NOW blogger finds niche in inspiration

Not new to writing, Denise Meagher, a passionate lover of books and words, has over the years written for several local magazines, had a script series used by a major fast food chain and completed two novels.

Currently, she's blogging for the Waukesha Civic Theatre; however, seeing her name and stories included in two book anthologies is an encouragement to keep writing and submitting.

"The biggest challenge is being disciplined to keep at the writing and then have the courage to submit what's written," Meagher says. "Fear of rejection keeps a lot of writers from sending their material out. And while I've had my share of rejections, I'm not afraid of the submission process anymore."

The first story, "Moving Forward," is included in "Hugs, Bible Reflections for Women: 52 Inspirational Studies and Stories to Draw You Closer to God" by Mindy Ferguson, and published by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. "Moving Forward" is a story of Meagher's struggle to follow God's lead and leave behind a house and community she'd grown to love. When the house she'd treasured was destroyed by a fire within a day of moving to Waukesha, Denise recognized God's protection and accepted His obvious change of direction for her family.

The second story, "Dancing and Divine Appointments," is the most recent anthology inclusion. "Falling in Love with You: 41 Real Love Stories Guaranteed for a Smile", was compiled and edited by Ramona Tucker and Jennifer Wessner and published by OakTara Publishers.

"Dancing and Divine Appointments" was submitted as a contest entry and chosen as one of the stories. It's the telling of the divine meeting between her mom and stepfather many years ago. This relationship, while human and fraught with life's storms, was and still is an inspiring reminder of what committed married love is all about. It all started with a dance.

"There are so manyavenues for writers of all genres," Meagher says. "If one writes and is willing to hone their skills by reading books and articles on the topic of writing, to practice those skills, to take in some writing conferences and learn from those who are in the industry; then they're a writer. And some want to just write for the personal fun of it, but for me, seeing my name in print is validating."

When she's not writing, Meagher pursues another passion - acting in community theater productions. She's hoping her words - whether written, spoken or acted - will encourage and inspire others to pursue their own gifts and talents whatever they may be, no matter how "old" they are.