A Maple Ridge retiree has been keeping busy by penning a pair of books in her downtime.
Naomi Lane, who wrapped up a career as a special education and French immersion teacher in 2018, has long been interested in writing.
“I knew I had it in me,” she said.
“It was something I always wanted to do, but was just too busy with work.”
Her first book – The Ultimate Cat: A Baby-Boomers Guide to Retirement – was published by Tellwell Publishing in December, 2020.
She said it is an autobiographical account of her transition from working life to retirement.
“There was so much change all at once, and it was pretty overwhelming,” Lane pointed out, but went on to note she wanted the self-help book to be funny.
Initial response to the book has been positive.
“People I know who have read it have texted me and said they couldn’t put it down, and thought it was hilarious,” Lane said.
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The follow up is a fictional tale, but based on some real-life experience.
The Ordinary Life of Nadia Lewis was released in January 2021 by Olympia Press London.
Lane describes it as women’s fiction, and said people who grew up in Vancouver during the 1970s or 1980s should enjoy it.
It described a life-long relationship, and the twists and turns it can take.
“As people get older, they lose touch with their friends,” Lane said. “It’s something people find universally challenging. It really takes an effort to stay in touch.”
Despite having two books out, the local author is already putting the finishing touches on her third.
It will tell the tale of a group of friends who decide to live communally in New Mexico.
To keep up to date on its progress, as well as peruse some of Lane’s other work, readers can follow her blog at naomiplane.com
Copies of her two published books can be found at Black Bond Books in Valley Fair Mall, and Tomes and Tales in Pitt Meadows.
Have a story tip? Email: ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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