Howdy!
Many thanks to Helen Doherty (
A photo of me signing autographs -- a great author perk!
Blare the Trumpet
Now I get the opportunity to use this post to blare the trumpet, heralding the fun facts about my life. Those of you who are younger may be able to write your “Introduce Yourself” in a few paragraphs. But as a “grandma,” my journey covers a few more miles.
I live in Oklahoma—Will Rogers’ Country—however, I’m not really the cowboy type. (If you’ve never heard of Will Roger do a search. He was one amazing personality.)
I am a published author, and my life pretty much revolves around books, writing, and – ta da! – teenagers. Then, fit my family (read that grandchildren) into the mix and that rounds out the picture some.
Teenagers? Yup! I’ve served as a youth sponsor in my local church for more than 15 years, and teens are at the top of my passion list. Love hanging out with my teen buddies. My thought is, every kid needs a grandma, so I serve in that role, and I find the students love it as much as I do.
Shift Gears into Reverse
But let me shift gears into reverse for a bit and traverse a few past years to complete the picture of who I am and how I got to where I am today. Which is the author of more than 50 published books, in addition to scores of ghostwritten books, in addition to (in the very early years) hundreds of magazine articles and short stories. It’s been quite a journey.
I can never remember not wanting to write. I was telling stories to my older sister when I was still grammar school age. My first published work appeared in our local newspaper when I was in 7th grade. That became a pivotal moment; once I saw my name in print, I was bitten and smitten! Ahhhh. But many years would pass before that privilege was repeated.
Toto, I've A Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore
Ah the famous quote from the classic movie, Wizard of Oz. But I WAS in Kansas for many years. I grew up in a Kansas farming community. We were not farm folk, but many of my friends lived on farms and it was fun to have sleepovers and experience that farm life. (Playing hide and seek a vast field of full-grown wheat can be a pretty heady experience!) My grandparents were farmers and I spent many happy hours on their farm as well. (I still swoon at the aroma of alfalfa! No. Seriously.)
Epiphany Moment
I grew up in a home sans books. Can you believe that? A budding writer in a house with no books. Ghastly! Fortunately, from my first-grade year through my sixth-grade year, all of my teachers used the first half hour of the day as the time to read aloud to us. (After pledge to the American flag and prayers. Definitely in the old days!) I was exposed to a LOT of books in those six years.
My teacher in sixth grade was a spinster (better word than old maid, right?) named Pearl White. I am not kidding. That really was her name. She was also my piano teacher, but that’s another story altogether.
Miss White in her selection of books to read aloud that year was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It’s difficult to explain what happened as that story was read aloud to me, but as I look back today, I know it was an epiphany.
As Miss White read that book, I could smell the rich soil in the secret garden of Misselthwaite Manor. I inhaled the fragrance of the blossoms. I watched as Mary and Dickon worked to clear the garden, to nurture each tender plant and vine, and how they brought the neglected garden back to life.
Every detail of the book sprang into vivid images. Deep within me I suddenly realized the power of words on paper. Of course, I could never have expressed my feelings as a sixth-grader, but it was an unforgettable experience. I knew in that moment that I wanted to wield that same power!
Alas, I had no encouragement. No guide. No mentor. No one to show me the way. I was married with two children (then living in Oklahoma), still frustrated as I struggled to deal with my deep, heartfelt longing to write, before any light was shed on my pathway.
A Writing Correspondence Course
That’s when I enrolled in a writing correspondence course. The brochure was dogeared from my having taken it out repeatedly, poring over it, and wondering if it might just be possible that a writing course could lead the way.
Spoiler: It did!
This amazing writing course supplied the missing piece of the puzzle – how to study the markets and how to sell what I wrote! Wow! Who knew? It was as if the starting gong sounded and the chute was open. I was off and running. I was selling magazine articles and short stories before I ever completed that course. Then I turned around and signed up for an advanced course.
Within a few years I’d sold hundreds of magazine articles, and short stories. (This was back when every home was replete with stacks of magazines on the living-room coffee table. Anyone remember those days?) I was in hog heaven!
