Author Dream Series: Lisa Lickel

I’m happy to present author Lisa Lickel for this month’s Author Dream Series. Let’s give a big welcome to Lisa!

My Dreams of a Writing Life

By Lisa J Lickel

A member of our historical society, a retired teacher, commented, “You should be a writer,” after reading a report of our last outing published in the local newspaper. Little did she know that I had already enrolled in a respected writing for publication online course. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that I could write, much less write a book. To be perfectly honest, things weren’t going very well at work and I knew I needed to do something else. Before the course was over, I had already sold several articles to magazines, became a regular columnist in the local paper, and even sold an article to Writer’s Digest. Yep, me and Dave Barry in one issue. What a dream come true. I really, really thought that would be my ticket to ride the rocket ship to publication. You can probably guess how many offers of “please write for me!” came in.

I worked hard for the next two years, completing my first novel and placing well in a contest—well enough to give me hope. I signed with an agent and got my first contract simultaneously; then another contract, and another…and then hit the cube walls of failure like a bouncing ball. I took some time to sit back and learn about the industry, it’s foibles, ups and downs, marketing (gasp—you mean I have to do my own promotion?), and the dreaded platform. The industry was rolling over at that time; a nightmare for traditional publishers and a dream come true for anyone who had a few typed pages, computer savvy, and an Amazon account. Yahoo! Anyone can publish anything!

All the transitions have changed the face of writing and publishing. I continued to work with smaller publishers and even started a freelance editing business—something I never, ever dreamed I could do. My twenty-fourth book is scheduled for release in the fall of 2017. I’m still sitting on the first two books I wrote, maybe someday tweaking them into something publishable. They’re part of an ambitious series of books about the unseen personal side of people who go to church.

My dream was for a quirky career, to make a part time salary so I could still take care of my home and family. It’s coming to fruition more than a dozen years from the time I first signed up for that online course. Without that first idea, that first seed planted and nurtured by the comments of others, watered and pruned by editors and readers, sometimes painfully, I couldn’t have followed through. I’ve always had high regard for language with all its secrets and nuances. I won’t understand all of its intricacies no matter how long I live, but my dream of creating story that disseminates information, leaves a part of me, and offers food for thought is my dream ever being fulfilled. Helping others who want to write and publish well, seeing them succeed, and passing on experience, is where I’m going from here. May the journey never end.

About The Author

Lisa Lickel lives in a one hundred and sixty-year-old house built by a Great Lakes ship captain. Surrounded by books and dragons, she writes inspiring fiction. Her novels include the Buried Treasure mystery series and the award-winning romance, Meander Scar; A Summer in Oakville, co-authored with best-selling author Shellie Neumeier, Healing Grace, The Last Detail and a series of historical early reader books, First Children of Farmington, among others including her latest, UnderStory. She also writes short stories, feature articles, and radio theater. She is a member of Women Fiction Writers of America, the Council for Wisconsin Writers, and the Chicago Writer’s Association. Lisa loves to encourage new authors through mentoring, speaking, and leading workshops. Lisa also is an avid book reviewer and blogger, and a freelance editor. She is married to a high school biology teacher, and they have two sons and daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and a grand-kitty. Find more at LisaLickel.com.

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