Dream Jobs: Novelist

Dream Jobs: Novelist

By Chance Seales

and Megan Smith

By Chance Seales

and Megan Smith
November 1, 2018

November 1, 2018

Got an unfinished novel in a desk drawer?

SHOW TRANSCRIPT

Herta Feely started writing fiction in grade school after leaving the former Soviet Union, but she didn't begin seriously tackling novel-writing until her 60s. Now people are saying her debut novel is one "every parent should read."

Catch "Dream Jobs" during "The Why" on Mondays at 7 p.m. Eastern. Click here to check local listings.

TRENDING IN U.S. NEWS

Beyonce arrives at the world premiere of "The Lion King"

Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP

Celebrities Use Their Voices To Speak Out Against Racial Injustice

MN Gov Calls For All Officers Involved in Floyd's Arrest To Be Charged

Camden County Metro Police Chief Joe Wysocki raises a fist while marching with residents and activists in Camden, N.J.

April Saul / AP

Law Enforcement Work To Connect With Communities Amid Protests

Protesters set a fire in Washington D.C.

Tensions Flare At Protests Nationwide As Cities Enact Curfew

A protester burns the Chicago flag

Chicago Shuts Down Public Transit, Cuts Off Downtown Amid Protests

Men shovel glass in Chicago.

Lauren Stephenson

Aftermath from Weekend Protests in Chicago

People gather for a rally in Minneapolis

Julio Cortez / AP

Some Criticize President Trump's Response to George Floyd Protests

Nike ad says "For once, Don't Do It."

Nike Ad Urges People To Speak Up About Racism

White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien

AP / Alex Brandon

Trump Adviser Says Racism In Police Not Systemic

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

AP / FRANK FRANKLIN II

NYC Mayor Defends Police After NYPD Cruiser Drives Into Protesters

Philadelphia police officers detain people during the Justice for George Floyd Philadelphia Protest

Matt Slocum / AP

Protests Bringing Curfews Across The Country

Protester detained in New York

AP / Wong Maye-E

As Protests Continue, Worries About New Outbreaks Are Raised

SpaceX Crew Dragon launches on May 30, 2020

SpaceX Crew Dragon, Now 'Capsule Endeavor,' Docks At Space Station

Historic launch of Crew Dragon from U.S. soil

Historic SpaceX Crew Dragon Successfully Launches From U.S. Soil

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Wilfredo Lee / AP

Florida Governor To Appeal Court Decision On Felon Voting

Protesters attempt to extinguish car fires on East Lake Street, Friday, May 29, 2020, in St. Paul, Minnesota

John Minchillo / AP

Protests Rage Across America Over George Floyd's Arrest, Death

Minnesota protester carries a U.S. flag upside down

Julio Cortez / AP

After More Violent Protests, Minnesota Officials Ask For Calm

Minneapolis protesters outside of a burning building

John Minchillo / AP

Minneapolis Mayor Issues Weekend Curfew

Hawaii Gov. David Ige

Audrey McAvoy / AP

Hawaii To Extend 2-Week Traveler Quarantine Past The End Of June

Planned Parenthood St. Louis

Jeff Roberson / AP

Commission Rules Missouri's Only Abortion Clinic Can Stay Open

Attorney General William Barr

U.S. Department of Justice

AG Announces Civil Rights Investigation Into George Floyd's Death

Protesters holding signs

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

Former Minneapolis Officer Who Knelt On George Floyd Arrested

Graphic comparing North Carolina meat plant infection rate to Northeast Bronx

Andrew Lawler/Newsy

Newsy Investigation Tracks COVID-19 Outbreaks In NC From Meat Plants

A state senator reviews a document that lists the estimated expenses to the state's community colleges.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

Community Colleges Prepare For Fall Semester Amid Coronavirus

U. S. Sen.Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada speaks.

Rich Pedroncelli / AP

Nevada Senator Pulls Her Name From Biden VP Consideration

singer Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game

Darron Cummings / AP

Lady Gaga Celebrates New Album With More Coronavirus Relief Aid

Cars line up at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site set up by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

