Hi, I’m Donna B. McNicol and I’m a 70+ mother/stepmother to 10, grandmother to over 20, and great-grandmother to, well, I lost count. Until Dec 2013, I lived and traveled full-time with my husband, Stuart, in a 41′ toy hauler fifth wheel trailer that we pulled with our Freightliner. We both enjoyed riding our Harley-Davidson motorcycles in our spare time. In 2017, we settled down with our black Goldendoodle, Cooper, on 2+ acres in middle Tennessee.
But we’re here to talk about my writing! During my career in the IT industry, I moonlighted as a freelance writer. In 1996, I started writing web content for The Mining Company (now the DotDash.com, formerly About.com), then moved on to Suite101.com and BellaOnline.com.
While dabbling in web design, I connected with the owners/publishers of a new print magazine for the RV Industry, RV Companion. I built and maintained their website for the six years they published as well as writing a couple of columns for the magazine over the years. I also wrote a weekly column for a local seniors newspaper while living in Pennsylvania. Most of my non-fiction writing was medical, computer or RV/travel related.
Eventually I decided to try my hand at fiction writing. I wrote and submitted several young children’s books and stories. Although all were rejected, I did receive some encouraging notes. I then outlined a romance novel but when my then husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, I put writing on the back burner.
Fast forward to 2012, widowed and remarried, I re-entered the world of writing. I have been blogging since 2006, starting with my first blog, From the Lily Pad (stories from my journey into full-time RVing). After six years of living and traveling full-time in an RV, my husband and I took a huge leap and moved to Ecuador for two years, living in Cuenca, nestled into the Andes Mountains. Eventually, we gave up the full-time life and bought a house with acreage in beautiful, rural, middle Tennessee.
Now, for those that haven’t fallen asleep yet and want to learn a little more about my writing, check out My Writing Origins blog post. And feel free to contact me anytime!