How I Began my Writing Career
Once upon a time there was a writer of southern novels. . .
I was 38 when I started writing novels—a late bloomer, you could say. Prior to writing, I worked in elementary education (special ed), and then I attended The Citadel and got a Master’s in Clinical Counseling. ( I was an LPC, a licensed professional counselor). In Charleston, I had a full private practice that lasted a decade. Then I had what I call my ‘midlife moment’ and realized that I could die being a beloved psychotherapist and never pursue what I considered my ‘calling’ which was to write. I moved to Asheville, NC with my two middle school aged daughters and began attending workshops and conferences on ‘How to write a novel.’
Is there a ‘calling’ you have neglected until now?
I was notoriously bad at first (as everyone is) and it took me another decade of rejections until I published Seeking Sara Summers and then Circle of the Ancestors.
My tiny breakthrough came with The Secret Sense of Wildflower that received a starred review on Kirkus Reviews (for books of remarkable merit) and was then voted a Best Book of 2012. Feeling I should write southern because of that success, I wrote a sequel called Lily’s Song and Daisy’s Fortune (book 3) making the series a trilogy.
In 2015, I began working on a new novel named Temple Secrets. I got the idea from a friend who lived ‘South of Broad’ in Charleston. She lived next door to a wealthy family who had hired the same family of servants to work for them since the Civil War. My imagination went wild. I created not only Temple Secrets but Gullah Secrets—book 2—followed by book 3, Tea Leaf Secrets. Then I was inspired to write a collection of southern short stories called Grace, Grits, and Ghosts ($5.95 on Amazon).
Finally I was ready to begin what I think of as my love letter to Charleston called Truluck Summer. This book won an award for it’s audiobook.
And as you probably know, I am currently working on the first book of a series called The Widow’s Club where 3 new and middle-aged friends meet on a Facebook group and decide to take their various camper vans to the National Parks to discover who they are and what to do with their lives. It’s been something I’ve wanted to write about after I drove and camped all over the southeastern US a few years ago. God-willing and the creeks don’t rise!
So the journey continues. . .
And the writer of southern novels lives happily ever with her little dog Rocky. Thank you for reading. Is this something you found of interest?
Love you! ♥️
Susan
www.susangabriel.com
And so it continues for many years more, your many readers fondly hope. I expect that the terrible experience you have been through, having a stroke, will one day add other dimensions to your writing...but first, please take very good care of yourself and give yourself credit for every tiny bit of progress, even though there may be days when you aren't aware of it happening. Your body is healing from the inside out, one cell at a time! Gentle Hugs! Helen
Thank you, Helen. From your lips to God’s ears.