I’ve wanted to be a writer all my life. Not too long ago, I found a story I wrote in kindergarten about a duck named Donald. He had three nephews and they seemed to find trouble everywhere they went. I hope I’ve gotten a bit more creative in naming my characters and original plots. Anyway, I’ve always loved telling stories.
But when I was growing up, writers had dream lives with dream jobs. Writing wasn’t a “way to make a living.” So I did the smart thing. I went to law school. After fifteen years of practicing law, I had the opportunity to make a drastic career change. I became the Executive Director of the Tennessee Economic Council on Women and it changed my life forever.
I had been fortunate to work for a law firm with several female partners and when I worked for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, at least half of the managing attorneys were women. I honestly had not experienced the difficulty in my career life that so many women do. The Council’s work really opened my eyes to how many obstacles women still face today in building a career and financial independence.
While at the Council, I became deeply engrossed in the history of the passage of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote. There are so many reasons I love to tell that story. The dedication those women had. Their creativity and determination. Everything they did and sacrificed and studied so that women could vote is just amazing.
The fact that the battle for women’s suffrage came down to Tennessee just brought it home – literally- for me. I just had to tell the story as often as possible – I’ve even told it to other women while standing in line to vote.
That Book, The Vote, Made Me Fall in Love with Writing Again.
So, Here We Are.
I like to read almost as much as I like to write. I have a wonderful group of friends and a terrific family. My favorite past time is spending time with my son, Jackson, even if it’s just to see how many times I can make him roll his eyes at me.