Aces of Trades: Northridge's Kim Garee finds her voice as author through life experiences

JOHNSTOWN ― She had to "live through a few things" before she became an author.

"I was a creative and wacky kid," recalled Kim Garee. "I wrote my first 'book' in the fourth grade, a rather political piece about dogs secretly running the country from an underground kennel in the White House. I was blessed to be surrounded by people who let me believe I was a writer all those years, from family members to amazing teachers.

"I also loved to draw, so for some time I thought I could marry both those passions by becoming an animator," she added. "Then I did an internship at an animation studio, and I thought it was boring. I wasn't sure what I would end up doing, but I hoped it would involve pictures and stories."

Today, Garee is an author. Her latest book is entitled Pressed Together. Briefly, it's placed in the summer after WWII. A returning soldier comes to Buckeye Lake's amusement park looking for justice. But the woman who runs the local paper is standing in his way – and falling in love will complicate things for both.

"I started crafting this story more than 15 years ago," Garee explained. "The problem was, once I'd written the book, I remembered I had no real connections in the publishing world. So I shoved it in a drawer and chalked it up to a neat, fulfilling experience. Only, the characters wouldn't leave me alone. They kept growing and changing in my imagination. After a few years, I felt like I had to write the book again, so I did. Then, I thought I could do better, so I wrote it again a few years later."

"Last year, when 2023 started," she continued, "I was finally fed up with myself. I joined a group of writers, overcame my hesitance to show what I'd done to anyone, and pitched it to an editor at an online conference. It was Tamera Kraft from Mt. Zion Ridge Press. She ended up liking the first chapter and then the first three, and then she offered me a contract. That was about a year ago. The book launched May 1, and I have a contract for a second and third book in the series as well."

Packed Together is slated for a December release, and Patched Together will be released in September of 2025.

Garee grew up mostly in Johnstown, graduated from Johnstown-Monroe High School in 1994, Otterbein College in 1998 with a double major in English and studio art, then earned a master's in English from Southern New Hampshire University. She now has a school librarian license through Kent State.

"After graduating college," she said, "I started my own portrait business and applied for a full-time reporter position. Not surprisingly, I thrived with a good feature story. I just loved going out and talking to people, hearing their stories and then presenting them to others."

"In 2009," she added, "my husband, who taught English at Watkins (Memorial) High School, asked me if I'd be a long-term substitute teacher for another English teacher who also taught journalism. My three kids were in school or just starting, so I humored him and went for it for what I thought would be just a few months. It turned out, I had found an even sweeter sweet spot in the classroom. I took a job at Northridge High School the following fall, and I've been teaching there ever since. Last year, I was hired as the 6-12 library innovation teacher. Basically, I get to talk about books and writing all day long, so it's all just come together."

One of her students, Addie Stewart, now at Columbus State, designed the book covers for her series on her iPad. "She was in my 11th grade writing class, and she doodled on her iPad, and I was impressed with her drawing," Garee said.

"She's a role model," Stewart said. "She inspired me. I had never published something art-related before, so that was cool."

Janelle Pickens is a lifelong friend.

"Kim has been creating ever since she was a little girl," said Pickens. "I had the privilege of witnessing her genius as an artist and writer starting at the age of 9. The fact that she is now a published author comes as no surprise. When she writes, her ability to intertwine wit and relatability are her hallmarks. I'm thankful that the rest of the world gets to share in the gift of her writing now!"

"Looking back at my life," Garee responded, "I can see God's hand clearly in the gifts I was given and the way they were allowed to develop. I've begun to see that I need to stop being selfish with the stories He puts in my heart. They're for other people too. It turns out, when you start thinking about it like that, it doesn't matter as much that you don't know anyone in the publishing business. It's just in His hands. The timing was too. I don't think I wrote the story I was supposed to write fifteen years ago or seven years ago. I had to live through a few things, and then there it was, this time."

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they're unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Aces of Trades: Northridge's Kim Garee publishes Pressed Together