“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
Have you ever asked yourself that question? Who are you? Ten years ago, I was asked to do a post for a fellow writer’s blog answering that question. I came across it today and thought maybe you would find it interesting. I changed a few things because who hasn’t changed a little in a decade. So here goes. Hope who I say I am sort of matches who you think I am.
First, if you’re anything like me and since you’re reading this, I’m guessing you are, you like books. I’m also guessing that many of you are like me and enjoy hearing the who, what, and where of the names under the titles on the books you read. Since I’m hoping my name has been on a few books you’ve read, here goes with my own story on how that came about.
So who am I? I’m a country girl who grew up on a farm. I was one of three daughters and no sons, so we helped our dad out in the fields. I liked driving the tractor, but didn’t get to do that very often since I was the youngest. I married a farm boy and naturally, as soon as we could get a loan, we bought a farm for ourselves. I was a very young mother with two children (a boy and a girl 20 months apart) by the time I was nineteen and then I added another boy a few years later. The picture up top is me with my oldest son at about a year old.
From the time I was a kid, I wanted to write down stories. I filled countless wire-bound notebooks with my stories and kept a journal from the time I was a young teen. But that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to publish my writing. I didn’t want to simply hide them away in a drawer. I wanted people to read what I wrote. With that goal, I began typing up my stories, stuffing them in manila envelopes and sending them out to magazines. (This was way before computers and everything digital days.) Now and again, I published a few of those short stories and personal experience pieces. Then I tried my hand at writing a novel and knew I’d found my writing niche. That’s what I wanted to write – big, long stories where I could stay with the same characters for months while they lived out their stories in my head.
In 1978, I experienced the magic of writing a story an editor actually decided readers might buy, and my first book, a mass market paperback historical romance, was published by Warner Books for the general market. That was followed by another historical romance and eleven young adult and middle reader books in the 1980s and 1990s. Then my writing magic seemed to lose its twinkle. Editors stopped thinking my stories were books their readers would want to read. One of my rejects said that there was nothing really wrong with my novel but nothing right about it either. Now that was helpful!
But even when my books weren’t finding loving editors, I kept writing. It seems writing is necessary for me to keep my happiness quotient at the proper level. After several years of no letters saying there was enough right about my books, I decided to take the age old advice and write what I knew. I quit worrying about markets and wrote a story I could love whether anybody else did or not. That story became my first inspirational fiction novel, Scent of Lilacs, published by Revell Books in 2005. It was repackaged and re-released in 2013. That novel and the follow up stories, Orchard of Hope and Summer of Joy have touched a lot of readers. They have recently been released in audio with the last two narrated by me. I had fun getting to be all my characters while reading the books for audio. Can you believe a reviewer said she enjoyed my Kentucky accent? What accent? LOL.
Then a book I wrote about the Shakers, The Outsider, was published. That was followed by seven more novels set in my fictional Harmony Hill Shaker Village. The Shakers, a unique and interesting religious group, made a great historical background for those novels. But I’ve found plenty of other stories in Kentucky history besides the Shakers to write about. I’ve written about the 1855 election riots in Words Spoken True. I borrowed my mom’s stories of growing up during the Great Depression for the background for my Rosey Corner books. I found a story, River to Redemption, in Springfield, Kentucky during the cholera outbreaks, and I’ve headed up into the hills of Eastern Kentucky for some stories. I’m back there again for the story to be released in June, Along a Storied Trail.
So where I am now is still where I’ve always been. Loving to share my stories. Taking walks with my dogs. Snapping pictures of wildflowers and all kinds of other things I spot on those walks to share with you all on social media. Loving visits from the grandkids. And smiling when I hear from readers like you.
Where am I going? I hope I’ll continue to have characters come to life in my imagination. Writing isn’t always easy. Sometimes the words are hard to dig out of my mind to tell those stories, but I can’t imagine not writing. It’s what I do. I hope some of you will go along with me on my story trails.
All right, now you tell me.
Do like hearing about how your favorite writers got started in the book business?
What didn’t I tell you that you would like to know about who I am?
