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Silver Lining - So, you want to write?
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Posted by caroline Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 1 comment Have you ever thought about writing? Short stories? The novel that ends up on the New York Times Best Seller List? Children’s books? Maybe just a letter to your family?

Peg Connelly says she has written all her life. And, Peg proudly exclaims, she has the rejection letters to prove it!

Writing is not an easy way to make a living, and Peg admits that she hasn’t exactly made a living at it, but she has sold some of her writing and she continues to write.
She is currently expecting to receive a contract in the mail for her book called “My Quirky, Odd Ball, Eccentric, Unpredictable Grandma.”

Peg’s “real job” history has been varied.

She retired after 30 years as a rural postal carrier in 1994, but she also earned her real estate license, has a bail bond license and held jobs in accounts payable, payroll and other areas of office work for many years.

Peg even worked for a defense contractor when they were attempting to perfect a guided missile during the Cold War and had to get an FBI clearance.

While doing all of this, she kept plugging away at her writing. Some years, Peg couldn’t do much because she was raising five children! Little wonder that her specialty is children’s stories and books.

Peg enjoys her grandchildren, too and finds inspiration for more stories and books every time they are together.

Peg wrote two books shortly after her father died. She and her father were extremely close, and she said writing was a therapeutic and a helpful way to deal with the indescribable grief that accompanies the death of a close loved one.

The time may not be right now, but Peg believes the day will come when those two books will appeal to, and comfort, others who are mourning.

In the meantime, Peg benefited by being able to put into words the joys she experienced as her “father’s daughter.”  He took her hunting and fishing and even skeet shooting.

They lived in Santa Maria when she was a very young child, and she has fond memories of trips to Pismo Beach to dig for clams, Morro Bay to go duck hunting and roaming the Cuyama hills for quail and pheasant hunting. 
In the books, Peg captures the magic of the close father/daughter relationship she was privileged to share with her dad.

One thing Peg stresses about writing, it’s that the competition is tough. She has written at least 100 stories for children, plus 14 novels directed at children. She is in the process of a deal for one of the novels and cheerfully says, “Thirteen to go!” 

Peg has the optimism of someone sure of her craft and intends to keep submitting and writing and submitting and writing. Her books “Grannies’ Shorts” and “Grannies Critters” were recent book-signing events at Russo’s in the Marketplace.  Both are collections of her short stories for children. 

Attending writer’s conferences and workshops helps Peg continue to polish her writing skills. She is an active member of the Writers of Kern and The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She makes contacts and friends through these organizations.  Members encourage each other, critique one another’s work and generally prod each other to keep writing and polishing off their work to get it ready for publication. 

Peg also joined the writing group at Greenacres Community Center, off Calloway Drive, in Northwest Bakersfield. The group meets at 9 every Tuesday morning at Greenacres. She made a lot of friends and finished her own memoirs of her life from birth until high school graduation. Peg plans to go back “when there is time” to finish her life story. She highly recommends the project to seniors as a good way to record family histories that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Peg was born on July 3 in Oxnard, Calif. and all of her life, she elicited lots of laughs from friends and family when she described herself as “almost a firecracker.”
Peg’s sense of humor and optimism are obvious — it certainly keeps her upbeat and healthy. After talking with her, I would label her as a “firecracker.” 

Maybe a day early for a Fourth of July birthday, but Peg is a definite firecracker.
To learn more about Peg, go to her Web site at: www.grannywrites4kids.com
E-mail Caroline with comments and profile suggestions at:
creid@bak.rr.com

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Comment From: sunnica

Great article on a great lady!! Congratulations on your successes, Peg. I can think of no one more deserving. Love ya!