Jackie Granger

I have never been lucky in games of chance, like dice or cards or the slots at the casinos. But boy, have I led an eclectic life. I got married and had four children….in less than five years! Yeah, think about it. Worst part was I had three teenagers for years. When the oldest moved on, the youngest came on board, and I still had three teenagers. During those hectic growing up years I was a Brownie Leader, a lunchroom mother and a baseball coach.

 

When all my children were in school, I finally had time to myself. I went back to college as a returning adult and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Then I sat for and passed the C.P.A. exam. When I was 54 years old, the bank I worked at downsized – one of the people in the Corporate Tax Department let go was me. I thought – I refuse to look at this as a negative. Now what doors have just opened up? My children were in their mid to late twenties. I was no longer married. And I thought: Holy cow! I can go anywhere in the world! But, I was too chicken to go somewhere on my own, so I joined the Peace Corps, and for two years I lived in the former Soviet Union country of Latvia as a Business Consultant. When I came back I worked in the Corporate Tax Department of a large financial institution and retired as a Vice President.

 

I have visited 21 countries around the world. Nineteen of those countries came after I was 54 years old. And now here I am in retirement and I have a new career – Author. How about that?

 

Books that I like to read: I like books that have a good story line. I favor books with intrigue and mystery, but not the ones with graphic blood and guts, or serial killers, or zombies. Peppered in between those are a mix of biographies and general fiction. Again, I love good stories.

 

Some of my favorite authors are:   

1.) Frederick Forsyth – his writing is so nice and tight. His stories are real page turners for me.

2.) Lawrence Sanders – Be sure to keep the dictionary handy, his vocabulary is massive.

3.) Alexander McCall Smith – The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. I like this book, because the author makes the reader fall in love with Botswana.

4.) Robert Parker – Mystery and humor.

Jackie Granger