G. S. Norwood (1956-2024) was more or less doomed to a life as an arts professional.  Her mother was an art teacher and her father taught drafting and design.  She was listening to classical music in the womb, and spent her summer vacations roaming art museums the way other kids went to Six Flags and Disneyland.

Since her older sister was a seriously amazing visual artist with a beautiful soprano voice, G. went into theatre and instrumental music, where there was less competition.  She got her BFA in Theatre and Interpretation.

But she dropped out of band when she realized she’d have to get up really early all summer long and march.  A night owl with kinesthetic dyslexia, she understood that marching band would not play to her strengths.

G. S. Norwood was Always a Writer

Writing, however, was a constant.  She took her first stab at storytelling when she was four.  The story didn’t have a strong plot, and the characters were a little sketchy, but it had something to do with horses and ghosts—subjects she enjoyed her whole life.

As a professional, she wrote political speeches, press releases, brochure copy, radio commercials, and feature stories for a major regional newspaper.  After a stint in the corporate healthcare world she fled home to the arts, writing grant proposals for the Van Cliburn Foundation, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and many others.  She ended her career back on the production side of the desk as Director of Concert Operations for the Dallas Winds. 

Married for seventeen years to writer Warren C. Norwood, she has written a number of novels and short stories (stay tuned for more G. S. Norwood titles forthcoming from Weird Sisters Publishing!), and blog posts. Her Deep Ellum Stories grew from several roots: Her affection for the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, her working knowledge of musical instruments, regional folklore, and a voracious curiosity about all the other odd bits of stuff piled up in that storeroom behind the pawnshop.

Read G.’s Stories from Weird Sisters Publishing

Read more about G. S. Norwood’s Deep Ellum Stories from Weird Sisters Publishing!

A Sad Note

We must add an unfortunate update. Shortly before G. was set to retire from the Dallas Winds at the end of July 2024, a freak accident in her back yard caused her to fall and break both ankles. This led to emergency surgery, a stint in rehab, and a return home under regular care by home health aides. She seemed to be recovering steadily, and she had lots of plans for the future.

But on Sept. 3, 2024, her health aide arrived to discover she had died in the night, probably of an embolism. Her cat Gift maintained a vigil, curled up on her chest until the strangers invaded. Her family, her best friend Deborah Crombie, the local dog rescue community, and her Dallas Winds community stepped in to make sure all of her pets are safe and cared for in new, loving homes. For a further look at memories of G., see Jan’s post “Unfinished Stories” on The Weird Blog.