Mermaids and misstarts—Kandy Shepherd

When my daughter was 4 years old she knew she was going to grow up to be a mermaid. She grew up to be a good swimmer but now as a teenager she’s thinking she’d like to be a dietician. Yesterday she did a barista course and now she’s wondering about hospitality. (See below what she made her dad this morning--I think she might have a future in coffee!)

When did you know what you were going to do in life? I can’t remember not wanting to be a writer. As soon as I could form letters with my pencil, I was scribbling stories and wanting people to read them.I had my first short stories published when I was 21—and then got diverted into magazine journalism. Hey, I got to write and I got paid well—what wasn’t

there to like about that? Answer: I wasn’t writing fiction. And that’s what I really wanted to do. My dream never went away and now I have two contemporary romances, LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD and HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS, published by Berkley Sensation. I still work freelance as a magazine editor and get to write fiction too—I’m so lucky to be able to work in both my worlds.

What about you? Did you always want to pursue a certain career or role in life and single-mindedly set your path on getting there? My friend Emma wanted to be a ballet dancer from the time her little legs were strong enough to glide her around the room. Through hard work, determination and talent she achieved that dream.

But a dancer's life is a short one. Now she teaches ballet and Pilates and is content to still be in the dance world if no longer actually on stage. (Oh, and she’s just about to become a mother which is also another dream role for her!)

Or did you find what you wanted to be only after a few misstarts? My friend Kim wanted to be a schoolteacher but wasn’t encouraged in her dream. This year she is going to graduate as a schoolteacher, having fitted in her studies around a full-time job and three children. Another didn’t-get-there-straight-away is Patrick, a former high school teacher. Now he’s a farrier, shoeing horses and enjoying being his own boss. Then there’s Louise, who started out a nurse and ended up managing a housing construction company—and her six kids!

The heroine of my latest novel HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS, Serena Oakley, barely made it through high school. She dropped out of college. Flitted from one job to another. Beat herself up for not being able to stick at anything. Then finally found her ideal career—running her own doggy day-care center. But just as she’s finding success, her business is threatened by a series of identity frauds. Enter my hero, Nick Whalen. Nick knew one thing for sure—he wanted to get out of the small rural community where he grew up and was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps as a farmer. He ended up as an FBI agent and by

the time he meets Serena he’s a private investigator in his own business—and tracking Serena down as his prime suspect.

I love talking with people about how they got to where they are—their first job, their worst job. I’d love to hear about you. Did you have a dream you never gave up on? Or maybe you found your career/role almost by accident. Please leave a comment for a chance to win one of two prizes—a signed copy of HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS or a HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS T-shirt (my covers make cute T-shirts!) If you want a chance at the prize, please include you email address.

http://www.kandyshepherd.com