Get to Know Rainy...
A decision I made when I was eight years turned me into a writer. We were poor and could ask Santa for only one “large” gift each Christmas. It was the hardest decision a girl can make, whether to ask for the beautiful bride doll with her own wardrobe, or a writing desk as my large gift. I knew my mother wanted me to choose the desk, so I had somewhere to do my homework and draw, but I never expected it to lead me to spend hours writing stories and poems.
After high school, l left home for a life on the road. My love of poetry infused me with the desire to follow in the footsteps of my favorite poet, Rod McCuen. Because I spent so much time sitting at the little desk, if I wanted to be a writer, I didn’t need to waste more time in school. I needed to be like Rod McCuen and hit the road.
Working 100 different jobs across the nation, hitchhiking between cities and living in flop houses certainly gave me material to write about, but left me lonely and broke. Finally, I settled down in Chicago, where I went to get a job writing advertising copy.
The problem was, without a college degree I could only work as a department secretary. I did, all the while peeking over writers’ shoulders. Finally, I broke into training writing and established a career that won me five national awards for my work.
Toward the end of my career, I earned my BA, an MA, and eventually my MFA in Creative Writing. After retiring, I taught writing at local colleges for four years, and now retired, I have the freedom to sit at my little desk and write whatever I want.
After my father’s death, I published his collection of war memories as The Able Queen. I have just finished my first work of Women’s Historical Fiction with a Time Travel Twist, and plan to publish my first novel, The Other Side of Moonlight, this spring.
Set in the Civil War, my novel transports readers back to another time and place, where they learn a family secret that was kept hidden for over 100 years. I’m so glad I didn’t get that Bride Doll instead of the desk!