A detective, writer, author, or publisher? · 𝙂𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙄𝙁𝙔 🍓🐛🦋🌈⭐️🩷

A detective, writer, author, or publisher?

I love the question, “What did you want to be when you grew up⁉️”

When I was about seven, the latest Nancy Drew 📖 was propped up on the edge of the bathtub. My young brain didn’t notice the water had turned cold as I kept turning the pages.

I remember thinking, I want to be like that when I grow up.

At the time, I couldn’t have understood what that fleeting thought meant. Was it the detective, sleuthing through clues and hidden treasures? 🔎 Or was it the writer, the author, or even the publisher behind the stories?

I’m certain it wasn’t “book publisher,” even though I entered the industry at 2️⃣2️⃣ and eventually started my own self-publishing company at 6️⃣0️⃣.

One of my early jobs as a Permissions Editor had me tracking people down to ask for reprint rights.☎️ I found David Suzuki at the University of Toronto, Walter Gretzky (father of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky), and Carol Serling, the late wife of Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone. It was the 1980s, so those connections were made through my New York publishing contacts and good old 4️⃣1️⃣1️⃣.

Could I write stories like Nancy Drew’s author, Mildred Wirt Benson❓ Not even close. But I was a voracious reader who loved to write.

In the end, 😲 life surprised me.

I became all four: 🌟 detective, writer, author, and publisher.

And in many ways, I’m still a detective—only now the clues are words waiting to be discovered.

Today, my greatest gift is opening what I call The Language Portal.

When you experience it, you’ll understand.

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