Be Open (More About Me) — Lorraine Cobcroft

Hi. I’m Lorraine — nickname Rainey or Rainbow. Rainbow Works is my writing/publishing company. I’m an editor, coach, mentor, book reviewer (for Readers Favorite), publisher, and an author for whom life has been a wild ride. (Thankfully, as it’s given me lots to write about!)

I’m a grey-haired Aussie, wife of a wonderful man, mother of three fabulous adult kids, and grandmother of five delightful youngsters.

Born in Armidale, NSW, Australia in 1951, I lost my dad in a motor vehicle accident when I was six weeks old. For nearly twelve years, it was just my mother and me, plus an amazing extended family comprising a grandmother whose strength, courage and wisdom has been my suit of armor through times of trouble; four loving aunts, five adored uncles, and more cousins than I can count. And then, just before my twelfth birthday, my mother announced we were going to America. She had met a man on a boat trip to England in 1953 and she’d been corresponding with him ever since. We went for a holiday in Southern California, and within weeks of arrival, she married him. A year later, she gave birth to his daughter.

I spent four fabulous years living in the beautiful beach suburbs south of Los Angeles. My life there was a dream. I excelled at school. As Lorraine Richards, I had wonderful friends and a great social life. I planned an exciting future. And then, my world came crashing down. My mother divorced. I helped her commit a ‘crime’. I helped her ‘kidnap’ her own child. (Technically, anyway. Though it was morally the right thing to do.) We returned to Australia and I reverted to my earlier name (Walker), and my dream of the future was shattered. My education ended. I succumbed to serious mental illness.

When I recovered, I married a soldier-musician and went with him to Singapore, where our first child was born.

My life has been a roller coaster, but overall it’s been a good life. Not the life I planned. Not the life I hoped for. But a life for which I am deeply grateful. I’ve been married, now, for over 50 years to a very special man. I have every reason to be proud of my three beautiful, strong children. They are raising children who are the light of my life.

I am semi-retired now, but I love the work I do. I meet amazing people and I get to know them intimately through helping them craft their stories. No work could be more satisfying.

In my writing, I aim to ‘nudge the world a little’ — to shine a light in dark corners and campaign for justice, for truth, for empathy and compassion, and for love of our fellow man. I write to salute little people whose virtues and gifts of goodness to mankind were never properly applauded.

I have written two novels. The Pencil Case (The Pencil Case by Lorraine Cobcroft (goodreads.com) is the minimally fictionalized story of my husband’s life as a ‘stolen child’. Mortgaged Goods (Mortgaged Goods by Lorraine Cobcroft (goodreads.com) is women’s fiction/family saga/legal drama/psychological thriller.

I am working on my third novel now — a story about a lawyer who exposes the flaws in our justice system and seeks to find a way to work for good in a system in which money rules, and few concern themselves with fairness or truth.

I also published a children’s book, Melanie’s Easter Gift, the proceeds of which I donated to the Leukemia Foundation. That effort was inspired by my younger daughter’s mammoth effort running in the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska, to raise money to help save the life of a small child dying of that dreadful disease.

I joined Medium a few weeks ago to pursue my two great passions: reading and writing. Over time, I will publish stories that reveal a little more of me and the wild ride of life for which I am so thankful.

I’m looking for like-minded friends and for great stories.

Please introduce yourself and tell me why you love to write, and what you love to read. I’m eager to ‘meet’ you.

Be Open Says;

Thank you for creating you "More About Me" story, Lorraine! :-)