On Kickass Retirement we intend to share interviews with inspiring people who are not wasting their latter years or simply pottering around.
We want to bring you interviews and stories of those people who are pushing through their comfort zones and doing something new and wonderful. People who are not using the fact that they are retired as an excuse to sit back and do nothing.
Today, we publish our recent chat with the wonderful Lori Smith Schaefer who we spotted on Facebook recently celebrating her birthday and celebrating becoming a self-published author.
Hi Lorie,
It’s great to be able to talk with.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself first.
I’m a retired teacher, long-married to a retired government scientist. We have lived in Northern Nevada (near Lake Tahoe, not Las Vegas) for over 40 years after growing up in Southern California. We raised two happy, healthy, and independent girls who are both married. Our younger daughter lives nearby and we help with before and after school care of our ten-year-old granddaughter. I love reading, walking, yoga classes, volunteering at the local school, and crocheting hats for various charities. The local NICUs got over 100 tiny hats from me last year.
I see that you have a new book published. What is the title and what are the ‘bones’ of the story?
Us, Now and Then is a Women’s Fiction story about second chances and finding out if you’re never too old to take a new path toward life or love.
Is this your first book or have you ever had a book published before?
This is my first book, but I contributed to a women’s column in my local newspaper, The Nevada Appeal for fifteen years.
So you are no stranger to writing then.
I know it’s not the right thing to do asking a lady her age, so I am going to do it carefully and hope you don’t shout at me but for the purpose of the interview… may I ask, how young are you?
I just turned 70. That photo with my book was taken at my birthday party.
What made you decide to start writing a book now?
I didn’t start it now. The idea had been rolling around in my head for years. Decades maybe. I participated in NaNoWriMo–National Novel Writing Month– in 2008. I wrote 70K words of a very rough draft and have been rewriting ever since.
So you have always wanted to be an author and writer?
Yes, but I always thought it would be a children’s book. I have several of those in a drawer.
Maybe it is time to get them out and get them published, children cannot enjoy them when they are tucked away in a drawer.
What did you do before you retired into being an author?
I enjoyed thirty years in education, first as a teaching assistant in Special Ed classes, then a teacher and reading specialist. I taught kindergarten, first, and third grades. I was also a Teacher Consultant for the Northern Nevada Writing Project.
I know quite a few retirees who have a defeatist attitude, who have given up. They have hit an age and think that it is either too late to make a start or that they are simply too old to do something new… Have you ever felt that you are now ‘too old’ and that it is ‘too late’ to start something new or does that not ever cross your mind?
I have to admit to a short period of readjustment when I first retired. We are so often defined by what we do, what we produce. Who am I if I’m no longer a teacher? So I eased into retirement by working a little as a substitute teacher and a WW (Weight Watchers) leader. After a while, I began looking at retirement as a time when I could finally focus on doing and learning things that I want to do, not connected to work. I got to set my own priorities including my health.
And while I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hold a tree or dancer pose without falling over, I’m sure my balance is better simply because I go to classes every week. I find it refreshing (and just a little scary) to be a beginner at something at my advanced age. And I come from a long line of folks who enjoyed long, active, and productive retirements. My plan is to get to 100–as long as I’m not in pain or a pain. Gotta keep moving.
So it’s fair to say that nothing is going to stop you from writing and publishing books?
I don’t think I have another novel in me. It’s just such a HUGE undertaking. I’ll stick to short pieces like blog posts and poetry. Or maybe I’ll dust off those children’s books. Right now I’m crafting discussion questions just in case a book club wants to read my book. (hint, hint)
Yes, writing can be a big undertaking but there are a few cool ways to make it a little easier as seen in this article and video…
How To Supplement Your Pension Being Paid To Write… Without Using Your Hands
How do you write? What is your style? Do you plan your story before you start to write or do you sit down and allow it to mentally unfold in front of you with no idea where it is going to take you?
For this story I knew the ending before I started, but the seed was something that happened to a friend of mine years ago. I was never satisfied with how her story turned out, so I wanted to rewrite it. This isn’t her story, but she inspired it.
How is the book selling? Are you selling any/many copies at the moment? Or is it still early days and reliant on mastering other aspects of being a self-published author like ‘marketing’?
