Vijaya Bodach: About

About

Welcome to my cyber-home! This blog is all about sharing my journey towards truth, goodness and beauty through writing, faith and family life. A brief history:

I grew up in India on a steady diet of stories. As soon as I learned to read, I got into a lot of trouble for burying my nose in a book at bedtime, reading by flashlight. Books are magical. They introduce me to new ideas and transport me to other worlds.

I didn't become a writer right away. I fell in love with science, particularly biology, chemistry and physics. It satisfied my curiosity about the natural world. Best of all, I got to ask questions and not be punished for it.

I earned a B.Sc. in Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Biophysics from Washington State University for investigating esoteric things like protein export in bacteria and the role of chaperone molecules. I did my postdoctoral work on plant defense mechanisms at the Max Planck Institute in Cologne, Germany and at Purdue University in Indiana. Please don't ask me to look at your sick plants; just water and fertilize them.

I married my sweetheart of ten years*; then came babies**. I quit working because I couldn't stand the thought of my children picking up other people's bad habits. Unfortunately, now they have mine :) The children inspired me to write, though sometimes not leaving much time for it. Even so, a new writing career was born during naptime.

Now, nearly two decades later, over seventy stories, articles and poems of mine have been published in leading children's magazines and just as many books for budding physicists, botanists, and mathematicians. I even branched out into history (gasp!). But that's the best part about being a writer--following your muse. I strive to bring clarity and enjoyment in all my writing and now am diving into the world of novel-writing. I started a new publishing venture, Bodach Books, so that I can publish the stories I want without being so dependent on the whims of the publishing industry and published my first novel, BOUND. It's an exciting journey. Marriage, family life, and writing, all led me to the one true and living God, Jesus Christ, and His Holy Roman Catholic Church. My heart is finally full. It is a dream come true.

I hope you will follow your dreams.

I live in Charleston, SC with my husband, one old dog, two young cats, and an assortment of insects***. Sometimes, they appear in my stories. I am happy to lead writing workshops for children and adults. I take on clients for private critiques and coaching. I will also consider a variety of work-for-hire projects. Please contact me for rates and availability.

My email is: vijaya_bodach at yahoo dot com (replace at with @ and dot with . and skip all the spaces)

*Don't ever wait ten years to get married.

**Don't stop at two ... the more, the merrier.

***Don't have pets instead of kids. Have both!

Pictures from 2016 below. Oh how the time flies. Kids grow up too fast. But what joy!