistake) and his love and God's will be enough to boost your self confidence. You'll discover that more people like you than not, and those who don't are just too petty to worry over.

Love,

Older Self

PS: Pay attention to the professor in College who encourages you to become a writer.

Gave 'em all up in my 30s. Now I prefer to be the role model. (How's that for arrogance?! :D)