BUSIER THAN EVER

by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

I have always been a busy person. In my younger days, I worked numerous jobs, raised four kids, served as president of the PTO, did volunteer work, planned family reunions, and (more or less) “kept house.” But I always made time to write. I wrote poems, short stories, and novels. My dream was to be a published novelist.

Now, by virtue of my age, I am a Senior Citizen. And my dream has finally come true. As my peers retire or think about retirement, I am a published novelist, a working writer. While they take up hobbies or relax on their decks or patios, I am busier than ever.

 My debut novel (LIKE A RIVER) will launch next month, and I work tirelessly to promote it. I arrange school visits, book signings, and speaking engagements. I answer interview questions, select excerpts, and write blog posts for Swagger and other blogs to get the word out. I post on Facebook and I “tweet.”

Kathy and her husband Jim with Kathy's debut novel.

The contract I signed for my second novel gives me a deadline of March 31 to have my revisions finished. This one needed a ton of work, and I feel that deadline breathing down my neck every minute.

I am also planning the next family reunion, while keeping house has become one of those intentions that rarely comes to fruition. But my dream has come true! I am a published novelist.

As soon as I finish these revisions and wait for notes from my editor and copy editor, I will begin work on another novel. I have already scheduled a research trip to delve into background for the novel after that.

If I were younger, maybe I’d slow down. But when one is a Senior Citizen, one is more conscious of the “ultimate deadline” that grows closer for all of us each day. I still have a lot I want to do. And I am busier than ever.