A love of recreational writing has steered me to take a keen interest in professional writing. The oldest of nine children, I was born in Champaign, llinois in 1960 and lived near Chicago until 1990 when my family moved to Kentucky. I now live in Brandenburg, Kentucky with my husband where we enjoy country life to its fullest!

 

SIX MINUTES WITH GAYLE PARR:

Hello, LitPickers! Today's writer on Six Minutes with an Author is Gayle L. Parr. Gayle loves spending time with her family, and she is the author of The Legacy of Mistigo, a fantasy novel that blends postdiluvian magic and modern drama. 

How did you get started writing? 
I first realized that writing brought me a great deal of joy in grade school. I was the kid who slightly annoyed my friends, the one who took home a writing assignment and did it that night even though it wasn’t due for two weeks. It was always turned into the teacher the very next day. Since those early days, my writing has developed over the years. Besides lots of miscellaneous writing, I wrote one other novel called Windsor Street, which was my fictionalized autobiography.

 

Who influenced you? 
My spiritual beliefs have definitely influenced me in writing The Legacy of Mistigo. My search for who and what God really is has influenced me.

 

Do you have a favorite book?
Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller is my favorite book.

 

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author? 
Write only if you love to. Once I get started, it’s easy to get lost in the story. It’s easy for hours to pass by, and I’m left wondering how they went by so fast. Also, getting published for the first time will probably be hard. It took me three years to have The Legacy of Mistigo published. You can’t give up on it. You have to be relentless.

 

Where is your favorite place to write? 
On the sofa with the television turned down low.

 

What else would you like to tell us? 
I am 54 years old and married to my husband, Lonnie. We collectively have five children, nine grandchildren, and a set of twins on the way. My little pug Willie entertains us and loves to be loved.

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Thanks for sharing your story, Gayle! It's great to hear about an author having success after a long time searching for truth. Stay tuned for more author chats exclusively from LitPick!