#67 Stella Bixby
Writers on the Moon – Stella Bixby
When I was a teenager, I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I worked hard in high school, got straight A’s, received the Society of Women’s Engineering Scholarship, and went to college with every intention of graduating with an engineering degree and a job at NASA.
As it does, life happened. I finished college in four years with two babies, a degree in Recreation Management, and a job as a park ranger.
No NASA for me. (Though, being a park ranger was an amazing job that I often miss.)
When the opportunity arose to send my books—and better yet, my characters—to the moon, I jumped at the chance.
Of course, Rylie Cooper is the headliner. She was my first published main character, and arguably the most like me. At least, when I was younger.
Rylie was born and raised in Big Mountain, Colorado—right in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. She loves snowboarding, waterskiing, and everything about the mountains. She went to school at Denver State University for Recreations Management and has been a firefighter, day camp counselor, and is now a park ranger for Prairie City, Colorado.
My second heroine is my newest main character—Ellie Vanderwick.
Ellie isn’t sure where exactly she was born, but her mother left her at a Colorado fire station when she was just a baby. She grew up in too many foster homes to count as every time she got comfortable, they’d notice her color-changing hair, and send her packing. When she was sixteen, she decided she’d take care of herself, left a foster family, bought her van—Mona—and eventually put herself through college at Denver State University. She got her degree in Therapeutic Recreation and now operates a traveling therapeutic recreation business out of Mona. Recently, she received a letter from her biological grandmother, notifying her that she’d inherited a farm in Cliff Haven, Iowa. Now, she’s off to Iowa to see if she can learn more about her family and her magical hair.
Then, we come to the three heroines I write under a different name—Crystal Ferry. Though they may not have been published first, they were the first heroines I ever wrote. Blake, Clara, and Lisa are best friends. They grew up together in Big Mountain, Colorado and still live there today.
Blake, the main character in Love in Reality, is a spunky brunette with a chip on her shoulder and a fear of commitment. When her boyfriend proposes, she runs. Literally.
Clara, the main character in The Truth About Lying, is arguably the sweetest of the three. She loves God and wants to always do the right thing. But being a pastor’s wife was not what she had planned for her life. How bad can one little lie be if it fixes all her problems?
Lisa, the main character in Spirits and Sparkle—a Christmas Carol retelling, is a complete perfectionist. She’s looked forward to the day her mother-in-law turned the Christmas reins over to her. Now, that day has come and she can’t—won’t—mess it up. Her family is going to have the best Christmas of their lives, whether they like it or not.
It’s unlikely I’ll ever go to the moon, but I’m excited that these five women will. Yes, I know they’re fictional and there’s a good chance they’ll blow up before they get there, but it’s still exciting to know a piece of me may make it up there for future generations to enjoy.
Find Stella Bixby’s stories here.