Hi, I’m Donna B. McNicol and I’m a 70-something 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 enjoy riding our Harley-Davidson motorcycle in our spare time.
But we’re here to talk about my writing! During my career in the IT industry, I moonlighted as a freelance writer. I started writing web content for The Mining Company (now the DotDash.com, formerly About.com) in 1996, 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. We moved back to the US in January 2016, where I continue to write while we enjoy more grand adventures, splitting our time between our home in Tennessee and snowbirding in the winter, traveling to warmer climes.
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!
Thank you.