Hi all! Virginia Vaughan here. Even before I put pen
to paper, I knew I wanted to be a writer, but when I told my family and
teachers my aspirations, the feedback I received was mixed at best. They didn’t
understand how a person could want to do such a thing as writing for a living. The
idea was so foreign to them that I might as well have said I wanted to be an
international assassin and they would have received it better. It didn’t help
that I grew up in Mississippi where writers like William Faulkner and Eudora
Welty had set the bar for writers. I was met with blank stares, comments about
how difficult a life it would be, and questions like, “But what real job are
you going to do to support yourself so you can write?”
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| Notable Mississippi Writers |
So the other night, I watched one of my all-time
favorite movies, Coal Miner’s Daughter. As I was watching it, that
green-eyed jealousy monster popped up inside me. In case you’ve never seen it,
it’s the movie based on the autobiography of country and western singer,
Loretta Lynn. In the movie, Loretta is pushed and prodded by her husband to
become a singer. He buys her first guitar and takes her to a honky-tonk where
he proceeds to arrange, without her knowledge, for her to perform with the
band. When she balks at the idea of getting up in front of people, he pushes
her to do so, telling her, “I’m proud of you when you sing.” And once she has
overcome that fear and learned to love it, he pushes her to record an album
then stays up all night mailing it off to radio stations across the country.
Later, they take a road trip, visiting each of those stations to make sure her
record is played. As a result, by the time they reach Nashville, singer Loretta
Lynn has her first charted record. He has pushed her to use her gift and opened
doors for her to succeed.
I can’t help it. Each time I watch that movie, I get
so jealous. Like many writers, I’m an introvert, so putting myself out there,
speaking up at conferences, making the necessary connections has always been
something I’ve struggled with. What I wouldn’t give to have someone in my life
who pushed me and encouraged me to pursue my own dream the way the husband in
that movie did. If only I had someone like that person in my life, I knew I could
make it at this writing gig. I waited a long time for God to send me that
special person who would fill this role, but my fairy tale prince charming
never materialized. It seemed I was on my own.
Of course, I wasn’t really. I did have someone behind
me, pushing me forward, giving me the strength and courage I needed to speak up
at conferences, opening doors for me in the publishing world, and guiding my
writing journey. God was with me doing all those things I’d been waiting and
praying and yearning for a man to do. In fact, God could do all I needed and so
much better.
I’m still on this journey, trying to follow his guidance,
watching in amazement as he continues to open doors for me to walk through and
makes a dream I’ve had since childhood come true. I currently have six books through
Love Inspired Suspense with another set to release in January of 2018, and a
contract for two more. I’ve also published two Christmas novellas and have a
story included in a romantic suspense collection with six other romantic
suspense authors. I have been truly blessed and I have God to praise for making
it happen. You see, he’s done more for me than any man could ever do and while
it would be nice to have that person behind me, supporting me, it wouldn’t be
the same. I’ve proven to my family and friends that dreams do come true through
hard work, persistence, and a whole lot of faith in my Heavenly Father.
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| My current release from LIS |
And now when I hear that voice saying those words I’ve
so longed to hear—I’m proud of you when
you write and I love it when you use your gifts to glorify me—they mean so
much more to me than they ever could have coming from anyone else.
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| My current series with LIS-- Rangers Under Fire |
Author Bio: Virginia
Vaughan was born and raised in Mississippi and has never strayed far beyond
those borders. Blessed to come from a large, Southern family, her fondest
memories include listening to stories recounted by family and friends around
the large dinner table. She was a lover of books even from a young age and soon
started writing them herself. Book 5 of her current series, Rangers Under Fire,
Mission Undercover, is now available and Book 6, Mission: Memory
Recall releases in January, 2018.
Posts
Virginia, thanks for sharing your writing story. God's timing is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my favorite movies, too! I remember when I told my mother I was writing. I was scared, afraid I'd be chastised for foolishly chasing a dream. All she said was, "It's about time." LOL. She knew that I was supposed to be writing, and now, when I get into a funk she'll ask me if I've written lately.
ReplyDeleteI was also discouraged in high school from pursuing my writing dream. And this was in the early 80's when romance novels were popping! I did write many articles and stories for Sunday school publications and parenting magazines. But it wasn't until much later that I finally took the plunge and went to a local RWA chapter meeting. I am very blessed to have a husband who does believe in me. It was he who said, "Why aren't you writing what you read?"
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring story, Virginia. God truly has our best interest at heart and he know exactly when to give us our heart's desire.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful testimony, Virginia. God opened doors for me, too, without any doubt, but I have had teachers who believed I could publish from 7th grade on and a loving, supportive husband. He's not much good in the promotion department (even for his own artwork), and neither am I (alas), but he's always been supportive. I take comfort in the fact that God's always had my back, however. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to do this for the past 37+ years. I wouldn't even want to try!
ReplyDeleteI love it when we surrender our dreams (which He has placed in our hearts) to God, step out in obedience and see what He will do in/thru/for us—far beyond whatever we could even imagine. And as writers we can imagine a lot! :)
ReplyDeleteVirginia, we're so glad you never gave up on your dreams. They say when a door closes, a window opens. But sometimes there aren't any windows open either, so you have to go and get a drill. I believe that "drill" is God and it comes about with lots of work on our part and "kneemail" to the man upstairs. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteLovely, Virginia!
ReplyDeleteTHank you for sharing Virginia. Having a support system is important but knowing God has a plan is the best blessing.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Mississippi on the coast. There are some great writers from Mississippi.
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