Keeping the talent in the family is evident with Donna (Ziegler) Gimarc ’77 and husband George ’75. Both have had their first books published this year.
Donna’s pen name is “Elisabeth Fairchild,” and her first novel was released in April. The “Silent Suitor” is a Regency period historical romance.
“I love what I’m doing, and this has been an exciting process,” Donna says. “It’s nice to have a dream come true.”
“I gave up my job as an art director and a career in advertising because I really believed in the writing and couldn’t spend the rest of my life wondering what might have happened if I’d given it a fighting chance.”
“Using different agents and approaching different publishing houses, we ended up signing contracts within a weekend of one another. It was like lightning striking twice. We’re still tingling.”
Donna’s second book, “The Counterfeit Coachman,” will be released in November.
If you haven’t heard of George, you’ve probably at least heard him. He has been on the radio for years in the Dallas area working for stations KZEW, KZPS and KDGE. His book, “Punk Diary,” is a history of the punk scene in London during the ’70s, with an interview disk enclosed. It is due out in August.
“I started writing this book as a tool to keep things straight in my head so I would know exactly what had happened at the beginning of what became the New Music movement,” George says.
“The information that I was assembling in the computer grew into a book, and then leaked onto a CD, too. I tried to sell it once, got turned down by every publisher known to man, and stuck it on the shelf.”
“Several years later, I got hooked up with an agent who really understood the material. He sold it first try, on the basis of a three-page fax. It’s time had finally come.”
The Gimarcs live in Dallas with their dogs, Nipper and Shellie.
In the Spotlight
April Arden ’92 is the lead this fall in the musical at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, N.C. She is attending W.F. on a Presidential Scholarship in voice, but her major is accounting.
Besides starring in musical productions and studying, Arden has been initiated into Kappa Delta Sorority, is a member of the concert choir, the Panhellenic Council and the school’s service organization.
And in her spare time – Arden conducts campus tours for potential students.
Kicking Up Some Recognition
Several honors were awarded to ’93 grad Erin Hamm for her accomplishments in college soccer. Jeff Bums, women’s soccer coach at Randolph Macon College in Virginia, announced that Hamm was named to the All-Old Dominion Conference team, to the All-State of Virginia team and to the All-South Region team for the 1993 fall season.
During Hamm’s rookie season with RMC, the Yellow Jacket Women’s Soccer team completed its best season ever with a 17-1 record. RMC set school records for best winning percentage – 94.4 percent – and most consecutive shut-outs.
In addition to winning soccer honors, Hamm also made the Dean’s List, is a member of Randolph Outdoors, the Student Activities Board, Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, and volunteers as a Book Buddy for a local elementary student.