That Wasn’t Enough
BUT! That wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to publish novels. I am a story-teller at heart.
Each year, I wrote at the top of my goals list: “I will hold my published book in my hands – this year!”
Did it happen? No, it did not. But I never gave up. I don’t have any “quittin’ sense,” as some Okies would say.
After several years of writing that same sentence at the top of my goals list, I did, at long last hold my first published book in my hands. More about that experience in a subsequent Steemit post. That glorious moment came after years of setbacks, roadblocks, discouragement, and heaps and tons of self-doubt. Whoa. Would not want to turn back the clock to those days.
Here's the cover of my very first published novel.
Meanwhile, I was living in a verbally/emotionally abusive marital relationship from which I eventually escaped, along with my two kids who were then teenagers. Dark days to be sure. Wouldn’t want to turn back the clock to those days either!
Teaching and Speaking
Because I struggled with my writing dreams for so many empty years, I found I had a strong desire to help other doubting, discouraged writers. From early on in my writing career, I was putting together workshops on a local level, in addition to speaking at writers conferences around the county. I discovered that I loved to teach almost as much as I love to write.
At one point I was teaching for the Continuing Education Dept. for Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. The head of that department suggested that we put on a writers conference. At that time, I was president of a writers club that I had started and his idea was that the club and the university team up for the project.
I accepted the challenge. I became the founder, and then served as Coordinator, for the Professionalism in Writing School. We move away from the ORU covering after about a couple of years and continued on our own for fourteen years. The annual school brought in editors and published authors to teach our attendees. Many writers got their start and were first published via the PIW School.
Here I am at the registration desk at the PIW Conference. Get a load of those huge 1990s glasses! LOL
Meanwhile, I was writing and publishing on a regular basis. Not making a lot of income, but happy just to be writing.
The Switch to Indie Author
About 8 years ago, I learned about “independent authors.” (Indie authors.) I read about well-known authors who were getting their rights reverted back to them, and self-publishing their books. Whoa! I thought of all my books that were now out of print and realized that I could do that! I spent about a year writing to my past publishers to get my rights back; and subsequently began to learn the ropes of being an indie author.
I have to tell you – the learning curve was straight UP! But I’ve never had so much fun. Now I get to decide cover art. I edit without someone coming along and cutting out huge chunks.
Let me quickly add that every author loves a good editor, and I’m no different. BUT, during my career, I’ve experienced some pretty bad editors. And I’ve also experienced very BAD cover art. :^(
But the icing on the cake of being an indie author is that my books will NEVER go out of print. This is total opposite of working with traditional publishers where my books were lucky to be on the shelf for one full year. Sad, but true.
I took my first novel Blossom Into Love changed the title and cover and brought it out under my own publishing company. What fun!
Library Campaign
This sorta, kinda brings my story to the present time. At this juncture my newest adventure is running an active library campaign. I am learning how to market and sell to libraries. Quite an adventure and I’m loving every minute of it.
My latest teen action novel, Brought To You By The Color Drab, is now on the shelves of three branches of the OKC Metro Library system, two branches of the Tulsa City-County Library system, the Austin, TX Library system, as well as a number of other towns and cities in Oklahoma and Kansas. Soon to be on the shelf at the Abilene and Ft. Worth, TX, libraries.
Here I am holding my latest teen novel excited that it's on the shelf of my hometown library system.
And, of course, I’m working on yet another teen novel. I’ll never stop writing. My passion; my love!
I’ll Meet You There
I look forward to this Steemit venue to cross paths and exchange ideas with other writers, wannabe writers, frustrated writers, discouraged writers, hit-the-wall writers, or excited successful writers, and the list goes on… Does this describe you? Or someone you know?
Many of my future posts will be sharing my past experiences, tips and techniques with regard to writing, as well as motivational pieces to help others to stay the course and not let your dreams get sidetracked!
Be watching for my posts! I’ll meet you there!
All the best,
Norma Jean
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