For two people who were made for each other, they are shockingly dissimilar. Evans is lanky, can’t sit still, and is prone to moodiness. Lynn won’t admit to being short, stays calm in a crisis, and is a hall of fame hugger. He’s quick witted and sarcastic. She’s careful of others with a devious sense of fun. Lynn has been working at the same place for nearly thirty years while Evans has worked for at least a dozen companies. He paces. She naps. The daughter they call “hers” looks like him and is something of a mystery to them both. The daughter they call “his” looks like her, has always been breathtakingly independent, but never fails to call her mother. Lynn drinks milk. Evans drinks wine. They both like chocolate.
Evans adores Lynn. She can’t imagine life without him.
Her name is Traci Lynn and his is Steven Evans. They share the last name Barker-Ball. Their romance is in its fourth decade. They believe there is nothing they can’t get through together. They could be wrong.
Evans has been an amateur writer his whole life. As a young man, he wrote love poems to get girls to notice him. When one finally did, he married her and wrote plays for their children to put on in the backyard. Story books and Christmas gift novels were written in between work and helping to raise the kids. Lynn always thought Evans should try and publish but he didn’t have the patience to deal with the editors and agents or for the constant refinement required to produce a real book. He finally convinced her that she would be better at those tasks and they agreed to collaborate. After a few years of effort they now have three projects they both feel are worthy of publication to a wider audience and half a dozen more in various stages of completion. It’s been a challenge but they have come through the initial creative crucible and are ready to tackle the next phase – finding an audience for their work.
This blog plans to discuss life-partners working creatively together as collaborators. Future blog topics will include:
- Ø Starting a second career together.
- Ø Publishing frustrations.
- Ø Writing time vs. family time.
- Ø The tyranny of paper.
- Ø How a preference for exercise or dieting affects what gets into a book.
- Ø Who really is a bigger girl, Lynn or Evans?
- Ø It all started with Saturday breakfasts.
- Ø Whether Lynn’s baseball addiction is good or bad and how the answer will depend on who is writing the blog that week.
