The University of Idaho Argonaut

Tina Spencer, a barista at Java Nook in the Administration Building, has recently gotten a publishing contract for one of her four novels. Jake Barber/Argonaut

Tina Spencer, a 62- year-old barista at the Java Nook, will be a published author within the year.
Spencer sent in a copy of her novel “Ramsey Jud” to Publish America in mid-August and within a week had received both a contract and a letter of acceptance.
“Ramsey Judd” is one of four novels Spencer has written. Her cousin, who is also her copy editor, encouraged her to send in the novel.
“I’ve had the novel for the last two years and thought ‘What the hell, why not,’” Spencer said.
She was born and raised in Lewiston and has lived in the Moscow area for the last 30 years. She lives with her husband of 26 years at the Spencer homestead in Troy, where four generations of her family have lived.

Spencer, who loves to read and write, has been writing novels for the last 12 to 15 years as a hobby — which is about as long as she has worked with Sodexho.
Spencer worked in Wallace for three years, starting out in the kitchen before moving out to desserts.
“I really liked interacting with the students,” she said.
Spencer then asked to be moved to Law School Express, the coffee shop in the College of Law where she worked for 11 years.
“She worked so many years at the law school that it was touching to see third year law students saying goodbye to her,” said Mike Thomsen, director of operations for Sodexho.

People could see the appreciation and how sincere they were, he said. She was a huge factor in their lives, said Thomsen.
Thomsen was also the person who hired Spencer when she started with Sodexho 16 years ago and describes their relationships as more of a friendship than a working
relationship.
Spencer requested to be moved to Java Nook in the Administration Building because of a health condition that was affected by the renovations going on in the law school.
She said she had actually planned to retire last year but with her health problems it was difficult for her to get insurance and Medicare won’t start until she turns 65.
“The benefits are fantastic and I truly stay for the students,” Spencer said.

However, Spencer said she was depressed about not being able to afford private insurance, so with the encouragement from her cousin she sent in “Ramsey Judd.”
Spencer said the scariest part of publishing her novel was doing rewrites, meeting deadlines and not knowing if others would like it.
“I had thought about sending in the other novels but never did, I was afraid they wouldn’t like them,” she said.
Spencer is working on another novel she wants to have ready by January to send in for publishing.
She said she wants to have a signing party on campus when her book comes out.
Spencer advises other aspiring writers to “just send it in and don’t
give up.”

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