I dreamt of being a writer since I was a kid in junior high school. I was really into Agatha Christie at the time and fantasized about my best-selling mystery novel being featured in The Washington Post’s Book World. I even had a pen name picked out, Angie Gold. Eventually real life kicked in. The dream faded, but I kept writing.

I’ve kept a journal since I was 12 years old. I went to college and graduated with a degree in psychology. I joined the Air Force and taught Bomber pilots how to communicate. I worked in a mental hospital where I kept logs on my client’s progress. I volunteered at both a crisis pregnancy center and my church as newsletter editor.

In 1998, it hit me. I have been writing, editing, or teaching people how to write all of my life. Maybe I could revisit my dream and try to write for a living.

Soon after this revelation, I was reading Discipleship Journal, my favorite magazine. They needed manuscripts for their “Getting into God’s Word” section. I worked on my article for months before my husband said, “Just send it in.” Two months after I mailed the manuscript with a prayer, I received the e-mail. They wanted my article! An acceptance letter before my first rejection, a $300 check and publication in my favorite magazine was a great way to begin a writing career.

It’s been a decade since I sent that article to Discipleship Journal. It is still my favorite magazine and they’ve published more than a dozen of my articles over the years.I am also a contributing writer for First 30 Days. My work has also been accepted in more than 75 other publications.

My first book Dear Son: Letters from a Birth Mother is a collection of letters I wrote to the son I placed for adoption in 1980. Nine Steps to Successful Nonfiction Magazine Writing is a workbook for writers who want to sell their magazine articles. I am currently writing my third book Let’s Talk about Race (to be published in 2008).

Success to me means doing the thing God created you to do. The money will follow. In 2006, I quit my full-time job as an addictions counselor to pursue a professional writing, speaking and coaching career. My dream of being a successful writer is now a reality. I will do what I can to make it happen for you too.