When I was in high school, my expository composition teacher told me I was “an OK writer,” but I shouldn’t “try to make a living at it.” Four years later, after earning a BA in English, I didn’t set out on my corporate communications career to prove Mr. Panella wrong, but I did like writing enough to spend my days working on newsletters, brochures, news releases, and website content. In other words, I made a pretty good living as a writer. I wish I could tell you I courageously turned my back on corporate America to pursue my dream of becoming a novelist, of writing creatively, of telling my own stories instead of the ones that fit my employer’s or client's PR narrative. The truth is, I’ve come to this aspiring novelist stage relatively late in life, after experiencing burn out, getting laid off, and becoming a stay-at-home mom. Now that my son is in college, I have more time to focus on the kind of writing I have always wanted to do. I've completed two novels, begun drafting a third, and written a short story that was a runner-up in the 2022 Booksie.com Short Story Contest.
