My first post

A little bit about me:

When I was in the 4th grade, my teacher told me that she liked the short story I had written and that I had the imagination to be a writer. From then on, that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. I never wavered in it, whenever someone asked, that’s what I said.

I majored in Creative Writing and minored in Literature in college. Most people, when finding out that I was an English major, assumed that I wanted to teach. No, I’m not overly fond of children. I wasn’t even sure that I would like my own (I do though, thank goodness). I never wanted to be a teacher, I don’t have what it takes. So, here I was, majoring in English and Literature, all with the goal of being a “writer”. I was smart enough to know that I wasn’t going to graduate and write the great American novel though. I came up with a plan B. I decided I wanted to own my own bookstore. I could combine two of my great passions in life, the writing and reading of books. Over the summer between my junior and senior years, I got a job at a chain bookstore.

What can I say, it was retail. I firmly believe that everyone should be required to work in retail for one year. The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the retail experience.

Ok, back to the story.

So, after I graduated, I went back to the bookstore. There I stayed for 5 years. It was 4 years too long. I realized in that time that I didn’t want to own my own bookstore because, well frankly, I wasn’t too fond of the general public. It would have been a perfect job, if we didn’t have to unlock the doors. But we did and when the chain went under, I was done with retail.

Most of the jobs that I’ve had in my life have involved books. But, there aren’t a whole lot of publishers out here on the West coast. I was lucky enough to find a job with a book wholesaler, working directly with publishers. It was a perfect fit. I finally had a Monday thru Friday, 8-5 job. I could write in the evenings, if I felt like it. The problem was, I never felt like it.

I got married. I had a baby and then 3.5 years later, another one. There was always something else to do, something else that needed to be done. There are so many things that I want to do with my free time, the little bit of it that there is and writing just never made it onto the list. Life got in the way. I keep reminding myself that it’s ok, a lot of authors don’t get started until they are in their 40s or 50s. I have a lot of time still. And that’s true, I do have a lot of time still. Writing is something that can be done no matter your age.

So, maybe that’s what this blog will end up being. My way of acknowledging the little writer in the corner of my head, who is quietly crying because she doesn’t get to tell the stories in her head. Maybe she’ll get a chance to tell those stories. Or maybe, she’ll have to wait a while longer. We’ll see……