A week after moving from Presque Isle, Maine, to our new home, the Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut, I received terrible news: Florence Zettergren, 63, had died following her long battle with cancer.

It’s no newsflash that midlist authors cherish the indies. Yet even among independent booksellers, Florence Zettergren, owner of Pieces of Eight in Presque Isle, was a treasure. She welcomed authors with open arms, supported her local arts scene with a deep passion, and put on author events that were the things of a lowly scribe’s dreams.

Welcome back. Thanks for taking the time to visit. I hope you like the revamped Website, courtesy of Shawn Lahey and SLiNK Designs. I write this from the island known to authors as “between contracts.”

As a writer, you hope not to be pushed into shark-infested waters of self-doubt by publishers who reject your work. As a published writer, you hope not to make a decision that lands you in the water. Either way, your ego gets chewed up.