WRITTEN BY ROBIN CLIFFORD WOOD
Every journey begins with a spark of inspiration. The spark ignites a flame that lights our way along a trail, where surprise discoveries veer us off in unexpected directions. We learn, we change, we grow. Where we land at the end of our journey may be far
afield of our originally intended destination.
That is what a book journey is like.
I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was eight years old. In my teens and twenties, I had grand ideas of writing a blockbuster novel. Knowing my penchant for
procrastination, I joked to a friend, “I probably won’t write that book until I’m sixty.” That was at a time when sixty felt impossibly old.
In my late thirties I got my first job as a columnist for a local paper, and in my forties I was building a portfolio of articles published in magazines. It wasn’t until around that time that I learned the term, “creative non-fiction.”
Even then, I never in my wildest flights of fancy considered biography-writing. But then Jonathan and I bought an old island summer house in Maine, still filled with the belongings – the books, furniture, dishware, magazines in the attic, knickknacks on shelves, galley-proofs of poetry publications – of a once-renowned writer named Rachel Field.
It wasn’t only her belongings that lingered in the house. Something of the woman herself – her presence – was there waiting for me, or maybe she had guided me there, to finish telling her story. For nine years I browsed brittle archive collections wearing cotton gloves, contacted Field’s distant friends and family, visited her former homes all over the country, and read the hand-written medical record from 1942 that reported the tragic circumstances of her sudden death. She was 47 years old.
My relationship with Rachel Field altered the trajectory of my life as a woman, as a mom, and as a writer, so I wrote her letters. Those nineteen letters precede the nineteen chapters of the book and tell a second story. In a way, I had two books in one. Then finally, the book was done.
After those nine years, I spent another two years finding a publisher, then waited two years more until I finally held in my hand The Field House: A Writer’s Life Lost and Found on an Island in Maine.
I was 60 years old.
Even then, the journey continued. Instead of sitting in libraries or at my solitary desk, I was suddenly immersed in the public world of book promotion – writing guest articles, arranging speaking engagements. The book won awards, I got noticed, I got fan mail!
Three years out, the trail continues. Opportunities lead me down new paths, all related to the book journey that began so long ago.
Here are some stories of other authors’ book journeys, which can be as interesting as the books themselves.
Christopher Packard – Hampden
Author of “Mythical Creatures of Maine: Fantastic Beasts from Legend and Folklore”
The book is a full-color field guide and encyclopedia of the creatures and beings found in the stories from many cultures that have called Maine home.
My grandfather, who was a Maine Guide, used to tell me about some of the creatures when I was little and spent the summers with him on Sebec Lake. Years later, I found a book of old folklore in a thrift shop that had some of the same stories. I had just thought he was making all those stories up, but there are hundreds of years of tradition behind them. I started collecting them from old books, newspapers, and some great conversations. One story led to another, and soon, I had collected over 40 creatures.
The editor at Downeast Books said he had been waiting decades for someone to write this book and accepted it the same day I sent him the manuscript. Now, everyone can learn about Maine’s sidehill gougers, lutins, and lake monsters.
Where to Purchase:
The Briar Patch and Bull Moose in Bangor, and other independent booksellers in Maine.
Author profile compiled by Sarah Cottrell
Robert Klose – Orono
Author of “Trigger Warning”
Klose is an award-winning author whose work has appeared in various publications such as Newsweek and The Boston Globe. He has published eight books including “Adopting Alyosha — A Single Man Finds a Son in Russia,” “The Three-Legged Woman and Other Excursions in Teaching,” and “Adopting Anton — A Single Man Seeks a Son in Ukraine.” His novels include “Long Live Grover Cleveland,” “Life on Mars,” and his latest, “Trigger Warning.”
Born in New Jersey, Robert Klose moved to Maine following a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy. He retired as a professor of Biological Sciences from the University of Maine at Augusta and is currently an adjunct professor in the Honors College at the University of Maine in Orono.
Klose writes both fiction and non-fiction. “With non-fiction, I pretty much know what I’m trying to get at and how the piece of writing will resolve,” he said. “Fiction is a way of beating the world into the shape I’d like it to be in. But along the way, surprising things inevitably happen, and the story goes off in unanticipated directions. I didn’t foresee the end of any of my novels until the ship of my efforts was within sight of the shore.”
