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Retired woman writes a new chapter in life

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After spending a career in the high-pressure arena of hospital risk management, Linda Pollock retired a couple of years ago and promptly immersed herself into a new full-time endeavor.

The Land O’ Lakes woman, who turns 70 this month, often devotes 10 hours or more a day to writing.

Linda Pollock, who writes under the name Linda J. Pifer, holds two of her finished works. ‘Ohio Girl’ is a memoir about growing up in Ohio. The other book, ‘Windows,’ is a novel that the author describes as part romance, part genealogical mystery. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Linda Pollock, who writes under the name Linda J. Pifer, holds two of her finished works. ‘Ohio Girl’ is a memoir about growing up in Ohio. The other book, ‘Windows,’ is a novel that the author describes as part romance, part genealogical mystery. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

She finished her first book, a memoir called “Ohio Girl,” in 2013. Just a few weeks ago, she published a novel called “Windows,” which is available through print-by-demand on Amazon.

She’s also done the writing for “Daniel Smith,” a second novel that continues the story she began in “Windows.” But she still needs to edit “Daniel Smith” before she can publish it.

Then, she expects to follow that with “Copper Swift,” which will either round out the trilogy, or set the stage for a fourth book in the series. She’s aiming for a 2015 release date for “Daniel Smith,” and a 2016 publication date for “Copper Swift.”

Pollock, who publishes under her maiden name, Linda J. Pifer, always has loved to write.

“I had an English lit teacher when I was in high school that just really encouraged me to use the gift,” Pollock said. “He really was my inspiration, when I was a kid.”

Initially, she studied nursing and planned to pursue that as a career.

“That’s what girls did then,” she said.

It didn’t take her long to discover that nursing wasn’t her true calling, so she enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After her stint there, she went into retail work.

Later, she began working for hospitals — first, as an administrative clerk, and then later in risk management. She finished her career doing just that for the former University Community Hospital, now Florida Hospital Tampa.

Over the years, Pollock wrote articles for hospital newsletters. She penned her first nationally circulated work in 2003, a piece about her uncle called “The Cloverfinder” that was published in Country Magazine.

After she retired, Pollock turned her attention to telling the story of growing up in Ohio, surrounded by her family. She culled through hundreds of photographs to accompany her memoir that details her life and her recollections about her grandparents, great aunts, uncles and other family members on both sides of the Pifer, Wanamaker and Guerin families.

Her first novel “Windows” focuses on a Florida woman whose husband has died from cancer. The main character, Sarah Sandlin, is obsessed with genealogy, and uses it as a way to hide from life.

“She wants to let go of her grief,” but she can’t, the author said.

Eventually, Sarah receives a letter from one of her husband’s friends who wants her to come to the United Kingdom to research his family’s genealogy. She agrees, which leads to a story that Pollock describes as both romance and genealogical mystery.

As Sarah uncovers secrets hidden in the old estate house, a New Zealand connection emerges which leads to the next novel, “Daniel Smith.”

That novel tells the story of Daniel Smith, who travels to New Zealand from Scotland with his wife on a masted ship in 1843.

Pollock’s novels draw heavily from her imagination, but also involve considerable research. She uses the Internet, books, movies and other sources to help create the backdrop for her stories.

She even consulted with a member of Blackheath Dawn Writers, a United Kingdom writers group, to ensure that the descriptions of her settings and the dialect she uses create an authentic look and feel.

The Land O ‘ Lakes author understands there’s no guarantee that her hard work will attract a broad audience or yield a lucrative return. Still, she’s willing to invest the time and creative energy that’s required.

“You’ve got this stuff in you, and you’ve got to put it down on paper, even if it is just for my family or someone that looks at it on some dusty shelf in 20 years,” she said.

Even though she’s content to lose herself in the work, Pollock has one regret.

“It’s a shame I didn’t start sooner,” she said.

She believes it takes authors 15 to 20 years to become established and widely known.

“Now, I’m 70,” Pollock said. “And even if I lived to be 90, I’ve only got 20 more years.”

Published November 19, 2014

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Doing spiritual work, using talent and a pair of shears

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Mayra Santiago has devoted more than half her lifetime styling people’s hair to help them look good.

Normally, she uses her expertise to tend to customers at Ulta Beauty, a products retailer with salon services in The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

Mayra Santiago poses with a young child during the Wesley Chapel woman’s trip to the Amazon. The hairstylist went with her church on a mission trip because she heard there was a need for someone who could cut hair. (Courtesy of Mayra Santiago)
Mayra Santiago poses with a young child during the Wesley Chapel woman’s trip to the Amazon. The hairstylist went with her church on a mission trip because she heard there was a need for someone who could cut hair. (Courtesy of Mayra Santiago)

But over the summer, Santiago joined a group from Vida Community Church on a mission trip to Colombia to cut hair for people living in a rural village there.

