My Writing Journey

After spending 50 years as a business professional in various industries, retirement didn’t agree with me at first. Though I had achieved my dream of settling down to enjoy the slow life in Vermont, I felt aimless yet full of energy, not quite sure what to do with myself in the absence of a clear goal or schedule for my days. So when a close friend recommended that I try writing, I was intrigued by the thought, though skeptical of my potential as an author.

Soon, I discovered that all it took was a piece of paper and a pencil. It was something I could take with me wherever I went, and I was excited by the concept that you could put an idea down on the page and watch it grow into a book you could hold in your hands. As I learned about all the people and parts that go into the making of a book, I found myself exhilarated by the process, much like I had always been energized by the work of building a new business from scratch. I delighted in the opportunity to work with and learn from collaborators and writing quickly became the thing that would fill much of my retired life.

My first book, Raining Pitchforks, was a story of courage, optimism, and loss. It detailed my tumultuous childhood in Kansas, which was marked by abuse at the hands of my father, a World War II veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. My grandmother, Babe, was my protector and champion, though she was never able to accept that the man who returned from war was not the same son he had been when he left. I, like so many others in my situation, thought this violent existence was just the way life was. What I went through still goes on today, though many are oblivious to it or choose not to see it. I wrote this book to reveal the reality of abuse to those who have not lived it, and to assure those who have experienced this pain that living in fear is not normal, and a better future is possible.

In Circuitous, I tried my hand at fiction for the first time, attempting to explore some of the most grievous ways humans have wronged one another through a story filled with mystery, intrigue, and otherworldly phenomena. This book returned to Kansas, using the prairie as the backdrop for a tale about a small-town reeling from the sudden appearance of a perplexing sinkhole. The chain of events that follow make the characters question everything they think they know about humanity, society, and how to be “good.”  

My forthcoming release, Chrysalis, chronicles one of the most harrowing turning points of my life: a car accident that left me paralyzed from the neck down. The following months spent in a California hospital transformed me, helping me understand the value of relationships over manufactured ideas of success. Through it all, I learned that a devastating experience like this, though painful, truly can change you for the better. But you don’t need to wait for an earth-shattering event like a broken neck to adjust your outlook on living. My advice is to slow down, taste your coffee, love the people around you, and settle into the groove of your life. It really does help.

Writing has taught me this: Life happens. Loss happens. Love happens. And we all have a strong, almost never-told story. For me, each book is a leap of faith, written in the hopes that my words might reach someone, somewhere, who needs them. If telling my story helps or encourages just one person, it will have been worth it.