Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in New Hampshire, the youngest of five. I consider myself lucky because I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a lot of my life exploring outside of New Hampshire. When I was eleven I spent the summer in Alaska with my father and again in the winter when I was fourteen. I remember one night during the summer going to bed at 11 PM. As I went to close the blinds I saw children playing outside because it was still light out. The winter was the exact opposite. I would arrive at and leave school when it was dark.
I always wrote stories and poems, but never thought of it as a possible career until high school. For a school assignment I was told to write a poem and the teacher was going to submit all of the students’ work to a poetry journal. I ended up being the only one picked to be published in the journal. It was then I realized I could really do something with this.
When it was time to pick out colleges I had no idea where I wanted to go. It wasn’t until I picked up a brochure of the college my sister was currently attending, Emerson College in Boston. They had a writing program that sounded amazing, opportunities to study abroad in Europe, and a program in Los Angeles as well. I knew I had to get in and did.
While at Emerson my love for writing increased as I got to take writing classes in personal essay, fiction, screenplay, and children’s. I was accepted into their Europe program and spent four months living in a castle (Kasteel Well) in the small village of Well, The Netherlands. I took classes four days a week and traveled around Europe the rest of the time. How amazing it was to learn about art in my art history class and then later that week go to the Louvre in Paris or the Tate Museum in London to physically see what was printed in my text books. My love for travel continued after the program and to date I have been to thirteen foreign countries.
My last semester of college I spent in Los Angeles and interned at MTV Films. I could walk across the Paramount lot to go get lunch and end up in line behind a famous actor or actress. It was both crazy and awesome. MTV Films treated their interns like they were part of the family. I got to spend my days reading scripts, writing script coverage, and going to the set of the movie they were making at the time. I was in heaven.
I ended up staying in Los Angeles for a year and a half working at a modeling and talent agency on Sunset Blvd. I then made the decision to move back to New Hampshire. Every time I moved to a different state I would always end up coming back to New Hampshire. It was home. Thankfully I did because if not I would have never met my husband or found the inspiration for my first published book, Lucy’s Amazing Friend. I believe some things happen for a reason.
New Hampshire doesn’t provide a lot of opportunities to work in the entertainment industry so I first ended up working for a non profit organization, then as a paraprofessional, and then later on working in government administration. Life gets crazy and not being around others who wrote, I began to write less and less. I think it was the birth of my first niece that lit the fire in me to start working on children’s stories again.
After my father’s death and a back injury which forced me to quit my government administration job, I realized I had had enough of doing what I didn’t want to do. My three loves are children, writing, and traveling, not working in an office. Life is too short. I became a nanny for two different families and even more determined to get my children’s stories published. Later on I’d work on traveling more.
There is so much more left with my life I want to do and I know I will. When I decide to do something I do it. I want to travel more, finish the novel and screenplay I’ve been working on for years, and publish more children’s stories. I was blessed with having a husband and family who supports me as much as they do. It might take some time to accomplish this ambitious list but I know I will. Life is too short not to.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Over a year ago I went to a reading at RiverRun Bookstore for Ellen Walker, author of Bringing Up John. She wrote a memoir about raising her son John, who lives with autism. It wasn’t until shortly before the reading I found out my husband Tim was friends with John in high school. There is a section about Tim in her book about the impact he made on John just by being his friend. Tim had no idea. To him, John was just John. That night at the reading Lucy’s Amazing Friend was born.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need complete silence and have to write with ear plugs in.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say my children’s writing professor at Emerson College, Lisa Jahn-Clough who is also a children’s author. It was during that class I really began to love writing children’s stories.
What are you working on now?
Another children’s story called Thomas and the Magic Vacuum, inspired by the little boy I nanny who LOVES vacuums. He has his own toy vacuum.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have my own website www.stephanieworkman15.com but definitely Facebook has been the best way to promote. Family and friends are the best at helping spread the word and being supportive. I set up my own author page which is www.facebook.com/stephanieworkman15.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I recently wrote a blog on my website called Using Quotes in Your Published Book: How I Learned the Hard Way. Check it out at.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When my book first went up on Amazon there were typos on the back cover. Frustrated, I turned to one of my old college friends who has two books out. Lori Deschene, author of Tiny Buddha, Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions and also Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Loving Yourself: 40 Ways to Transform Your Inner Critic and Your Life. She told me things like that happen. Her first book had typos on her back cover as well. She said she felt my pain. I’m trying to let the things I can’t control not stress me out so much.
What are you reading now?
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. I saw the movie years ago and loved it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
To write more children’s stories and finish both the novel and screenplay I’ve been working on for years.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would probably bring my husband instead. He’s one of the most entertaining and funniest people I’ve ever met.
Author Websites and Profiles
Stephanie Workman Website
Stephanie Workman Amazon Profile
Stephanie Workman’s Social Media Links
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