My 
publisher, Four Pillars Media Group, and I have narrowed things down and it looks like we’ve chosen the cover of my second book, The Gray Lady of Long Branch. I’ll await an actual physical mockup before I give the go ahead, but this means, it looks like we’ll have a release date some six weeks from now, say around end of July or first of August. That will work as it’s in time for some last summer reading.
The idea for this book came several years ago when I was staying at a friend’s beach house in Florida. It occurred to me a place like that had to have witnessed squillions of special occasions and played witness to all varieties of culture. Â As my mind wandered, in fact, I created several chapters while there. Unfortunately, the files got corrupted and I lost them, but the concept and broad brush strokes remained.
And beckoned. And kept calling out to me like orphaned children needing adoption. Life became too busy for several years, but this past year, I was able to bring them — and the remainder of the book — to life. Â And frankly, I love it! Now let me tell you about this sweet gem of a book that I’m so very proud of. Here’s the back cover copy which will give you a feel for it:
If walls could talk…
A grand Victorian beach house in Long Branch, New Jersey is the setting — and narrator — of this novel that weaves a rich and colorful tale of the home’s owners. A wealthy banking family, and later the flawed but endearing DiStefano family celebrate milestones and make memories in the “Gray Lady.” Their stories intertwine with those of some of the interesting vacationers that occasionally rent this Jersey Shore beach home.
In addition to observing and reporting on the people that dwell inside, the Gray Lady is witness to seven decades of cultural touchstones and historical events, as experienced by the home’s different inhabitants. She takes the reader on a Jersey Shore journey during the Vietnam War, the 1960s, the death of Princess Diana, Y2K and September 11th as these events relate to those who seek shelter under her roof over a period spanning seven decades.
The Gray Lady of Long Branch is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs right to the very last entertaining sentence.
Stay tuned for information on it’s launch! It shouldn’t be long now! Does it sound like something you’d like to read?
This sounds terrific. Congratulations, Maura. Looking forward to reading it. And, I love the cover!
Thank you, Gary! I had a great time writing it, though it mulled about in my noodle-of-a-brain for a few years before I finally got it done. And as for the cover, that’s one of the benefits of being an artist too: no middleman. =) If you like this one, you might enjoy the cover of Empty Sky too! I have the original canvas on my office wall to remind me of the good ole days in Nashville!