Where to Purchase:
The Briar Patch in Bangor, The Store Ampersand in Orono, and online through Amazon.
Author profile compiled by Anne Gabbianelli
Katie Smith – Bowdoinham
Author of “Before She Knew”
“Before She Knew” is a second chance, small town romance.
Writing this book was the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. It took me seven years to complete it, but I learned so much and fulfilled a lifelong dream. I feel like nothing is out of reach. Writing is truly a form of therapy for me.
Where to Purchase:
Available on Amazon (paperback), Kindle, Nook, Apple, Google, and Kobo ebook.
Author profile compiled by Amy Allen
Suzi Linden – Denmark, Maine
Author of “Princess Bigfoot in Maine”
The Princess Bigfoot books were created in paint and pencil during the pandemic and grounded me in the task of capturing the happiness that can be found everyday when you step outside. “Princess Bigfoot in Maine” is the latest in the series and is a sweet celebration of Maine life year round.
Expressing the worlds inside my head has always been my pursuit, and following Princess Bigfoot’s footsteps only led to greater delight. The whole point of Princess Bigfoot is joy — joy in the simple things like hot coals in the morning, strawberry shortcake, or a flush of chanterelles at your feet. The book has few words but lots to look at, and is a pleasure as a bedtime story.
Along the same theme, I also illustrated a new book this winter with Maine author Jennifer Comeau, titled “The Inside of ME.” The book will be available in June 2024, published by Maine publisher Twelve Willows Press.
Where to Purchase:
“Princess Bigfoot in Maine” can be purchased from Bridgton Books independent bookstore in Bridgton and online.
Author profile compiled by Amy Allen
Meg Weston – Camden
Author of “Magma Intrusions”
In 1963, the Earth’s youngest island was born. A volcanic eruption boiled under the sea, and the island of Surtsey was born in plumes of smoke and ash. Surtsey’s birth catalyzed young Meg Weston’s lifetime fascination with volcanoes, a childhood passion she never outgrew. Volcanoes and their aftermath became, decades later, the inspiration behind her first full collection of poetry.
“Magma Intrusions” explores “the way energy comes in different forms and writes a pattern on our lives,” said Weston. “It’s a lovely metaphor for life.”
A 50-year Maine resident now living in Camden, Weston took a “deep dive into poetry” in 2020 in response to the isolation of the pandemic. She was 72 when the book went into print.
To foster more human connection during the pandemic, and to “create more space for others to be creative,” Weston said, she also founded The Poet’s Corner, a community for poetry and short prose enthusiasts that sponsors both in-person and online events. It has grown to 4,500 members worldwide and features poets from the nationally known to the brand new.
Where to Purchase:
The Briar Patch in Bangor, Stone Bread and Books in Gardiner, Owl and Turtle in Camden, and online at poetscorner.org/shop and Amazon.
Author profile compiled by Robin Clifford Wood
Brenda Smith – Belfast
Author of “Becoming Fearless: Finding Courage in the African Wilderness”
As a daughter and granddaughter of librarians, Brenda Smith’s child world was filled with books. Her adventures were strictly vicarious, however, through bold characters like her favorite Pippi Longstocking. She grew through the 1960s and 70s, relatively risk-free, and cultivated the comfortable, predictable life of an accountant.
Then she got an invitation to Tanzania. Saying yes was a bold move on its own. Traveling a remote African river in 1981, rife with risks and wild animals, stretched her beyond her wildest imaginings. Brenda’s life pivoted. Saying “yes” to adventure became her new normal.
Today, Brenda is largely homebound by a disease called stiff-person syndrome, but she turned limitation into opportunity by taking on the task of writing about her life’s adventures. Impatient with the publication process, she opted to jump-start her book adventure by self-publishing her memoir with the support of Paper Raven Books, and the book is garnering impressive attention. Now she is well on the way to her next book adventure, so stay tuned.
Where to buy:
Online at eyeopenerpress.com, Amazon, The Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.
Author profile compiled by Robin Clifford Wood
