Pen Name:
Vicki Kay Turpen
Genre:
Articles, Biography, Essays, Mystery, Crime, Stage Plays, Young Adult, Bible History, Women’s History, Christian History, Personal, Family, Healing, Memoir
Social Media:
Amazon Author Page: Opelika Opiate
Interviews:
2019: The Delicate Balance
2024: Opelika Opiate
Bio
Vicki Kay Turpen lives with four of her five children on an intentional family farm in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s South Valley. She has an MA in education. Vicki co-founded the Durango Lively Arts Company in Colorado. For over 20 years, she taught junior and high school drama, producing plays and musicals. She has published articles for The Christian Science Publishing Society. In 2019, Vicki published her first work of fiction, The Delicate Balance, co-authored with her daughter Shannon Horst. She is a member of both Rotary del Sol and SouthWest Writers in Albuquerque, and First Church of Christ, Scientist, Albuquerque.
About Her Books
Opelika Opiate
My daughter Kelly helped me with the original ideas that formed my second book. I wrote Opelika Opiate because I got tired of women using the media to accuse men of evil actions that occurred so far in the past that often the event could not be proved. My heart goes out to any woman who spent her whole life thinking of herself as a victim. My own experience took me in just the opposite direction. I decided to admit my own ignorance and thoughts before the incident and protect myself from ever allowing any opiate (sleep, alcohol or drug) to lead me there again. I proceeded to lead a life creating my own standards. I took my experience and created a fictional story where the villain loses and there is a hero. In the book the young woman uses her own thoughts of love, marriage, and family life to make good decisions. She admits her short comings while examining the world around her. She gains inspiration and insight from the Gideon’s Bible.
Today’s society infuses many confusing theories and poor legal and educational decisions concerning youth affecting both girls and boys. I sent my original draft as a Young Adult Book to Austin Macauley Publishers, New York, New York and they published it.
The Delicate Balance
For over 20 years my daughter Shannon Horst was the CEO of an international environmental company, Holistic Management. Their center is in Zimbabwe, Africa. She and her sister Kelly toured and taught ranchers and farmers in continents around the world. All the changes in atmosphere were obvious to her and the company way before they became global news. She and I decided to write a book that would awaken readers to the deep importance of land, plants, and animals. We knew scientists were technically writing, but we wanted to tell the average citizen what was happening, deforestation, desertification, and animals diminishing as well as water disappearing. We wrote a mystery, political story of conflict and how the change of atmosphere will affect real people’s lives. We used her technical knowledge, then we added all current news that supported the truth in her conclusions. We created the characters together. SouthWest Writers gave me the opportunity to do an elevator pitch that year and GWB publishers called me right away and published our book which came out just as the pandemic demanded the world’s attention.
Today our world needs to find good ideas in truth, and I see so much trash and allusional evil even in the media. We need books that share ideas and good answers for what is changing around us. Our characters are good people in conflict with weak government and leaders. It will challenge us today to make better decisions in the face of climate change.
More From Vicki
Dear SouthWest Writers Friends,
Today my SouthWest Writers’ page features my young adult book Opelika Opiate because as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother I am concerned. Today we have a society that promotes overt sexuality on film, in media, and schools. Whether a child is male or female, adults in their lives should want to help them find the truth amid confusion, chaos, and fear. Once they reach puberty confusion, chaos, and violence ensues.
We also have many who think it is the responsibility of the government to raise our children. Articles in much of our media assume that parenting and family are obsolete and therefore others must make laws, invoke theories, and even medically govern children.
Statistics today tell us 40% of American homes are minus a father. That means that 60% of our homes are supported by mothers. That does not include the many copulating couples where there is no home, and no child was wanted or expected. History tells us without morals and ethics there is no safety for children. Today we have fewer marriages, and often no one is home.
Recently Published – March 21, 2025
Title: Kat’s Dilemma: An Historic Tale of Principle and Prejudice
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers (March 21, 2025)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Kat’s Dilemma is a work of fiction. Created out of bits and pieces of research into the social and cultural challenges encountered by women and men in America at the turn of last century. Only two of the characters are based on real people taken from the history of my family. Katherine Gehm was my great grandmother. Some of the known family incidents and resulting emotions are reflected in the character Kat. In Kat’s Dilemma she is constantly searching for truth in individuals, life, religion, and the law.
Johann Wunderlich was a young German Lutheran who immigrated to the US, converted to Methodism, and returned to Germany to introduce and spread that Christian sect. A memoir of his experience came into my possession, and was translated by my daughters, Shannon Horst and Elizabeth Turpen. That research provided the basis for some of the character’s words and actions.
I lived in and near Louisville, Kentucky until my early 20’s. In 2019 I began research for Kat’s Dilemma at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville and revisited the city and surrounding areas described in my book. I also did a lot of research on women’s rights, experiences, and life limitations during the early 1900’s. I read many other books referring to the Suffragettes and their experiences in America and England.
The US Constitution and Bill of Rights were meant as a foundation of government for all American citizens. But, the men and women of that era (and ours), influenced by societal norms or religious dictates, have never fully understood its true meaning. Therein lies the promise and the struggle between principle and prejudice in Kat’s Dilemma.
