Adela Crandell Durkee, Author

I like to remember that my first publication was at the age of seven, in The Flint Journal.

Every newspaper should give kids a chance to see their work in print.  I love creating stories. My mother captured my stories back then, and taught me to trust myself, while valuing self-editing. Best advice from her? “You owe no one an explanation for who you are or what you do with your life.  Live it.  It is yours and only yours.  You will make mistakes, have regrets, and need to apologize.  Everyone does.  None of that takes away from the gloriousness that is you.”

My first novel:  A Ship of Pearl  

A 1933 bank failure piles calamity on top of disaster.  Separated from his family, 12 year-old Eldie Craine is up to his eyeballs in unfamiliar territory: someone else’s clothes, a new school, and new rules. And now there’s Cecilea.

My first read-to-me book:  The Fable of Little Tzurie illustrated by Niall Brady

A read-to-me book about a good little boy who must find his own way in the world.

Serendipitously, both books involve homelessness and hunger. Hmm…  Something like that must have a purpose.

10 % of my profit from both books goes to help America’s homeless and hungry. 

On the blog page, you’ll find that I write about People, Places, and Things.   I love writing.  Putting pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard helps solidify my thoughts and my feelings.  I’m a pigeon-hole resister.  I like to write about what’s happening in the world, about places I visit, and people I meet. I like writing about what’s going on in my head, which might be a bit peculiar at times. Once a week, I feature a photo or two or three.  “A thousands words worth,” with a bit of flash fiction inspired by the photos.

Here are some other places you will find my writing:

 

A few more things about me:  I’m a daughter, a mother, a sister, a wife, a grandmother, and a friend.  I love to bicycle, garden, hike, read, quilt, knit, decorate cakes, look under the microscope, and see the big picture. I like a clean house, but I hate to clean.  I’ve been a septic inspector, a waitress, a sanitarian, a microbiologist, a chemist, a trained tongue, an investigator, a pest control specialist, a director, a developer, and a babysitter. I like to laugh and I know the value of tears.