“I never, never, never in my life expected to cut hair in the Amazon,” the 43-year-old said.

Vida is a bilingual church temporarily based in Land O’ Lakes, with members primarily joining it from Lutz and Land O’ Lakes. Pastors Dwight and Lizania Miranda lead the church, which has a heart for missions. Vida aims to help people meet their needs, both here and in other countries, said Mayra and her husband, Eddie, who have belonged to the church for seven years.

When she heard there was a need for someone who could cut hair, Santiago felt compelled to go. She was pleased to put her talents to use for others because she loves being a hairstylist.

“It’s my passion,” she said.

Joining the mission trip, she said, was a blessing. The experience didn’t just help others, it helped her, too.

“I appreciate everything better now,” Santiago said.

She now has a deeper understanding of just how fortunate she and others are for the everyday comforts and conveniences that most residents of the United States take for granted, she said.

Santiago traveled to Colombia on July 16, and returned July 28. The 18-member church group flew to Bogota, then caught a connecting flight to Leticia. From there, they rode on a boat — which broke down during their trip — to arrive near the remote village where they stayed.

Once the boat landed, Santiago’s group walked the rest of the way, lugging their stuff for a 20-minute trek. Santiago marveled at the way the villagers — members of the Yagua tribe — function in the 21st century.

“The people live simple lives,” she said.

They have few connections with the outside world, aside from three hours of television during the day and three hours at night. They gather at a hut-style building to watch the programs together.

They sleep on the ground without mattresses. They eat fish they catch from the river.

They use a barrel to catch water for bathing and other uses.

The bugs are horrendous.

“I’ve never seen so many mosquitoes in my life,” said Santiago, who kept the bugs away with repellant.

She slept in a tent on an inflatable mattress, using a battery-powered fan to keep cool.

Santiago and other members of her group drank the bottled water they brought to avoid the potential of becoming ill from the local water.

Her days were busy. They ate meals that mostly consisted of rice, fish, yucca, plantains and oranges.

Santiago awoke daily around 5:30 a.m., ate breakfast, and then began giving haircuts usually between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. She generally finished working around 5 p.m.

Santiago couldn’t keep up with the demand, so she asked fellow missionary Mahalie Rivera to help give the haircuts. Rivera had no experience, so Santiago taught her the basics.

They gave haircuts to young boys and young girls, old men and old women, and everyone else in between.

As they worked, a line formed outside. At some points, there were as many as 20 people waiting, Santiago said.

Women typically wanted layered looks. The young boys wanted short cuts, although some boys wanted their hair to have the same style of some popular soccer stars. However, Santiago wasn’t able to grant their request because she was unfamiliar with the players’ hairstyles.

Santiago and her husband live in Wesley Chapel and have three children: Lucas, 19 — who attends Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch — as well as Esteban, 15, and Bianca, 14, who attend Wesley Chapel High School.

The kids weren’t wild about the idea of their mom making the trip, Eddie Santiago said.

“They think it’s too extreme,” he said. “We keep telling them that they have to go with us one day, on one of these trips. It’s good for the young people to see how other people live, and all of the things they can live without and be happy.”

The experience was rewarding, said Santiago, who was not dissuaded by the humble living conditions.

“I’ll do it again,” she said.

Published October 8, 2014

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Both want jobs, but disagree on how to get them

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One of the biggest challenges facing the Pasco County Commission in recent years is how to create more jobs here, and not force nearly half the population to travel elsewhere to find work.

It’s likely a problem that won’t be fixed over the next four years, but that hasn’t stopped the two candidates looking for a seat on the commission to share their ideas on how it might happen. They are just quite different.

Mike Moore, left, and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission. Moore has raised nearly $132,000 in his effort, while Remsberg, who has raised slightly more $7,700, wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 2010. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Mike Moore, left, and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission. Moore has raised nearly $132,000 in his effort, while Remsberg, who has raised slightly more $7,700, wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 2010. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed the retiring Pat Mulieri on the commission, and both believe it’s jobs and growth that will finally put them on the dais.

“Penny for Pasco is giving us $45 million for economic development, and those dollars need to be put to work,” Moore said during a recent candidate forum at Lexington Oaks in Wesley Chapel. “I know the (Pasco Economic Development Council) has some ideas on how to put those dollars to work, and I have some of my own ideas.”

The Pasco EDC has long taken a position of working to attract big employers to the county, competing with Hillsborough, Pinellas and even Polk counties, to get companies here. Earlier this year, Pasco EDC president and chief executive John Hagen suggested using some Penny for Pasco money to assemble chunks of land and make it ready for a large employer.

Companies like Amazon and Bristol-Myers Squibb could have brought many high-paying jobs to the county if they had chosen Pasco over Hillsborough, Moore suggested.

