I remember when I was thirteen years old, riding in my dadโs metallic blue Ford sedan to my orthodontic appointment. His radio was tuned to a hard-core country station playing music by George Jones, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash.
My first try at writing was at age nine. I wrote a few poems expressing my feelings. Around age 18, I drafted a short story about aliens. At that time, I never thought about becoming an author.
Like Catalina in my novel ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐’๐ ๐น๐๐๐, I love the ocean! Although until I learned to scuba dive, I was somewhat afraid of its mysterious depths and what could be lurking below the waterโs surface.
When I was in my twenties, I worked as a receptionist in downtown Pittsburgh. At lunchtime Iโd browse through little shops and big department stores, and I soon discovered there was a bookstore just a couple of blocks from my office.
A close friend of mine in his eighties sent me his memoir in manuscript form. I found it fascinating as Iโve known the man thirty-five years. I had suggestions for him on perhaps reshaping it for a larger audience.
Being a full-time indie author is like wearing a dozen different hats. You should never expect to only be a writer because youโre going to be a beta reader, an editor, a marketer, a social media guru, and a salesman.
When I was younger and wrote stories centered around the women in my life, most times, my mom, grandmothers, aunts, or cousins were the focal point. And although as a child, I wouldnโt have pegged them as such, they were and are incredibly strong women.
Iโd never had the pleasure of attending one of the Horror Writers Associationโs annual StokerCon conventions, but I was glad I did. It proved to be educational and a ton of fun.