Lest I Forget...And I Didn't...Mark Westmoreland, Writer

So, I'll bet he thinks I forgot him but I didn't.

I'm not sure where our drive came from or the creativity or whatever it is that drives us the way we do, but I come from a pretty talented family.  Don't get me wrong though.  My siblings and I, two sisters and myself, were not exactly encouraged to be "creative" or to follow a dream.  On the contrary, we were told to get a job, save money and settle down.  Two point five kids and a picket fence but no dog.  We never had a dog at home.  An occasional stray of some sort, but no pet.

So, what does that have to do with Mark?  Well, my siblings and I, collectively or not, decided to dream anyways, to follow our hearts, to do what we wanted because we wanted.  What did we want?  MORE!  Something, anything, but to strive and go for it and live.  That last was the most important.  We didn't know how to live on our own or to want something big enough that it hurt.

But we learned.  And what did we do?  We encouraged it in our kids.   All of them.

And Mark (like my previous post about his younger brother Matthew) learned that lesson and grabbed it and ran with it like crazy!

Mark is an author, a budding author who writes Science Fiction and Fantasy and is working towards being published.  If he is a glutton for punishment, he picked the right career (along with the Actor Uncle and the Musician Brother).  If you are going to reach for something, make it big and worth having and Mark has done just that.  He reads books voraciously in order to be a better writer (and because reading is fun and fundamental and if you remember that, you are as old as I am).  He studies, he plans and he works on his books in small pieces or large and that work and dedication will pay off.

I just wanted to mention Mark and that I realized what he was doing and where he was going sooner than I did with Matt because my wife is a writer and she and Mark probably communicate more than I do.  Unlike Matt, I don't have a video to publish of Mark or have any of his writing to post (well, not entirely true.  I've read some of his work and you'll NEED to buy the book to read the awesome stories I have).  It is a more silent art than what Matt and I practice and probably less rewarding in the short term when it is just you and a blank page.  That takes courage, to sit in a room or at a desk or on a park bench with just your thoughts and a pen and a blank sheet looking back at you.  Yes, we have keyboards and computers, but some of us actually know how to write a little too.

And Mark is one of those people.  Give him your love and dedication but most importantly, give him your honesty.  If he ever blesses you and allows you to read a little of what he has written, enjoy it but be honest about it and specific.  That is the greatest gift of all to an artist and there are more than just myself  in this family.

And you'll know us all by name and sight one day.  After all, we do a lot of things, but we NEVER QUIT and Mark Westmoreland is going to break the speed of light reaching the stars and I look forward to the day when he lights you world!  Ciao!