Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4
Part 5 • Part 6 • Part 7
URBANNA — Along the way I started writing books, 15 of them before I retired. Books were fun and easy to write but tedious work to proofread. But even worse was having to market the books.
The best part was speaking at various clubs and organizations in surrounding cities and meeting such interesting people.
But selling books, keeping records for the IRS and paying taxes on each book sale to the Commonwealth of Virginia were not fun. Like most writers, I hated every second of bookkeeping.
After my last book, “On the Toad Again,” a collection of humorous travel tales, my son, Wake, bought any unsold books to give to his clients. It was a great relief to be done with books.
My first book published in 1988, “Rappahannock River Journeys,” stories of life along the river, sold like hotcakes. It was not a money maker, however. I had 500 copies and they sold for $5 a book, which barely paid for the printing. I realized then that writing books was not going to make me rich.
My most popular book was my first comedy in 1989, “Help! I’m Being Held Captive in Virginia!” It recounted the adventures of a Midwesterner in Virginia. The big thrill was it made the “top 10” books sold in the mid-Atlantic region for six weeks. That’s the average life on a bookstore shelf that most books have.
It was such fun to write. I laughed from the first sentence I wrote starting with the day I arrived in Lynchburg as a 17-year-old college student at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College until the last sentence in the book. (It has been out of print for more than 25 years, but occasionally a used copy comes up for sale on Amazon.)
My only novel, “The Private War of William Styron,” (who was a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist from Newport News that I knew well) had respectable sales.
I wrote one history, the story of the forestry department of the Chesapeake Corporation titled, “Bringing in the Wood.” It is a tale of a great family, the Olsons of West Point, and the memorable people who worked for the company over the many years. I interviewed 100 employees to learn how each Chesapeake employee took part in obtaining the needed wood for the paper mill during the years it was locally owned.
Fred Gaskins and the Rappahannock Press published 14 of my 15 books. He personally spent hours formatting and setting up every chapter, sentence and word, a gargantuan task, which was far beyond my technical ability. I could not have done any of my books without his help.
As I wind up this latest series, I think back on the rich and happy experience I have had these last 40 years. The most important lesson I learned from my endeavors was to finally realize that what I thought was holding me down, being a woman writing opinion and the fact I was not a native, (what triggered much initial flak,) were not harmful to me. In fact, they were my strengths.
This brought me to the realization that the “victim mentality” world we inhabit of late is totally false. We are not victims. Telling ourselves we can’t do something because of any reason — gender, race, age, disability, etc. — will only contribute to our defeat.
No one has it easy in this world no matter who we are and the mature person stops blaming others for challenges of life and simply meets them.
And that I did for 40 years and I came out of the hard work feeling great appreciation for what I learned and what I was able to accomplish.
I wanted to be a writer so much I was willing to sacrifice most everything. The town of Urbanna, Middlesex County, the Southside Sentinel, the Rappahannock Press and a lot of hard work delivered my dream come true.
My reward? Happiness. And 500 years from now someone may stumble on some of my writings and by reading my work will know a little about the world we lived in in our time frame — who we were and how we thought, our values, what we cared about most of all. I have left some small footprints in the sand.
Most of all I hope my story on following my dream no matter what will inspire others to do the same. Pursue dreams! Go for it!
My last advice to future writers, readers and pursuers of dreams — don’t let any flak along the way stop your dreams because no matter what you do, you will always have as Hamlet called it — plenty of “slings and arrows” sent your way.
To potential writers of opinion, one last lesson shared. Always keep in mind that our opinions just might be wrong. Adding a little humility to our work will enrich every word we write.
Remembering Evelyn Turner
As sad as we are to learn of the passing of Evelyn Turner of Roanoke and Deltaville, we celebrate her life and the memory. She passed away last week just short of reaching 102 years of age.
When I think of Evelyn, I’m reminded of the line in the poem “Richard Cory” … that when he walked by “he glittered when he walked.” Evelyn truly glittered when she walked. Not only because of her natural beauty, personality and eternal smile, but also her bright clothes and accessories, which always cheered those who saw her.
Evelyn always managed to sparkle. She wore flashing red and green Christmas bulbs around her neck at Christmas and perhaps even blinking Easter eggs at Easter. She never came to a party when she wasn’t glistening and flashing with all kinds of dazzling jewelry along with that great throaty laugh she possessed that I can still hear even as I type these words.
She was full of fun and I don’t believe she ever met a person she didn’t like. She had hundreds, no thousands of friends. She hosted parties galore and certainly could classify as “hostess with the mostest!” I especially recall going to her 90th birthday party in Deltaville that was so packed with her family and fans that I barely made it through the crowds surrounding her to wish her a happy birthday.
She and her husband, the late Andy Turner, did so much for the county, especially the Deltaville Maritime Museum, which will be the site next month of a gathering (July 25) to celebrate her life. You can be sure that will be one event that will be packed, only to be compared possibly with a party I once attended honoring another beloved Deltaville citizen, Norton Hurd.
On a personal note, Evelyn attended my book signings with me whenever I launched a new book and I think the books that were sold were because of Evelyn’s golden presence and not my presentation. She was such a supporter. She even took food after church each Sunday to my aging parents when they moved to Virginia in the late 90s and her visits brightened their day. She was the sort of person that couldn’t do enough for her friends and neighbors. Her heart was so generous that no need she every heard about ever went unanswered.
I called her the “Grand Dame of Deltaville.” She exuded that quality that we all love so much (and very few of us have) called “southern charm.” She was certainly one of the last in the “Southern Belle Era.” She reigned supreme.
Everyone knew her. Whenever I met someone on trips out of the state and even out of the country and they heard I was from Virginia, they always asked me if I knew Evelyn Turner. It didn’t matter where I was at the time. She was the one Virginian everyone seemed to know.
We try not to grieve at the losses of these great citizens of Middlesex County. It’s sad to lose these wonderful senior citizens that have done so much for our county and been such dear and beloved friends.
So we celebrate her life, send her and her family our love, and imagine that she can somehow read these few words written on her behalf and knows once again of our ongoing affection.
© 2024
(Note: Mary’s column will return in the fall.)