An Iowa page-turner Iowa Farmer harvests her ideas into a novel Indianola farmer and author shows what you can achieve when you "Believe."
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n 1973, Jan Walters and her husband, Steve, traded in the city life for the gravel roads outside of Indianola. Today, in addition to growing five acres of produce, Jan is a published author with her first book, “Believe,” on sale now.
“Publishing my first book has been really exciting,” said Walters. “This has been a lifelong dream of mine.” Walters began writing years ago when her children were young. She actually wrote her now published novel, “Believe,” back in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until later that she attempted to have the book published. “In 2000, I sent my book to traditional publishers,” said Walters. “I received some good feedback, but wasn’t successful at getting the book printed.” Last winter, after harvest when she found some time to herself, Walters decided to re-edit the book she previously submitted in 2000, hoping that this time she would be successful. After sending the book to a self-publisher and getting it prof e s s i o n a l ly e d i t e d , Wa l t e r s ’s dream came true. In August 2013, “Believe” was published and made available through the publishing company, iUniverse, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Google Play. “Believe” is a romance novel with a twist — it involves time travel. Walters’s idea for the story, which is mainly set in 1870 England, originated from her interest in genealogy. “If I see an old photograph, my mind starts turning,” said Walters. “I wonder who that person in the photograph is, and I start creating a story in my head. That’s kind of where 'Believe' came from.” Walters feels the book is about second chances — a second chance for love and a different life. Fitting for a book that was given a
Good read The novel “Believe” by Iowan Jan Walters is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play and the iUniverse website at www. iuniverse.com.
second chance to be published. Walters expects to have another book come out in late summer of 2014. Though she plans to continue writing, Walters will limit herself to one book a year so she can keep up with her other passion — growing produce. Walters currently raises pumpkins, Indian corn, winter squash, gourds, onions, peppers and tomatoes. “It’s therapeutic for me,” said Walters. “Working in the garden is great exercise and keeps me busy when I’m not writing.” The produce from her garden is sold to local restaurants and dispersed among friends and neighbors. She also sells at the Des Moines Farmers Market in September and October. “I love taking my 12-year-old grandson to the farmers market with me,” said Walters. “It’s a great opportunity for him to learn customer service skills and how to make change.”
When it comes to writing and working on the farm, Walters finds that the two schedules mesh together well. In the spring, Walters will work outside in her garden from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and write at night. In contrast, during the summertime she’ll write during the day and work outside when temperatures are cooler, in the morning and later in the evening.
story by jody Korthaus
Warren County Farm Bureau member Jan Walters has published her first novel, "Believe," a time-traveling romance. submitted photos
The flexible schedule allows her to write when she desires. “When the mood strikes you, you write,” said Walters. “Sometimes I’ll begin to write and decide to stop because I don’t like where it’s going. Other times, I may begin writing at 8 p.m., and the next thing I know it’s 1 a.m.!”
time you can relax and feel like you’re doing something for yourself,” said Walters. “Books are great at giving you that mental break from everything that’s going on in your life.”
Walters has always made time for reading and feels it’s a good way for people to momentarily escape reality.
So far, Walters has received positive feedback from those who have read “Believe,” and she hopes for the same favorable reaction with her next book.
“Even if it’s just 30 minutes, it’s a
“I would like to continue writing
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Korthaus is a freelance writer from Udell.
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books in hopes that people enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them,” said Walters.
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