Helen Ginger goes from mermaid to Wonder Woman

Photo used by author permission

Helen Ginger is a freelance editor, book consultant, and writer. She teaches public speaking as well as writing and marketing workshops. In addition, her  ezine, Doing It Write!, goes out to subscribers around the globe. It's now in its tenth year of publication. She is also an Owner/ Partner and the Women’s Marketing Director for Legends In Our Own Minds®. Ginger was the Executive Director of the Writers' League of Texas from 2003 - 2005. Currently, she serves as a Committee Chair for the Texas Book Festival, and volunteers as a gift wrapper for the Bess Whitehead Scott Scholarship fund.

Of course, what she gets asked about most often are her three years as a mermaid at Aquarena Springs. Swimming with a shimmery tail, picnicking underwater, performing synchronized ballet, blowing air bubbles ... all year round, even in the winter. What could be more fun?

About a year ago, she says, she got an email from Mark Long, the publisher at Texas State Technical College Waco, asking if she'd like to contribute to a book for their TechCareers series.

"That letter provided me the opportunity to write non-fiction," Ginger says. "For the first project, I interviewed employers of BMETs for the book, Biomedical Equipment Technicians. After that Mark decided he wanted one author for each book. I’ve now written Automotive Technicians, Avionics, and Game Programmers and Artists - and am about to sign on for a fourth solo TechCareers book.

  Photo courtesy of author

"I’m not sure I could have written these books when I was young since I don’t know that I would have had the discipline. Each book has a three month (or less) turnaround time - from the time I get the assignment until the day I have to turn in the manuscript. That’s three months to find 10 to 20 people to interview, conduct the interviews and write profiles for each. Three months to do mountains of research on the career, find all the schools in the U.S. that teach this technology, organize back-of-the-book resources, and come up with curriculum for three or four schools. Three months to gather all this, plus write the book. In addition, since I’m also a freelance editor, I’m often working with other authors at the same time.

"Could I have done this in my 20s or 30s? Maybe. But back then my focus was split between kids, teaching, friends, house cleaning, a traveling husband, and all the distractions of that age. Now, I find I can focus; I’m organized; I have the discipline to get done what has to be done; I’m committed to making each book the best it can be."

One would think Ginger's day would wear out an engergetic child, but still she finds time to blog. Staright From Hel gets thousands of hits. Her blog is a writer's dream--full of resources and information about writing and writers. AND she Twitters.

Age may slow down some people, but Helen Ginger is not one of them.

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