About Gail
“Imagination is more important than knowledge” is one of my favorite quotes. Another one should be, “Ignorance is bliss.” I never started out to be a writer. My goal was to become a registered nurse. Having that black band added to my nurses’ cap was literally a crowning achievement. While my education excelled in the nursing arts, it sadly lacked the liberal arts. The only thing remotely close was once doing a research paper on the Sitz bath.
I was a stay-at-home mom while our children were small. Somewhere between the vacuum cleaner and the ironing board, my imagination shifted into high gear. I had stories inside my head that just wouldn’t leave me alone. I’m talking plots, dialogue, characters, and costume, the whole ball of wax. During nap times, I’d take out my old portable typewriter and attempt to put it all down on paper. Well, was I in for a shock! I learned my very first lesson on becoming a writer. I quickly discovered writing—even bad writing--is hard work.
But ultimately my persistence paid off. It wasn’t until I returned to work full-time as a nurse/technologist for a vascular lab that I made my first sale, Sweet Possession, a historical romance under the pseudonym of Elizabeth Turner. Eight more historical romances followed while juggling a family and a job as vascular technologist. It was a busy but rewarding time in my life.
I’ve been happily married for more years than I care to count to my husband, Bob, and have two grown children. In the course of our marriage, we’ve lived in Chicago, upstate New York, and suburban Detroit. A few years ago, my husband and I re-located to another small town, this time one in South Carolina with a community very much like the one inhabited by Kate McCall, the protagonist in my new Bunco Babe Mystery series. Along with a change in locale, I decided to change genres. I’ve been a mystery fan ever since devouring Nancy Drew novels as a girl so the transition from historical romance to cozy mysteries was as fun as it was painless.
As my son reminded me, life’s an adventure. I’m enjoying the ride.
http://gailoust.com/
Thank you for writing adventures that I can read about!
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