“Writing is
like giving yourself homework, really hard homework, every day, for the rest of
your life. You want glamorous? Throw glitter at the computer screen.”
I love that
quote by author Katrina Monroe, don’t you? Now, don’t get me wrong, I love
being a writer, and I’ve been doing it as a fulltime job since May 2003, when I
boldly left the corporate world to become a freelance writer and editor. It
hasn’t always been easy, and at times it’s been humbling, but the thought of
going back to a Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five workday is enough to give me
hives.
So yes, it’s
a satisfying life (if not a particularly lucrative one), and I’m sure there are
some authors out there who even lead a glamorous existence.
I’m not one
of those authors. Nothing drove that point home deeper than the time my friend,
Michelle, invited me to speak to her Girl Guides’ troop for Career Night.
“It will be
fun,” she enthused, “just you and one other woman, not sure what she does,
exactly. We’ll break into two groups and you can talk about writing.”
Now, as I recall,
the girls ranged in age from eight to ten. I hadn’t yet written a book—and even
if I had, I write murder mysteries geared to adults, nothing even remotely Harry
Potter-ish in my repertoire. But I had been writing for magazines for a few
years, including a couple of magazines geared to kids. I had this!
The night came and I was prepared. I
brought a couple of magazines with me, thinking back to my school days of Show
and Tell. And then I met “the other
woman.” Turns out she custom made dolls with hair, skin, and eyes to match the
owner. Really cute dolls. Some of them even had freckles.
Magazine
writer. Doll maker. Suffice it to say that the Guides, try as they might to
politely listen to my spiel, were drawn to Ms. Dollmaker, and who could blame
them? But I survived that night, sense of humor—and friendship with
Michelle—firmly intact. And I kept on writing, eventually finishing my first
book, The Hanged Man’s Noose, and
getting a publishing deal. It may not be as glamorous as making dolls, but
that’s okay. I’m a writer. And there’s nothing else I’d rather be.
BIO: Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series:
The Glass Dolphin Mysteries (The Hanged
Man’s Noose and A Hole In One) and
The Marketville Mysteries (Skeletons In
The Attic)
Judy’s short
crime fiction appears is several collections. She is a member of Sisters in
Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and
Crime Writers of Canada, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors
as the Regional Representative for Toronto/Southern Ontario.
Find Judy on
her website/blog at http://www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she interviews and showcases
the works of other authors and blogs about the writing life.
ABOUT A Hole In One: Hoping to promote the Glass Dolphin
antiques shop, co-owners Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland agree to sponsor
a hole in one contest at a charity golf tournament. The publicity turns out to
be anything but positive, however, when Arabella’s errant tee shot lands in the
woods next to a corpse.
They soon
learn that the victim is closely related to Arabella’s ex-husband, who had been
acting as the Course Marshal. With means, opportunity, and more than enough
motive, he soon becomes the police department’s prime suspect, leaving Arabella
and Emily determined to clear his name—even if they’re not entirely convinced
of his innocence.
Dogged by
incriminating online posts from an anonymous blogger, they track down leads
from Emily’s ex-fiancé (and the woman he left Emily for), an Elvis
impersonator, and a retired antiques mall vendor with a secret of her own.
All trails
lead to a mysterious cult that may have something to do with the murder. Can
Arabella and Emily identify the killer before the murderer comes after them?
FIND THE BOOK:
Amazon: http://authl.it/9f0
Barnes &
Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-hole-in-one-judy-penz-sheluk/1127967500?ean=2940158640827
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Judy_Penz_Sheluk_A_Hole_in_One?id=IERMDwAAQBAJ
Barking Rain
Press: https://barkingrainpress.org/a-hole-in-one/
- 1473022241950-de2dbbf6-9e98
Cute story, Judy. Best of luck with your most recent publication.
ReplyDeleteCompete with a dollmaker for kids' attention? At least they were polite!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a morning smile!
Thanks Jim and KM, I can laugh about it now, but at the time it was pretty much of an ego-bash!
ReplyDeleteTalking with children is always a high wire act. I spoke to a class and asked if anyone had questions. One hand popped up: "How old are you?"
ReplyDeleteHa! That's funny Warren.
ReplyDeleteFun story! Congratulations on your latest book.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margaret.
ReplyDeleteFun story, Judy. Back when I was a librarian I did school visits every summer to talk about the library's summer reading program. My first year I had to follow not just a magician, but also a karate demonstration! I feel your pain!
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who say it's a fun story. As a teacher of third grade for twenty years, you have to love kids and what they say. Once a parent at a parent teacher day, said her son said that my son had come over on the Mayflower. It was when I was teaching about the Pilgrims and had brought in a book that my son, John Alden, had signed the was about the Mayflower on which the pilgrim John Alden had come over on. I've written your book down to order, Judy.
ReplyDeleteOMG Shari, a magician AND a karate demonstration....you win!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gloria and that's also a very funny story. You should use that in a story of your own some day.
ReplyDelete