For Veronica Hosking, finding inspiration is easy: She simply looks into the glowing faces of her two young daughters.
She may have been writing for years, but it is Rachael, 7, and Gretchen, 4, who make the words flow these days. They are also the reason she is seeing her name in print more and more; Hosking’s stories and poems about her girls are ending up on the Internet and on the pages of anthologies. Her latest poem in print, “Morning Accolade” will appear in the anthology “Whispers of Inspiration” edited by Steven and Darlene Manchester. The book, a collection of inspirational stories and poems, is available on Amazon.com or www.whispersofinspiration.com for $15. Hosking, 32, of Avondale is also a staff writer for the online magazine www.RITRO.com, but she doesn’t limit herself to that. She’ll write for anything and just about everything she can find on the Internet. But it isn’t to see her name, her thoughts or her words in print; she writes because she needs too, she said. “According to my husband, I’m going to become a famous author but me, I’m happy where I am. Writing for RITRO gets my creative juices flowing,” said Hosking, her short blond hair almost hiding the black-rimmed glasses that seem to cover her tiny face. “I really don’t want to be famous even though my husband has other ideas.” She just wants to write. Writing as a way of life The one thing she doesn’t write about is her cerebral palsy. She does her best to forget she even has it, though a slight limp and limited use of her right hand often give it away. She hasn’t seen a doctor about it in 15 years. Other than not being able to drive, she doesn’t let it limit her, or her writing. One disability Web site even asked her to write about her cerebral palsy. She refused; she doesn’t see it as a disability. “I try to ignore it,” she said. “It really doesn’t affect my living.” Instead of typing one-handed, which is tedious and difficult, she scribbles her stories and poems in classic black and white composition books. Flipping through the pages, it seems there is little rhyme or reason; a poem flows into a short story that seems to have no ending until a poem shows up on the page. Unlike a computer, the notebook is something she can carry with her and write in whenever inspiration dawns, which she admits is often. She started writing when she was just 8 years old after reading “Dear Mr. Henshaw” by Beverly Cleary. The story is that of a boy who writes to an author and they become pen pals of sorts. “I thought it was cool,” she said. So she started writing and she hasn’t stopped. She writes every day, even if it’s just 15 minutes, and with two very active girls, sometimes 15 minutes is all she gets. Time is one reason she’s so hooked on poetry. “I enjoy writing the poetry because it’s a quick and easy way to get out the creative juices,” she said. A Trekkie with hope Poetry isn’t all she’s hooked on. A huge Star Trek fan, she tried for the past few years to get published in “Strange New Worlds,” a book of short stories written by fans using characters from the show. So far, she’s been rejected. “Four years ago I decided why not, the worst thing they can do is say no which is what they’ve done so far,” she said. “This year might be the year though.” She refuses to give up submitting her work no matter how many rejections come in the mail. “I try to submit to everything I can mail electronically or in the little blue boxes,” she said. “I try not to send things someone has to drive me to the post office for.” So she searches the Internet for places to submit her work and for places where friends — most often the writers in one of the three writing groups she belongs to — can submit their work. She urges writers not to be afraid to submit their work because there are plenty of Web sites and even anthologies that are constantly looking for fresh words from new writers. “If you find joy in writing, submit your work,” she said. “The worst they can do is say they don’t want it and it’s not so bad when it’s someone you don’t know.” So she keeps writing and keeps trying. “I like seeing my name in print,” she said with a laugh. “One of these days I’d like to get something other than a complimentary copy as payment.” Kristen Smith can be reached by e-mail at Click here.
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
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