Sunday, May 9, 2021

The New Girl and a New Chapter By Korina Moss

 

Hello new friends!

 

I’m thrilled to join Writers Who Kill, and connect with so many mystery buffs who follow this eclectic and talented group of crime writers. My bio briefly introduces me, but let me tell you a little more about myself and my path to becoming a cozy mystery author.

 

I grew up an avid reader. Even though I loved crafting my own stories, I had a hard time believing I could ever be a published author, like those I revered. Maybe this is why the few times I’ve come across the first edition of Chicken Soup For the Kids’ Soul in a library or thrift store, I still open it to locate my name. It was my first published story, and spurred me to continue to write.

 


When the Hartford Courant had a statewide contest for the best Connecticut Christmas short story, I entered “A Perfect Christmas, Guaranteed,” about a family, too busy to bother with the season, who purchase holiday insurance for the promise of a picture-perfect Christmas with all the trappings. But their vision for it is not what this magical insurance company has in store, leading them to, of course, discover the true meaning of Christmas. My winning story was published in the newspaper and read on National Public Radio on Christmas Eve. The following year, it was turned into a short ballet where I spent eight months shadowing the director in order to write a feature article about the process. The ballet was performed with The Nutcracker that Christmas season at the Bushnell Theater. 

 

 

I was in the process of attempting to turn it into a television movie screenplay when my then-husband and I adopted a child. I made promises to myself to return to writing in earnest as soon as our son started preschool. However, the school environment presented some challenges for him, and he was later diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and high-functioning autism (ASD). I would spend the next thirteen years advocating for him in the school system so he could get an equal education and live up to his potential. My writing projects took a back seat, but I kept creating. I was hired to write biweekly humorous essays about motherhood and small-town life by our local Patch, an online newspaper. When that gig ended, I started my own personal blog just for the fun of it.

 

Mid-2016 found me newly single, which meant my SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) status was no longer an option. While co-parenting and working part-time, I had to step up my writing game or leave the dream behind forever. In short, I finished writing a cozy mystery novel I’d been pecking at for years, got an agent, and with a new project proposal, received a contract from Macmillan Publishers for a three-book deal. (More on that in my next blog post.) In the meantime, our son is finishing his junior year in high school with honors.

 

I continue to navigate this new chapter of my life as if it were my own best-selling novel—I make sure to sprinkle in some humor and adventure, perhaps throw in a dash of romance, attempt to figure out the mysteries, and strive for a happy ending.

 

 

We all turn the pages to new chapters in our lives—a job change, an empty nest, retirement…. I’d love to hear about yours. How have you navigated a major change? What have you learned about yourself in the process? 

 

 

11 comments:

  1. Welcome! Great to see you here and to hear about your journey--and looking forward to that next chapter, next blog post ahead!
    And Happy Mother's Day too!

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  2. Welcome, Korina. I’m looking forward to your thoughts about this crazy world of writing.

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  3. You are amazing, Korina. Proud to know you and welcome to the blog.

    My new chapter (I’ve lost track of the number) began in July when I lost my long-held day job due to COVID-19 and decided to make my next job full-time writer. No regrets, and am grateful for the push that circumstances gave me.

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  4. Welcome, Korina! I waved good-bye to our third and youngest child, off to college at last, and started writing my first book (which still lives in a drawer). Moving on...

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  5. Life is good at throwing curveballs and we have to learn when to bail because it’s going to hit our head or hang in there and blast the thing out of the park (or at least get a single). I look forward to hearing how you came to write cozies.

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  6. What an uplifting story!

    I am in the throes of life changes now, and am encouraged by the path you have chosen for your life.

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  7. So happy to see you joining this blog. I'm looking forward to reading your columns. I know they'll be great. And I'm not just saying that to be nice. I have read your writing, so I *know* they'll be great.

    As to big changes in my life, when I left my last job as an attorney, I knew I didn't want to continue doing that. I didn't want to have to find a job back in DC and commute downtown from the Virginia suburbs. So I reinvented myself as an editor, thinking I could make a go of it full time (I'd previously done it for free for my Sisters in Crime chapter anthologies), but also feeling like a fraud, as I think people often do. But I have proven myself to others, as well as to myself, which I think is sometimes one of the hardest things you can do.

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  8. New life chapters sometimes seem daunting, but what fun.

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  9. Welcome, Korina! What an amazing journey. So glad you kept on persevering!

    Happy Mother's Day!

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  10. Welcome to the blog, Korina! Writing new chapters is what we're all about.

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  11. Thank you, everyone. I was trying to figure out how to reply directly to everyone, but found out I'm unable to on this site, so next time I'll keep up with comments better. I appreciate the warm welcome and support. I can relate to your stories of life transitions. Although it's difficult, it does push us to do things we might not have otherwise, doesn't it? Taking a leap of faith (in ourselves) is worth it. As Barb mentioned, proving to ourselves what we're capable of I think is the hardest part. I look forward to telling the rest of my story in bits and pieces, as well as talking about my writing process and my new series. I especially look forward to hearing and reading more from all of you.

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