Meet an Artist: Wendy Wax

St. Pete native Wendy Wax grew up on the Gulf beaches, where she remembers going to Sunshine Elementary School and the Pass-A-Grille fish broil. Wax’s memories of her hometown may be distant, but her love for the area shines through in her books.

Wax is an accomplished fiction author with nine books to her credit. Her new novel, "Ten Beach Road," is set in the historic district on Pass-A-Grille Beach. She even toured a slew of homes in the area so that she could get every detail just right.

Writing fiction was not Wax’s original plan. After college, she jumped into broadcast journalism, where she hosted a radio show called “Desperate and Dateless.” From there, Wax went on to get married and have two children.

“It was at that point that I really decided that I was going to try to write a book,” Wax said. “At the time, I had no idea what I was undertaking.”

It took a while for Wax to finish her first attempt at writing a book. Although it is rare in the industry, Wax sold her first piece. “It took a long time because I was trying to understand the elements of fiction,” Wax said.

With the success of her first work, Wax says she is lucky to be writing full time. “I feel very fortunate to be writing for a living,” said Wax.

Wax is looking forward to the future. She is working on her next release, which is entitled "Ocean Beach." The book marks Wax’s first time carrying personalities over from a previous novel. "Ten Beach Road"’s popularity inspired Wax to use the same characters in a different story.

Dedicated to her writing, Wax says there’s no end in sight. Her two sons are college bound which, for most parents could mean a break. Not for Wendy Wax. “I’m very work focused at this point in time,” said Wax. “Work and family have been pretty much everything.”

Wendy Wax and her family now live in Atlanta, Ga. Her books are available for purchase here.