Waiting

Maybe today! I keep telling myself today the proof of my book will arrive and I can OK it and have it up for sale. I (Of course) have many orders from the people from our church. Mainly because both the illustrator and I go there. I know they are buying it because of us, but once they read the story they will be glad they did because it is a great book and Ben;s illustrations are perfect for the story.
I am going to write in here more often as I need to keep it going even if nobody out there is listening.
Writing this story came to me one day as I watched the birds in my back yard bickering over their nests and other birds they felt were invaders to their back yard. I was thinking how like humans they were acting so there Was the start. I always keep a notebook handy and I thought what if the forest got tired of all the commotion and complaints.what if the trees said 'enough of this' and expelled them until they got their attitudes right.
It was an easy fun story to write. All my life I have raised the odd bird that fell out of the nest. People used to call me the bird lady and bring me birds that needed doctoring and I would do it and release the bird when he was healed.
My family has had at one time or another raised most of the animals in the story, except for the owl and the possum. we have had a raccoon and chipmunk and as I have raised every other bird in the story I can tell you that their personalities are just like the story.
I have always loved to write. I found it was my way to express what I observed around me. I could almost feel the thoughts and emotions and I am a people watcher. a nature watcher. when I was twelve a teacher gave us an assignment to write a poem and he said I was very good and should keep writing. That ,of course, made me write poems about everything.
About six years ago, I wrote a short story. I don't know why it came to me but I had a compulsion to put it on paper and not to stop writing till it was done. after five weeks and five stories I was feeling rather like an authoress so I joined the writers group in Town here. I learned to type fast with two fingers and started a novel. Took a class with Long Ridge Writers School, which taught me a lot. I now have a hundred short stories and three novel Ideas. I feel that writing is something I must do.
I believe that everything that has happened in my life was for the purpose of knowing what action is necessary in one of my stories. I don't think you can be an author without that compusion to write and be heard and understood.