Look and Listen

Biography

Connie Hawkins was born in Bay City, Michigan a million years ago and grew up on a farm 6 ½ miles north of Reese, Michigan. Although she was born with cerebral palsy, it didn’t stop her from graduating from high school, business and community college. A medical billing clerk for 20+ years, Connie, at age 38, embarked on a new career as a writer. Determined to make her dream to become a published author, a reality, Connie worked her way up the ladder of success as a freelance religion writer for her local paper, copy writer for a country western radio station, feature writer for a business magazine, owner and editor of the Accent Newspaper, cofounder of Accent Publications, book publishing, and finally -- author extraordinary! Wife and mother to two grown children, Connie lives in Kawkawlin, Michigan with her husband of 36 years.

Inspiration

I have had an extraordinary interesting life. I am so blessed to be able, in spite of all my physical difficulties, to live my dream as a writer. It’s been an incredible journey. There have been many “voices of influence” that have shaped myife not only as a writer, but has a person. Number one on the list, parents who believed in me and wouldn’t let me give up – no matter what! My Aunt Lila was influential in praying me through from birth to adulthood. Lila never stopped praying for me. She truly had a profound influence on the person I became. Growing up handicapped in the 40s and 50s there was no such thing as “physically challenged”. I was the ‘crippled kid. Kids taunted; adults stared, something I had to learn to live with. The way I choose to bare the blunt of teasing by the other kids was to entertain them with stories and poems – something I've been doing all of my life. I love to make people laugh. This is a hurting world and laughter is still the best medicine. My first major book, “Sailing Through Life In A Rowboat” reflects this physiology of life. I have an incredible faith that has gotten me out of many tough spots; a faith that has helped me weather the storms in life. God gave me a gift, to write and to tell stories. And that’s what I do. To me the world’s a stage and we all have a part to play. The Blessings of Being an Author To write is to share a personal part of who you are. Writing is work… “Work is love made visible” K Gibran One can’t believe “impossible” things – or can they? “I would never read a book if it were possible for me to talk half an hour with the man who wrote it!” Woodrow Wilson “If one can enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use it reading it at all.” Oscar Wilde “The only unhappiness is a life of boredom” La Rochefoucauld When I’m writing, I am never bored. “I am a firm believer in blessings in disguise. I prefer them undisguised when I myself happen to be the person blessed; in fact, I can scarcely recognize a blessing in disguise except when it is bestowed upon someone else.” Robert Lynd “Never undertake anything for which you wouldn’t have the courage to ask the blessings of heaven.” G. C. Lightenberg The biggest blessing I receive as an author is not that I got to publish books, or help other people publish books, but that I can make you laugh and feel good. Laughter is a blessing. Touching lives is a blessing. Doing what I know God has destined me to do is a blessing. I would hope as you read my books that you’ll be blessed. Connie Hawkins