John: I am here with the one and only Margreit McInnis. Hey Margreit, everybody wants to know how you are doing?

Margreit: Hi John, I’m pretty good. How are you?

John: I’m good, thank you. So, I understand that you have had some recent changes take place in your life. Didn’t you reunite with a past flame? 

Margreit: Yes, I did reunite with someone I dated a couple of summers ago.

John: It’s kind of a big deal, isn’t it?

Margreit: For us, yes. We are really enjoying spending time together. 

John: It’s always good news when someone finds a new chapter of love or unites with an old one.

Margreit: Yes, absolutely I agree.

John: With that said, what’s been going on in your professional life?

Margreit: I have a few things going on. First, I’m continuing to work on my second book in my three-book series which is based on my great, great grandfather’s adventurous true story. I have to admit that I had horrible writers block over the summer when I was trying to get the second book started after publishing the first one in February 2020. So, it’s a little bit delayed and I’m definitely behind schedule but, happily, I broke through the tough writer’s block and so now things are flowing. I’m hoping to launch it by the end of January.

John: Now this is your novel Runaway At Sea?

Margreit: Runaway At Sea is the first novel. The second one we have yet to title, so I’m not sure if we’re going to do Part II or if we’re going to have a unique title for this second book, but it is a continuation of the series.

John: It is still part of the adventure of your ancestor who stowed away on the ship and then got a little bit stuck which started Runaway At Sea? 

Margreit: Yes, the first book is half the ocean voyage and book two will finish that up. The third book will be the trek across America. My great, great grandfather had quite the adventure in this part of his life and it is a real privilege to have the journal which is the basis of the series. It’s been quite an education to research it and to hone my writing skills with my critique group and with my publisher. Every day I am trying to be a better writer. 

John: Speaking of being a better writer, you also teach beginning creative writing, don’t you?

Margreit: I do. My publisher, Stephanie Larkin with Red Penguin Books, and I came up with the idea to create a video series during the shutdown. We started with a creative writing workshop I created for kids age 10 and up for schools and expanded into a video series for ages 17 and up. It is an Introduction to Creative Writing Boot Camp with downloadable resources and slides along with about five hours of video instruction. What we did with our videos is make them more of a discussion style rather than lecture. We talk about all the skills and concepts and how to implement and apply them in each segment. I created worksheets which are designed to reinforce what we talk about in the videos. We really like the discussion style and hope that it creates a more engaging environment for people to have a little fun while learning. 

John: That sounds very cool. Now everybody knows you love writing because everyone who knows you are a Model Citizen who contributes stories every month, and people love your stories by the way, and your own personal story. 

Margreit: That’s nice to hear. That makes me happy. 

John: I get tons of comments and messages asking about you by the way.

Margreit: Wow, that’s a huge compliment. 

John: But your day job is a little different, actually completely different from the imagination and creativity you have in your writing. You are in the financial field and have all the different licenses and you help people plan their future, which I find amazing.

Margreit: Yes, that’s true. That has been my career for about 25 years. I started in the industry in 1994 on more of the institutional, back-end of the business and then shifted to the retail sector because I wanted to be more face-to-face with individuals, families, and small businesses. I really love helping people with their financial planning, everything from managing day-to-day cash flow through to tax and estate planning strategies. It’s a passion for me to help people and make sure that they make good and informed decisions about their finances. It feels great to be able to put them in a strong position as they save and build wealth toward their goals, whether it be for college for their kids, their own retirement or even some fun stuff like taking a nice vacation or buying a second home. 

John: Very cool! What are you looking forward to in 2021? Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?

Margreit:  I’m really looking forward to maintaining a positive attitude.

John: Which has not been easy through this year with everything that’s happened. 

Margreit: It has been tough, very tough. I know many people who caught the virus and thankfully recovered, but I also know several people who lost family members and friends. I think each of us will probably know somebody who has either lost somebody close to them or know somebody ourselves that passed away. There’s a lot of suffering in the economy as a result also. As much as I tried to accomplish personally this year, it’s bittersweet because I see how many people are struggling out there. I am really looking forward to things turning around in 2021. Specifically, I am excited for my daughter’s high school graduation and my son continuing his education in college. I will be in the position to help more clients manage their financial planning and also to continue to have my creative side peak with teaching and writing my second and third novels this coming year. I don’t know about a resolution; I think it would be just to stay positive and continue to surround myself with people who help me stay that way.

John: Amen to that. On that note thank you so much for your contributions to Model Citizens Magazine. For anyone reading this interview who may not know, Margreit is a huge supporter and contributor who writes articles every month, transcribes some of the other interviews and stories, and lends her creativity to them. You have really been an amazing person to work with on top of being a Model Citizen yourself.

Margreit: Thank you so much, John. It is such a compliment. I am very honored and privileged to have a person such as you in my life, as my very good friend, and to work with you professionally. I’ve learned so much this year by working with you and the magazine. Thank you very much for all the opportunities you provide for me and your friendship. 

John: You are very welcome, and we look forward to hearing more about you in the future

Margreit: Thank you so much for all you do and Happy New Year!