February 2005, I submitted a paranormal novella to several online publishers. At that point, I was a seasoned collector of rejections, fully expecting to add a few more to my growing stash of “thanks, but no thanks” letters. But two weeks later, to my utter shock, I was offered my first book contract.
That was twenty years ago. That’s 140 in dog years!
Back then, I was thirty-six, juggling a full-time nursing career while pursuing a second degree in English. My son had just turned ten, my father-in-law was terminally ill, and my world felt like a whirlwind of responsibilities. By the time my first book was published in April 2005 (yes, it happened that fast!), my father-in-law had passed away. We moved in with my mother-in-law to help care for her, and then, almost exactly a year later, my own father died. Grief, exhaustion, and the crushing weight of caregiving left me feeling like I had yoked myself to an inescapable cycle of loss and obligation.
The Early Years: Escaping Through Fiction
In my thirties, my writing became my refuge. Overwhelmed by the demands of work, school, parenting, and elder care, I gravitated toward stories that allowed me to escape. My characters were young, untethered, and searching for themselves—free in ways that I, at the time, was not. My books were plot-driven, packed with paranormal elements, and centered on characters still discovering who they were. In hindsight, I realize I was doing the same…searching for my voice, my place, and my future.
The Forties: Change, Challenges, and Mystery
As I entered my forties, my heroines aged with me. They were no longer wide-eyed twenty-somethings but women in their thirties navigating transitions, chasing dreams with a more defined sense of self. Romance gave way to mystery as my own interests evolved. Life, however, remained anything but balanced. My son graduated high school, my mother-in-law’s health declined, and like many women my age, I struggled to balance personal and professional obligations.
But my forties also gifted me something invaluable—deep, unshakable female friendships. The kind that hold you up when you feel like you’re drowning. These friendships began to shape my storytelling, infusing my books with strong bonds between women who lift each other up, just as my own friends had done for me.
Another shift? My renewed love for animals. Our home became a haven for furry companions—two dogs (a beagle and a pit bull) and two cats (a gray female and an orange-and-white male). My obsession became so real that my Instagram turned into a pet appreciation page. Naturally, my four-legged family members began sneaking into my stories, becoming beloved characters in their own right.
Now: A New Chapter at Fifty-Six
Today, at fifty-six, I find myself in yet another phase of evolution—both as a writer and a woman. Significant transitions have marked the past few years: a total hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy, my mother-in-law passed away, my beagle Josie crossed the rainbow bridge, thirty-five years of marriage, and my son turned thirty. And yet, with all that change, I feel more grounded than ever.
Something clicked when I turned fifty. The constant search for identity faded. Crisis no longer shakes me the way it once did. I’ve learned to navigate life with a calm, collected approach that would have been foreign to my younger self. Bonus: I am kind to myself when I fall short of my goals.
I’m currently working on the next Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery, a suspenseful mystery series featuring a fifty+ heroine who, much like me, has moved back to her hometown, lost a parent to cancer, and is recovering from a hysterectomy. She’s a woman who helps solve crimes with her psychic nose. At the heart of the series? The power of female friendships. Because if there’s one thing I know for certain after two decades of writing, it’s that the right company—furry or otherwise—can get you through anything.
And so, twenty years later, my journey as a writer, a mother, a caregiver, and a woman over fifty continues. But instead of feeling like an ending, it feels like another beginning.
How has your life, job, or family evolved in the past twenty years?