about me
I've worked at freelance writing since 1980 and my projects have included
magazine articles as well as travel-related books. My recent books,
available at your local bookstore, are Recommended Bed & Breakfasts:
Pacific Northwest (1999), Oregon: Off the Beaten Path, 4th edition (1999),
and the Oregon and Washington chapters in National Geographic Guide
to America's Public Gardens (1998).
"Why,
I've believed at least six impossible things before breakfast."
-The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland
I
also teach writing workshops and classes-I especially enjoy working
with adults who want to learn the how to's of freelance writing and
novel writing. If you've thought about exploring travel writing or writing
the great American novel, check out my upcoming Writing
Workshops & Editing Services listed here on my website.
"What
I adore is supreme professionalism. I'm bored by writers who can write
only when it is raining."
-Noel Coward, English playwright [1899-1973]
I
travel and research the greater Pacific Northwest-my 'beat' extends
from Northern California to Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia,
and Southeastern Alaska. I call this "my big backyard." Being a native
Oregonian, I like to research the nooks and crannies of the region and
I include historical tidbits in my writing. I do all my own photography
and I prepare and give slide talks on my book projects as well.
".
. .We do not take a trip, a trip takes us."
-John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley
Author Myrna Oakley and family at Campbell House Bed and Breakfast in
Eugene, Oregon - enjoying a Holiday Tea!
I
feel blessed in so many ways-- I enjoy the friendships of wonderful
bed & breakfast innkeepers and folks from far and wide in the northwest.
I have two grown children and several grandchildren, all of whom love
me, that is, most of the time! I have a dear sis who enjoys her RV and
loves doing counted cross-stitch, a brother who loves his bluff property
on beautiful Hood Canal (Washington) and a mum who is 86 going on 21.
She keeps us all hopping, that's for sure.
"I
think a little menace is fine to have in a story. For one thing, it's
good for the circulation."
-Raymond Carver, American writer
For
a list of some favorite links related to Travel Writing, Women's Writing,
NW and Western History, and NW Bed & Breakfasts drop
me an email and let me know what your specific interest is. Also,
let me know what else you'd like to see on my web site that relates
to traveling the Pacific Northwest and to writing fiction and nonfiction.
I look forward to hearing from you. My email address is: info@myrnaoakley.com
"A
good rule for writers-do not explain overmuch."
-William Somerset Maugham [1874-1965]
