Diary of a One-Book-Wonder

I am luxuriating in a Back Bay studio on the fifth floor with a floor to ceiling window. I am gazing at the bank of the Charles River, looking across to Cambridge through the cherry trees now looking like golden rod lifted high into the branches. The green pin oaks are fluttering in the fog of the Nor'easter. A few hardy walkers and joggers occasionally cross the Dartmouth Street foot bridge and the geese are diving among the lily pads of the lagoon. A few MIT sailors are braving the wind and drizzel having a match race. My blood has become too thin from 50 years of tropical living to venture outside, so I remain snug in my lair with a view until the weather passes.

I have written a niche book with the optimism that it is certain to be a special experience for any New Englander. They will flock to it instantly. I have teamed up with the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE.org) and have found that I am not alone. So many books from creative people are published everyday. IPNE has offered many networking opportunities and presentations with widely acclaimed literary professionals that have opened my eyes to this new world, especially at the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA).

My second event was Arlington Town Day with the back drop of the IPNE exhibit attractively curated to entice all manner of readers with local authors on the spot to sign copies of their works. The streets pulsed with the energy of hundreds of Arlingtonians enjoying their camaraderie and taking pride in all the town's civic offerings, craft vendors, food trucks and student performances. My crew was there with great enthusiasm and Charlotte Pierce founder of IPNE brought it all together.

The next event is the culmination of it all; for several decades I imagined that I could be a part of the Boston Book Festival! Since the 1990's I never missed the fall all day coverage of the Boston Book Festival with C-SPAN and dreamed that one day I would be there and have a book to talk about.

That day is approaching. It has been a fabulous experience connecting with publishers, authors, and all levels of literary professionals. Boston is a wonderful place. I was driven to look back and create vignettes of past lives of the ordinary people to find clues of how to live better today. If you are ready for a thrilling genealogy journey, you will like Ghosts in my DNA: Past Lives of Boston. Available here

Or Stop by the Boston Book Festival with IPNE for a signed copy.

Remaining grateful,

Susan Allick Beach