New Book Has Launched!

Announcing the Arrival of A Seaside Lullaby!

Click here to order a copy of A Seaside Lullaby

In one way, this story begins in the same place as my last post: at the same pediatric hospital, seven and a half years ago.  That time our eldest child was having his tonsils out – the largest tonsils the ENT had seen, apparently.  It was July, and in the midst of a heat wave.  

Sitting in the waiting room, I thought, we’ve got to make a plan to get away; somewhere with breezes and cool at night, but warm during the day for swimming, low-key but with enough space and amenities to make traveling with young children manageable, and with interesting things to do.  I remembered the place that friends have mentioned, rental cottages on a freshwater lake, blocks from the beach, in a small town on Cape Cod.  

Marsh grass & tidal flats, Skaket Beach MA

Endless space to wander

So we go, and it is a wonderful week.  One day, early morning (see above: “young children”) we go to a beach that’s been recommended to us, Skaket in Orleans MA. We’ve checked the tides and have gone when it’s low tide.  We discover a truly magical place.  Tidal pools and flats that spread out, seemingly, to the horizon.  It’s enchanting, and we spend the whole morning wandering and exploring, with no plan, no agenda, and no schedule.  We just meander around and have fun and enjoy it.  Clearly it made such an impression that I was pretty much compelled to write a book about it. 

Room to run, room to explore

What form the book would take, though, revealed itself only over a long time.  I was fascinated by the idea of tidal areas; neither here nor there, betwixt and between, not land, not sea, and all the legends, myths, and holds on the imagination with which this concept has hypnotized humans since first we reached the sea.  At the turn of the tide: when there’s a big change.  Babies are born, souls move on.  Battles are won or lost.  Societies change direction. Civilizations crumble and fall, and civilizations rise.  Ideas gain hold, and ideas gather dust and dwindle away.  

Moonlight ripples on the water

And dreams.  What of that dream-state, when we are neither awake nor full asleep? When our minds wander where they will.  All of this swirled around me for a number of years while I sketched rhymes and phrases and scrawled in a notebook.  Finally, though most likely I'm not done with exploring this, the direction for this particular book took hold (two years after my self-imposed due date, which was the birth of my nephew to whom the book is dedicated).  It’s an especially relevant dedication, since he and I have an ocean between us.  

Examining a hermit crab

Curious clam

Scuttle crab up close

 

Careful what you touch

 
Once I had direction, it was a matter of finding the right words to express the joy of a child exploring tidal pools and discovering all the flora and fauna therein, and to capture the timeless lullaby of the sea.  That took some time.  The next step was illustrations, and for these I worked with a talented young artist, Elizabeth Liedtka.  She completely understood my vision, and created beautiful art that complements and enhances the storyline. A Seaside Lulllaby is infinitely better because of her illustrations.  I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with her.

I approved the final draft (literally, I basically click “publish”, which is simultaneously thrilling and terrifying) and the first copies arrived just days before my son’s accident detailed in the aforementioned previous post.

So here I am, finally announcing the launch of A Seaside Lullaby.  Officially the book is meant for ages two to six, to be read aloud and experienced with a grown-up.  To me, though, the book is for everyone.  Falling asleep to the rhythm of the waves, waking up to a fresh new glorious day on the beach and wandering around, exploring, observing, and discovering, breathing and playing, watching and wondering, well, that is something pure and beautiful for all ages.  

Click here to order a copy of A Seaside Lullaby

 

End of the day