I was born a storyteller. I wrote my first memoir when I was 11 and had witnessed my best friend struck and killed by a car. I couldn’t ‘talk’ out what had happened to me and my teacher knew that. She asked me to write it out. I did. I also buried myself in books, reading at a much higher level than others my age. Our school only had 30 kids from kindergarten through 6th grade and I lived for the days our bookmobile came and I was able to re-stock.
As a pre-teen, I snuck my mother’s novels from her room and read those too. I grew up scared under my covers, a Stephen King novel or Flowers In the Attic paperback clutched in my hands.
When my girls were young, I would put them to bed and make up stories to tell them as they drifted off to sleep. Stories of bunnies, kittens, and other things little girls love. My eldest daughter always wanted to main character in her story to be named Callie. Every story– always a Callie.
During the abusive marriage I felt trapped in, I wrote out all my feelings, fears, and hopes. It was therapy to my soul. I also lived in books again– finding solace and imaginary happily ever afters that I could only dream of finding for real one day.
After I escaped that hell and remarried to a wonderful man, we were married 10 years before we moved to China. While there, I kept a new journal of the travesties I witnessed in the Chinese orphanage.
When we returned to the states, I published that journal as a memoir. I thought that fulfilled my dream of one day writing a book. It’s called Silent Tears; A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage.
It would be another four years before I’d decide to write another book, this time a novel. It was titled Chasing China; A Daughter’s Quest for Truth.
Here we are ten years later with 28 years of a happy marriage and more than two dozen published books under my belt. I’ve worn out my hands and wrists to the point of tears daily. I’ve met my goal of selling more than a million books worldwide, but I can’t stop writing because I can’t stop creating stories in my head.
And they have to come out. Medication is too pricey. (just a little joke)
I will probably always write. And I know I’ll always read. My love of the written word can never be taken from me. The gift of reading is the best gift of my lifetime.
But I feel like books are disappearing at a fast rate. And it makes me sad that some children may never know the comfort of a flipping the page, or holding a book to their chest as a sigh of containment escapes them.
Printed books may die out one day but it’s up to all of us to keep reading for pleasure alive! Let the younger generations see you reading! Give books for gifts! Join book clubs and post on your social network about reading. YOU know the joy of reading and YOU can help keep it alive.
See more of my published works here: Kay’s Books
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I used to tell made-up stories to my two when we were traveling. When my youngest, now 27, was young, he loved playing in his sand box and loved to dump the sand out. One of my first stories was told especially for him about a little boy who dumped the sand out of the sand box and whose mother wouldn’t buy any more sand. This story was frequently requested. The next stories were about Pokémon’s and later Mario and Luigi.
‘I agree about needing “real books” in the hands of kids. There’s so much to be said about a child choosing the book s/he wants read. I don’t see that happening with an electronic device, even though I love my Kindle. I always give books as a baby gift.
Hi Helen,
Isn’t it funny how we remember small details like that? Thank you for sharing!
best,
Kay
So enjoyed reading wish me home! I have always been fascinated by twins! My wife and. I were blessed to have twin boys, as well as their older brother. It was almost like having triplets! Never a dull moment to say theleast least. Lots of love, craziness, and some heartache, but mostly love !!!
Hi Dave,
Thanks so much for reading my work. I’m fascinated with twins as well and have woven them into several novels. I’m a twin and my mom is a twin. When I was younger, I wanted to have twins of my own but it didn’t work out that way and you know what.. I think that was probably a good thing! I’ve been busy enough!
Best,
Kay
My favorite thing to do is read. When I was little I would read by my electric blanket light or lay down in the hallway of our house and read by the lights coming from our living room. This was all after I was supposed to be in bed and it’s probably why my parents started watching tv in the dark. I would take my Dad’s Ellery Queen mystery magazine to read or any mystery he had laying around.