Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Sechrist. Kathy was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Nicole Blessing.
Kathy , thank you so much for joining us today. We’d love for you to bring our readers up to speed – can you introduce yourself and share your story?
Throughout my career I wrote white papers, corporate memos, marketing materials, etc. all while I yearned to sit down and write my own story. There never seemed to be time, and then in 2013 I retired, gifting me with all the time I could ask for. However, I had not realized how difficult it would be to put words on paper to tell my story knowing those words would be read – well, hopefully read. The story is about the journey of a middle aged woman trying to find her way back to emotional and mental health after years of abuse. Each time I sat down to write, my creativity flew out the window, and the words were just that, words, void of emotion, void of words to bring the reader into the story rather than just reading about it.
After a few years of false starts, Sara came to me, offering to take on the story as her own. Sara became my muse, and once I did not have to personalize the details once again, the words flowed, my creativity was reborn and even though the details were actual events of my life, I felt safe when Sara took over.
Five years and many revisions later, I was ready to publish. I had been so busy writing the book I had not educated myself on the publishing end, so hired a hybrid publisher to get the book on the shelves. I was seventy (70) at the time, and figured I did not have time to wait for a publisher or agent to discover me.
Now that it has been on shelves for two (2) years, sales have been less than stellar. It is a difficult topic, a hard read, with hope. I am now searching for my niche readers to market to them.
During the process of writing my debut, I joined a few writer’s groups that have been invaluable to my learning curve. I truly do not think I would be a published author without them.
Let’s talk about your work and career – what else should we know?
I have been fortunate in my career choices, in that each one provided opportunities for me to learn, stretch and grow to move on to the next career choice. I have been everything from a dishwasher to an educator to an Organizational Change Management Consultant, Each step in my career growth has giving me the opportunities to travel, bringing a rich learning environment for understanding different cultures, which I believe enriches my writing. My next novel-in-progress is the sequel to Success Is The Best Revenge, I have plans to write about that will highlight my time on a aircraft carrier as a civilian educator. This experience took place before women were stationed on ships, so the title might be something like 5000 Guys and Me. And then there is a story working it’s way through my mind about a young boy’s story of being committed to a mental institution by his mother. I love writing stories that bring real people ‘s life journeys to life. I love to write – I love the quiet in the house as words flow on paper, as well as times sitting on the patio daydreaming about the next part of the book. Networking with other authors and writers is eye opening for me – there is always something new to learn from every person I meet. I also volunteer for Meals on Wheels, as well as with a reading program within the schools. Stories from these two age groups are wonderful, and inspiring. I am the Book Corral Manager and Education Committee Chairperson for a writer’s group, and participate in a local writer’s critique group. I suppose I could say I structure most of my life around learning opportunities.
So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Nicole Blessing and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Nicole.
I was hesitant to tackle an audiobook production, so it was important to research a good fit for my book. I asked other authors, and did my own research through searches. I was referred to Findaway by many authors who have used them, and I liked what I saw, both in price, selection of narrators and testimonials by other authors.
I selected a few narrators to ‘try out’ before selecting three to audition for the project. Nicole had a voice that gave life to the chapter I asked her to read from, so she was an easy pick.
Working with Nicole was a breeze – she accepted my feedback well and made changes in her delivery when asked. She delivered the project on time and for the cost she quoted. I couldn’t have asked for a better narrator to work with.
Website: Www.kathysechrist.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathysechristwriter/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sechrist/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathyjsechrist
Image Credits
These are images taken from my camera and belong to me.
