One of the ways I give back, or pay it forward, is by assisting other writers to fulfill their dreams of seeing their creative work in print. As a book-publishing consultant, I share some of what I’ve learned with writers who wish to publish their books, and help them connect with editors, publishing assistants and others who can help them make their dreams a reality. Many of these books are shown in the slideshow at the top of this page.
A2Z Books, 2011 to 2015
I created A2Z Books in the summer of 2011. My first client was 93-year-old Dr. Alex Willis, who had a book he wanted published. I worked with a team, which consisted of an editor, a book-designer and a printer. Here are some of the authors, and the books we produced:
Dr. Alex Willis: Your Path to Enlightenment (October 2014) Regardless of where you are now, greater happiness is within reach.
The Power of Thought (September 2012). How your thoughts can work for you.
Stressless Living (December 2011). Living a life without stress.
Cabrini Babakaiff: Curve Balls: Rolling with the Punches (April 2014) A truly inspiring tale of an amazing couple and their two sons, who pull together, along with faithful and caring friends, to find light and joy in life’s darkest moments.
Sandy Latka: Twisted Trees (December 2013). A creative non-fiction look at the history of a twisted family tree.
Christopher Neville: Chico (July 2013). Children’s story about a Spanish shoeshine boy.
Gary Bazan: From a Storyteller’s Basket (April 2012). A collection of short stories.
Gail Prior: The Cap (April 2012). A collection of short stories.
Penticton Writers and Publishers (PWAP), 1994 to 2015
In 1994, I co-founded a “writers helping writers” group. Through PWAP I was able to help many writers of all ages see their work in print. Our publications include:
- 1994 – Penticton and Area: Secrets & Surprises
- 1995 – A Novel Approach To Self-Publishing: a Handbook
- 1998 (Spring) – Silhouette of Four Seasons: Coffee table guide for City of Penticton
- 1998 (Halloween) – Supernatural British Columbia: Ghost stories, haunted houses and the unexplained
- 2002 – To Hope and Beyond: Stories around British Columbia
- 2008 – Celebrating a Century: Coffee table book for the City of Penticton’s Centennial
- 2009 – Mining for Gems: Stories from around Canada
Grandma & Papa Press
When our grandson, Eben Thorpe-Keith, was 2-1/2 years, he created a series titled The Adventures of Hammer and Shadow in which he was Hammer and I, his trusted sidekick, was Shadow. For two years we played the adventure of Hammer and Shadow in Outer Space. I taped this adventures to make a CD, which I intend to play at Eben’s wedding. I asked permission of his mom to write the first adventure into story format. My husband and I created Grandma and Papa Press and published the story as a children’s book in 2006, when Eben was four. Two years later, Hammer and Shadow Meet the Bubble Blowing Dragon was published.
Hammer and Shadow in Outer Space (2006). Illustrations by John Salsnek.
Hammer and Shadow Meet the Bubble Blowing Dragon (2009). Illustrations by John Salsnek.