I started writing down stories when I was about five years old. For as long as I can remember, the written word held meaning and magic for me. I wrote poems and journal entries. I created personalized, handmade books for Christmas gifts. I imagined I would grow up to be an author and see my books on the shelves of bookstores next to Laura Ingalls Wilder or Erma Bombeck- two of my favorites, though they were very different from each other.
As often happens in adulthood, I lost track of those dreams while I pursued others. I married, had a family, a career in education, and a home. I traveled. I earned my Master’s degree. There was not much time for writing books.
I would occasionally submit some poetry to small, obscure journals and I even had a few published. I wrote and self-published a picture book called Tallulah and the Three Cowgirls while I was still in the classroom to use for a lesson. Overall, I didn’t think much of publishing. Life was so full.
Every once in a while, though, I would hear that whisper. I would wander through a bookstore and wonder what it would be like to see my name there on the shelf, but as I got closer to the age of fifty, I began to think it just was too late.
Then I met Lexie.
Alexandria Evangeline Malouff showed up in a dream, and pretty much demanded that I write her story. So, I did. Then, at a party, when a friend turned to me and asked about my goals, I heard myself blurt out, “I have this book. I need a publisher.”
It turned out that I said that to just the right person, because Kim knew a publisher and that connection lead me to Briggs and Schuster and my first published novel The Charming Bracelet.
Now at 55, I have several books to my name with more to come. I’m having the time of my life as a “real” author.
I believe that things happen when they are supposed to happen, and I’m so grateful for never stopping. If you have the dream to publish, don’t give up on it! It doesn’t matter if you are 50, or 60 or 70 or any other age. If you have a story to tell, its not too late to share it!