Cindy La Ferle - A Victoria Reader's Dream Comes True

Victoria has been one of my favorite shelter magazines since it was first published by Hearst -- and I've saved nearly every issue. As a freelance writer and author since the late 1980s, one of my goals was to see my work published in this beloved magazine.

While I'd already published pieces in other national glossies, including Country Home and Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, a byline in Victoria still eluded me. Meanwhile, the original Victoria folded, then Hoffman Media restarted it in 2007.

Over a year ago, I wrote a garden essay from threads of a talk I gave at a regional Master Gardener Society meeting. With high hopes, I submitted "The Art of Midlife Gardening" to the new Victoria. And then I waited.

Months passed -- which isn't unusual in this line of work -- and I nearly forgot about the piece. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when Victoria's managing editor contacted me last year to ask if it was still available for publication in the March/April 2010 issue.


That issue is now on the stands, and my essay's on the back page. While my work has appeared in dozens of national magazines and newspapers, seeing that first byline in Victoria was truly a highlight in my career. When I found a copy today at our local Barnes & Noble, I did a little happy dance right there in the magazine aisle.

-- Cindy La Ferle: Cindy La Ferle's Home Office: www.laferle.com