One Woman, Two Voices, and a Few Unexpected Plot Twists
How One Woman Turned Midlife Into Multiple Reinventions: Author, Publisher, and Storyteller Extraordinaire
Some women have a midlife crisis.
I apparently decided to become two authors, start a publishing company, write a book about grief, win a literary award, and start talking about the whole thing into microphones.
All perfectly reasonable behavior.
For those of you just joining this particular circus, I'm Michele Leigh Greene. I'm also Constance Vaughn.
Michele writes about the things life actually does to us.
Constance writes about the things people would prefer nobody ever found out.
We get along beautifully. Mostly.
And the Award Goes To...
Recently, Constance received some rather exciting news.
Her historical fiction novel, A Dream Takes Flight - Susie Q's Story, received the Literary Titan Award, and the book now has a beautiful new cover proudly displaying that recognition.
Naturally, she's thrilled.
She's probably somewhere in an imaginary airport lounge, wearing fabulous sunglasses, ordering champagne, and accepting congratulations.
Michele, meanwhile, is wondering whether the laundry has been moved to the dryer.
Such is the glamorous life of an award-winning author.
But beneath the humor, there's something wonderful about seeing a story you've poured your imagination and heart into receive recognition.
A Dream Takes Flight celebrates courage, independence, adventure, and a woman determined to live life on her own terms.
I suppose Constance and I have more in common than either of us cares to admit.
Meanwhile, Over in the Grief Department...
While Constance was busy collecting literary recognition, Michele was having an entirely different conversation.
About grief.
Yes, grief.
That notoriously cheerful subject everyone loves discussing over cocktails.
My book, Welcome to the World's Worst Club, was written for people who have experienced loss and discovered that absolutely nobody handed them an instruction manual.
Instead, people hand you casseroles, tell you to be strong, and occasionally say things so spectacularly inappropriate that you don't know whether to laugh, cry, or throw something.
Sometimes you do all three.
I believe grief deserves a different kind of conversation. One that's raw, honest, occasionally outrageous, and unafraid to acknowledge that laughter doesn't disappear just because someone we love is gone.
Sometimes laughter is the only thing keeping us standing.
Someone Handed Me a Microphone. That Was Brave.
I recently appeared on Now You Know West Volusia, the podcast from The West Volusia Beacon, to discuss the stories behind my writing.
There's something wonderfully revealing about sitting down for an interview and discussing subjects most people spend their lives trying to avoid.
Loss. Love. Family. Resilience. The ridiculous things people say when they have absolutely no idea what to say.
It was an opportunity to talk about why I wrote Welcome to the World's Worst Club and why I refuse to believe that difficult subjects require us to abandon our sense of humor.
If you're curious what happens when someone gives me a microphone and permission to speak freely, the interview is available on Spotify.
Fair warning: I have opinions.
Apparently, I Have a Publishing Company to Run, Too.
Somewhere in the middle of all this, there's Palm Beach Proper Publishing.
After decades in creative industries, marketing, design, and entrepreneurship, publishing became a natural extension of everything I've always loved.
Words. Stories. Presentation. Possibility.
Today, I'm helping other authors turn their ideas into professionally developed books while building a growing catalog of my own work.
I'm also developing workshops for aspiring writers who have been saying, "I've always wanted to write a book," and are finally ready to do something about it.
Because the world is full of fascinating people carrying extraordinary stories around in their heads.
Somebody ought to help them get those stories onto paper.
The Trouble With Being 58...
At 58, I've come to a rather liberating conclusion.
I'm not particularly interested in slowing down.
I'm interested in seeing what else is possible.
I have stories left to write, creative projects to develop, and an entire collection of ideas that apparently didn't get the memo about behaving themselves.
The wonderful thing about getting older is that you eventually stop asking permission to be who you are.
You become less concerned with fitting into someone else's definition of success and considerably more interested in creating your own.
I've been an entrepreneur, a designer, a marketer, a mother, and a storyteller. None of those experiences disappeared when I decided to become an author and publisher.
They came along for the ride.
And perhaps that's the greatest advantage of reinvention later in life.
You aren't starting from scratch.
You're starting with everything you've learned.
And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Chaos...
There's a stack of manuscripts waiting for my attention, new authors with stories to tell, and fictional characters who are becoming increasingly impatient with me.
Some days, the whole operation feels beautifully organized.
Other days, I find myself wondering who put me in charge.
Then I remember.
I did.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
So if you're wondering whether it's too late to reinvent yourself, pursue a dream, write a book, or do something completely unexpected, consider this your permission slip.
Not that you needed one.
I have absolutely no intention of behaving myself.
Neither does Constance.
About the Author
Michele Leigh Greene is an author, entrepreneur, creative professional, and founder of Palm Beach Proper Publishing. Writing under her own name and as Constance Vaughn, she explores the human experience through candid nonfiction and imaginative fiction. Her books include Welcome to the World's Worst Club and the Literary Titan Award-winning A Dream Takes Flight - Susie Q's Story.
Website: https://www.micheleleighgreene.com
Publishing: https://www.pbppub.com
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/45jM9Q8IYW8OL3uI7uWGtp
