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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.

Delores 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. Delores 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 Delores 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 Delores was thrilled.

But, Delores 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 Delores’ sister. Fred decided he needed to get Ralph a girlfriend who lived near Delores’ sister that way he would have a ride to see Delores’ sister. So, a blind date was set up for Ralph. But at the last minute, the girl cancelled. Delores 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, Delores finally agreed to meet Ralph. A few months later, Ralph drove to see Delores. 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, Delores 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, Delores began writing her first book. Her current work in progress is a romantic suspense with paranormal undertones.

Delores 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 Delores 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.