Jan Ferris Heenan interviewd seven women in the Sacramento area who own their own businesses. Read the entire article online, but here’s an excerpt below:

“Patricia Newman, 49 • Children’s author and magazine writer
When Patricia Newman started writing children’s books, she had little idea it would take more than research and writing. In truth, she had to learn business, marketing and self-promotion skills. The Carmichael resident also has had to learn a thing or two about patience. “It’s hard to sign a contract and then wait for a year while your book is sitting on an editor’s desk,” she says.

“Background: Newman briefly taught remedial high school math, earned a master’s in computer science and developed software. The latter involved a lot of writing, as did her subsequent work as assistant director of the western regional office of her alma mater, Cornell University.”