The Story Behind the Story with Author Susan Toy of Bequia, Caribbean and St. Bride's, Newfoundland, Canada.

 

Let’s welcome one of my favourite authors.

Susan has been a guest several times and always welcome. If you missed her previous visit, please go HERE.

I have been a bookseller, an award-winning publishing sales representative, a literacy teacher, and a promoter of fellow authors and their books through my company, Alberta Books Canada. I am also an author and publisher, under my imprints, IslandCatEditions and IslandShorts. Through Alberta Books Canada, I represented authors directly, helping them find promotion for themselves and their books, seeking out new readers, and assisting them in making wise career decisions.

I continue promoting authors and good books in general, throughout the world and online, with my bloglist, Authors-Readers International. I created the writing contest, Coffee Shop Author, sat on the Board of Directors of the Fernie Writers’ Conference, served as a member of the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program steering committee, and was a member of the board of directors for the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. I now concentrate on my own writing and publishing, dividing my time between my two homes in Canada and the Caribbean

Title: Wake Up, Maggie

 

Synopsis: In 1958, two girls, both named Karen, meet on the first day of school and believe they will become forever friends. Growing up in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood during the 60s and early 70s, they don’t realize how much their friendship, and lives, will be affected, not only by their families, friends, and the place where they live, but also because of the turbulent decade that forged their entire generation. Susan Toy paints a vivid picture of a young woman’s journey dealing with the complications of friendships, dating, that unique relationship between mother and daughter … and the consequences of naively believing anything can last forever.

 

The Story Behind the Story: 

While rummaging around in my writing files I had stored on the computer (and I have a number of those files that haven’t seen the light of day in quite some time!), I came across the manuscript for Wake Up, Maggie that I honestly did not remember writing, let alone completing. (I know I wrote this when I was still living in Calgary during the mid-twenty-teens, between publishing my first novels, and it may have even been one of my entries for NaNoWriMo during the time.) When I reread what I discovered, I couldn’t stop thinking, “Did I really write this?” I passed it along to my partner to read, and he confirmed the manuscript was good, and the story complete enough (very high praise from him, I might add), that I should consider publishing it. Just to be sure there would be interest in this new novel, I passed around that (now-edited) manuscript to author-and-reading-friends, and high school friends with whom I was still in contact, as well as to the librarian in St. Bride’s, who printed a copy she then circulated among other friends in town. The response I received from everyone was very enthusiastic, so I went ahead and published the book myself, with the assistance of HumanPoweredDesign of Calgary, as I have done with my previous books. 

The idea for the cover design came from original art by Mark Bartlett, a friend who not only attended the same high school, but also lived on my street, closer to the boardwalk. I commissioned him to paint the Leuty Lifeguard Station, an iconic Beach landmark, and that’s what is on the front cover. On the back cover, I also included a photo I had taken of the same Station from another angle. Mark’s original painting is now on its way to me through the mail, and will be added to the “cover collection” of artwork already hanging on my walls. (I have commissioned art from several other artists I know personally for previous and future book publications.)

 

While Wake Up, Maggie is fiction, the story was inspired by, and does draw heavily upon, my own life of having grown up in Toronto during the late fifties to early seventies, and the two other places I lived after I moved away in 1972 - Queen’s University in Kingston, and Calgary. 

 

 

Website: Please go HERE. 

Buy the book HERE.

 

Thanks for being our guest, Susan. I’m anxious to read your story. I wish you continued success with your writing.

 

And a BIG thank you to all our visitors and readers.