Jeff Roberson / AP

President Trump Extends National Guard Help With Coronavirus

Man uses American Airlines kiosk

Gene J. Puskar / AP

American Airlines To Cut 30% Of Management, Support Staff

SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule

The SpaceX Launch Could Mark The Beginning Of The End For The ISS

People running in the Boston Marathon

Boston Athletic Association

The 2020 Boston Marathon Will Now Be Held Virtually

Minneapolis protesters

Jim Mone / AP

Activists, Police Denounce The Officer Who Killed George Floyd

Patrick Terpstra / Newsy

Challenges Persist Aboard The City Bus

Diocese of St. Cloud

Diocese of St. Cloud

Minnesota Diocese Agrees To Pay Sexual Abuse Survivors $22.5M

Bill Hornbuckle, acting CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, stands between acrylic barriers

AP / John Locher

MGM Plans To Reopen 4 Las Vegas Casinos June 4

How Risky Is Being A Bus Driver?

A man stands in the parking lot of an AutoZone store in flames.

Carlos Gonzalez / Star Tribune / AP

Protests In Minneapolis Over George Floyd's Death Turn Violent

Boeing employee

Elaine Thompson / AP

Boeing Resumes Production Of 737 Max Planes

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou

Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press / AP

Judge Rules Extradition Trial For Huawei CFO Can Continue

SpaceX Crew Dragon on Launch Pad 39A

NASA TV via AP

SpaceX Crew Dragon Flight Postponed Due To Weather

George Floyd memorial

George Floyd Joins A Series Of High-Profile 2020 Police Killings

Times Square in New York City

Frank Franklin II / AP

New York City To Perform 50,000 Coronavirus Tests A Day By August

Cinderella's Castle in Walt Disney World

Disney Parks / Matt Stroshane

Walt Disney World To Begin Phased Reopening In July

Hundreds of protesters gather Tuesday, May 26, 2020 near the site of the arrest of George Floyd who died in police custody

Jim Mone / AP

George Floyd's Family Calls For Murder Charges Against Fired Officers

Elkton Federal Prison in Ohio

Bureau of Prisons

Supreme Court Stands By Order Requiring Govt. To Move At-Risk Inmates

Barber shop owner prepares to reopen

Rich Pedroncelli / AP

Safety Experts: COVID-19 Isn't Only Risk Reopening Businesses Face

A hand holding a cigarette.

Can I Get Coronavirus From Secondhand Smoke?

Mural of Ahmaud Arbery

Sarah Blake / AP

DOJ Investigating Ahmaud Arbery Case As A Hate Crime

People at site of George Floyd's death

Jim Mone / AP

4 Minneapolis Police Officers Fired After Deadly Detention

Different celebrity chefs raising money online for small family farms.

Celebrity Chefs Are Raising Money For Struggling Family Farms

Gov. Roy Cooper and President Donald Trump

Political Battle Brewing Over GOP Convention Location

The front entrance of Pixar Animation Studios Inc. headquarters in Emeryville, Calif.

Paul Sakuma / AP

New Pixar Short Has First Gay Lead Character

Video posted by a reporter shows partiers crowded together in a pool at the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.

Missouri Officials Call For Lake Of The Ozarks Partiers To Isolate

Desks are spaced out while people at YK Pao School in Shanhai are required to wear masks

YK Pao School

What Other Countries Can Teach U.S. Schools About Reopening

An F-16 Fighting Falcon returns from a mission at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

Bill Kaczor / AP

Air Force Forgoing Height Requirements

Amy Cooper in viral video

Courtesy of Christian Cooper

For Some, Central Park Incident Harks Back To Past Racial Violence

Nathaniel Reed / Newsy

Reserved Parking and Police Patrols: Beaches Reopen for Memorial Day

Voting rights group Florida Rights Restoration Coalition

John Raoux / AP

Judge Declares Florida's Voting Law For Ex-Felons Unconstitutional

President Trump, Former VP Biden Memorial Day 2020

President Trump, Former VP Biden Take Part in Memorial Day Observances

Man stands outside of church

Damian Dovarganes / AP

Appeals Court Rules California Churches Cannot Resume Services Yet

Vehicles move through a nearly empty Times Square

Frank Franklin II / AP

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Says New York Can Begin Reopening

A hospital bed with a "corona curtain"

Newsy/Dave Franco

Hospital's Inexpensive 'Corona Curtain' Could Help Save Lives

A fire official is shown reflected in a puddle in a warehouse after a fire broke out before dawn at Fisherman's Wharf.

