Introduction
Hi! My name is Ilene Withers and I am a graduate student at Northern Arizona University pursuing a M.A. in English Professional Writing. My undergraduate degree in the same discipline from the University of Colorado Denver. I am a non-traditional student and began my college education in my 50’s.
Accomplishments
About the same time I received my B.A., I achieved one of my life goals—having a novel published. Since that time I have had three historical romantic suspense novels published by Clean Reads (formerly Astraea Press), self-published a contemporary romance, and have a soon to be released contemporary romantic suspense contracted with Wild Rose Press.
Career
I have had a 20+ year career in customer service in higher education. One of my most cherished accomplishments is helping other non-traditional students achieve their own dream of obtaining a college degree.
History
My upbringing was a little different than many. I was raised in rural Nebraska, first in a town my parents owned. Then on a cattle ranch specializing in purebred Angus. Consequently, I gained many valuable life skills. I can grow and preserve my own food. I can create my own clothing and jewelry. I can maintain a very elderly John Deere tractor. I can rebuild a downed barbed wire fence.
Skills
When it comes to repairs, I am more of a maintenance person. However, I have repaired many clothing items, including resizing clothing, replacing zippers, hemming, adjusting buttonholes, and mending. I have also repaired small office equipment such as a stapler, keyboards, and minor fixes on printers. After experiencing a life altering medical event several years ago, I might need to borrow a hand to repair items, but I can brainstorm, instruct, and document.