“We need to incentivize those companies to come into the area,” he said. “When you bring in large companies, that helps some of the smaller businesses, too. You’re going to have more people eating at restaurants, and they will have the money to buy goods at mom and pop stores. We need to keep the economic engine going.”

But the county has had little luck in bringing those companies here, Remsberg said. Instead, millions of taxpayer dollars have been put aside for companies like T. Rowe Price, who was supposed to bring 1,600 jobs on the promise of a $30 million commitment from the county, only to change its mind a few years later.

“It’s very expensive to do that, and more often than not, the projects do not work out,” Remsberg said. “It’s an expensive gamble that we should not be taking and using the minimal dollars we already have.”

Instead, Remsberg suggests the county take cues from the Pasco EDC and the communities of Dade City and New Port Richey to fund more small business incubators. Facilities like the one at the Dade City Business Center provide low-cost commercial space for upstarts, as well as advisory help from business experts to help those companies become profitable.

“They are resource centers for these small businesses, and they have training available to help make these businesses successful,” she said. “We should be taking these Penny for Pasco dollars and investing them in provable strategies that we know work here, and which will benefit Pasco residents.”

Because of his own background starting and running companies, Moore said he’s perfect to talk to chief executives of larger companies, and promoting the county to them. Pasco’s push to bring tourism-related amenities like the proposed 20-field baseball complex by Blue Marble Strategic in Wesley Chapel will make it easier to sing those praises.

“We need to gamble, we need to show them our area and how all these people are excited about it,” Moore said. “We want to create lots of opportunities for people who want to come here.”

But the work to wine and dine executives, and to compete with neighboring counties, carries a hefty price tag, Remsberg said.

“The consulting fee alone could’ve helped Meals on Wheels feed the 200 homebound elderly people who are going without food right now,” she said. “We need a steady stream of qualified workers, and we need comprehensive public transportation so that we are able to move those people around.”

Voters will decide between Moore and Remsberg Nov. 4.

Published October 8, 2014

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In Print: This is not your typical Amazon summertime excursion

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Missionary work, especially the kind that takes you around the world, is very important. And that could include all kinds of jobs — educators, builders, doctors, you name it.

But what about hairstylists?

Mayra Santiago enlisted the help of fellow church member Mahalie Rivera to cut hair during a mission trip to a small Amazon village in Colombia. (Courtesy of Mayra Santiago)
Mayra Santiago enlisted the help of fellow church member Mahalie Rivera to cut hair during a mission trip to a small Amazon village in Colombia. (Courtesy of Mayra Santiago)

Mayra Santiago helps many customers at Ulta Beauty at The Grove at Wesley Chapel. But this past summer, she traveled to Colombia, where the 43-year-old made sure the people living in the Amazon had the best haircuts Florida can offer.

“I never, never, never in my life expected to cut hair in the Amazon,” Santiago told reporter B.C. Manion.

Santiago made the trip with her church, Vida Community Church, which is temporarily based in Land O’ Lakes, but draws from the region. It’s a bilingual congregation led by pastors Dwight and Lizania Miranda, which has a heart for missions.

Just like how Santiago has a heart for cutting hair. “It’s my passion,” she said.

What was the trip like? What kind of stories did Santiago bring back? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available on newsstands now. Or if you prefer the digital age, you can get our online e-edition absolutely free by clicking here.

The Sunlake Seahawks volleyball team is poised to accomplish no other volleyball team has accomplished at the school before: Make the playoffs.

Coach Deann Newton has led her team to its second year in a row with a winning record. And while the 16-10 mark last year caused them to just miss the postseason, Sunlake’s 14-4 record through last Friday may end up with a far different result.

“Before, it wasn’t as serious,” junior Gianna Basulto told reporter Michael Murillo. “But when Coach Newton showed up, it was like game on. This is how we’re going to do it. She was very straight-forward, and I love that about her because that’s the type of coach that I and the whole team need.”

So what does the future hold for the Sunlake Seahawks this season? Find out in the print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or you can read it on your computer or tablet device by clicking here.

Finally, Dave Estabrook spent 35 years helping to mold minds and lead education programs in the Land O’ Lakes area. Now the retired principal is being honored by one of his former schools when Charles S. Rushe Middle School names its media center after him.

David Salerno, who succeeded Estabrook as principal of the school, said naming the media center after him made sense, because it completely matched Estabrook’s leadership style.

“Immediately, I observed a leader who made it his mission to seek input from many stakeholders — as many stakeholders as possible — when making decisions,” Salerno said. “Not only that, he specifically sought out people that he thought might have a different point of view. He believed in the importance of considering all aspects of problems before recommending a solution.”

And the praise didn’t stop there. Read it all in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or get a peek at what it looks like coming from the digital realm by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.