Writing is My Life

By: Theresa Oliver

“I’ll live my life, and then when I get to old to live it, I’ll write about it.”

That’s what I used to think, but then I realized that I was wrong.

You must write about life as you live it.

Writing is my life. It always has been. I started writing when I was in high school. I hid in my room and wrote short stories, poetry, letters … virtually anything I could think of. I wrote my first short story The Door at 14 years of age, which I later rewrote and published in an anthology. Writing has always been therapeutic; a way to get my feelings out and onto paper. I loved escaping into the worlds I created, tagging along with my characters on their adventures.

Then, life happened. I still wrote when I could, but not like I wanted. So, later in life, I decided to go to college for writing. First, I earned my Associate of Arts degree at Palm Beach Community College, Lake Worth, Fla.

After my husband was laid off from U.S. Airways due to Sept. 11, 2001, we moved to Tennessee. It was then that I decided to pursue my dream of writing in earnest, so I enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Martin, Tenn., and earned my Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree, News Editorial sequence. While in attendance, I was pregnant with my youngest child. One semester I attended my classes; I had my baby over the summer, and went back for my final semester. Even though I had three children at home — and one a baby — I didn’t give up my dream of becoming a writer.

We moved back to Florida and I became the assistant layout editor for the Florida Catholic. While in college and working, I wrote and published over 125 news articles. Although I loved feature writing, it just wasn’t enough.

I missed writing fiction. Then life happened again and we moved to Georgia. There, I earned my Master of Arts in Teaching, Early Childhood Education sequence, from Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, Ga., and became a teacher.

I almost thought that my writing days were over when I remembered the infamous words of one of my professors, Dr. Richard Robinson, at UTM. When I told him I wanted to write a book, he told me simply, “Well, what’s stopping you? You only need a pencil and paper—and maybe a computer.”

He was right.

Soon, I wrote my first novel, “Cambria, Cambria Series, Book1.” Even though it was very rough and I had to revise it several times before publication, I had written my first novel. Then I read Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer after a recommendation from a fellow teacher. I read the whole Twilight Saga within a week over a Christmas break. After reading the series, Stephenie Meyer inspired me to write young adult fiction.

I stumbled across the Stephanie Meyer Facebook fan site, ran by two fans, Nikki Shah and Dana Piazzi. I began entering their writing contests and won several when Nikki encouraged me to create my own short story page. After some deliberation, I decided to take the plunge. Soon, I found myself writing four novels at the same time, posting the chapters of each on Theresa Oliver’s Short Story Page and a fan base quickly grew.

Then, I was accepted by a publishing company, where two of my short stories were published in two different anthologies: The Christmas Cottage was accepted in A Home for theHolidays, and The Door was accepted in 13 Tales of theParanormal.

Soon I published Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1, and my publishing company Write More Publications was born. Now I have signed 15 authors and their novels.

So the moral of this blog post is never to give up. If you want to become a writer, what’s stopping you? In the infamous words of Dr. Richard Robinson, “You only need a pencil and paper—and maybe a computer.”

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Theresa Oliver is the author of Cambria, Cambria Series,Book 1and Star, StarlandVamp Series, Book 1. Her novel Thou Shalt Not Kill is coming soon from Write More Publications, along with her first children’s picture book Crystal the Christmas Angel, and Five Loaves, Two Fish, One Boy and Jesus. Oliver will also publish her first middle grades book A Horse Named Dog, coming soon from Write More Publications, as well. For more from Theresa Oliver, please visit her at theresaoliver.com or on Facebook at Theresa Oliver’s Short Story Page and her author page, Theresa Oliver. Oliver is also the owner of Write More Publications, which you can visit at writemorepublications.com and on Facebook at Write More Publications.

Never Under Estimate the Power of Inspiration

By J.S. Wilsoncroft

At one point in our lives, we’ve all been inspired to do something. Whether it’s learning how to crochet a blanket, paint a picture or write a book. Children are likely inspired by a parent, a loved one, or even a schoolteacher. Adults–it could be something as simple as a cloud in the sky, a child’s laughter or old photograph. All these things can inspire a person to do something they never thought they would do. 

Stephen King, one of the greatest horror masters of our time, was inspired to write horror stories after he found a stack of science fiction novels and horror magazines in his Aunt’s house. Stephanie Meyer was inspired to write Twilight after a dream she once had.

I once asked a good friend of mine, Simone Frances Reed what inspired her to write her book, Poetry in Motions. Her innocent response was she loved to read and had kept a journal as a young child, jotting down every thought and idea she had. She used those childhood thoughts and produced a book about poems that came from her heart.

Inspirations can also come at the most inopportune time.

It can wake us from a dead sleep, taking a shower or grooming dogs. I have gotten many of my story ideas while grooming dogs. Go figure!

I’ve been grooming dogs for seventeen years; it has become second nature to me. I could do it with my eyes closed but I wouldn’t. I don’t think my customers would appreciate picking up their dog, minus an ear.

About seven years ago, I started writing romance stories. Because grooming comes natural to me, my mind wanders and I think of these romantic ideas. It’s called daydreaming while clipping Fido.

Once, grooming shih-tzu, a story popped into my head. I tried to push it away because I had three other stories I was working. At dinnertime, while in the middle of making spaghetti the story came back, stronger than ever. My head was going to pop if I didn’t do something. So I turned off the stove, sat down at my laptop, and started typing. My husband came over to me and saw I was no longer cooking dinner and asked, “What are you doing?”

Not taking my eyes off the screen, I waved my hand and shushed my husband to leave me alone as I continued to type. We may have eaten burnt spaghetti that night, but my romance story Remembering Zane was born.

Today I have three romance stories available in eBook and paperback on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. They are Remembering Zane, FatChances and The Unfaithful Widow. My fourth book, My Haunting Love is due out in December and a series called Roller Coaster Love will be out next summer.

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J.S. Wilsoncroft lives in Central Pennsylvania with her husband, two children and three dogs. As a young child, she loved animals, especially dogs. It wasn’t until she was in her early twenties that she found her true calling…grooming. She was thirty-three when she decided to sit down and write a romance story. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she would publish a book, let alone three. So as long as grooming dogs continues to inspire her, she will continue to keep writing romance stories.

“I think it’s safe to say, that I will never quit my day job.” ~ J.S. Wilsoncroft  Her website www.jswilsoncroft.com Her blog jswilsoncroft.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/loveisdeaf72?ref=stream  Author page
Her books include; Remembering Zane, Fat Chances,  Unfaithful Widow