TL;DR
Archivist by day, writer by night, reader always. Midwesterner relocated to Virginia. Opinions & swearing are all mine. #ArchivesLife #WidowLife She/her.
A Fuller Story
My appreciation for reading, writing, history, and life-long learning came directly from my parents and siblings. Family vacations were never just “to the beach” or “to grandma’s” for visits. Our family experienced vacations — “This year — Civil War Battlefields.” Or, “This year, the Southwest.” I spent many hours hanging over the middle of the front seat, map in hand, giving Dad directions or reading about the places we would visit. My parents instilled a love and respect for history on those trips and also by spending innumerable Sundays trekking through the Illinois State Museum with me. At home, the family shared quiet Sunday afternoons reading or creating stories. I grew up as a child who inhaled books and exhaled words, who wanted nothing more than to while away the hours reading or writing. My siblings taught me to love music and reading, and they also helped me develop my oft-used sense of humor. My very funny and smart late husband who passed away in 2015 changed my life in ways I never imagined, both with his life and with his death. My wonderful friends keep me laughing and learning daily.
I work as an archivist, where I am fortunate to be a part of preserving history every day. I have also taught undergraduate and graduate courses. But in my off hours, and in my heart of hearts, I’m a writer. The first creative writing I remember was in elementary school, where I wrote a first-prize essay about “My First Experience with Liver” for a local contest. Although I’ve written and published professionally/academically for years, my primary focus now is on my creative writing, both fiction and non-fiction. Stick around, and you’ll find out much more about that.
In the meantime, welcome to Life With Lynda. This blog is the next stage of my writing, following on from my first blog Second Memory, which ended with the death of my husband Patrick in January 2015. Please look around, share a moment, and add some comments if you’d like. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for visiting,
Lynda
Life With Lynda 