10 Fun Facts

I was intrigued by the fact that to be a County Coroner in my area you only needed to be a resident with a valid driver’s license, have a high school diploma and complete a 40-hour course.

In the interest of author research, I audited the class. They were so surprised someone wanted to do that that they said okay!

I finished with a thick notebook filled with materials, but when they asked if I wanted to take the next 40 hours “in the field” I politely declined.

Because Writer’s Conferences were often too far from where I lived to be accessible for many, I organized and ran a successful annual Writer’s Conference for 10 years, bringing speakers, authors, and even an agent to my small town.

I served as Club President twice and Area Governor once for the Toastmasters groups in my area. My favorite part of the meeting was Table Topics, where we were given a surprise topic and had to give a concise and logical 2–3-minute speech on it. You have the time from when you left your seat to when you reached the podium to compose your thoughts. It’s a great way to teach your mind to think quickly.

Following that theme, I took acting classes, including improv, to continue my interest in storytelling and presentation. I acted in a few shows and was a stage manager once.

I have been a volunteer all my life, starting when I was in high school. I continued that by being a Divorce Care Facilitator and Stephen Minister in my church. I treasure the ability to support and encourage women who are going through challenges.

I was always a reader, and my daughter and granddaughters are, too. My fondest memory when my daughters were young was spending a week with my youngest, and our dog, at the lake with a pile of books and nothing but time. It was wonderful!

I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. Sometimes they turn out amazing, and other times, well, I don’t talk about those. I don’t bake much, but I do have a fondness for sourdough and give that a go when I am in the mood.

There were so many things I wanted to try in life, approaching it kind of like a charcuterie board of experiences. I was educated to be a teacher, and I began writing in high school, but I also was an advertising executive, a marketing director, a book project manager, a real estate agent, a website designer, a career coach, a book and magazine editor, and most recently, a university instructor (of writing, of course). I love learning and new experiences.

I have had dogs all my life, and we have been a volunteer Therapy Team with Intermountain Therapy Animals, a R.E.A.D. team, and were  involved with agility, rally, and tricks. I attended many canine seminars. One summer, after my divorce, I went to every dog event that interested me, even a Flyball tournament in Colorado. Those dogs were fast! Currently, I am working on teaching my dogs to push buttons (from the book, Teaching Stella to Talk). I’d also like to try rally again and some nose work. All in good time, I imagine.

I am a “life-long learner” which means I am curious about a lot of things and still the girl I was who wanted to try everything. Recently I started Pilates and am learning the dulcimer, the state instrument of Kentucky. There’s a lot left to try on my charcuterie board, I’ll be busy for a long time.