I had "sent a message out into the universe" asking for help.

This unexpected path began bearing fruit and I was happy.

Arlene Mandell of Linville, North Carolina, is proudly celebrating her 13th year as a portrait artist at the Carlton Gallery in Banner Elk, NC. A native New Yorker, relocating to the Blue Ridge Mountains with Captain Dan inspired a love of writing. Arlene is a member of “Sue Spirit’s Writing Workshop” and the “Fab Five Writing Gals,” both in Boone, NC; and is a longtime contributor to “Gateways: A Creative Arts Journal,” and to the “Personal Story Publishing Project.” Her many memoirs can be heard on the “6-Minute Stories” podcast.