FEARLESS FRIDAY
Please welcome my guest today, Joanne Guidoccio, with a courageous and heartwarming Fearless Friday.
In 1984,
London Life Insurance came up with a uniquely Canadian slogan – Freedom 55.
Each
time I saw the commercial of the middle-aged couple walking along the beach,
enjoying a sunset, or engaging in water sports, I imagined my own retirement:
extended holidays as a snowbird, launching a non-profit, starting a counseling
practice. A little different but compelling enough to keep me dreaming of my
own freedom years. Why not leave the workforce at age 55 and devote the
remaining 25 to 30 years of my life to my passions.
Five
months before my fiftieth birthday, a diagnosis of inflammatory cancer brought everything
to a standstill. I survived, scarred but happy to be alive and appreciative of
the many gifts cancer had brought.
I
returned to my teaching position, with new determination. I would not wait
until age 55 to retire. Instead, I
aimed for Freedom 53, a very early retirement,
possible because of a generous teacher pension program.
As
2008 neared, I felt flutters of trepidation but remained committed to Freedom
53. For the most part, family and friends were supportive, but I could see
flickers of doubt in their eyes. A few ventured to ask: “What on earth will you
do?”
While
some of my earlier dreams no longer fit, I did have a vague idea of what life
on golden pond would look like. Sleeping in each morning. Leisurely breakfasts.
New hobbies. Volunteering. Traveling.
These
were my pat answers whenever anyone asked about my future plans. And at some
point in the conversation I would work in one of my favorite quotations from
Eckhart Tolle: “When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite
possibilities open up in your life.”
I kept my writing dream, concocted at age eighteen,
tucked away, fearing to even speak the words: “I want to write.” It sounded a
bit pretentious and a definite stretch from my 31-year career as a mathematics and
co-operative education teacher.
All that changed when I returned from a trip to
Newfoundland. I put pen to paper and wrote an article about my adventures. To
my surprise, it was picked up by the Waterloo Record and published two months
after my retirement. I took that early publication as a sign from the universe
and announced my intention to write.
I started
journaling and filled large blocks of unscheduled time with workshops and
online courses. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. At first, I focused on the
nonfiction market and wrote book reviews and articles about careers, money
management, wellness, personal growth and development. While I was delighted
with the response from newspapers, magazines, and online publications, I wanted
more.
“More”
translated into a novel, and in my case, two novels: A Season for Killing
Blondes and Between Land and Sea.
I
had written the first draft of the cozy mystery during my “cancer” year and
then filed it away. An integral part of my therapy, writing that novel helped
me survive and thrive during the most challenging season of my life. It was now
time to edit and polish the manuscript.
While
querying, I distracted myself with another storyline. I wrote the first draft
of Between Land and Sea (a paranormal romance about a middle-aged
ex-mermaid) in three months and then spent a year editing and polishing. I was
thrilled when Senior Editor Debby Gilbert of Soul Mate Publishing offered me a contract in 2013.
A
year later, Editor Johanna Melaragno of The
Wild Rose Press picked up A Season for Killing Blondes (Book 1 of the
Gilda Greco Mystery Series). The novel was released in
June 2015.
In
September 2015, Soul Mate Publishing released The Coming of Arabella,
the sequel to Between Land and Sea.
Right
now, I’m polishing the final draft of Too Many Women in the Room (Book 2
of the Gilda Greco Mystery Series).
Blurb
Hours before the opening of her career counseling
practice, Gilda Greco discovers the dead body of golden girl Carrie Ann
Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside her office. Gilda’s life and
budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school
crush, conducts the investigation.
When three more dead blondes turn up all brutally
strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime
suspect for the murders. Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the
mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch
her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga
instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and
fourteen ex-boyfriends. As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking
revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long
overlooked.
Trailer
In the News
A Season for Killing Blondes is on sale for $0.99
May 6 – May 20
Buy Links
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