Comments 12
I enjoy your Sunday morning walks and pictures very much. I don’t always get them on Sunday mornings, but any time is fine. I also love your books; I’ve read many but not all yet. This was interesting to read about you, too. Have a wonderful week! We’re supposed to have rain the rest of the week, April showers early!
Author
We’ve had a stretch of beautiful days, Kathy, but they do say rain and maybe storms are coming our way. My Frankie won’t be happy if it starts thundering. I’m glad you like to go walking with the dogs and me. And when you’re going virtually, you can enjoy the walk anytime.
Thank you so much for reading my stories and I hope you will try the ones you haven’t read yet too. So glad to have you as a reader and friend here.
I have so many of your books and like them all, but Small Town Girl got me started reading your books. Enjoyed this story of Who you are. Keep writing and I will keep buying.
Author
So, Donna, you jumped into Rosey Corner in the middle of my Merritt sisters adventures. I hope you went back and read Angel Sister too. I hope to do an audio recording of Love Comes Home this summer. The other two are already on audio. I’m so glad you read my stories. You can’t know how much I appreciate your support. Love my readers.
Thank you Ann for all your books. The Outsiders was the first book of yours that I read and got me hooked on the Shaker books. Have you thought about writing a book about the pioneers of early Kentucky? The William Whitney House wold be a setting.
Author
You know, Janice, I hate to admit it, but I’ve never been to the William Whitney house. I need to rectify that this summer. Have you ever noticed that sometimes it is those historical places or interesting tourist areas close to your own home that you sometimes neglect to ever go see?
I’m so glad you got “hooked” on my Shaker stories and went on to try out some of my other stories too. My first published book way back in 1978 was about the early pioneers in Kentucky, but was more about the Fort at Bryant’s Station. I have pitched a new idea about those early days in Kentucky to my publishers, but not sure yet if they will be on board with that idea.
So enjoy your Sunday walks with Frankie & Marley. Farm girl is exciting to me. Thank you for sharing.
Author
So, is it exciting to you, Lisa, because you are a farm girl or because you aren’t? I can’t imagine being anything else. I’m glad you “walk” along with Frankie, Marley and me. That sort of sounds like it could be the title of a song, doesn’t it? 🙂
Good Monday morning! I enjoyed learning more about you — and your life-long passion being fulfilled. My passion is Spanish – her language, her people, her food. I still translate and love it. My husband and I are married 50 years – in just a few weeks! We are reminiscing of course – and writing down our ‘life lessons’ for the kids and grands. What are your life lessons? Do keep writing – and walking and taking pictures. May your life continue to be FULL. God has certainly been there in your past….and will be in your (and my!) future. Blessings!
Author
Thank you for sharing your passions, Marilyn. I think it would be wonderful to be fluent in more than one language. Sometimes I wonder if I’m fluent in one. 🙂 And congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. My husband and I celebrated 50 years a few years back. I think it’s a great idea to write down some of your memories and what you’ve learned through the years for your kids and grandkids. What a special gift that will be to them.
Thank you for your encouraging words. I’ll try to answer your question in one of my next posts.
I enjoyed reading this. We have a lot in common….being raised on a farm, marrying young and having babies young. We both married farmers and raised our children on a farm. We both love our dogs, too. And grandkids are the best thing ever….especially when there’s a “mini-me” in the mix.
Do you have other hobbies, besides writing? (Isn’t it fun to make money doing what you love!?) Where do you go, or what do you do for inspiration for the next book?
I hope everything opens back up this summer so we can have book fairs and book parties!
Enjoy this beautiful weather today. Happy writing!
Author
It’s always fun to meet a kindred spirit, Lavon. You also like books and history, so that’s fun too.
It has been a beautiful weekend and Monday too. I am hoping we can have a return to normal this summer. I miss meeting readers at book events. And I’d like to have another Hometown Book Launch when Along a Storied Trail is released. Maybe I need to do a virtual event but I don’t think that’s as much fun as meeting in person.
I think I’ll save your questions and see if anybody else has any. Then I can answer them in a new post. We’ll see if anybody else is curious. But I am sure that you, like me, have some times when doing what you love is good but still definitely work.