HAPPY HOUR 3: THE WRITER IN ME

Welcome to Happy Hour! I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

We were very delighted by the scenery today as always. Each day has something uniquely beautiful to offer and we are so appreciative of it all. There is beauty everywhere! All you need do is open your eyes.

Writing is one of the things that adds to my happiness. I find pleasure in the activity itself, not a particular plot or event in the story I am creating. It is like a cocoon, a world of my own, woven by me as pleasing adrenaline flows, producing intangible rebirth of sorts.

I have been a prolific writer for as long as I can remember. My writing talent was evident by the time I was 13. As an avid reader from an early age, I had a rich vocabulary and received accolades from my English teachers for my writing ability. It is not surprising that I studied English and became a university English professor.

In the last two decades, I have written many short stories, an English textbook for college students and many academic papers. My writing ability ensured that the "Publish or Perish" slogan in academia never hung over my head. The academic papers are published in various academic journals. Endless Seasons is my first book of poetry. One of the poems "Saved" was selected in a poetry competition and published in the anthology, "Transcending Moments". An excerpt from Endless Seasons was quoted by Craig and Marc Kielburger, founders of Free the Children in a Huffington Post article. Also, the African edition of Endless Seasons was one of the three finalists for poetry in the 2010 ANA Literary Prizes.

In the last couple of years, I have been engaged in fiction writing. My first published novel will soon be out in Kindle.

The more I write, the more my admiration for established authors increases. In many ways, writing is a rough, solitary road to tread. While writing remains one thing I do without feeling that I should be doing something else, it still has its ups and downs. Sometimes, the challenges seem insurmountable....Thankfully, I'm always able to catch myself and focus on my goals.

Although I found my niche - writing - many years ago, I'm still on a journey and have many ideas percolating. I'll continue to give voice to those ideas.

Everyone has been blessed with diverse talents. What are yours? Are you using them and for good?

Here's to great use of those gifted "hands"!

Have an awesome week everyone!

CIAO!