Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have actress and author Charmaine Gordon sharing an inspiring journey that has spanned six decades.

Here’s Charmaine!

Picture this, dear readers. Dinosaurs roamed the earth. I was the good daughter, the good wife, the good mother of way too many kids. My high school sweetheart and I married into Air Force Pilot bliss during the Korean War. From sheltered Chicago city life, I moved into a different world where flags flew, salutes all the time and husbands were on TDY-temporary duty-all the time so I became strong at twenty, no longer protected. The joke was when the men flew home with much fanfare, bands playing and all, they said to each other, “What’s the second thing you’ll do when you get home?” The answer was always, “Take off my parachute.” Nine months later many babies were born. Oh, what a time.

We became civilians, moved from one state to another and settled in NY. When my youngest, finally a girl, turned sixteen, an actress friend told me to head to the city. She’d seen me in community plays and said I was way ready to perform big time. I didn’t even know how to get to NYC. Sweet hubs drew a map and I got there. Soon I became a small fish in a big pond in middle age. Movies, daytime drama, and stage kept this homemaker busy with time to cook, help with our business, and still take care of the six kids. Until my voice was stricken with spasmodic dysphonia toward the end of a play Off-Broadway and I realized my Sweet Time was over. No more Working Girl, the movie singing happy Birthday to Melanie Griffith and sharing a hot dog with Harrison Ford. No more lunch with Anthony Hopkins during another movie and so much more.

Creative juices still flowed. In my seventies at this point, what to do? Without training, I had the nerve to write a book. Vanilla Heart Publishing asked for a few chapters of To Be Continued and an author was born.

You need courage to keep moving on, my friends. Don’t let anything get in your way. Believe in yourself and keep going. Wake up each day and greet yourself with a smile. I’m 84 and loving it. Married again after my first love suddenly passed on, we take care of each other. I wish you all the best. Remember “it isn’t over ‘til it’s over.”

Who knows what Act Three will bring but I’m ready.

Here’s a quote from a review for No Time for Green Bananas, a long short story in one of my mature romance/suspense series:

From LAS Reviewer

Delightful, heartwarming and unexpected, No Time for Green Bananas delivers an older main character still yearning for adventure – and still with something to learn about life and friendship.

Celeste Hamlin’s suffered a loss but she’s tough. She sets off to re-traverse an old and wonderful adventure; alone this time, not entirely strong enough, but determined. Unexpected help crops up along the way, but she can’t let herself rely on others, can’t waste time on friendship, can’t imagine forward to much future.

Paul is patient and endearing but she isn’t looking for any future relationship here; in fact, she seems to be determined to live in the past. Yet, Paul is hard to ignore:

“A lone guitarist played acoustic guitar over in a corner. Jazz renditions of old songs. Beautiful and so interesting on that kind of instrument. Softly he sang, “It seems we’ve stood and talked like this before…”

Readers will fall for Paul and so hope that Celeste will stop telling herself things like “Absurd you foolish old woman” and allow herself a chance.

Kudos to the publisher here. The author definitely stepped outside the box on the character and storyline. No Time For Green Bananas is a real gem of a short story that will delight romance fans and especially more mature readers.”

Thank you, Joanne, for this wonderful opportunity to meet you and your following.

Where to find Charmaine…

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon

Joanne here!

Wow!! I’m in awe of your extraordinary talents and ability to persevere. I hope you will consider writing your memoirs.