Cheryl Courtney Semick
Author, Speaker, Publisher
Playwright, Poet, Essayist
Indie Book Imprint Owner, Website Creator
Radio, TV, Newspaper Columnist
I am the author of one non-fiction book, one e-book and a book of poetry. I have co-authored two books and edited and published eight. My newspaper column, Doors & Windows was published monthly in the Community Word, Peoria, Illinois ran from 1999 through 2014. I am also a playwright, poet and essayist.
2006-Present
Writing & Editing
about us
WORK EXPERIENCE
I created ads using html and css in Dreamweaver for mass e-mail campaigns through Constant Contact for an international consulting and publishing company. I manage their ad campaigns and freelance contractors and compile stats of all leads. I also edit and manage their intellectual property (IP) and, as needed, I also produced their global online classes. Company Name: GRAPA
2012-2013
Marketing & IP
EDUCATION
I completed 30 hours of an associates degree in journalism at Illinois Center College. During part of my course work, I was the news reporter and copy editor for the college newspaper, Harbinger. I also won two essay contests while attending ICC.
1998-2001
Journalism
1989-1996
Radio & TV
In 1989 I learned to write tight, concise, effective copy for radio. I polished the skill through concurrent radio jobs at WZOE, WLRZ, WLPO/WAJK and some volunteer work at non-profit radios stations, all located in Illinois. My TV experience was gained at WWTO-TV 35 in Ottawa, Illinois where I hosted my own show, Spotlight 35.
Words, to me, are living organisms. Connected just right, they can ignite a plethora of emotions. Tossed together, they fizzle. Thus, I approach my writing craft with care and respect.
With a deep foundation in sales, media and communications, my writing is concisely rich and captivating, evoking emotional response and quick action. I am impassioned by the challenge and deliver a rapid turnaround.
Educationally, I’ve drawn more experience from media jobs than from formal classrooms. I ‘cut my teeth’ at radio stations crafting ad copy – up to 18 ads a day, but I discovered my passion in writing books.
My years in freelance and on-the-job editing include newsletters, business proposals, masters theses, annual reports, resumes, ad copy, narratives, books, and more.
Along the way, I developed a flair for desktop-publishing and create powerful advertisement pieces for expos, business, non-profit and private events in a wide demographic.
Online I write, edit and proof web copy, design blogs and websites and dabble in html and css coding.
“A writer should be joyous, an optimist . . . anything that implies rejection of life is
wrong for a writer.”
- George Gribbin
What I believe . . .
My Trivia . . .
2010 - present
2010 - present
Writing Awards
- Family of the Year Essay Contest Children & Family Services, 1998
- Paul Simon Essay Contest, Illinois Central College, 1998
- Women’s History Month Essay Contest Illinois Central College, 2000
- Winterfest 2001 Hospitality Association, Best in the Midwest Award,
- Employee of the Year Premier Food Service Las Vegas Seminar Essay Contest, 2000
- Writer’s Contest for Creative Writing Illinois Central College, 1999
- Writer’s Digest, Your Opening Line, March 2006
Why I Write
Can this really be explained? If you’re a writer, you know it’s impossible. I write because words flow out of my brain, through my fingers and onto paper. That”s it.
That may sound over-simplified, but it’s the truth. There is never a time, awake or asleep, that I am not a victim of words fighting to flow through my fingers.
Early on it was obvious to me that my duty was to capture them on paper, form them, mold them and make them sing, though it took many years before I could focus their power into coherent, publishable works.
Still, like most writers, I am plagued by paralyzing procrastination.
Then I ran into a statement that empowered me:
Honor your dreams with action.
I wish I knew who said it because I would like to credit its author. Jot it down, it’s so incredibly mobilizing.