Quilcene ghostwriter receives writer’s credit on new novel

By Kirk Boxleitner
Posted 7/31/24

 

Working as a ghostwriter isn’t generally a path to prominence, but for a recent retiree who’s made Quilcene her second home, ghostwriting scored her a named credit on a …

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Quilcene ghostwriter receives writer’s credit on new novel

Posted

 

Working as a ghostwriter isn’t generally a path to prominence, but for a recent retiree who’s made Quilcene her second home, ghostwriting scored her a named credit on a freshly released novel.

While many Olympic Peninsula residents head to the Southwest as “snowbirds” for the winter, Arizona resident Sally Marks sought for years to find a place to stay in Port Townsend for the summer. That was to no avail, until she broadened her search to include the rest of Jefferson County. Now, Marks and her partner play “sunbirds” in Quilcene for five months out of the year.

When Marks’ retirement from her public relations career in 2020 coincided with the onset of COVID, her next quest became to keep her writing skills active. “I was getting a bit bored during the pandemic,” Marks said. “I did some pro bono work for a number of folks, but I also thought it’d be nice to make a little money as well, so I started freelancing online.”

Those online connections led to Marks’ first ghostwriting work, which in turn led to repeat business from more than a few satisfied clients. It was a corporate writing assignment from J.M. Chrismer which led that client to commission Marks for an entirely different type of writing.

“Jessica had the idea for this project that she’d been thinking about for a long time,” Marks said. That concept became the young adult novel “Ryan’s Last Wish,” about a young boy, Max, who works to fulfill the last wish of his father, Ryan.

In the story, Ryan died when Max was a baby, but every year on his birthday, Ryan receives a video from Ryan, with a prerecorded message outlining his advice for his son, to help him through that year of his life.

On his 13th birthday, Max is shocked to learn that this year’s video will be the last he receives from Ryan, who had a secret dying wish that only his son can fulfill.

“I really liked the ideas of it,” Marks said. “With ghostwriting, if an assignment doesn’t resonate with me, I politely decline. But I very much enjoyed fleshing out what Jessica had come up with. She had clear ideas about how the story should start and finish, but by her own admission, plotting the events in between is not always her strongest suit.”

Not only did Marks develop the concepts that Chrismer came up with, but she also created additional characters to round out the narrative, with Chrismer’s blessing.

Indeed, Chrismer was so pleased with Marks’ work that she insisted the ghostwriter receive a writing credit for “Ryan’s Last Wish,” a first for Marks in her career as a ghostwriter.

“She was adamant about it,” said Marks, who noted that many of her clients haven’t even name-checked her in their books’ acknowledgments. “I think this story is one that will resonate with readers of all ages, and I’m truly honored to have been a part of it as a project.”

The book launched June 25, and can be purchased on Amazon.

“Ryan’s Last Wish” isn’t the only avenue through which Marks is spreading her wings creatively. After ghostwriting a number of standup comedy sets for other comedians to perform on stage, Marks is performing her own material during open mic nights at the Old Alcohol Plant Inn in Port Hadlock.

“I’d done scripts for other folks, but I’d never performed myself,” Marks said. “I wanted to meet up with other comedy writers, and as I have, they’ve given me advice on what I can add to my routines. It’s been a little scary, but nobody’s thrown any tomatoes at me yet,” she laughed.

Marks credited coming to the Pacific Northwest with emboldening her to make such a move, since she’s lived in Arizona long enough to know most folks at her regular social environs. Here in the Olympic Peninsula, “It’s easier to get up on stage to perform when you don’t know anyone out in the crowds.”

“I’ve just had a wonderful time in Washington,” Marks said. “The people here are lovely, and this area in particular is so rich in talent, between its writers, musicians and other artists.”

Marks has embraced the approach of looking forward rather than back, “because you never know until you try.” She said she wouldn’t mind continuing the story she and Chrismer started with “Ryan’s Last Wish.” She said she greatly enjoyed working with Chrismer, and left the novel open to a sequel.