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Weeping Willow

Cascading above

Dipping in the pond shallow

Lamenting the fall.

Kathy Maresca was born and reared in Florida when it was part of the Deep South. She was the first person on her mother’s side of the family to earn a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s degree. Kathy was the first woman on both sides of her family to join the military. Stationed at the Air Force Academy, Kathy was the first woman assigned to the Cadet Chapel. Later, she joined the First Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

After separating from the Air Force, Kathy finished her college education as an English
major. While teaching English, drama, and journalism, Kathy became ill with a cranial nerve
disorder, trigeminal neuralgia. Determined to help others, she went to graduate school and
became a certified rehabilitation counselor. She wrote a faith-based book, With Great Mercy, for others who are suffering.

The Lord answered Kathy’s prayers and gave her a miracle, setting her free from the
debilitating pain. Kathy did an internship with the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association and was
hired as their director of patient services. Before long, Kathy was back in the world of education, teaching one of her favorite subjects, English as a second language.
In 2017, Kathy was reminiscing about a friend she had when she was in the Air Force.
She asked widowed Keith Maresca to be her Facebook friend, igniting a spark that had long been dormant. Before long, the two married, and Kathy moved to Texas.

Kathy loves Texas but misses Florida, where her grandmother’s ancestors, the
unconquered Seminole Tribe, are indigenous. Kathy had the opportunity to befriend Native
American Seminoles when she was young. She listened to their stories and watched their
ceremonial dances. Her first novel, Porch Music, is launched from those memories and the
experiences her grandmother and great-grandmother shared with their descendants.