This edition of Salina Sees You, brought to you by Drs. Cooper & Banninger, LLC Family Vision Care (1000 E. Cloud) presents:
Dale Kesterson, a novelist residing in southwestern Kansas, telling her story of the dedication and inspiration she gets before publishing fan favorites.
By: JACOB BROWN
Salina Post
"You have to write what you know," said Dale Kesterson, reciting one of the mottos she lives by.
Kesterson is one of the best kept secrets in southwestern Kansas. An accomplished author who first published a work at the age of 68, her career as a "wordsmith" has been a long time coming. She can trace her love of stories all the way back to her childhood.
Kesterson grew up in New York as a child, born in on the island of Manhattan in New York City, and living on the outskirts in the developing suburbs of Long Island. As a girl, she would blaze through books at an advanced level. Her hunger for stories even came out when she was playing.
"If you were an only child and it was raining, you made up stories." Kesterson continued, "I played house with my dolls and of course they talked back to me."
While she maintained her love of stories, Kesterson moved north to attend the University of Maine. There she expanded into the sciences, graduating with a bachelors in zoology.
Following that, she continued in the sciences in Detroit, where she attended nursing school, and meet her first husband. They had a daughter, and moved to Jackson, MS when his company transferred him. While in Jackson, Kesterson would go on to start a Star Trek fan club and join the Mississippi Opera Company as a chorus member.
Kesterson would go on to perform on stage, staying true to her love of stories. Eventually, she settled down in Southwestern Kansas, raised a family, and in 2018, published her first work.
Her first professionally published short story appeared in Tales of the Interstellar Bartenders Guild, which gave her the first official writing credit. The anthology, like her two co-authored time travel novels, are no longer available due to the publisher going out of business. However, it was an important step on her journey as a writer.
SPONSORED:
This edition of Salina Sees You is brought to you by Drs. Cooper & Banninger, LLC Family Vision Care (1000 E. Cloud). Call (785) 823-6391 or visit today, to make an appointment.
"It's never too late"
Kesterson stresses the fact that, "it's never too late" to start writing. In fact, while she had the characters and ideas for a story since college, her writing is forged not just through imagination, but through lived experiences. Her murder mystery series is proof of that.
Her first novel, Resort to Murder, is inspired by a variety of memories. The titular, Lauren Kaye is heavily based on Kesterson's witty personality. Kesterson also wrote the plot based on her medical knowledge and some scuba experience she had from college.
Her second novel, Staged for Death, is heavily inspired by her time with the Mississippi Opera Company. Kesterson used the chaos of theatre as she experienced it to benefit her novel's narrative. While her theatrical career in real life is devoid of murder, all the backstage mishaps and conflicts seen in the book are true.
Kesterson's use of lived experiences is not her only tactic for writing. Research plays a major part in shaping her murder plots.
Her questions have been answered both from medical professionals and academic sources. Kesterson fully commits to keeping her novels based in reality. Her dedication shines through when it comes to shaping her murder plots. Her newest novel took hours of research to perfect.
One of the highlights of writing for Kesterson is seeing how her fans dig into her work. She attends fan conventions, such as the recent comic-con in Hutchison, KS. Events like these have brought fans of all ages to visit her.
"One of the biggest thrills I have is to watch a 10, 11, 12, or 13 year old walk off with the entire collection of mysteries, knowing that they are going to enjoy them," said Kesterson.
Kesterson's writing career may have started later than some, but she has plans to expand her mystery novel series to a total of 8 books. With the early limited release of her latest novel, Deadly Reflections, Kesterson's career is far from over.
To learn more about Dale Kesterson and her novels, click here to view her website.
Salina sees you, Dale Kesterson.
If you would like to share your personal story or know anyone who may have a story that will inspire each reader, please email Salina Post News Director, Nicolas Fierro: [email protected] or [email protected] (during regular business hours)
You can also contact: (785) 656-9856 (during regular business hours)