Featured Writer on Wellness: Elizabeth Wheeler

Laying out the book on Amazon was my biggest challenge.

I used one of their templates and thought it would be easy just to flow the text through. Nope. The template had many quirks, such as the top margin changing unexpectedly on me.

I spent hours on the phone with two of their techs. I’m not real pleased with how it turned out. But, I was not going to spend any more anxious time on it.

Finally, I just barreled through and let many of my normal activities go. I know in stressful times it is very important to take good care of myself. So, I pared my life down to a minimum.

Fortunately, I was able to sleep most nights, I ate nutritious food because I had some good staples in the refrigerator and my cupboard, and I walked my large Airedale Terrier each day in the Colorado sunshine. Further, I write a letter to the “Goddess” every morning, and vented out my stress on those pages, and I meditate each day after finishing that letter.

Writing with Scoliosis: I Can’t Sit Very Long!

I developed scoliosis in my 50s. It is painful for me to sit in a chair very long.

I get up and walk around frequently and do yoga stretches.

Recently, my yoga teacher suggested I put a foam noodle (pole) behind my spine and some foam under my thighs. This has helped greatly.

The poles are available at the Dollar Store.

How NaNoWriMo Encouraged Me to Write My Book

Believe it or not this mystery (in my latest book) in its entirety came to me in my backyard shortly before I moved from Denver to Grand Junction, Colorado.

I moved in May, and in October I received an invitation in my email (unsolicited) to participate in National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo. The challenge was to write 60,000 words. I decided what the heck—I am retired and I have this great mystery in my head, I’ll accept their challenge.

Though I had worked in public relations and marketing communications all of my career and wrote many columns for community papers, newsletters, magazine articles, etc., I had not written fiction since high school. I graduated Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School in 1965. I can’t remember writing at least 60,000 words for anything.

The original book for NaNoWriMo came very easy to me. In the re-writes I did, I learned many things including plot development and genre.

Why I Started My Blog About Women of a Certain Age

I started writing my blog, “Ladies of a Certain Age,” in January 2013. You could say I started writing it out of vanity, humiliation or anger.

I explain all of this in the February 2013 post, “The Day I Knew I had become Invisible.”

It was a Monday, a day off work, maybe Martin Luther King Day. I was at Starbucks dressed in blue jeans and a sweater. Normally, I would be wearing a business suit to Starbucks on a Monday morning because I was meeting with vendors or potential employees. Then, I was a member of a large senior management team.

Well, no one turned their heads when I walked in. No one stood up and extended their hand. I realized I was just another old gray-haired woman. In fact I wasn’t even Heidi, Robyn or Justin’s mother—my three grown professional adult children, or so-and-so’s wife, for that matter.

Further, although I still weighed the same as I did in high school, I no longer had a “girly” shape. About that time I read, “PrimeTime Women,” by Marti Barletta, a nationally known expert on marketing to women. Of course, aging has tremendous affects on both males and females. But, men do not become invisible in our society like women do.

In that blog post I wrote, “The purpose of this blog is to bring awareness to our group, provide support and information to women of a certain age, and maybe just get out my own frustrations.” In my latest blog I announced I am writing, “Paths – A Primer for Ladies-of-a-Certain Age,” to be tentatively published this autumn. Answers to these six questions seem the most important at this time of life:

1. Who am I now?
2. What lies ahead?
3. How do I deal with physical changes?
4. Where does money come into all of this?
5. Why and when I may need different housing?
6. Will I have a purpose?

Each chapter will have helpful, practical hints and—of all things!—suggested homework. It could be used individually or in a group setting.

I can tell you we are becoming less invisible each day. We are powerful and dynamic because now we have time to do things we want to do. Also, we are one of the most wealthiest groups in society: we either earned it, inherited it , got a great divorce settlement, or any combination or all of these.

Even After Retirement We Must Have a Schedule to Write!

The time management presentation Colleen gave in Grand Junction was very helpful to me.

I have been retired for several years and blissfully no longer have a schedule. However, I realized if I was ever going to get my book done, I needed to go back to managing my life like I did in the past.

Then, I held a senior management position, minimum 60 hours and week, and had my own company of the side. Yes, I knew about planning clothes and meals and, and, and.

My biggest motivational challenge is not to work too much because I want to continue to enjoy pickleball, hiking, snow shoeing, knitting, gardening, and taking care of my house, traveling, time with my family and friends and beloved pets.

Now, I carve out of my day two hours or so to write.

Advice for a Young Writer: Work at Your Craft Each Day

Work at your craft each day. Get a job to feed yourself. Get as much education as possible. Do as much volunteer work as possible.

Read Julia Cameron’s book, “The Artist Way.” Find someone who will give you support and good direction.

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Born in 1947, Elizabeth Wheeler’s parents nicknamed her Reddy Kilowatt, after the famous utility company mascot, who also had red hair. She has been igniting the world ever since.

She is one of a few women who graduated from the University of Colorado’s graduate School of Business in 1973. Before retiring, she headed up marketing/public relations departments for the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, a Novartis generic pharmaceuticals company, and the University of Colorado Hospital.

After retiring, Elizabeth, a Colorado native and old house lover founded Denver’s Old House Society, whose main efforts included walking tours and an old house fair.

Elizabeth has authored five books. Her blog, “Ladies-of-a-Certain-Age,” is read by women throughout the United States and several foreign countries.

She has three children and four grandchildren.  Elizabeth resides on the Western Slope of Colorado with her Airedale Terrier and her tuxedo cat, Katie. She enjoys gardening, knitting, hiking and playing pickleball.

For more information on Elizabeth and her work, see her website.

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Murder and Pink Blossoms: A Ladies-of-a-Certain-Age-Mystery: A-lady-of-a-certain-age, Ellen Lane finds a man’s body in her driveway. Her neighbor, who operates an illegal tree trimming company in the alley behind her garage, is the assumed the killer. After all, everyone heard him arguing the day before with the dead man.

Ellen and her cousin are worried people won’t come now to the Pink Blossoms and Neighborhood Tour they have so carefully prepared. With guides explaining the distinctive architecture and the unique pink blooming trees planted in honor of former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, who loved the color pink and grew up in the area, hundreds are expected to participate.

Kids and their moms planned on raising money for their schools by selling fudge made from Mamie’s recipe.

Thanks to cousins’ efforts, the murderer confesses and the tour takes place amongst the blossoms and Colorado sunshine. Lots of history, lots of tears, lots of laughs.

Available at Amazon.