Well Now, Who Is Sarah Maury Swan?
I was born on May 29th, 1941. And though you wouldn’t know it now, my hair was flame red, just like my two brothers and my sister. People did notice when we walked anywhere together. What made it more remarkable was that our mother was a natural platinum blonde and our father was a brunette.
Daddy left for the Philippines two days later and neither he nor Grand-daddy came home. I expect that has colored my view of the world, as it would anybody. But Mother and Granny did their darndest to keep us happy.
Mother was a Rosie the Riveter during WWII and Granny did a lot of volunteer work with the Red Cross. They both encouraged us to read and taught us about music.
After the war, my mother was fired from her job at Lockheed in Los Angeles, California, just because the soldiers were coming back and needed jobs. The women would go back to being housewives supported by their husbands. Nobody seemed to notice that the widows were now the bread earners. We moved to a charming little town in Montgomery County, Maryland, where Mother worked as a cancer chemotherapy researcher for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. And Granny was the town librarian.
Our father’s parents lived in D.C. and made their livings as writers and journalists. They had an aura of sadness around them, but both had humor. I always enjoyed spending time with them alone.
My childhood was full of adventures which now help fuel my stories, but the bit about being a war orphan also takes its place in shaping my stories. When you read my stories, you’ll find that at least one parent isn’t around much because of work. Even in my short stories this theme occurs.
All of us children were creative in our professional lives. And I loved making up stories to share with friends and family. I am especially grateful that my mother taught me to read aloud, not just fiction, but poetry and plays. Really helps one in writing with rhythm.
Many years later, my husband and I now live in the charming little town of New Bern, NC. He plays a lot of golf, writes songs, and keeps me safe.
I love to visit with you if you come to this area.