Meet the founder of WineMommies.com, Part 3

This is the final installment of my interview with Grace Dawson, the founder of the (relatively) new website WineMommies.com. Click here to read Part 1 and click here to read Part 2.

*****

(Q) Can you talk a little bit about your background, let us know a little bit about yourself? Were you always involved in publishing? Or did you decide to pursue this as a new direction?

(A) I have my master's in Fine Arts (English and Literature), and up until two years ago, I spent my life working at a twice-weekly newspaper. I covered school board and city council meetings, human interest pieces and high school sports stories. I took pictures at ribbon cuttings and preschool graduations, but my specialty was in deep and meaningful, funny and light commentaries on the Opinion/Letter to the Editor page. Shortly after the hiring of a new (male) publisher, he laid me off claiming "women cannot write sports." I was the only full-time writer and copy editor at the time ... so good move now-fired publisher.

I tried to find a job in my field, but became pregnant shortly after getting laid off and both my husband and I decided that my place was in the home, raising our child (now children). I struggled with this decision for a while - especially after being in the workforce for so long. I didn't have a creative outlet, that as a writer, you desperately need or you'll become CRAZY.

I've been a blogger for over seven years now, but stopped when I met Rob. He was uncomfortable with having his life played out for the world to see - he's a very private person, and having never dated/married a writer, he didn't understand my desire and need to discuss my feelings and write stories about my life.

After a while, he could see it was eating away at me, so he finally gave in and gave me his blessing. He still gets a little uncomfortable when I write something he doesn't feel is appropriate for outsiders to know, but he also knows that I won't be censored and he is at the end of a losing battle that is nothing but ugliness for him. Since starting (www.in30days.com) and Wine Mommies, Rob has really jumped on board with the concept of someday making this a profitable venture. He handles all the advertising inquiries (he IS in sales, after all), and offers really great feedback on the latest posts and where he and I want to take the website. He even comes up with crazy-good ideas (Disaster of the Day, Uncork with Guests), and convinces his customers to send us free products to give away on our blog.

(Q) Safety’s also a big component of the site … which I love, because it’s practical. Was adding practical information a planned decision on your part, or did it evolve differently?

(A) Safety is a big part of raising children. Little fingers can grab and swallow anything and everything. They stick things in outlets, lick the animals, climb over rocks and have no fear when flinging their little bodies off couches. As you will find moving forward with the web site is that I like "theme weeks." Cut me some slack - I'm the girl who throws themed parties, and makes sure my husband and I are matchy-matchy. Recently we entered (and lost, if you can BELIEVE THAT) The Safest Line contest where they were giving away a $250 Visa gift card to the blogger who wrote the most intriguing and informational post on child safety - that contest prompted Safety Week over at Wine Mommies. It was something that I had planned on doing in the future, and will probably feature again moving forward.

(Q) Although the site’s name is WINE MOMMIES, I think there is a lot of content on there for those of us who are childless. Was that also intentional when you were thinking about the project?

(A) My intention with Wine Mommies was to encompass every step of a woman's life from dating and school to engagment, marriage, babies and empty nesters. I hope to, in the future, have writers in each one of these steps, but I haven't quite found them yet. (If you know of any, let me know!) I want the site to be for women who are struggling and can find reassurance and comradeship with women who've been there/currently in the same boat!