The Long and Winding Road

I’m happy to welcome author Dena Weigel. Today, Dena shares the long and winding road to her writing career and her new release, The Byzantine Cross.

Here’s Dena!

Briefly describe your first act.

Thank you for including me in your Second Act Series and allowing me to share my writing!

It’s been a long and winding road to a writing career!

During my twenties and thirties, I was rudderless. I went to college, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, then traveled overseas to study art and culture with students from all over the nation. After the program’s conclusion, I arrived home with a head full of new possibilities for my future. I ended up in a corporate marketing job by default.

After ten years in the office, I took my marketing experience on the road, freelance blogging for fifteen years for businesses, government entities, and nonprofits. I also attended writing classes, conferences, and writing groups. This was great, but it left little creative headspace for my own writing projects. One year ago, I reached a goal of landing a job in the publishing industry with a position at a book review company, and now I’m surrounded by people who are so generous with their knowledge.

What triggered the need for change?

I floundered through my corporate jobs for far too long before realizing I wrote at a level that executives could use but freelancing left me with no creative energy to finish my novel. So, I eventually ended my contracts and worked with a developmental editor to complete the story and get it to a publisher. I knew that if I didn’t go after this dream, I’d regret it—so why wait? I jumped in with both feet hanging onto hope for dear life!

Where are you now?

Last year I landed a job with a book review company and have achieved another goal of leaving the tech industry and finding my way into the writing/publishing business. I get to talk about books all day long!

Do you have advice for anyone planning to pursue a second act?

Don’t wait to start. You never know what’s around the corner, and time slips away so fast. Those things you want to do in life may be out of reach sooner than you think, and you don’t want to live with regret. Even if you fail, you learn—and that’s not failure.

Also, ask for guidance and help if you feel it will get you to your goal. People are more often than not excited to help others and share their knowledge.

Any affirmations or quotations you wish to share?
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein

Blurb

Former OSS spy, Sarah Kraft, thought she’d left her dangerous past behind in 1950s New York City. But when her former boss tracks her down and convinces her to accept a new mission-steal the ancient Byzantine Cross from inside the Kremlin for the CIA-she’s dragged back into the world of espionage. Once in Moscow, she’s promised the aid of a Russian double agent, Nicolai Rodzyanko, but things aren’t as they seem. Someone hired a hitman to eliminate Sarah, and she and Nicolai realize they’re not the only ones after the mysterious cross. As the two dig deeper into the history behind the oldest known biblical relic, they discover it’s far more than a simple artifact. Sarah starts questioning the motives of her former boss and the agency she once trusted, and when supernatural forces come into play, she must make a decision that could change the course of history.

Author Bio and Links

Dena Weigel was born and raised in Western Kansas, where her active curiosity stoked her growing imagination.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she studied art and culture in over thirty countries before settling in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and building a career writing for businesses and non-profits around the world.

Dena enjoys hiking with her husband and daughter, painting, and relaxing on her deck with a cup of coffee and a great book. She is currently working on the next Sarah Kraft novel, The Argentinian Affair.