Today I am speaking with a woman from Maine whose career involved sales and marketing for a state tourism agency. Her life changed when she picked up a book about a ghost and thought the story could be improved. Michelle Shores lives in a suburb of Bangor, Maine, very near the community where she grew up. She has a passion for marketing and loves to tell people about the wonderful things to do in Maine. When Michelle was in second grade, and her mother was attending a parent-teacher conference, her teacher exclaimed Michelle was a gifted and creative writer. She also dabbled in writing in high school, but didn’t pursue it professionally. Around Halloween 2015, when she was 49, Michelle picked up a book about a little-known piece of Maine history. She wasn’t satisfied with the research that had been done by the author, so Michelle delved into the story herself. Over the next six years, Michelle wrote a book and eventually self-published it for her family. Ironically, the book went viral on social media, won four national book awards, and turned out to be a bestseller. Since then, Michelle has left her marketing job, continues to write and even bought a campground. She’s the epitome of someone pursuing a new direction for her life after turning 50. Michelle realized she was gifted at writing as a child, and others affirmed her gift, but she went in a different direction with her career. It was reading a story about the first documented ghost sighting in America that prompted Michelle to truly explore her gift for writing in her 50s. She enjoys writing in the historical fiction genre because it allows her to take some incomplete, but historical facts, to create a fictionalized account of what may have taken place. Michelle took up writing just for the fun of it because it was something she enjoyed doing in her youth. It turns out she was really good after all. What turned out to be a fun project to show her five children what she could do, actually received several literary awards. Although her debut book was a home run for Michelle, the experience has created high expectations for any future writing she may do. But, writing wasn’t the only thing Michelle became passionate about in her 50s. Acting on her son’s suggestion, she bought a campground even though Michelle had never camped a day in her life. Yet, she was quick to point out she had never published anything before releasing her first book. As she gets older, Michelle is not afraid to try new things – even if they are way out of her comfort zone. For that reason, Michelle Shores’ story is inspirational to me. She calls her 50s the best decade of her life. People can connect with Michelle at www.mshoreswriter.com. She is also active on Facebook, Instagram and X. Michelle said she’s happy to chat with anyone. Her book, “The Gathering Room,” is available on Amazon and other bookstores. If you’re ever in Maine, be sure to visit her at Pleasant Hill Campground in Hermon, just outside of Bangor. That’s all I have for this week’s show. If you’d like help in identifying a purpose for your life or to get help planning your next steps, I’m offering a complimentary brainstorming session to members of the Forward From 50 Facebook community. For details, connect with me on Facebook or visit www.forwardfrom50.com. I’ll have another inspirational interview on the next episode of the Forward From 50 podcast. Thanks for listening. If you like this show, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes.
続きを読む
一部表示
35 分