Broomall Author Arlene Lomazoff-Marron

People In Places feature by Holly Stupak

Photos courtesy of Arlene Lomazoff-Marron

It’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams

Riding public transportation to and from her job in healthcare, Broomall resident Arlene Lomazoff-Marron liked to study strangers. “I’d see someone on a train and try to imagine what their life was like and what they did for a living. I loved making up stories in my head,” she said. “There is always more to people than meets the eye. Everyone has secrets.”

Arlene always had a vivid imagination and was known for her great storytelling, but the last time she considered writing a book was when she was an adolescent. Then at age 63, she discovered that you’re never too old to follow your dreams.

Arlene with her first book, Beneath a Blanket of Snow

It was one week before retiring from her job as a nurse auditor and a 40-year career in healthcare that Arlene was inspired to write her first book. “A coworker said something that really stuck with me. She told me to do something on my bucket list. I blurted out that I wanted to write a novel,” said Arlene. “Then I thought to myself, why did I say that?” But less than a year after that conversation occurred, Arlene had written and published her first novel, Beneath a Blanket of Snow.

Growing up in northeast Philadelphia, Arlene considered studying writing in college to become an author. But a volunteer job as a candy striper in high school got her interested in medicine and sent her on a different career path. She went on to pursue a nursing degree and graduated from the Thomas Jefferson School of Nursing in 1977. Since then she’s had a varied career as a Registered Nurse, working in local hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.

In 1999 Arlene married her husband Gerry and they raised their blended family of five here in Broomall. Considering herself a late bloomer, Arlene said she learned to play piano, play Mah Jongg and become an avid bike rider in her 50s. So, it wasn’t surprising that she’d write her first book later in life.

Arlene with her husband Gerry Marron

After she retired from her job in healthcare case management in December 2019, she didn’t waste any time starting her bucket list item. She took a couple of online writing courses and began writing for hours a day.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Arlene found herself with even more time to write, and by Memorial Day she had a draft of her novel: Beneath a Blanket of Snow. The novel’s main character seems to have it all—a successful career and a beautiful family—until he nearly throws it all away. The book explores the question: Is everything what it seems from the outside? “I had the idea for the book for a long time,” explained Arlene.

I’ve learned over the years that even when you are close with someone, whether it’s a spouse or friend, they don’t always reveal everything about themselves," said Arlene. "They often choose to hide details about their life or their past.

The title of the book came to her during one of her daily yoga sessions. “My mind and body were relaxed,” said Arlene. “I was cooling down, when the title just came to me.”

With the book now finished, she wanted someone to read it over and see if she had really accomplished something. A friend, and fellow writer, read her draft and was impressed. “Having another writer bless the book and let me know it was a good read was the encouragement I needed,” she said. In July 2020, she self-published her novel on Amazon and was overwhelmed by the response to the book. “The biggest thrill for me after publishing the book was having both of my book clubs choose Beneath a Blanket of Snow for our monthly picks,” she said proudly.

The support and positive reviews of Beneath a Blanket of Snow inspired her to keep writing. During November 2020, which happened to be National Novel Writing Month, Arlene challenged herself to write 50,000 words, and by January she finished her second novel, If We Had Known, published in April 2021. In her second novel, Arlene explores the question of fate. Is fate linked to circumstance or are other forces as work?

Hoping to inspire young writers, Arlene is also a volunteer at Mighty Writers, an organization that encourages reading and writing among youth in the Philadelphia and Camden communities. And her second novel, If We Had Known, is dedicated to her seven grandchildren.

I told them to keep reading!” said Arlene. “You never know where your dreams will take you!

Both of Arlene’s novels are available from Amazon, as e-books, paperbacks, and hardbacks. They’re also available on Kindle Unlimited.