Dear Reader…

Every publishing company starts with a story and Off & Running is no different. I like to think it’s a unique, special story to tell, but isn’t everyone’s in some way? Like every story does, let me start at the beginning.

I can never remember a time I wasn’t a reader or a writer. In my preteens I filled out diaries and in my teen years I shared my angst through poetry I tried not to plagiarize from my favorite songs on the radio. School was my happy place most days, but when alone I often had my nose in a book. For me, reading and writing have always gone together like peanut butter and jelly, a deck of cards and a stack of chips, Bogart and Bacall. One cannot happen without the other. Like the proverbial chicken, which came first, the reader or the writer?

As a parent and a teacher, I was often inspired to write. I would write picture books, stories about parenting, and articles for educational newsletters. While I longed to be a published author, I lacked the time or resources to seriously pursue getting my book from paper to a bookshelf at Barnes & Noble. It was daunting, and I let my pile of manuscripts pile up, neglected, but not forgotten.

Through a series of events in my family I discovered I come from a family of writers. Imagine my disbelief and joy to suddenly be connected to people I would never know other than from my family tree. I currently have six people in my family with books on Amazon, including myself, my sister, a cousin, my paternal great grandparents (yes, both of them), and my paternal grandfather, Bill Corum. 

When Bill Corum’s book Off & Running came into my life, it was like a lightbulb went off, albeit more in my heart than my head. I discovered Bill Corum had been a famous sports writer during the 1920’s through 1958, the time of his death. He wrote for a New York paper and covered everything from baseball to boxing. In 1925 he coined the phrase “Run for the Roses” and years later would become president of the Kentucky Derby. Besides being passionate about words, I adored horses way before a boy ever caught my eye. I was thrilled to learn I shared this passion for horses with a ghost of a grandfather. 

As my husband and I became empty nesters, I struggled to keep myself busy.  I decided it was finally time to dust off my manuscripts and get myself published. It still seemed easier said than done though. Reading through my grandfather’s memoir, Off & Running, I became inspired to write the story of my grandparents. It is quite the story, a young art student at Columbia University meets and falls in love with the youngest Major to come home from WWI, who becomes a journalism student also at Columbia University. I learned that she was the daughter of a prominent doctor instrumental in inventing the x-ray machine, her mother a published author. She would grace magazine covers while he would write sports stories for the New York Times and later The New York Journal. I decided I would focus my story during the 1920’s, one of the most decadent eras, particularly in New York City no less. It occurred to me my family legacy was to write their story, and I tentatively added historical fiction to my writing talents. It was slow going at first, but then that’s a story for another blog. 

Along the way I decided to focus on rewriting a book I had written three decades before to graduate with my Masters. It was a book specifically for new teachers and how to survive the challenges in the classroom. Like so many writers out there, I submitted my finished manuscript with a hope and a prayer. My book was politely declined, but I was encouraged to pursue publishing it, it was good stuff new teachers needed to hear. After a life changing conversation, I decided I would pursue publishing my teacher book myself. I didn’t have the time or patience or fortitude to wait for more rejections.

Once again, through a series of family events, I realized one night I should start my own publishing company. I was learning so much, a lot of it the hard way, and could only assume there were other authors out there struggling to pursue their own writing careers as well. I knew I was making the right choice when one night I became inspired to call our company Off & Running, in honor of my grandfather’s biography. It spoke to me as the perfect metaphor for not only my writing career, but the many wannabe authors out there. I quickly recruited my daughters to help and before we knew it, our company was off and running. 

Together, my daughters and I have created our publishing company, writing our company mission, creating a company logo, anticipating other authors who we will help to get their stories off and running. It turns out there are a lot of you out there, dreaming of your own published book. If this seems familiar and you’re looking for someone to help get your manuscript to the winner’s circle, check out Off & Running Publications. But in the meantime, happy writing!