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WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I filled spiral notebooks with my pencil sketches and stories written in big loopy letters with open circles dotting the i's. I wanted to understand who I was and the unique place I held in the world.
At the age of 12, I discovered an ad from a publisher in the back of a magazine. With visions dancing through my head of writing a book,
I dashed off a letter requesting details. When a fat brown envelope from the publisher arrived, I eagerly tore open the flap. I spent hours reading and re-reading the glossy brochure chockful of tips from the pros about becoming a published author. "Someday..." I promised myself.
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After college, my creative side took a back seat while I focused on climbing the corporate ladder. One day it hit me: I was trying so hard to be "one of the guys" I couldn't remember what it felt like to be myself. So I followed the longings of my heart and returned to my creative roots.
I picked up my pen and words spilled onto the page—lots of them. I was inspired to start a local magazine and served as its editor/publisher for five years.
One blustery afternoon I sat in my backyard and asked, "Where does the wind come from?" Much to my surprise, an entire story flashed before my eyes. I dashed inside to write it down. Before long I held in my hands the completed manuscript for my first children's book, The Lion, the Wind and Mariah. My dream of publishing a book had finally come true.
The novelist Willa Cather said, "If you're an artist and you want to get steadily better at your craft, you need to continually refine your approach to telling the truth." Her words go right to the heart of what I attempt to communicate through my writing—the truth, as purely and honestly as I can.
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KATHRYN MARTIN OSSEGE is an award-winning writer and full-time student of life. She lives in Cincinnati, OH, with husband Greg and two standard poodles, Barley and Angelique. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren who remind her to observe the small wonders in everyday life.
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