EJ Phillips in her own words….

      I believe one must live a situation to write about it with passion. I can see myself in each of the women I've written about in my book of true stories: Woman: What She Has Done With Where She Has Been. I felt their frustration, desperation, and entrapment--it paralleled my own life path. I also experienced the same wonderful feeling of satisfaction they did when they developed the self-confidence to succeed, when they crushed those boulders in their path. I wrote Woman: What She Has Done With Where She Has Been to share the inspiration I found in these women's stories with a broader audience.

Here's my story:

      Trapped in a day-by-day existence in a rural area, I married a man whose goal in life was to be disagreeable and difficult to live with. I was a high school dropout with three children, stuck in a thorny marriage.
      It was only after I separated myself both physically and emotionally from the marriage as well as the community that I realized the entrapment came from within. Once I became aware of that, I determined to reach out to women like myself, to tell them they can change their living situation if it stifles them. They can climb that mountain. If I could do it, they can do it! Because I'd been active in politics as a volunteer, after my divorce, I found a paying job as a communications and public relations assistant in the office of the governor of Oklahoma.
      When administrations changed and that position terminated, I used my experience to become Executive Director of a performing arts theatre, coordinating appearances of live performers, including some you might see in Las Vegas.
      I have held many professional jobs both before and after the divorce and managed three family businesses. I have also had an active life as a volunteer consultant and area coordinator for presidential campaigns, gubernatorial and lieutenant governor races as well as senate campaigns. I educated myself along the way and sat for my GED--the equivalent of a high school diploma-- when I was trying to talk one of my daughters into going back to college. I also explored my interests with college classes, some as an auditor and some for credit. Currently I am the coordinator of Elderhostel programs for a major Southwest conference center, Ghost Ranch at Santa Fe.
      My professional writing career began when I submitted a story to National Greyhound Update magazine about how my family and I became involved in raising racing greyhounds. The editor liked it and invited me to do more human-interest stories.  In addition to interviewing and writing about people in the greyhound industry, I developed two books, now out of print, on professionalism in the work place, that I sold in conjunction with my speaking appearances. I have written a weekly column for a newspaper on professionalism in the workplace and monthly articles on writing for a regional publication. I also have built promotional material and written grants for non-profit organizations.
      In my early childhood, I remember that I loved pictures of adobe homes and stories about the desert. When I visited Santa Fe, N.M. for the first time as an adult, I felt I had come home. 
      From that time I had three big dreams: to live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to marry the man I loved and to inspire others with my writing. Now I host groups in Santa Fe where I live with my husband, the love of my life.  I hope Woman: What She Has Done With Where She Has Been offers those who read it inspiration to face their own life challenges.
      Want to meet EJ and hear her talk about her book? Contact by clicking on the e-mail link below:

                        EMAIL: ejphillips@pldi.net