Available for Sale
Amazon
Austin Macauley Publishers: 40 Wall Street, 33rd floor, Suite 3392, New York, NY, 10005, USA
Barnes & Noble or your favorite bookstore
More Books
Title: Opelika Opiate
Published: June 23, 2023
“Opiate” – to induce sleep; to stupefy; to hijack the brain and change its normal function.
Opelika, Alabama – 1951 where mental illness, male dominance, and race collide to unhinge the life of a young woman. Piecing it back together will require figuring out the role she plays, and who she really is – or who she truly wants to be.
My daughter Kelly White helped me to process my thoughts as I pieced together this book. It comes from a real experience I had at age 15 while driving from my grandmother’s home in Florida to our long-time home in Kentucky. The experience was real, but some of the characters are a work of fiction.
Although it is considered a “young adult novel,” the story includes violence and the subjugation of women and minorities. The main character develops a moral stance as she contends with these issues of the time.
Available for Sale
Amazon
Austin Macauley Publishers: 40 Wall Street, 33rd floor, Suite 3392, New York, NY, 10005, USA
Page One Bookstore, Albuquerque
Title: The Delicate Balance
Co-author: Shannon Horst
Publisher: Terra Nova Books (May 26, 2019)
Genre: Climate Change Fiction
My daughter, Shannon Horst and I wrote this book between 2011 and 2019. For over 20 years Shannon was the Executive Director of an international environmental organization formative to today’s “regenerative agricultural movement.” At that time, she and I were keenly aware that the way in which humans were managing the earth’s agricultural resources was creating fundamental changes that would ultimately lead to the failure of those things which sustain mankind. Shannon’s travel and work with many policy makers and resource managers provided the basis for this story. We knew how important land, plants, and animals were for our world. Some Scientists were writing about this, but few average citizens knew about deforestation, desertification, water and animal shortages. The Delicate Balance is a story of good people struggling to preserve life and peace in the face of a world spinning out of control.
Shannon and I joined in creating characters and the story within this book, and SouthWest Writers gave us the opportunity to do an elevator pitch in 2018. Golden Word Books in Santa Fe called me right away and published our book which came out just as the recent pandemic demanded everyone’s attention.
Our publisher Golden Word Books went out of business during the pandemic, and we are now looking for a new publisher.
Available for Sale
Short Stories/Essays
Title: Holes in Our Hearts: An Anthology of New Mexican Military Related Stories and Poetry
Publisher: Independently published (May 29, 2023)
“Military Moments in a Marriage”
This collection of prose and poetry was gathered and created by SouthWest Writers and funded through a grant from the State of New Mexico Arts Agency. These stories were written and contributed by New Mexican Veterans, their family members and caregivers including: Rosa Armijo-Pemble, Joseph Badal, Rebecca Black, Steve Borbas, E. Joe Brown, Laurel Burnett, Sherri Burr, Ivan Calhoun, John J. Candelaria, Judy Castleberry, Brenda Cole, Brinn Colenda, Joshua Colenda, Mark Fleisher, Paul David Gonzales, Linda G. Harris, M. Elder Hays, A. Michael Hibner, Carl Hitchens, KE Hopkins, James Houston and Molly Houston, Carol Kreis, Caroline A. LeBlanc, Jacqueline Murray Loring, Butch Maki, Elaine Carson Montague, Sam Moorman, Evelyn Neil, Thomas Neiman, C.L. Nemeth, Paula Nixon, Harper O’Connor, Jeffrey Otis, Donna Pedace, W. Howard Plunkett, Léonie Rosenstiel, Earl W. Rugen, Lynne Sebastian, Barb Simmons, Ted Spitzmiller, Dale Swetnam, Jasmine Tritten, Jim Tritten, Lawrence Trujillo, Vicki Turpen, KL Wagoner, Regina Washington, Dan Wetmore, Ben White, Josephine White, J. Allen Whitt, Circe Olson Woessner, Norbert Wood, Kay Yoest.
Available for Sale
Articles
Christian Science Publishing Society, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
I began writing articles for the use and distribution to their readers in the 1960s. At that time my husband and I were living in Albuquerque with our five children. I still contribute to their publications. When I write for the Christina Science Periodicals, the items are published in the Christian Science Monitor, Journal, and Sentinel. These publications can be found online at Christianscience.com. These publications are available in Christian Science Reading Rooms throughout the world. Some have even been translated into other languages. Some of my articles are listed below. For a complete listing of my articles, go to JSH.ChristianScience.com and enter Vicki Turpen in the “author” search line. Here are six of the dozens I have written for the Christian Science Periodicals:
“Don’t Cry, Listen!”
“Saved From Fatality”
“What We Gained When We Lost Everything”
“Fear not, little flock”
“Women’s Rights; Expanding Visions of Hope”
“Separate but not Equal” published in the Christian Science Monitor in 2023
Albuquerque Journal
The following editorials were published in the Albuquerque Journal starting in 1966 to present day. Most of them are from my observations as a parent and teacher.
“Major Problem With Schools Is Parents”
“Addiction Recast in Disguise of Recreation”
“Inspiration Can Lift Humanity”
“Laws Don’t Make Better Kids”
Plays
I have written several short plays but never published them. One play depicted the real-life experiences of 34 other teachers as we worked to receive our MA in Education. My advanced drama class at Valley High School in Albuquerque, NM performed The Children’s Hour for my educational colleagues at our graduation celebration.