‘I love to create’

After losing her job, Moorhead woman  changes focus, finds writing career

BY CAROL STENDER

Kim Larson of Moorhead thought she couldn’t pursue writing as a career, but when she was laid off from her job as a mortgage originator, she focused on writing. She has no certain genre and instead enjoys writing for young readers and adults. Photo by Carol Stender

Kim Larson of Moorhead always liked to write, but she never pursued it as a profession - until 2010, when she was laid off from her job as a mortgage originator.

She has, since that time, turned out an impressive amount of work. Her debut picture book, Goat’s Boat Won’t Float (The Little Press), was published last year with another, Doll Trouble (Clavis Publishing), will be released later this year. Larson has had several poems and short stories published in regional anthologies and put many into her book, Love, Laughter and a few Happily Ever Afters. Many of the poems and short stories detail her years growing up on the family’s Owatonna farm. She also wrote a devotional-style Bible study, Unraveling Fairy Tales: Learning to Live Happily Ever After.

Larson’s work appeals to a wide range of readers from youngsters to the oldest, she said.

“When you start writing, you get known for a certain genre,” Larson said. “I have never settled into that…It’s fun. I get bored easily. I like to explore different things.”

She became hooked on books after her fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Zimmerman, read Charlotte’s Web to the class.

“That kept my attention,” Larson said. “I thought it would be fun to make a story.”

That was the start of her adventure in writing.

She wrote in her journal and took creative writing classes throughout high school, she said.

Through her work, Love, Laughter and a few Happily Ever Afters, Larson gives a glimpse into her younger years on the farm. In her story titled, “Norwegian Love,” she describes living in a drafty farmhouse. Her mother was raised in town with social amenities such as running water and an inside bath. Her father had been raised on the farm. The house they moved into lacked the plumbing.

It was a good upbringing and Larson has detailed the love, care and special moments throughout the work. One poem even describes photos the family looked at years later when they noticed their mother wore the same pantsuit for special occasions over the years. At first, the discovery was humorous, but there was also a realization that their mother always gave of herself and cared for others. Her father’s love of his family is also shown in the short story “Norwegian Love.”

Larson’s descriptive writing in her assignments was captivating, but she did not envision it as a full-time job.

After graduating from high school, she had no plans to attend college. Her mother, however, encouraged her to enroll.

“She told me, ‘You will never be happy in an ordinary job,’” Larson said.

Her post-secondary journey took her to Golden Valley Lutheran College in the Twin Cities, where she met her first husband. The couple transferred to North Dakota State University where she majored in fashion design.

“I didn’t realize you had to live in a bigger city to pursue it as a profession,” she said.

She worked in retail and soon after in banking, where she started by answering phones and, later, became a mortgage loan officer.

The banking industry changed and she moved to a mortgage company, which enabled her to work at home.

During her workday, Larson focused on numbers. It’s something she also loves, Larson said. But in her free time and her day off, which was Wednesday, Larson started writing.

She had two young sons, Jesse and Jordan, and, at their bedtime, she would make up stories featuring the two young boys who were heroes in the tale.

It fueled her creativity as she began to write poems and short stories for local publications.

“I had a desire to write,” she said.

When she was laid off, Larson saw an opportunity to write full-time. She also took time to study her craft and enrolled in writing courses.

“I took three writing classes - one every semester - and I fell in love with fiction,” she said. “I had only read non-fiction before that. I fell in love with making up stories which I had already been doing most of my life. When I was done with the three classes, the most important thing I learned was the benefit of feedback. That was so eye-opening for me.”

She joined and continues to be part of a critique group, she said.

But the first day she spent writing was one of her longest days, Larson said. Now she has no problem writing all day.

“Now I get all my distractions done before 9,” she said.

Larson and her husband divorced and later, she remarried. Her experiences in life prompted her to write a Bible study that was published in 2020.

Kim Larson of Moorhead writes to a vast audience from early readers to older readers. Larson has published several poems and short stories in regional publications and, last year, debuted a picture book for early readers “Goat’s Boat Won’t Float.” A novel, “Doll Trouble” will be released later this year. She also published a Bible study, “Unravelling Fairy Tales: Learning to Live Happily Ever Afters” and a book of short stories, poems and remembrances of growing up on her family’s Owatonna farm, “Love, Laughter and a few Happily Ever Afters.”  Photos by Carol Stender

“I wanted to help women with what I had experienced and share the truths I learned,” she said. “Around 2000, I saw how God was relevant in all these things. I am probably a teacher at heart. I have gone to Bible studies that sometimes were dry and sometimes were a lot of work. I wanted to emphasize the fact that God wants a relationship with us and the best way is to talk to him like we would a friend.”

The 10-session study highlights such characters as Cinderella where, through her story, individuals learn to embrace their identity as God’s beloved daughter. In Rapunzel’s story, Larson details how God rescues one from loneliness and feeling trapped. And Chicken Little’s tale helps the reader become better at discerning truth so as not to be led astray.

She uses the background of the traditional fairy tales with Bible stories.

Her ability to move from one genre to another highlights her talent in capturing a range of topics and stories. Her children’s book, Goat’s Boat Won’t Float, is a good example. The story features a fainting goat who has loaded too many oats onto his boat and it is sinking. Add excitable Turkey and the two characters are in for an adventure.

Writing a children’s book might seem like an easy feat for Larson who told so many tales to her sons, but she did her homework before tackling the prose. She researched how to write a children’s book and took a seminar on writing for early readers. Larson also checked out a “ton of books” from the Moorhead Public Library to prepare the story for young readers. The result is a fun tale and great first book for children to read to family.

When she’s not busy writing, Larson is working in her garden. She finds a connection between the two - gardening and writing.

“I love to create,” she said.

To learn more about Kim’s books, visit kimalarson.com.