Notes
Featured
When the announcement that a new community radio station was being formed here in the small town where I live, I jumped at the chance to join the broadcasting class with hopes of becoming a volunteer DJ. The class was fun, and there it was in a flash: my handle. I would be The Dove. I have been on the air for a year and a half now, every Sunday morning at 11:00 on KBZR.org and on 89.9 FM locally. It has become my refuge as I play an eclectic setlist ranging from indie pop & soul to international dance grooves to music from regions of Africa, South America, and the Middle East, and gems from every nook and cranny of this big, beautiful planet I can find. I like discovering little anecdotes about the musicians and facts about the recordings to relay to my audience.
I have learned that the dedication it takes to complete a manuscript is repaid with results that have more power than initially conceived. When I first started writing Sun Kissed & Salted, I knew I would finish it somehow, but completion brought more rewards in the form of a satisfaction I had never known before. All the effort, all the struggle, and all the unknowns that lie before me were part of the process of discovering that I had what it took to succeed at a lifelong dream. I had become an author. That word, a new form of identification, thrilled me. It boosted my sense of accomplishment to a level I had always desired but had once thought insurmountable. I climbed and climbed until I reached the top, or “the end,” and because I wanted to share it with the world, I published it after forming my own company, Sea Pony Books.
My life has been extreme, to say the least, and now, rowing my own boat on tranquil waters is a relief. I am no longer hitchhiking or riding someone else’s coattails. Coming into my own in my 50s has released the creative juices I knew I had all along. My creative fountain was suppressed by low self-esteem, confusion, and regret. Ultimately, freedom from the restraints of guilt and shame allowed me the confidence to pursue the dream I had always had of becoming an author.