About Me...

Krista Colle Gibson lives in upstate South Carolina and Wrestling with a Rebel is her first book but not her first published writing. Her first story appeared in the LaPorte Junior High newsletter in 1976 and although the audience was small, the thrill of knowing that other people responded favorably gave her the courage to pursue more writing outside her personal journal. 

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Krista helped pay her way through Gardner-Webb University by working in the sports information office writing newsletters and copy for the football programs. After graduating, she worked for her university in marketing and communications. Thereafter, frequent moves every two or three years opened up opportunities to work as a journalist for local newspapers, first writing advertising copy for the Rock Hill Herald in South Carolina, then as a reporter for the Concord Tribune in North Carolina. 

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After three years, journalism took a back seat to being a mom. Sons Taylor and Connor were born three years apart and choosing to stay home with them in the early years was a gift. As the boys got older, Krista took on part time roles as a preschool teacher where the boys attended to offset tuition costs and then as a salesperson at a sporting goods store to help pay for baseball and soccer equipment. Mostly, she spent her time in metal bleachers watching games or in the car getting both boys to practices and lessons.

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Once Taylor and Connor could drive, Krista went back to writing, this time with The Greer Citizen, a weekly newspaper. For the next five years, she wrote news and feature stories. Her column was honored by the South Carolina Press Association three times as one of the best in the state. Krista finished her career at a Meals on Wheels nonprofit as the communications and marketing director. She retired in 2022 after her father died and her mother moved to South Carolina to live with her. 

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Being retired gave her the opportunity to write this memoir. She began with online classes with the Center for Creative Writing and worked with writer Helena Clare Pittman, who helped her peel back the layers of writing as a journalist to find the raw version of the story. In the summer of 2024, Krista fulfilled a lifelong dream to study at Oxford University in England. A three-week creative writing course at Exeter College solidified the urge to finish the book. The next year, Krista found Susy Flory’s Everything Memoir course online. Now, a year later, Susy and Shake Ridge Publishing are putting Wrestling with a Rebel into the world.