Really What Do You Want to Do For A Living?

I remember early on when I said something about wanting to be a writer, I remember the looks, "No I mean, really, what do you want to do for a living" I want to write, I don't solely write, I work with the Children's Ministry to feed my soul, and I babysit, but writing is my passion.  Not writing, I can not imagine life without words.

Words are part of my heritage.  My Grandmother an Italian-American, the first generation to be raised in America, Providence Rhode Island in her case, grew up in the early part of the twentieth century.  She did well in school and wanted to make sure her children and grandchildren did the same.

I think my earliest memories involve me reading with Nonna.  I could read from the time I was three and a half, by the fourth grade, I tested at a tenth grade level of reading, despite being in Special Education classes.  Back then you were put in those classes if you seemed a little slow physically, and because I was, I was placed in those classes, and I found myself spending the time I was in first grade until the fourth grade.  My cousin helped me immensely with that.

I have always been a reader, so the natural progression was to become a writer, but it wasn't until my freshman year in high school that I realized that this was indeed a gift, but it was in College that I realized I wanted to write for a living.  I had studied enough now, to know that I was not going to wave some kind of magic wand, and make sales into the millions, but I did have hope that I would someday be published and in 2003 I was.

I was twenty six, when I was published, my Nonna would live to celebrate my first book Reflections on Life with me, but by the time A Collection of Memories was out, in 2004, she would have gone to Heaven, but I still feel her with me, encouraging me, the Lord truly used her to show me, that with God being a writer was possible, man may see me as crazy, but the good Lord knew I had a gift.

God Bless
Michelle~