VERY early days. Not many paperback copies have sold so far. The ebook doesn’t go live until April 1. Still working on my marketing plan. In fact I’m taking an evening class on ebook marketing at my community college next month. Always something new to learn.
If you are making a monthly income from your books, how much are you making on average?
Still in the red after paying for a cover design and formatting. But publishing this book didn’t cost any more than many other people’s hobbies. Think how much people spend on fly-fishing, wine tasting, golf, or scrapbooking.
If not, what is your monthly income goal? Is there a figure that you would like to make each month, in income or book sales?
No monetary goals. I’d like the book sales to grow beyond my friends and family, you know? I wanted to write the best book I could and get it out into the world. I’ll consider that a success.
It most definitely is a success. A fantastic achievement.
Being a self-published author is great as you are completely free to do things the way you want and you earn greater royalties than if you were to be published through a traditional publishing house, but you need to don more hats and are responsible for a lot more than just writing… how are you finding these ‘other’ roles as a newbie self-published author?
That freedom comes with a lot of self doubt, insecurity, and mistakes. And none of my friends have expertise in this area. Do YOU know how to create an automated onboarding sequence for newsletter sign ups? Yeah, me either. That’s where I am now, climbing up a very steep learning curve. But the Internet is loaded with how-to videos and such. I have no doubt I’ll figure it out. Sooner or later.
I see you are part of best selling author Mark Dawson’s Self Publishing Formula course, has being part of a community of other like minded authors helped you?
I follow his Facebook group and have listened to a few podcasts, but haven’t taken any of his courses. I’ve learned a lot from other members though. They are a great resource. But I also belong to a local writers group, Lone Mountain Writers. Their wise and honest critiques over the past ten years have helped me more than anything.
In what way?
From the self-pub group I’ve gotten recommendations about email services, the ins and outs of the KDP world, nuts and bolts things. Very helpful community. Lone Mountain Writers taught me the actual craft of writing fiction.
How and when do you write?
I try to write in the morning after coffee, breakfast, a walk, and granddaughter duties with a third cup of coffee to keep my brain firing on all remaining cylinders.
Do you have a dedicated writing spot?
I usually write in our office with the door closed. But I’ve written in hotel rooms, at coffee shops, and in the passenger seat on long car trips.
That is what I love about being a writer, you can do it from anywhere and you need only a laptop, or a tablet, in fact, you can write using nothing more than a smartphone these days.
Are you currently writing anything now or are you currently focused on marketing your new book?
Mostly focused on marketing, but am also writing blog posts detailing my indie-pub journey.
Do you collect notes and ideas for future stories? If so how? Are you a traditional notepad and pen kind of person or are you embracing modern technology and making notes on a smartphone?
Actual notes, mostly. But they are pretty scattered so I am migrating to my phone. Old dog. New trick.
What is your book and where can people buy it?
Paperbacks are available now at Amazon. Ebooks go live at Amazon and Barnes and Noble on April 1.
Do you have a website where people can learn more about you and your book/s?
They can read and/or follow my blog at LorieSchaefer.com
Is there anything you might like to add as a motivator to other retirees? Especially any who think that they are too old to start anything new.
I’m a big believer in taking baby steps. Start with something low-risk and within your grasp. Look at classes that are offered locally at senior centers and community colleges. Digital photography. Chinese cooking. MahJong. Ukulele. Bridge. Yoga. Tarot reading. Memoir writing.
I love the Dr. Seuss quote, often read at graduations, but it applies to any new phase of life.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”
What advice would you give to someone who has always wanted to write a book but had never quite got round to starting?
The important part is to start writing. Even if you think it’s terrible, you can fix it. You can’t edit a blank page.
Absolutely, people often talk about the book in their ‘head’ but if it is not down on paper or in a text file it cannot be edited, shaped or used in anyway.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Because we tend to mirror the moods and attitudes of those we hang out with, be sure to surround yourself with positive, engaged people. Make new friends of every age. As my mom used to say, “You have to make new friends because the old ones keep dying.”
I would like to say a big thank you to Lorie for taking the time out to do this inspiring interview for us and I would like to wish her all the best with her book, I hope it sells well and motivates her to start her second novel.
Thank you Lorie