Wither - The Lily O'Hara Mysteries, #2

I have spent a large part of my life being a writer.but in secret. As a silent and serious child I was happiest with a book to read and a notepad and pen. My mother attempted to explain my eccentricity by saying 'she writes poetry.' She meant it in a positive way, I'm sure! And I also wrote plays and stories about the world I grew up in. Adolescence made me too self-conscious to continue writing and therefore there was a long hiatus.
I became an English teacher and had a family. We moved across the country and back again and somewhere in there I remembered that I loved writing and began again. When my dearest friends suggested we form a writers' group I leapt at the idea. The Aphorism Club was born in Hobart. It was a vigorous, loud, energetic, hilarious and at times brutal gathering for storytellers, poets, artists, cartoonists and me.
It gave me the courage and confidence to get on with writing. In between the writing I taught English for 40 years, raised my wonderful children who are now even more wonderful, creative, kind adults, stayed married to a generous human who has been utterly supportive of my work by making endless cups of tea and being a one-man cheer squad and finally retired from teaching to live at the coast. Everyday I look at the beach, write, catch up with friends, breathe and marvel at the many joys of the life I am living.