Keli Gwyn
Journeys of the heart . . .
and soul.
My Story
I devoured books from the time I could read. Trips to the library were better than visits to the candy store. My all time favorite stories as a child were Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.During the long hot California summers when I was a teen and my dad was off fighting forest fires, my mom would take my sisters and me to the used bookstore. We could buy ten Harlequin romances for a dollar. I'd curl up in my room with the books, be transported to fascinating places and fall in love with the handsome heroes along with their heroines.
In my twenties, I discovered the historical romances of Georgette Heyer and the inspirational romances of Grace Livingston Hill. To my delight, Hill was a prolific writer. I hounded used bookstores in search of every one of her stories. When I finished reading them, I started over again. I couldn't get enough romance.
I worked and put myself through college, finally earning my bachelor's degree after eleven years. I majored in mass communications with the print journalism option and had many stories on the front page of my college paper. I worked five years for a small textbook publisher, my final one as assistant editor.
Motherhood and volunteer work took priority after that, and I chronicled my activities in letter after letter. My friends enjoyed my engaging accounts and encouraged me to try my hand at writing for publication. I took two correspondence courses from the Institute of Children's Literature. And I continued reading romances, rejoicing at the growth in the inspirational market and variety of offerings by talented authors.
When my daughter started high school, I dusted off my dream and began writing full-time. My first
published piece, an article about teens' sleep needs, placed second in a local magazine's writing contest. Romance, however, remained my first love. Writing inspirational historicals was the natural outgrowth of all the reading I'd done in the genre.
I poured my heart into my stories, completing five 100,000 word manuscripts in two years. I've been working on craft, attending writers conferences and learning as much as I can.
When I finaled in the prestigious Golden Heart contest in March 2008, I discovered the world of Cyberspace and met many talented writers, including my awesome critique partners. I launched this Web site as well as my two blogs, where I interact with my wonderful visitors.
I'm currently revising one of my earlier works under the guidance of my awesome agent, Rachelle Gardner, and am enjoying the thrill of being a 2010 Golden Heart finalist.
I poured my heart into my stories, completing five 100,000 word manuscripts in two years. I've been working on craft, attending writers conferences and learning as much as I can.
When I finaled in the prestigious Golden Heart contest in March 2008, I discovered the world of Cyberspace and met many talented writers, including my awesome critique partners. I launched this Web site as well as my two blogs, where I interact with my wonderful visitors.I'm currently revising one of my earlier works under the guidance of my awesome agent, Rachelle Gardner, and am enjoying the thrill of being a 2010 Golden Heart finalist.