From Lawyer to Romance Author

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Soul Mate author Stacy Hoff chatting about the childhood dream that has come to fruition.

Here’s Stacy!

I am so glad to be on the Second Acts blog! I think the biggest reason this column resonates with me is because I, too, have started the second act of my life.

I had wanted to be a writer ever since I was little. When the time came for me to pick a profession, however, I chose what I thought of as a steadier (and more solvent) career path—law. So I packed up my things and moved to Boston for law school.

As soon as I arrived, however, I started having second thoughts. It was immediately apparent that the creative process I had embraced as an English major undergraduate had no place in the law. Writing became strictly a matter of templates and formula. And although law school was intellectually challenging, it wasn’t emotionally engaging.

The lack of emotional connection was hard for me. Being an only child growing up with a hard working single mom, emotional connections were always something I craved. It’s what had drawn me to English literature in the first place. Within the pages of books I found endless personal interaction. A plethora of people to laugh with, cry with, sympathize with, and appreciate. The prospect of having instant “family” (even if only on paper) enticed me to read as a kid and, frankly, still compels me to write as an adult.

When I was back in law school, the formal and academic environment made me feel like I had no “family” there. No one for me to latch onto. The reason was pretty clear – the legal field doesn’t run to embrace creative types. Unfortunately, the end result back then was to distance myself from my peers, the school, and the career.

Eventually, I did learn to adapt my personality (enough, anyway). It’s now been almost twenty years since I’ve graduated from law school. And yes, I am a lawyer. But just because I have practiced successfully does not mean I want to continue practicing indefinitely. It’s time to start thinking about when I’m going to completely close the curtain on my first act.

For my second act, what I want is to fully embrace my creative self. To have writing at the center of my life. For me, that means writing contemporary romance novels full-time.

Right now, I have one book published, a second under contract, and two other manuscripts underway. Doing all this has not been easy; fiction writing is something I do as a sideline. I write late at night. Early in the mornings. Weekends when I can sneak it in, considering I have to take care of my two boys. It’s an added bonus prize when I can steal some time alone with my husband. Balancing everything isn’t easy.

It’s still way to soon for me to become a writer full-time. My debut novel, DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES, just came out September 17, 2014. That means I’m going to continue balancing for a while. I can tough it out. It’s better to pursue my goal from the sideline than to forfeit the game.

After all, if I quit, my second act would never truly get underway.

Blurb

Stephanie Lang’s successful career as a television producer can’t give her everything she wants out of life. Her personal goals of writing a romance novel and finding true love languish. Emotionally scarred by her fiancé’s affair with her cousin, she doesn’t have the confidence to go after either goal again. At least she has professional confidence to fall back on—she is ready to produce the company’s next hit show. But when her boss reveals what the show is about, a survival documentary starring a sexy, modern version of Crocodile Dundee, Stephanie’s life is turned upside down. Colin Brandt, billed as “The Evergladiator,” will tackle Florida’s Everglades with nothing more than his bare hands and a knife. Stephanie, instantly attracted to handsome, rugged, enigmatic Colin, worries he will not survive his twelve-day odyssey. If he does, he’ll win a million dollars. If he fails, his beloved family’s farm will go into foreclosure. Can Colin conquer the Everglades? And can he conquer her heart?

Where to find Stacy…

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Joanne here!

Stacy, thank you for sharing your ongoing reinvention story. I enjoyed reading Desire in the Everglades and look forward to your future releases.

Beyond the Classroom

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Hannah Diamond sharing a difficult career decision that sparked a spectacular second act.

Here’s Hannah!

I taught 9th grade English at an urban public high school for 10 years. I loved teaching and had planned to teach until I retired. However, the political climate surrounding public schools started to change, and I realized that the career I loved was no longer the same.

Curriculum was centered around test scores, not based on what students need to know for college, life, and future careers. Everything was about test scores. Students were not students anymore; they were “data.” Class sizes were growing, and so were expectations. I was suffering from stress-related illnesses ranging from back pain to chronic sinus infections.

I hated to leave, but I had to do so for my mental and physical health. In 2013, I wasn’t seriously looking for a new job, but an ad on LinkedIn caught my eye. It started out with the line, “Do you love office supplies?” I discovered that a trendy office supply company, UrbanGirl.com, was hiring a marketing and social media professional, and the company was located two miles from my home!

I had not given much thought to what my “second act” would be before this, because I had not planned on switching careers. However, when I read the job descriptions and qualifications, I realized that I was uniquely qualified because the job required writing, photography, editing, and communication skills combined with a love of office supplies. I applied, and to my surprise, I was offered the job.

It was still a difficult decision to make, but I am so glad that I did. My health problems are nearly non-existent now, and I am so much happier. I love that the majority of my work is creative. I write the company blog, emails, and all social media posts. I take photos of the products and design graphics for the website. I am using my English degree in a way I never thought I would, as blogs didn’t even exist when I graduated from college.

My advice for anyone planning a big career change is to have confidence and do plenty of research. It was daunting switching to a “techie” career when most people in my new line of work are at least 10 years younger than I am. However, I knew I had the creativity and writing skills to succeed. I also spent time researching my new field, and I continue to learn new things every day.

Where to find Hannah…

Urban Girl Website | Personal Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Google +

Joanne here!

Hannah, thank you for sharing your journey. I am certain this post will resonate with teachers, nurses, social workers and others in the “helping professions” who are struggling with that tenuous health/career balance.

Tackling Table Topics

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Joanne Guidoccio

Table Topics threaten our composure more than any other toastmaster activity. We are given a prompt and expected to deliver a well-crafted answer that can easily stretch between forty and sixty seconds. As one guest commented: “You are thrown into the deep waters and expected to swim or sink.”

For the most part, I am pleased with my ability to speak extemporaneously. But I can vividly recall one less-than-stellar Table Topics experience. Several years ago, while visiting a toastmaster club in another community, I actually froze in the middle of a session.

The theme of the evening was VROOM! VROOM! VROOM! The Table Topicmaster had prepared a series of pictures depicting different modes of transportation. Each participant was asked to select a picture and comment on how he/should would use the suggested mode of travel. Buses, planes, trains, all types of cars—these were the pictures that had been selected prior to my turn. I felt very relaxed and confident as I selected a picture from a large envelope.

And then I panicked.

I had selected a picture of two young children sitting in an inner tube. At the time, the only word that came to mind was “raft” and I knew that wasn’t the correct term. Why I chose to focus on that aspect of the picture still remains a mystery. I did manage to speak for a short while, but it was far from my finest toastmaster hour. Afterward, I paid close attention to the remaining speakers.

One toastmaster ignored the downhill skier in his picture and talked at length about the scenery and a recent trip to Banff, Alberta. I was impressed by his skillful use of bridging, a key strategy that belongs in every toastmaster’s toolkit. Bridging gets you from where you don’t know to what you do know through the figurative use of a bridge. In this case, the scenery allowed the toastmaster to talk at length about one of his favorite travel destinations.

Another toastmaster shook her head at the extreme sport in her picture and said: “I would never consider traveling in this way. Instead, I will talk about traveling by train in Europe.” Hit with a topic that she didn’t like, this toastmaster chose reframing as her primary tool.

Driving home, I rehashed my Table Topics. If I had chosen to use bridging, I could have ignored the inner tube and chatted at length about the lovely lake in the picture. “This reminds me of the many lakes in my hometown.” Or I could have reframed the entire experience and said, “Whenever I’m on a lake, I like to travel in style. Motor boats only!”