MY STORY

After forty-eight years, I took down my shingle. I told myself once the last of my clients passed onto their next life, either by death or retirement, I would call it quits. Well, the last one died in October of 2023 and I found myself facing a new chapter in my own life. What a journey it has been. I was eight months pregnant when I started my secretarial service. Two gentlemen in the office where I was working chose to go out on their own and needed secretarial help. Their proposal gave me the best of both worlds. I was allowed to be at home with my newborn and not lose my edge with my secretarial skills. Then I met a court reporter and fellow mother-to-be in the doctor’s office who offered me a job as her transcriptionist. 

The most important advantage of working from home was always being there for my children. I do believe their first words were “one more page,” as they sat either on my lap, behind me with arms wrapped around my waist and head resting on my back, or next to my desk in a playpen. What a blessing to never miss a ball game or a swim meet. And now it’s the grands!

I worked from home before it was the norm. The work was challenging and rarely boring, as my client list grew by word-of-mouth advertising. I assisted every type of business including doctors, lawyers, engineers, and architects, as well as students, authors, and wannabe authors. My clients learned early on that I was a bit of a grammar geek and they began to trust me with their writing. I developed lasting friendships with many of my clients and am forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such an interesting and diverse group of people. 

While working with aspiring authors, I realized I, too, had a story to tell. I started Pastime Publications in order to self-publish my first book, Run of the Mill, A True Life, Napa Valley Adventure. I went on to write more, on my own and also with my coauthor and best friend Tami Riedeman. As the secretarial services part of my career has come to an end, I will continue to write and make myself available to help others in their own writing.  

Two Mysteries Solved:

Mystery Number One:  The name, Napa Valley Pastime, was actually in honor of the Pastime Club, a bar in the town of St. Helena where my father spent many hours of my childhood. My big brother guessed this right away.

Mystery Number Two: Where did I come up with my pen name? Todie was the nickname my grandfather gave me, because I was a toe head (very blond), and West was the first part of his last name (Westmoreland).