Author at 60 plus

Changing career just a few years before retirement, is that possible? For some it is and sometimes we are even better than at a younger age. Dreaming about writing books is something many do, but to actually make it a reality is another thing. Then to write book after book and do it well, that is not what one usually hear about. Here you will meet a woman though, who more or less by coincidence became an author late in life. Now she is very productive and love what she is doing.

Name: Angelique Conger

Age: 65

Occupation: I've been a teacher but now I'm an author.

Family: I have five children and will have 12 grandchildren in June, another will be adopted in December.

Lives: I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

You are about to publish your tenth book. How many years have you been writing?

I've written something all the time since I was little. However, it was long papers for college and poetry. I started writing novels in November of 2013. My sister challenged me to participate in that year's National Novel Writing Month. I finished the 50 000 words and haven't stopped since.

But you became an author late in life. How old were you when you began?

I had my 60th birthday at the end of that first month of writing. It took me three years to have a book ready to publish. I published in January of 2017, at the age of 63.

Did you manage to find a publisher or do you publish yourself?

I made a conscious decision to be an independent author. At my age, I don't have the time to wait for someone to decide they like my story, and then take three years or more to publish. As an indie (independent), I can write and publish four books a year. I formed my own publishing company.

As a self publisher, you can choose to have response or not before publishing. Did you have any test readers or a lecteur d'arrêt, or did you just trust yourself?

I always have an ARC (advanced review copies) team read my books before they are finally published. The one time I didn't, I found many more mistakes than I wanted. I have a trusted few readers who read my books. I'm always looking for more people to join my team.

As you have written so many books, you must have had a good response from your readers. It is quite an achievement what you have done.

Thank you. Those who read my books love them. Because I write in such a small genre, I am always looking for readers who will like my stories. They are based on the Bible, but the latest ones have only little to do with what is in the Bible.

Would you say that you are a better author now with all your life experience than you would have been if you had wrote all your books at a young age?

For the books I write, I don't think I could have written them at a younger age. I needed the life experiences that become part of my books. I wanted to write for years and tried earlier. It wasn't until I had enough life experience and more time to consider fiction that I managed to write more than a first chapter.