Congratulations to Laura Heaton from East Patchogue, New York
for her amazing nonfiction essay titled: You Were Trustworthy and Kind
Check out Laura’s submission, You Were Trustworthy and Kind
as well as all the other winning entries and then stop back here to
read Laura’s engaging interview with Crystal J. Casavant-Otto from
WOW! Women on Writing
Laura Heaton is a retired public-school educator who lives with her family on Long Island. Since retiring from teaching, she has been developing her passion for writing. Her writing journey was inspired by a desire to share her experiences parenting a son who struggled for twenty years with addiction. Now Laura is dedicated to honing her craft and expressing her heart through honest stories, just as she once encouraged her fifth-grade students to do. She is excited about her second published essay on WOW! Women on Writing and anticipates publishing additional memoir essays and short fiction she is currently working on.
When she’s not perfecting sentences, Laura enjoys perfecting recipes, relaxing with friends on a sunny beach, and participating in activities with her two young grandsons. Whether it's a bike race, a swim contest, interval training, or whatever they suggest, “Mima” is happy to join in!
WOW!: Congratulations Laura; thank you for writing such a personal essay - what is the take-away you'd like readers to gain from You Were Trustworthy and Kind?
Laura: I wrote this essay to share an intimate view of my counseling experience—the frustration, concern, and appreciation I felt while seeking guidance from therapists during my struggle with my son's addiction, especially with letting go. From this, I hope readers will gain understanding of the role and responsibility therapists may have in guiding families through the mental illness of a loved one, and that there is never an easy answer. There are consequences of both letting go and of not letting go.
WOW!: Never an easy answer - you’re spot on and included in this interview is a lovely photo of you and your son. I absolutely appreciate you sharing such an important part of your life with me and our WOW! Readers. Thank you! What’s next for you? What are your writing goals for the rest of 2026 and beyond?
Laura: I am approaching three years into my writing journey since retiring from teaching. I’ve been experimenting with various genres and forms, but personal narrative nonfiction feels most comfortable for me. I have a few longer pieces that I’ve been polishing and would like to find a journal they may fit with for publication. I've also been working on developing my skills in short and flash fiction, and want to continue this work, hopefully publishing something in this genre too.
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| Photo of Laura and her son |
WOW!: You’re a talented writer - so keep up the polishing! I have a feeling we will be hearing more from you Laura! You have an impressive bio - could you tell us one other strange story about yourself that may surprise us? What did you like most about teaching?
Laura: I didn't complete my degree and start my teaching career until I was 37 years old. I spent my twenties and early thirties raising my sons while following my husband around the country, and to Canada, setting up temporary homes for our family in six of the seven cities of the Major League Baseball teams he played for. I once drove from Spring Training in Arizona to hunt for an apartment in Cleveland with my infant son, now forty-three, my only companion, while my husband traveled on a flight with his team. It was sometimes challenging, always exciting.
My elementary school teaching career kept me busy and productive, and also gave me an escape from my son’s illness, requiring me to focus my energy on my pedagogical craft and my students. What I liked most about teaching was connecting with my 10-year-old students through my privileged position standing in front of the classroom, or seated in a literature circle on the classroom floor, guiding and instructing them five days a week. The appreciation on their faces when I taught them something interesting and new, or when I made a playful joke, or probably most of all, when I invited them to come out from behind their desks to play Simon Says, or run outside and play tag. It always surprised them when, up until my last few years, they had trouble tagging their teacher!
WOW!: Children are amazing aren’t they? I’m so thankful you had such a great career to help you through such a dark time. What is your history with writing contests? - tell us what prompted you to submit to this particular contest? What would you like to tell other authors concerning contests and submitting their work?
Laura: I have submitted to a few contests outside of WOW!, but this WOW! contest especially appealed to me in so many ways. The creative nonfiction short form category, the 300 entry cap, the women audience. These conditions seemed ideal for a new woman writer like me to have my writing seen and heard. I also appreciated the opportunity WOW! offered to purchase a critique with my entry. Receiving expert feedback is a great perk.
To other writers considering entering contests, I would say yes, contests can be valuable experiences. I would also say to find the right contests for you and your work, and to be sure to understand the contest rules regarding publishing and copyrights. Thank you to the WOW! Contest Team for this honor and to all WOW! Readers.
WOW!: Thank you Laura for being with me today and sharing so intimately with the WOW! Readership. Keep up the great work and I look forward to working more with you in the future!
Today's post was penned by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
Crystal Casavant writes.
Everything...
If you follow her blog you have likely laid eyes on every thought she has ever had as well as most of the recipes she's tried. She's a lot and she's not for everyone.
Her debut novel, It Was Never About Me, Was It? is still a work in progress and shall be fully worthy sometime in 2026...or maybe 2027. She has written for WOW! Women on Writing, Bring on Lemons, and has been featured in several magazines and ezines relating to credit and collections as well as religious collections for confessional Lutherans. She runs a busy household full of intelligent, recalcitrant, and delightful humans who give her breath and keep her heart beating day after day.
Crystal wears many hats (and not just the one in this photo) including college student, mom, musician, singer, administrator, writer, teacher, and friend. She fully believes in being in the moment and doing everything she can to improve the lives of those around her! The world may never know her name, but she prays that because of her, someone may smile a little brighter. She prides herself on doing nice things - yes, even for strangers!
Check out the latest Contests: www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
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