My dream of writing a book was inspired six years ago when I attended a Christmas Party at the Decatur Writers Studio with my husband, who was and still is, writing a memoir. He’d taken some great writing classes and his enthusiasm was contagious. At the party, I spotted a flyer about a January 2016 class with NY Times bestselling author, Joshilyn Jackson. I signed up for that class and took a second one the following year.
Since then, I’ve never looked back, and continue to work with two amazing critique groups. I love the research and stories based on a mix of real and imagined characters who struggle with issues of identity, fate, and circumstance. Since my initiation into creative writing, I’ve written two books. A third one is marinating midstream.
Many aspiring writers would give up after an unsuccessful bid at publication of a debut novel. Not me. One of my attributes is perseverance. I keep on keeping on. I will return to my ‘promising’ first novel which explores the intersection between poverty and wealth in Old Florida.
The second novel I’ve completed—a WWII novel set in Italy—captures a turbulent decade through the lens of its characters, their love triangles, and issues of identity and loyalty. Once again, the intersection between working-class and privilege figures greatly. It’s not a surprise that I love Downton Abbey!
I was born in Coral Gables, Florida to a mother who married into privilege and cast aside her own parents’ hardscrabble roots. My maternal grandma’s tales of Old Florida and the roots of my privileged paternal grandmother gave me the story for my first novel.
I left Coral Gables for Nashville, Tennessee where I graduated from Vanderbilt and then moved to Decatur, Georgia where I’ve worked and lived ever since. My husband and I met years ago through a highly successful, IBM-initiated program that trained people with disabilities as computer programmers. He morphed into IT Web Accessibility work, and I spun off to launch various state and federal award-winning programs to increase access to assistive technologies for people with disabilities.
In the world of rehabilitation, we rehabilitation experts always look for transferrable skills with individuals who must consider other career options after a disability. Success in one endeavor, begets success in the next one. All my years of writing for, securing, and heading up federal and state grant programs absolutely demanded the lens of a creative and logical thinker, and a capable project manager. So, when I retired from Georgia Tech in 2016, I put my transferrable skills to the test in writing fiction. My second act as is as fulfilling as my first act.
When I am not hammering away at my laptop, I write grants for a Georgia non-profit (10 wins, 2 losses so far this year), teach yoga, bicycle, walk, putter in my garden while listening to talking books, and socialize with a wide network of friends for life.