January presents the opportunity to renew the old or
experience new beginnings. For me, 2019 provides both. Thirteen months ago, I
signed a contract with Guiding Light, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas imprint
for my debut novel. During the year-long journey to publication, with
thirty-two deadlines,I stretched and matured as an author. Today, The Secret of
Willow Inn releases. The second book in the Willow Falls series releases in
January 2020. Thus, I am celebrating an exciting new experience, while jumping
back on the publication path, and writing book three.
My writing career began in 2014, nine years after I retired
from a twenty-seven-year corporate career.The loss of our God daughter, who had
drifted in and out of our lives for thirty years, compelled me to write a novel
based on her life, but with a happy ending. Although I made a ton of novice
mistakes, the experience ignited a passion I couldn’t ignore. So, I buckled
down, studied the craft, attended conferences, and connected with other
writers. I wrote book two, pitched both to seven publishers and agents, and
received seven rejections. One benefit that comes with age is the ability to
view disappointment as opportunity.
I took all the feedback I’d received to heart and fleshed
out a new idea. A series about two women, strangers from different backgrounds,
and a convicted felon returning to the scene of her crime. I visualized the
characters, the way they looked, their personalities and their history. Next
came a decision about the settings. A small town struggling to survive and a
big, bustling metropolis. Because I live thirty miles from downtown Atlanta, I
chose it as the city.
When it came to the second setting, I wanted to create a
community I could conform to the story. I drew an aerial view of atown,
beginning with century-old storefronts facing a lakeside park and a block-long
section graced with seven southern-style, antebellum homes. An abandoned hotel
and historical general store completed the scene. It was time give life to
Emily, Rachel, and Sadie.
As I reflect on the past five years, I am grateful for the
discipline, goal setting, and multi-tasking skills I learned during my
corporate life. Now my goal is to write 1,000 words a day and devote forty-five
minutes to marketing, while meeting my publisher’s deadlines and continuing to
study the craft.
Some might question why I chose a demanding writing career after
I was eligible for social security. The answer, I believe God planted a desire
to write years ago, but life took me down a different path. Now I want to
inspire others to view their senior years as opportunities to pursue exciting new
beginnings and realize it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
Pat
Nichols launched career number two as a novelist, proving it’s never too late
to follow your dreams. Drawing on years of corporate experience working with
hundreds of amazing women from all walks of life, she creates stories about
women who face challenges in the pursuit of their dreams. She lives in an
Atlanta suburb with her husband of fifty plus years, is the mother of two, and
grandmother of three. She is grateful for God’s blessings and unfailing love
through all of life’s peaks and valleys.
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing! I think you are achieving your goal of inspiring dreamers to become doers.
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