My mother’s dream was to be a published writer. With eight children and a full-time job, she still managed to attend writers’ classes at a local college but never received a degree. Her stories were mesmerizing and I grew up asking her to read them to me over and over. I still have copies of some of her work and though she never published anything, I always believed she could have sold a lot of children’s’ books. I thought I would be a writer. I did compose stories, poetry, lyrics, and kept a journal until my high school years. I wrote papers, reports, letters, slide presentations, recommendations, lesson plans, grants, a Master’s thesis, gen ed and special ed curriculum and short stories whenever I found the time. I made a few attempts at getting published but didn’t follow through.
The strongest creative pull in the early part of my life proved to be playing an instrument and singing. I was classically trained from the age of five through high school, but ended up playing keyboard and performing as a lead singer for a rock band! I pursued a music career from my teen years into my 40s, when I returned to college and earned my M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction. I traveled and taught in many different districts until my retirement this year.
My last teaching assignment was a return to elementary ed, where I was the computer teacher for 508 students! Although I sometimes miss the camaraderie of my peers and daily interactions with kids, I am finally able to spend time writing every day. I was lucky to have had the most excellent 3rd through 5th-grade students during this last year. They were the inspiration for a series of children’s’ books I am creating These short picture books feature a brown stuffed rat named Herbert who actually became the class mascot for the entire elementary school. The stories are told from Herbert’s point of view, and have very little adult interaction, as my character is mostly interested in the activities of the 3rd-5th graders at the school. There is a little magic, friendship, hardship, adventure, and a couple of life lessons contained in the series.
I am looking to publish for the first time on Kindle’s e-book offerings. I welcome all advice and mentoring! Being goal oriented, I am determined to pursue this career during these best years of my life. Hoping to hear from some of you!
UPDATE: August 2018
With membership in my local Writer’s Group, I realized I want to seek a traditional publisher for my Herbert Series. I concluded writing 20+ books and feel pursuing that avenue would be more beneficial to my career. I will be sending one of my first edited books in September of this year, hoping it gets picked up! Wish me luck!
Chameleon at Work 