Who shaped you?

Thank her today!

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash / GENERATIONS!!

March is Women’s History Month. And I’ve been thinking a lot about the women who shaped me.

So many women. My maternal grandmother, who left Finland as a young woman, crossed the Atlantic alone, married the man who’d come to America before her, and had ten children. I remember her laugh. When I was a kid, she stayed at our apartment for a while. She was in her 80s, almost blind from glaucoma. I remember her knitting, feeling for holes in the piece, finding a hole and laughing about it. What a great lesson: Miss a stitch in life? Laugh.

My mother inherited that humor. I dedicated my first book (When Did I Stop Being Barbie & Become Mrs. Potato Head?): “To my mother who taught me to laugh.” I can still hear her laughter, though she’s been gone 15 years.

So many other women: Artsy, quirky Aunt Sylvia; big sister Carol who taught me that it’s okay if my children don’t eat their lima beans; the nuns of Ladycliff College; best friend Cary, who let me borrow her first Nancy Drew when we were ten.

I see them now, cheering me on. Encouraging creativity and perseverance. And laughter. Always the laughter. I wouldn’t be doing this without them, and I’m so very grateful for them all.

Who’s a woman who shaped your life? I’d love to hear about her.

Thanks for reading and supporting my work. I appreciate you and I’m cheering you on.

With love and gratitude,❤️
Mary

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BOOK NEWS: Speaking of women, Mackenzie’s Gram is a strong positive influence in her life. And her mother, anxious though she may be, loves Mack, too. And there are Mack’s friends, Tansy and Jade. The three of them remind me of Betsy, Tacy, and Tib (remember them?) Strong girl connections. Where would we be with those?

Now that I think about it, MY COUSIN KRISSY (coming soon!) features another female triangle—Mack, Krissy, and Aunt Fiona. These relationship dynamics just kind of emerge as I write the books. Well, maybe it’s true what they say—that all fiction is autobiographical. 😉

Also available at: Barnes&Noble.com, Books-A-Million, IndieBound

For local readers, available at the LOCAL STORE in Eau Claire as well.