Words weft and warp poetic to my ear as a latte and a pastry to my palate. ––a personalized translation of Job 34:3
Hello,
My name is Janet. Welcome to this lifestyle blog. I am just an ordinary gal, a bit of a logophile, who loves to practice the art of writing. I say practice writing because I’m not yet published and because writing is rewriting. The nitty-gritty of the art is in the rewrite and the rewrite and so on.
I am a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. I grew up “country” in a tiny town a few miles south of Redding, California. When 18, I moved to the ‘big city’ and I’m still here in Redding.
In 2019, I graduated from Simpson University summa cum laude with a BA in English, Specialization in Writing and minoring in Journalism. My writing instructors encouraged me to compose my memoir, which I began in 2017. But after graduation came a hiatus in my writing except for an occasional post to my first blog, https://theragingspoon.blog.
I do have a few minor accomplishment–– my first byline in a Real Estate magazine article which I co-authored with my daughter. Two of my short stories have placed second in local writing contests––one at my alma mater, Simpson University and one from Redding Writers Forum.
Lifestyle blogs are a smorgasbord. If you explore the pages you’ll find poetry, songs, short stories, articles, fiction, and creative non-fiction. You’ll discover vocabulary words, the definitions and etymology of said word; grammar tips; a few lessons from the school of hard knocks such as the art of changing one’s s mind when discovering a better way to behave, think, and love––think parenting adult children. I hope to encourage or help others glean from my experiences and/or lessons learned from mistakes and bad choices. Take them with a grain of salt or take them to heart.
In 2022, I checked off a bucket-list item and attended a writer’s conference…the Mt. Hermon Vision Christian Writers Conference where my passion to tell my story was rekindled. In addition, I was invited to join the Quills of Faith Writer’s Group in my area. The meetings continue to stimulate and enthuse me. I am fully convinced writers need other writers.
I am back to writing my memoir––the unfolding of emotional, physical, and spiritual transitions of 24+ years facing the mirror as a burn survivor in a culture of youth and beauty. On July 4, 1999, I was in a passenger in a gasoline tanker truck that crashed, and I was burned 58% of my body, including my face. I take long breaks between the pages: memories are painful, yet cathartic. Being transparent is not for wusses.
My life is a book series: The First 41 years––Before Burns, After the Burns; and at present, Learning to Live with Myself. I fully expect book four to be titled, I am a Published, Paid, Prolific Writer: Destiny Fulfilled!