Welcome to my Website!
I am the author of the creative nonfiction book, Of School and Women.
___________
Hello there! I'm glad you stopped by. Behold, my first website. I built it myself. I pride myself on being a do-it-your-selfer. I'm proud of my kids. I love my dog. I drink coffee every morning. I'm retired from the 9-5. Whilst growing up in the United States, I moved a lot. I worked my way through college and surprised myself in 2021, when I published a book.
About my credentials, I earned my BS in English Education from Florida State University and have completed master level writing courses at Salem State University. I'm a retired property manager, teacher, paralegal, military reservist, and now a member of the Authors Guild. My debut book, Of School and Women, is a story based on real events, filled with life lessons, and set in Florida in the mid 1980s.
Because the 80s was more than big hair for me, and a lot about striving to get ahead, and find love and friendship in a culture full of controversy, I penned a story that bubbled up inside of me of all the times folks I knew, including myself beat the odds, one of my favorite themes.
In 1987 I was a 22-year-old woman who had learned early that life was messy, and I was determined to clean it up by finishing school. Possibilities were endless. My real-life experiences and those of my friends, were my teachers. Our many close calls, struggles, dreams for change, and near-misses with danger were the stories of our lives. Timeless stories that I wrote in a book to serve up an ounce of prevention to the future.
Near miss situations not only make super story content, but by telling them, we serve to prevent similar future catastrophes. If you have kids, tell them your near miss stories. They'll learn from your experiences. Oh, in case your near miss story is too personal, you can always say it happened to a friend.
Always be Reading. Always be Writing.
Always be reading! Always be writing! This affirmation keeps my neuro circuits firing in my old age! It served me well at a young age too -- come to think of it -- that's when I fell in love with a book called Rabbit, and Skunk and Spooks. I must have been five or six, then. This was the first book I read all by myself -- a paperback from one of those Scholastic Book Club leaflets that teachers passed out in school. I read that Halloween story over and over. I was proud of the sound of my voice reading aloud. My folks were proud too. Learning to read was a milestone that leveled me up.
It's never too late to learn to read. I remember my great grandmother calling me to sit next to her, where she proudly announced, "Nana has a surprise for you." She held the newspaper in her hand and lifted it like I had seen her do often when she would browse the paper looking at pictures. "Nana learned to read," she said. She was 78 years old and sure proud of herself.
Reading not only levels us up, but also keeps stories alive. The saddest of days for books are when they sit dead on the shelf. They only take on meaning when someone reads them.
Anyhow, that's what I do here. I keep stories alive. I read them, write and edit them, review and recommend them. I'm a bona fide book lover. I've helped published authors edit and promote their books and I'd be excited to help you deliver your story to the world. If you're in need of a beta reader, arc reader, editor or promotion for your book, send me a message today via my contact form to get started. Or visit my shop for reading and critiquing rates.
If you reached this paragraph, I'm glad you're still reading, and if you happen to be an Of School and Women reader, know that I am truly grateful for you. Thank you for wanting to read my book and for all your time spent reading it. I'm humbled and honored by your labor writing and posting reviews. If a book isn’t talked about, written about or read, or visible by others, it means nothing by itself. Books only take on meaning when someone reads them. So, to you I say thank you for giving my book meaning.
If you are someone who recognizes yourself in my book, I hope I have honored our memories together and mostly I hope I have honored you. For whatever ways my portrayal of you may have been inadequate, I do hope you feel valued and loved.☮️
Oh, one more thing... I'll be donating a portion of the profits from my book sales to a charity that supports survivors of human trafficking. To learn how you can help, visit amirahinc.org.
Connect with me
© 2020 D.S. Marquis
Follow me