Jeff Chiu / AP

About 25% Of San Francisco's Historic Fisherman's Pier 45 Lost To Fire

University Of California System To Gradually Stop Using SAT, ACT Exams

Ex-Head Of NASA Human Spaceflight: I Did The Job The Best I Knew How

Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

FBI Director Orders Internal Review Of Michael Flynn Investigation

Navajo Nation members on a porch

Associated Press

Native American Tribes Still Waiting On Help From CARES Act

Lori Loughlin and her husband leaving court

Philip Marcelo / AP

Lori Loughlin And Husband Plead Guilty In College Admissions Scandal

President Donald Trump

Alex Brandon / AP

President Trump Calls On Governors To Let Churches Reopen

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

John Roca / New York Post / AP

NY Governor: Long Island And Mid-Hudson Region Could Reopen Next Week

AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File

Biden Apologizes For Interview Remarks About Black Voters

Vice President Mike Pence

Gene J. Puskar / AP

Pence Visits Georgia To Discuss Reopening Plans

MEGAN SMITH/NEWSY

Food Drive 'Pop-Ups' Serve Hungry Americans

Veronica Markley, a pregnant mother is recovering from COVID-19.

Newsy/Dave Franco

Many Questions Remain About Pregnancy And COVID-19

President Donald Trump

Alex Brandon / AP

Study: Earlier U.S. Lockdown Measures Could Have Saved 36,000 Lives

aircraft monitoring at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

FBI Investigating Texas Naval Base Shooting As 'Terrorism-Related'

William "Roddie" Bryan Jr.

The Associated Press

Man Who Recorded Ahmaud Arbery's Death Arrested On Felony Charges

Shot of an empty classroom

Schools Consider Changes Ahead Of Potential Fall Reopening

Falcon 9, carrying Crew Dragon, lifts off

Coming SpaceX Launch Is The First Big Step To Buying A Ticket To Space

Police investigate a crime scene

Reed Saxon / AP

Has The Coronavirus Pandemic Impacted Gun Violence In America?

U.S. Just Had Its Longest Stretch Without A Death Sentence Since 1973

Newsy/Andrew Lawler

U.S. Just Had Its Longest Stretch Without A Death Sentence Since 1973

Woman in St. Petersburg, Russia reflects by photos of medal workers who died from the coronavirus.

AP/Dmitri Lovetsky

Field Hospitals Spring Up In Russia As COVID-19 Cases Top 300,000

David Reinert holding a Q sign waits in line with others to enter a campaign rally with President Donald Trump in Wilkes-Barr

Matt Rourke / AP

QAnon Conspiracy Movement Gains Followers In Uncertain Times

Old Guard Soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery

US Army Military District of Washington

Keeping Tradition And Keeping Safe: Memorial Day Observations Adapt

Tyson workers stand between plastic dividers installed to combat the coronavirus

Nearly 600 Workers At North Carolina Tyson Plant Positive For COVID-19

Michael Cohen leaves federal court in New York.

Seth Wenig / AP

Michael Cohen Released Early From Prison Thursday

Angelina Dinehdeal and daughter Annabelle, 8, on Navajo reservation in Tuba City, Arizona.

Carolyn Kaster / AP

Navajo Nation Outpacing New York In Per Capita COVID-19 Cases

Man wading through flooded Michigan

Katy Kildee / Midland Daily News / AP

Michigan Residents Forced To Evacuate As 2 River Dams Overflow

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn

Susan Walsh / AP

Michael Flynn Asks Appeals Court To Dismiss His Criminal Case

A woman's eyes.

Can I Get Coronavirus In My Eyes?

Gov. Brian Kemp

AP / Brynn Anderson

Georgia Apologizes For Coronavirus Case Count Errors

A Massachusetts U.S. Army National Guard soldier hands a gallon container of milk to a recipient in a vehicle

Steven Senne / AP

Trump Administration To End National Guard Help With Coronavirus

Children looking at cellphones

Home School How-To: How Much Is Too Much Screen Time?

A person gets their teeth cleaned.

How Risky is Getting My Teeth Cleaned?

Nurses walking into nursing home facility

Ted S. Warren / AP

Trump Administration Issues COVID-19 Guidelines For Nursing Homes

Woman wearing Ahmaud Arbery face mask during protest

AP / John Bazemore

NAACP Asks For Investigation Into GA Counties Following Arbery's Death

A man stands outside an entrance to a Moderna, Inc., building

Bill Sikes / AP

COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Shows Promise