late bloomer, n.
1. An adult whose talent or genius in a particular field only appears later in life than is normal—in some cases only in old age. [Wikipedia]
2. A person who doesn’t give a pomegranate about what’s normal and blooms in their own time; see LaterBloomer.com. [Debra Eve]
Ernestine Shepherd became a professional bodybuilder at 71
Welcome to Later Bloomer
A Captivating Archive of Lives Well-Lived
Sam Spade and Richard III Walk into a Pub…
I interview Jeri Westerson at Write It Sideways about teleporting detective fiction to the mean streets of medieval London. It took Jeri fourteen years to get published, so she’s an inspiring late bloomer, too.
Kent Rasmussen’s Late-Blooming Tale of Mark Twain
In his late 40s, Kent Rasmussen looked upon the dark night of the soul. He obsessively read Mark Twain to raise his spirits. Now he’s one of the world’s foremost Twain authorities.
Go Granny! Two Marathoners Speed Past 90
Need inspiration to get off the couch? Guinness World Book just named Gladys Burrill, age 92, the Oldest Female Marathon Finisher.
When Truth Is Truly Stranger Than Fiction
Two of Anne R. Allen’s novels play off real-life episodes. One involves a Hollywood scandal and the other, her first publishing experience with an erotica company trying to go mainstream. I interview her over at Write It Sideways.
Margaret Dunning Drives to College—At 102!
Born in 1910, Margaret Dunning learned to drive at age 8 and lived next door to Henry Ford. She still drives her 1930 Packard Roadster to car shows and just received a college scholarship!
Shirley S. Allen: Beyond Publish or Perish
After her children left home, Shirley Allen became a college professor. In her 80s, she started writing fiction, including the first-class cozy mystery, Academic Body.
Later Bloomer is currently on hiatus. Please enjoy the archives!
There is nothing in the caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.
—Buckminster Fuller,
who patented the Geodesic Dome at age 50