Behind every success stands a number of people, sometimes visible, sometimes not. Writing Your Life is my dream that’s evolved across many years, and now, I’d like to take some time to introduce you to the people who are helping me make the company so successful. They are the people who help write articles for the newsletter, create posts on the website, share events and links on Facebook, do first edits of clients’ stories, organize my calendar, process my emails, and a host of other behind-the-scenes tasks.
That may lead you to ask, “Well, what do you do now?” Believe me, there is plenty of work to go around. Many days, I feel like an orchestra leader, conducting a group of highly motivated, talented women who give me their best every day. I am so grateful and blessed to have them help me accomplish the important work of guiding people in writing their life stories.
First, I’ll let Catheryne Lowe introduce herself. She is the real Wonder Woman, and I can’t imagine a day without her help. I don’t know what I ever did without her.
“My name is Catheryne Lowe, and I’m Patricia Charpentier’s assistant.”
Many of you have received an email from me with these words introducing myself to you. After working with Patricia for almost four months, we both thought it was time for you to put a face with the name.
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and have nine nationalities in me. I am what local people in Hawaii would call chop suey, a mixture of several European countries, French Canadian, Chinese, and Samoan.
My passion for family history began when I was ten years old as I sat with my father while he showed me a genealogy book. Even then, I remember thinking how important family history was. I served in several family history centers and found so much joy learning about the people who helped make me who I am.
My love of writing began when I was eleven, writing songs for the future rock band my friends and I planned to form after high school. The rock band never happened, but those songs planted the first seeds, showing me the possibilities of language. In high school, I wrote my first short story, and I have studied the craft ever since.
I have a performance background and grew up figure skating. Yes, competitive figure skating exists in Hawaii. Over the years, I have taken a variety of theater and performance classes. I have two degrees: one in film production from Valencia Community College and a BA in English with a creative writing minor from Rollins College. I wrote my honors thesis on book-to-film adaptation. My works have appeared in various school literary journals, and a short film I wrote was a finalist in the E-Incubator Film Competition.
Fun fact about me: like many of you, I understand what it feels like to have a story waiting to be captured in print. When I am not writing, I am a busy mother of two boys. My youngest son was born with a rare congenital heart defect and spent almost a year in the hospital. For three years, I thought I needed to put writing on the side. Then, Lezlie Laws introduced me to Patricia Charpentier, and ever since, I have felt the rekindling of a creative fire in me. I have that light back in my life, and I am very grateful.
Working with all of you inspires me. I see the dedication in everyone, and I am writing again. To help me begin my project, I participated in the Get Started—Write My Story program a few months ago, and finally, after three years, I am working on my son’s story, chronicling his medical journey.
Thank you for letting me be a part of your projects, for allowing me to see what is possible when you stop wanting to write—and write. If you have a story or an idea, I encourage you to take Patricia’s advice and write your story now. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish. As always, I am happy to help you achieve your goals.
