Local author pens second novel after turning 65

Local author Jeanne Hounshell believes it's never too late to learn a new trade.

At the age of 65, the doctor of chiropractic took her very first creative writing class. Since then, she has penned two novels and said she doesn't mind the late start.

"When writing is your calling, you have to start writing."

Her latest book, "Becoming Bestemor," is the story of her Danish-American grandparents, their farm and 21 children.

"When my grandfather's first wife was dying, they had seven children and he asked her to send money to Denmark for her sister to come over and raise the family. The sister said, 'No way am I going to cross the ocean to be in America where all those Indians are.' But her 19-year-old daughter said, 'I'll go.'

"She came, she married him, she raised his seven kids and they had 14 more."

Hounshell will be signing books at Hastings Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. She said she thinks many people will relate to her story.

"'Becoming Bestemor' is all of our story because at least most of us come from immigrant stock. We sometimes forget to appreciate what we have, but boy, they appreciated it. And so I think this story embodies that; that spirit, that heritage that almost all of us have. It has a universal appeal.

"And most women especially love a good love story," she added.

The author remembers her "Bestemor" (Danish for "Grandmother") as a caring woman who knew exactly how to treat children.

"Every time you went to visit, the first thing that happened was she walked to the mantle, took down her candy dish and gave you a lemon drop. And the lemon drop lasted just long enough for her to get milk and cookies on the table."

Hounshell has also published a book called "This Precious Love," which recounts how she finally married her childhood sweetheart after 50 years of separation. She said she has no trouble creating a fluid story from a mixture of historical fact, memories and a few creative additions.

"I take a fact and I make it into a story because I'm a storyteller."

Lucky for Hounshell, her life has been filled with intriguing stories. Her father was a homesteader in Nebraska, and she lived in a sod house until the age of 6.

"When you're a child, it's just the way you live, but my mother hated it. I think her happiest day was when we moved and bought a wood-frame house."

The author's fond memories of childhood in Nebraska include horses, county fairs and cowboy boots. She said she will always think of herself as a "country girl at heart."

The writer, now in her 70s, lived on a cattle ranch with her parents until she left to attend college at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She took 10 years to earn her degree, leaving school for a time to marry her first husband, Jack Buckingham, and have two children.

She graduated with a degree in secondary education, had two more children and taught music and business for 15 years. She and Buckingham bought a KOA campground and operated it until their 12-year-old daughter died in a tragic accident.

"After that, I couldn't stay on the campground."

So she and Buckingham attended chiropractic college in their 50s, despite discouragement from family members who told them they were too old.

Hounshell said she was very happy with her decision and practiced chiropractic medicine for 15 years. She said the greatest part of her career was "helping people be healthy."

When Buckingham became ill with Parkinson's disease, she spent a great deal of time by his side and found it difficult to leave him for long periods. That's when she decided to take her first creative writing class.

"I needed to get out and be around healthy people, so I took that class and found out I have talent."

She began writing, but her efforts to publish a book were cut short by her husband's progressing illness and eventually his death. When she remarried, this time to her childhood sweetheart, Ken Hounshell, she found again that she lacked the right spirit for novel writing.

"I quit writing, except poems for Ken. Then one day my soul said, 'You have to write again.'"

She penned her first book, the story of her and Ken's romance, and published it in 2007. Later, she took to writing a book about her immigrant grandparents, which she is currently promoting. Hounshell said she hopes to eventually write another book about her paternal grandmother, who was half Cherokee.

Her advice to everyone is, "You're never too old to do what you want to do."

To order a book or to learn more about the author, visit www.windmillcreativepublishing.com.