Kim Orendor

My online profiles will tell you I'm a writer, but I see myself more as a storyteller. I enjoy weaving a tale with the spoken and written word.

 

The bulk of my career has been spent watching and reporting on sporting events. I've clocked more than twenty years of experience between The Sacramento Bee and The Davis Enterprise. At The Enterprise, I won state and national writing awards and was the sports editor in charge of multiple state and national award-winning sections. I even spent a summer writing greeting cards for African American Expressions.

 

My career path took a dramatic turn in 2006 when I began a five-year teaching stint at Sias International University in China's Henan Province. The administration took advantage of my experience and I taught newspaper and reading classes. I was later thrilled to get to teach American Culture Through Film where I learned the universal secrets behind storytelling.

 

Between the symbolism learned from films and the countless lecture hours, I was primed to become an Experience Expert (aka Tour Guide) for The Broad contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles. In my three years at the museum, I gave numerous public and private tours of the collection. Just as I had done with athletic contests, I broke down the artwork into understandable pieces, exploring the artists and materials. My favorite tours ended with someone telling me they never thought they'd "get" modern art but my tour helped them enjoy the work.

 

I returned to the Sacramento area in 2018 to become a caretaker for my father. I also rejoined The Enterprise staff, this time as an associate editor, designing pages and telling stories. 

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In 2020, I was connected with JuLee Brand and W. Brand Publishing, and in February of 2021 my memoir was published.

 

While my writing was taking off, my father's health was declining, and I stepped away from journalism to be a full-time caregiver to him. I am thankful that not only did he live to see my memoir published, but he also was able to travel to book festivals and see my book next to others. My dad passed away in his sleep on June 23, 2022.

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I am continuing as a caretaker, to my mother now, and I'm still writing. My second book, the young adult fiction novel, To Whom It May Concern, was published Aug. 8, 2023. (I did finish it in time to read the final product to my dad, but he died before it was published.)

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Both of my parents were very excited about To Whom It May Concern since it dealt with a topic close to all our hearts: adoption. I was adopted as an infant, and my parents told me from Day One. I learned from some who were adopted that they were not as fortunate. Their adoption stories were shocking and heartbreaking. 

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I pondered what would I have done in their shoes, and the result is now available in print.

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I'm excited to see what stories grow in my imagination and make it to the pages for future books.