As a high school Language Arts and English teacher for thirty-seven years in American public schools, I have taught many courses in all types of writing—short stories, dramas, poems, research papers, essays, and other expository forms. I have evaluated thousands of student compositions and written projects, but I never really had the time to sit down and write myself until after my retirement in May 2008. At first, I only wrote a few personal essays about my life for my eyes only—mainly because I wanted to keep my mind active and because I had become so bored during my first year of retirement.
When I went to Egypt and experienced my life changing adventure, I knew it was time to write the book I had always yearned to write, and I now had the time to do this. It took two months to write the book and an additional nine months before it was in print. Now I spend every day of my life creating something associated with my book. 
Because of writing this book, my life has completely taken a new course. I am still a teacher at heart, but now I aspire that my words and my messages will reach and touch the lives of more than just my students and friends in the USA, my students in Egypt, and my over 4900 Facebook friends around the world. I totally envision changing attitudes about international relationships and eliminating ignorance and misunderstandings about unfamiliar cultures. I want people to think for themselves and not to be so easily and quickly influenced by propagandized and negative press.
I hope to achieve the goals above by using my book as my platform. However, my passion for this future enterprise has also directed me down other inspired paths. I have become an amateur photographer as well as a new writer, director, and producer of videos I am posting on Youtube. I am using my photographs and personal videos plus music to promote my messages, my new insights, and my new projects to enrich international and religious relationships. So far I have generated eight videos, but many more are in the planning stages. My new language school in Cairo, Egypt, called Rise Up will also emphasize my life philosophy “Believe! Don’t dream big; dream bigger! The sky is the limit so reach for the stars!” Another consequence of becoming a writer is the fabrication of twenty-five motivational t-shirts that I may further develop and market one day in the near future. 
I am now actively working on my publicity campaign for my book with my three publicists at Author House, but in my limited spare time, I have become inspired to write some poetry that may be my next book. So far I have created sixty-six poems. The title of this new book will most likely be called Reflections and Memories of An Ordinary Woman. I am also contemplating a book of short stories at some future date when I have the time to focus on this new genre of personal writing.
Randi D. Ward
May 17, 2013
