Today I wrote the following 2 sentences to introduce myself to a group of writers at California Writers Club—Tri-Valley:

“I got married for the first time at age 62 to a 2-time widower seeking his third wife on … gulp… Craigslist.

On February 17th we will celebrate our 5^th anniversary.”

I live my life as fully as I can. It gives me more and more to write about.

My latest is a memoir about finding love for the first time at 62. Never Too Late: A 62-Year-Old Goes From Wannabe to Wife is still seeking the right home.

I’ve written tons of short pieces that have appeared on line. I remember being thrilled, back before laptops, when I wrote a flash memoir about the day Kennedy died. It appeared on the Lifetime website. They sent me a movie to review, and I did that. One thing leads to another, and frankly, I’ve lost track of many parts of my writing history. I don’t have an up-to-date resume, but I keep a few memories on the front burner.

I own Writer Advice, which is in its 20^th year. We’ve grown into an e-zine with author interviews, book and web site reviews, contest and market information, a page where you can share your latest accomplishments, and a new contest each quarter. I am the author of You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers (Tate Publishing) and Talent (Eternal Press). Talent was short-listed for a Literary Lightbox Award and won a bronze medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.

My work has appeared in Voices of Caregivers, Hip Mama, Small Press Review, Dramatics Magazine, Inspire Me Today, Caregiver Village, The Sun, Good Housekeeping.com, Purple Clover.com and elsewhere.

I am a reviewer and teacher at Story Circle Network, and a manuscript coach at Writer Advice. I am shopping my memoir about getting married for the first time at 62, but always have time to write guest blog posts and answer questions.

My inspiration for Talent came from my years as a high school drama teacher—specifically closing night of our production of Oklahoma! I went around to the back of the gym, where we had performed, to make sure all the doors were locked.

Some of the kids in the orchestra were hanging out, and one, whose mother I knew, slid the beer in his hand behind his back. He couldn’t hide the terror in his eyes though. High school kids are terrified about so many things. That includes Sandee Mason. Talent is her story of seeking her talent and finding it when she least expected to.

My inspiration for You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers came from six years of “Mom Care.” Journaling saved me. It can do the same for you. The book will show you how and give you over 200 sentence starts so you never have to face a blank page. Both books are available on Amazon.

I’ve written this introduction so that the Story Reading Ape site can share this message:

Writer Advice seeks flash memoir (750 words or less).

Dazzle, delight, and entice us.

Winners receive cash prizes and are published.

Low fee for solid feedback.

Deadline: 03/01/17.

Click HERE for fee and details.

We have a new contest every quarter. I hope you’ll visit the site and see what we can do for you.

Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn

Pinterest – Goodreads

          

Barnes & Noble

Amazon:

UK – USA – CA – AUS