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Recognitions

Joan McNulty Pulver

Welcome to Recognitions, a column designed to celebrate the writing successes of Writers' Village University members!

Nikki Leigh, nee Shri Henkel, received word a month or so ago that her second novel Widow’s Walk would be out in print. This is Book One of the Misty Cove Chronicles. Nikki’s love of lighthouses and the ocean shows in her descriptions of the books she writes. It is still available at ebooks on the net or you can go to Nikki’s book site to purchase the print edition.

Nikki took a big leap last year and quit her job to become a full-time freelance writer. Another publishing coup for her is her non-fiction book entitled 365 Foolish Mistakes Smart Managers Commit Every Day: How and Why to Avoid Them, as well as her two restaurant books How to Open a Financially Successful Pizza & Sub Restaurant: Get Your Slice of the Pie and Non Commercial Food Service Handbook: A Complete Guide to Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Military. Prisons, Schools and Churches - With CD Rom published under her given name, Shri Henkel by Atlantic Publishing. This is also available at her site listed above. “The lean times seem to be behind me and I have four ghostwritten books in my portfolio, three marketing manuals and one how-to book.”

She joined WVU in 2001 and credits F2K with helping her develop Kennalyn, her protagonist featured in her first book, Stormy View. Nikki lives, with her two cats, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It’s a beautiful area and only about 5 hours to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and about 6 hours from Cape Hatteras.

Lisa Walpole Finch wanted to explore an article about the Ontario government’s lack of support in the education of autistic children. The newspaper editor who was sympathetic to her plight felt that the article was too political but liked her writing and printed an article about a day in the life of her son, Matthew, entitled "Fighting for Matthew's Future." It was printed in the Spring 2006 edition of the McMaster Times, a McMaster University alumni magazine.

In the meantime Lisa queried Daytripping in Southern Ontario about an article, "The Little Moments," which was accepted but she was not told when it would appear. One day while her husband was out shopping he picked up a copy and found Lisa’s name listed as a contributor. It hit the stands in the summer of 2006 Volume 12 Issue 3. Since this was the first time she received payment for her writing she photocopied the cheque, framed it and put it on the wall beside her computer.

“I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was eight years old. My teacher told me that writers can make ‘mountains of money’. That sounded pretty good, but I really just liked how I felt when the words hit the page. My hobbies include stamping (card making), movies and music. I'm sure they influence my writing, just not sure to what extent.”

Lisa joined WVU two years ago and is a member of the Hemingway Hall study group. “Without the great writers in Hemingway Hall, I know I would not have had my last two pieces published. They are so talented, so supportive, so helpful. They are an amazing bunch of writers to whom I am eternally grateful and in awe of.”

She achieved an Honours B.A. from McMaster University (English). Lisa has been married for 13 years and has three beautiful children: Hailey (11); Matthew (9); and Benny (7). “My two eldest have special needs and I have learned so much from all three of my kids. Eight years ago our family made the move from a big city (over 300,000) to a small town (2800). What an adventure!” Lisa stays at-home taking care of her kids, which gives her the opportunity to write when they are in school. She is also an advocate at school and in the community for kids with special needs.

“Currently, my biggest issue is getting the therapy our provincial government has promised to autistic children. My son Matthew (who has autism) had his services terminated at age six. Since then I've been working hard to get his therapy reinstated. I'm writing daily emails to the Premier, my local MPP, and the Minister of Children's Services to try to achieve this.”

Congratulations Nikki and Lisa. We wish you continued success in all of your writing endeavors and thank you for sharing your information with us.

We look forward to reading about your writing accomplishments in this column. If you or someone you know received recognition for writing, please send the information to recognitions@wvu.org. Let us know!


About the Author
Joan McNulty Pulver, mother of five and grandmother of five, works as an Administrative Secretary for the State of Florida but considers her writing and editing to be her vocation. She is a columnist for T-Zero: The Writer’s E-Zine, a course developer and facilitator at Writers’ Village University and the Personnel Coordinator/Editor for ePress-online. Joan has had two short stories published and is currently working on a non-fiction book and a fantasy novel.