Thanks, Vicki in Tampa, for the questions!

For those of us who are "writers," we write because it's in our DNA. We write because it's the lens through which we view our life and the lives around us. While I can carry an audible conversation with little challenge (ha-ha) writing is my preffered method of communication.

(Side note: SPELLING, HOWEVER, IS NOT A GIFT. And I don't think this Forum has a Spell Check feature, does it? I'm also horribly dyslexic with adult ADD, so I'll apologize ahead of time for any words I might unintentionally slaughter, okay?)

As someone who writes from a Christian worldview, I'm of the personal belief that the "How Do I Do It?" comes directly from God's call on my life. I do what I do not because I've found a niche or a genre that I like or that I feel confident about, although that is true, but because I sincerely feel God has placed me here specifically for the purpose of sharing how faith has transformed my life.

For me, because I am a writer, I have been able to share my faith via the God Allows U-Turns compilation series, via my first non-fiction "women's issue" book (I CAN'T DO IT ALL) and it's clearly evident in my debut novel (A STITCH IN TIME) as some (but not all) of my characters are people of faith.

As for "My Secret?" That's easy. Hard work. Committment. And having a focused STRATEGIC PLAN. And actually...now hear this... WRITING EVERY DAY.

I'm not a particularly gifted writer, I'll never be a literary giant. In fact, I quit school after the ninth grade to marry a young man whose abuse nearly killed me. I've spent years trying to pull myself up by the bootstraps (whatever THOSE are!) and taking classes, attending seminars and writer's conferences, reading lots and lots of "How To" books, conducting research and simply acquiring "On the Job Training" as I learned while I lived.

Where there's a will, there's a way is my simple belief.

Additionally, acquiring thick skin to handle countless rejections, learning from my mistakes, listening to editors and to criticism (and NOT being defensive) and generally having a Half Full as opposed to Half Empty view on life could also be called "My Secret."

Any more writing questions, my fellow baby boomer friends? I'm ready, willing, and able to answer whatever you throw my way.

Until the next time...

Allison
www.godallowsuturns.com