A Funny Thing Happened Before the Writing Bug Bit!

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

Life has a strange way of throwing you curves when you least expect it.  Funny, but I never had the burning desire to be a writer. My mother was the one who thought I should major in Journalism. I poo-pooed that, Like most teenagers,  I thought mother didn't know best.

I was going to be a theater major, and just in case that didn’t work out, I had a back-up plan, I would have a dual major. I'd get a degree in psychology.  I had the grandiose notion I was going to specialize in psychodrama, and promptly signed up for a few sessions. For reasons I am reluctant to discuss on  a public forum, that didn't work out.

Reality hit home, when after graduation, I realized working in theater might have me waitressing for years. The psychology degree was practically useless, especially since I didn't have a PHD. In theory, it sounded great having a  Dr. before my name. The reality was far more work than I wanted to do, and who needed a multitude of loans? So I quickly shelved that notion and went to work in the cosmetic field.

Not that I had any experience with turning  sparrows into peahens.  I  was  actually a  glorified sales person with a talent for making you trust me. I successfully aced the job after a walk-in interview and was hired on the spot. I was young, fresh-faced, with the gift of gab, and a certain look that would have women opening their wallets and spending money they didn't have. That bubble of the glamorous career, quickly burst when paychecks didn’t make it possible to move out of the parental home.  The free cosmetics were little consolation. I just wanted a space of my own.

The opportunity of a lifetime,  for a twenty one year old, came when an international airline came calling,  Well that wasn't exactly how it happened. My inside connection was a family friend who reached out to a relative of mine.  This airline was hiring hundreds of people. I quickly brushed up on my non-existent Spanish, managed to pass the bi-lingual test, and found myself living on the West Coast, and jetting back and forth to exotic places like Hong Kong and Istanbul.  Back then travel was elegant, and afforded me a lifestyle I could ill afford if I was actually paying for it.  Opportunist that I was, I slowly worked my way up the corporate ladder. My hard work came with perks like free First  Class travel and discounted luxury hotels. What's not to love?

Another funny thing happened. I got married, and  decided to go back to school, intending to get  a Masters in Organizational Development. When that didn’t work out, the then popular MBA seemed the way to go, except I was bored. What I soon learned is you can't fit a woman who doesn't have a knack for figures into a non-literary role. It was an expensive, painful lesson. The MBA didn’t happen. The grades were OK, the interest level not so good. Besides, I reasoned, I was already making good money, so I dropped out of business school.

In this crazy evolution of finding me, I picked up writing, and not for the purpose of getting published either, I wrote  because it was cathartic and came easily to me. Something magical happened when I wrote. It made me feel good. I joined a group called New Jersey Romance Writers. Romance novels were what I read while I was coming up. It was the simplest of pleasures, and the great escape. Joining that writers group opened up a whole new world for me. My romance writer friends were smart people, many even came with PHDS.    

When deregulation brought several airlines down,  my life took yet another crazy turn. I said goodbye the Northeast, and air travel, and "hello" to ships sailing the High Seas. Writing became my stress reliever, It was the  glue that held me together whenever I unraveled. My first book was published  when I was working at a stressful job,  and then another and another. I was actually getting paid  for something I enjoyed. 

Unlike many authors, I actually like the promotional aspect of the business. I enjoy the interviews and I like giving back to  a community  that supports me. I like being a presenter and leading workshops. Back in the day, I even enjoyed the book signings, although often I was mistaken for a store employee, and conversations centered around locating the bathroom or finding a missing child. But I managed to sell my share of books.

As the years slipped by, and the business changed, I changed with it, reinventing myself, and having other careers. But I've never stopped writing. As most writers will tell you, we don't do it for the money (paltry as it sometimes can be,) We write because we have to.

Writing is an addiction.  We may leave it temporarily, but we always return. Like any addict, we suffer withdrawals.  

Writing is our fix.

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

Be sure to join her mailing list.