Summary

When Octavia was ten years old, she begged her mother for a Remington typewriter. Her other family members disapproved of buying such an expensive piece of equipment for a child. Octavia was grateful for her typewriter, however, and used it nearly every day. She did not yet know how to type, so she did the best she could by hitting the keys with only two fingers. As an adult, she wrote most of her novels on that Remington typewriter.

At age 13, Octavia found a copy of The Writer magazine on an empty seat on a bus. This was the moment she learned that she could make money from selling her stories. She submitted her first story and was rejected. She continued submitting stories and collecting rejection slips. With each rejection, Octavia’s writing improved and she grew more determined.

Octavia attended John...