This is probably no surprise. I always wanted to be writer and I’m so grateful for the chance to fulfill my dream. Telling stories and creating story people is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
My path started back in school. English (of course) was my favorite subject with history a close second. I loved when an assignment included writing a short story. I remember clearly one I wrote called The Sugar Bowl. It was about a colony of ants who decided to play a game of football in a family’s sugar bowl.
Then there was one about a squirrel who teased a dog to death until the dog finally had enough and taught the squirrel a lesson that he almost lived to regret.
But, my favorite things to write are western romances. These stories and the characters are so deeply embedded inside me. I feel I reach out and touch them. With them living in my head, talking and laughing and keeping me awake, it’s no wonder they become like family. I celebrate their joys and cry when they’re heartbroken.
I think sometimes about what I might’ve done if the writing bug hadn’t bit me. I know it would have something to do with books. I’d have been a librarian or bookstore owner. Libraries are magical places. As a child, I wanted to live in one. And I almost did because of the time I spent at the local library. I wanted to read every book and discover all the worlds and the people on each page. Books opened up new schools of thought and I learned about what true love was from stories I read. Books are everything to me, no doubt about it. If I haven’t convinced you, you should see my bookshelves!
So are you satisfied with the way things turned out for you? And what would you have been if life hadn’t happened?
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
Honestly, I am not happy with how things turned out for me. But, I really don’t know what I would be doing. There are dreams of things I wish I had done, but never would have had the chance anyway. So I am content being a housewife.
Hi Janine! Thank you for coming over. I love having you. I’m sorry you didn’t get to have your dream. Maybe you still could? I never thought I’d be a writer because of the very limited opportunities when I was growing up. I knew I’d never see the inside of a college due to the face we were so poor and there was no help back in the 60s and 70s. I went to work right out of high school to help support the family. If it hadn’t been for books and the library, my dream would’ve shriveled and died. I learned how to write my own books by reading other writers. Just don’t let life pass you by, my dear.
Hugs,
Linda
Looking back, my dreams were really uneducated nightmares! God has brought me through many things in life that I would not have chosen and as a result, I am so different from the person I thought I would become.
I’m known by some as the “texting granny.” I surprise people with my texting! Really?? Seems silly to me, but if I want to keep in touch with our grandchildren, I need to text. This week our oldest granddaughter sent me a text saying, “You’re the greatest Gram ever!” That was a reminder to me that I grew up to be what I really always wanted to be. 🙂 This really is my dream come true.
Hi Rosie! Thank you for coming. I’m glad you are in the role you want and that you love the life you lead. That’s wonderful. A lot of people aren’t satisfied with how their life played out. I love “texting Granny!” How cool is that! You must have a really loving, tight-knit family. Hold on to them.
Thanks again for coming! Hugs!
Wow, Linda! This is quite a question! I love my life–and feel I have been blessed in so many ways. I do however, wish I were braver and more of a risk-taker. When I was young I had a friend who took off to Europe and found a job there as a nanny for a family, just so she could spend some time in Germany and learn the language. She wanted me to go with her…but I thought it would be best to finish college and get a “real” job. No regrets, but… what if???
Linda, I’m like you–I always knew I wanted to have SOMETHING to do with books/writing. But as you say, the opportunities were so much more limited then. Especially for women. And there were so many genres that just hadn’t been developed yet. I wrote from the time I could form words. My mom used to laugh about me writing in the cover of one of our hardback books every word I knew how to spell–which, thankfully, wasn’t many at that early age.
I’d have lived at the library if I could have–I did get to go every Saturday, when Mom went to the beauty shop. I think my love of writing and reading was fostered by my home–we had a lot of books–always made me feel “rich”–and reading was always encouraged.
Thanks for giving us a glimpse of what made you want to write. I’m so glad you got to follow your dream!
XOXOXO
Cheryl
I too lived at the library when I was a child. My favorites then were Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. My time at the library, however, was spent in the science and history section. I couldn’t get enough about lost civilizations, cultures, places around the world, and what had happened in the past.
The first thing I wanted to be was an archeologist. There are times I still would like to pursue that path. The thought of uncovering things that would help us understand lost cultures and civilizations is appealing. I know it is slow, dirty work, not even close to the life Indiana Jones shows.
I trained as a teacher and do wish I had thought about studying library science. As it was, I did take some library science courses and spent 8 years as a children’s librarian. Loved it.
My life has been varied and I have had many adventures. There are very few things I would change about it. I would have liked to be a writer, but an unfortunate incident over a book I was writing in high school chased that dream away. I know people have started their careers at my age, but my life is too full right now to even consider it.