Thank you,
Linda, for having me as a guest on your blog. I’m pleased to be able to share with
your readers my journey as an author.
I’d have to say that I’ve been a writer since I
was a child, when I wrote poems about my family and about the snow, stories
about cats, and I filled school workbooks with novelettes about orphan pioneer
girls. In high school, my writing became more sophisticated, so much so that my
senior English teacher suggested I send a story out for publication. Which I
did not do.
In adulthood, I journaled and participated in a
few creative writing workshops, but I wrote for fun and because it fulfilled
something within me. I never expected that I would ever publish a book. A
career in computer programming, marriage and motherhood, several years as a
music educator—all that took precedence over my writing.
It wasn’t until I was in my fifties, with my children
grown and independent, that I finally heeded the calling to which I should have
paid attention long before. In 2005, a relocation with my husband from Canada
to the United States caused me to leave my job, and I found myself living in Virginia
with no work permit and nothing to do. In a magazine for new residents, a
listing for the Virginia Writers Club jumped out at me. In that club, I bonded
with four other writers and we formed a critique group. With their encouragement
and support, my journey to authorship finally began. Another person in Virginia
who guided me on the path to authorship was Ellery Adams, who lived down the
street from us. She was (and is) a published cozy mystery author. We became
friends, and when I finished writing my novel, she offered advice and encouragement
to send it out. Also, we came up with an idea for a cozy mystery series to
write together and started work on that project.
In the midst of querying out my novel and
collaborating on the mystery series with Ellery, my husband and I relocated
twice more, finally settling in Bermuda where we’ve been residing for almost
four years. It was difficult to stay focused on my writing during that period
of upheaval, and hard to remain enthusiastic about it all when I received
several rejections, from both agents and publishers. Eventually I did find an
agent who believed in my book, and soon after my husband and I established
ourselves in Bermuda, she called me with the exciting news that a publisher was
interested in my novel. THE UNRAVELING OF ABBY SETTEL was published in August
2011 and re-released with a new cover in January 2013. I was thrilled when in
2011 it was awarded a Readers Views Reviewers Choice Award.
Recently I completed my second novel, BREATHING
SPACE, for which I’ve just signed a contract for publication and it will be
released in early 2015.
I have another author identity. Ellery and I
co-author A NOVEL IDEA mystery series, writing as Lucy Arlington. The first two
books in the series (BURIED IN A BOOK and EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK) were on the
extended New York Times Bestseller list. The third in the series (BOOKS, COOKS
AND CROOKS) will be released in February 2014.
My journey
toward authorship has been one of challenge, disappointment, but mostly joy.
Being a writer and a published author involves hard work, however, no matter
how much I love to write. Two qualities I constantly have to draw upon to
achieve my writing goals are determination and self-discipline. I find that I’m
always learning, always finding ways to improve. I love the contact and
feedback from readers, and I enjoy telling the stories that crowd my
imagination. One thing my life has taught me is that it is never predictable.
Life is full of tales waiting to be written down.
You can find me
online at these sites:
Website: www.sylviamay.com
Amazon author
page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005ICZFL4
The Unraveling of Abby Settel
Abby's well-ordered life is falling apart. Her
son’s behavior is worrisome, her aging parents are deteriorating, and her
husband loses his job. He finds a new position that compels them to move
hundreds of miles away, where Abby is plagued by guilt and loneliness. When she
discovers a group of women facing similar challenges, together they seek a way
out of their unhappiness. This is a story of midlife reinvention, letting go to
embrace the present, and the importance of friends.
Buy links:
Turquoise
Morning Press: http://www.turquoisemorningpressbookstore.com/products/the-unraveling-of-abby-settel
2 comments:
I love your book blurb. Stories of midlife reinvention are my favorite and I'm sure I'll enjoy this one. Thanks for being here on my blog this week.
Great beginning for a novelist. I'm convinced most serious authors start early writing everything under the sun and then when they have a lot more experience, they get serious. Congrats on you successes and great to meet another author who started serious writing a little later in live.
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