Snapshots

Jean A. Austin-Long was born in a small NE town called Stoughton in Mass. where she was able to grow up without fear when walking alone along the tree lined streets. Where neighbors were like extended family to all of the kids and they didn't lock their homes when away. Jean entered dancing school when only three years old and continued until she was fifteen, when her family was split apart by the death of her brother, Richard. She completed school, married and had two children. She was divorced after three years of marriage and became the sole provider for her family, so she pursued a career in nursing. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusettes in Boston. She continued her education in Ky where she earned her Masters in Education, Psychiatric Counseling at the University of Louisville, KY and continued on her varied path of nursing ending her career in Psychiatric Nursing. She remarried and traveled and lived in KY, SC, and now VA. Her daughter lives in VA also. She lost her son, Tom, a few years back. After retiring, she wrote and published two children's books and most recently her third book of short stories. She and her husband Gary moved closer to the coast recently bu remain in VA. Jean loves gardening, walking, writing, music and story telling.