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NTRWA September 2005
Spotlight On...
DELORES
SHAFFER
by Sheniqua Waters
Delores
Shaffer just might be the luckiest woman around. She had a mother whose
unselfishness forever changed her life. Her dad passed on his excitement for
learning to her. Her loving husband taught her tolerance for others and
what the love between a man and woman should really be like. Her children
taught her patience and what unconditional love is all about. The great
qualities she learned from her family she tries to display in her
writing.
Deloris was born
in Texas and spent her early years in Dallas. While growing up she loved
to read. She would go to the school library and look for new books that
she had not read yet. When she was in the fifth grade, she discovered the
librarian's hidden cache of Nancy Drew Mysteries. She was told she could
check the books out if she took very good care of them. Deloris promised
she would! When reading the Nancy Drew Mysteries, she read about a young
girl in the 1930's who solved mysteries with her friends. That was the
introduction to mysteries Deloris needed and she has loved them ever
since. She also liked reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and then
Little Men. She I loved the speech used in the 1800s and she liked going
back in time when she read those books. When she wasn’t reading, she
would make up stories in her head. Then in high school, one of her
teachers read a short story she had written. The students in the class
liked the story and Deloris was thrilled.
But, Deloris put
off writing for many years. When she met her husband Ralph, it was a
whirl wind courtship. Ralph was in the Air Force stationed in Wichita
Falls. He had a car but his friend, Fred, did not. Fred was dating Deloris’
sister. Fred decided he needed to get Ralph a girlfriend who lived near
Deloris’ sister that way he would have a ride to see Deloris’ sister. So,
a blind date was set up for Ralph. But at the last minute, the girl
cancelled. Deloris was then asked to be Ralph’s date. Being the kind
older sister that she was, and after a great deal of groveling from her
sister, Deloris finally agreed to meet Ralph. A few months later, Ralph
drove to see Deloris. When he saw her, he pulled a small box out of his
pocket and asked her to open it. Inside the box, there was a beautiful
engagement ring nested in velvet. The couple sealed their engagement with
a kiss. Five months after the couple met, they were married. The couple
was married for thirty-eight years.
Now a widow,
mother of three and grandmother, Deloris spends her time with her
children, grandchildren and she likes to garden. She also spends time
reading romances, mysteries and books on how to improve her writing
skills. She likes reading such authors as John Grisham, Jude Devereaux and
Janet Evanovich. She didn't seriously begin thinking about writing a book
until Sherry Davis invited her to an NTRWA meeting. With Sherry’s encouragement, Deloris began writing
her first book. Her current work in progress is a romantic suspense with
paranormal undertones.
Deloris is still developing her writing style and
working to figure out what works best for her. She works to overcome
feeling that she has waited too late to start a writing career. And, she
works to overcome convincing herself that she is not wasting time when
she writes instead of doing household chores. But Deloris reveals the
talented and tenacious women of NTRWA keep her encouraged. She admits
joining NTRWA has been a great learning experience for her. She is
grateful to have experienced the generosity of the members and
wants to thank them for sharing what they have learned with her.
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