ABOUT ME
As I approached fifty, I started to write fiction. At first I never imagined I would show my work to anyone, and indeed some of my earliest work, I never will. But writing started me on a journey.
I took a course; I joined a Facebook group; I found flash fiction. Cutting my teeth on Chris Fielden's Challenges, I then progressed to submitting to competitions and journals. I received lots of rejections but won a place in twelve, twice, with Grindstone Literary.
However, genius is fickle. And although I find writing therapeutic, I have been unwilling to dedicate the time it takes to get good, let alone to make a living. But I was fascinated. I wanted to learn more about many different aspects of publishing.
I signed up for the Publishing Certificate Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. When I took the Digital Publishing course, I was hooked. At the time, I had worked nearly thirty years in software development. Coding EPUBs was an instant fit. I continue to research best practices and how to make EPUBs more accessible.
Indexing is another area of fascination for me. An index can make or break the usability of a reference book. An index is not a concordance; the indexer must be able to understand the audience of a book and be true to the author's style. Writing an index combines creativity with analysis. The mere thought of this gets my juices going.
Although my day career is not winding down, strong binoculars are no longer required for me to see retirement in the horizon. This is part of the reason for my deep dive (yes, I did just use a business cliché) into the publishing world. I have no intentions of slowing down when I retire, just to rescheduling.
Other possibly interesting things about me:
My surname, Googh, rhymes with scrooge. I am a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, though I have lived my life as a settler. I am an amateur genealogist and am currently stuck in the Scottish Borders circa 1800. I am a Christian. I paint, read cozy mysteries, and practice piano. I like running, but sadly running does not always like me.