This article originally appeared in the Shopper News on February 18, 2015.
Northgate Terrace Senior Asset Manager Terri Evans (left) and KCDC Executive Director and CEO Alvin Nance (right) have their copies of “Mountain Glory” signed by author Margaret Bowling at a book signing at Northgate Terrace.
The 86-year-old has been invited to bring her newest novel to the KCDC Board of Commissioners meeting next week; every commissioner will be given a book purchased by Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation.
In just a few months, Bowling already has sold more than 100 books, a feat made even more remarkable by the fact she never picked up a pen to write until she retired and began crafting stories in spiral notebooks.
Both of Bowling’s novels center on ancestors who lived in Scott County in a small community called Norma in the late 1800s. The first book, “Mountain Refuge,” focuses on the childhood and early life of her great-grandfather, Will Wilson. The 254-page sequel follows Wilson as he raises his children and also tells the story of the Wilson family’s friends and neighbors. This book is about twice as long as Bowling’s first effort.
Bowling said the second book was fun to write, because she had reached the point where she was writing about people she knew firsthand, such as her grandmother, Nancy Wilson, who is a child in this book.
According to Bowling, publishing was the hardest part of the process. She wrote “Mountain Glory” in a few months, but it took nearly two years to publish. Her hard work paid off, because both books now are available on Amazon in both print and digital forms.
Though she made some changes to the community of Norma, Bowling has received a great response from Scott County folks. To Bowling, that’s the best part of writing this book.
“I’m meeting a lot of new people,” Bowling said. “I never dreamed I’d have so many friends.”
Bowling has lived at Northgate Terrace for more than 25 years and has certainly been one of our most engaging residents.
“We are very proud to have a published author,” said Terri Evans, Northgate Terrace senior asset manager. “KCDC staff and residents are eagerly awaiting the next edition to see what happens next to Will Wilson and his family.”
They won’t have to wait long. Bowling says she’s already well on her way in writing her third novel.