Coming Out of the Dark: Reentering My Community As A Published Author

On January 10, 1991, Gloria Estefan of The Miami Sound Machine released a song in tribute to the horrific accident she sustained in March 1990 when her tour bus was struck by an 18-wheeler. The near-fatal incident was traumatic, and yet Gloria insisted on not garnering any pity.

“After my accident, I couldn’t imagine going from being almost paralyzed to walking again. I made myself short-term goals to accomplish, such as walking an extra two feet, so each day I just went a little further,” she says. “Don’t think about that daunting thing that seems unattainable — think about what I can do today to be just that much closer to that goal.”

I well-remember when the song first hit the airwaves, and I haven’t heard it in many years. Recently, it popped into my head and has been on repeat for weeks now. I believe it all has to do with my reemergence into my community since being vaccinated, and for the first time in my life as a published author.

My debut novel, The Sound of Wings, released May 4, 2021. When lockdown befell our country last spring, I was in the process of my final edits which were due to my publisher May 1, 2020.

I am originally from the Hudson Valley, New York vicinity so being hunkered down and stuck inside due to snowstorms is something I know well. Quickly, I learned the beauty of Instacart and having my groceries delivered right to my front door, and like most of the world, I began sanitizing all the packages not knowing the real threat of this mysterious virus. I remained tied to my computer to continue the work on my manuscript. Since my yoga studio had closed, I began taking classes on Zoom in my living room. My whole world and life as I once knew it was now relegated to three rooms: my living room, bedroom, and the kitchen.

My first trip out of the house was in June 2020 to a neighboring town, Rio Grande, to have my eyes examined and to purchase new glasses. I spent the rest of the summer and autumn pretty much holed up at home, outlining my next novel. My contract began with my publicist the first week in November, and together, we hit the ground running.

Suddenly, I became extremely busy with promotion and marketing for my upcoming launch and had to put the new book I was working on off to the side. A stringent, concerted effort was made over those next several months as we prepared for the May launch.

By mid-May and with the virtual interviews behind me, it was time for a proper celebration. My husband and I made reservations at my favorite restaurant, Peter Shields Inn, located right on Beach Drive. Please note: I hadn’t been to a restaurant, let alone a supermarket, since March 2020, and I was in for quite a culture shock.

We headed into town the next day to the Washington Street walking mall set in the heart of Cape May. I could hardly believe what I was seeing—the town was as jam-packed as it is during the July 4th holiday. I didn’t know where to look, there was so much to see. I wasn’t prepared for all the stimuli wheeling around me. For weeks, I had been working on myself to prepare for those virtual interviews which—even though I was broadcasting from the safety of my own home—was a huge step outside my comfort zone.

On Sunday of that same special weekend, we were invited to a friend’s home where 50 locals set up beach chairs and gathered on her lawn to watch live performances all afternoon with some of the most talented performers, singers, and musicians in the area. The experience was not only moving, but magical. A long-time friend and fellow writer approached me to report he had just finished my novel and passed the book along to his wife who was reading it now. To hear fellow artists I deeply respect speaking about the characters in my story felt as if I was walking through a dream.

In The Sound of Wings, the monarch butterfly is a key symbol throughout the story. In so many ways, I felt as though I was emerging from my own cocoon, as I was coming out of the darkness in this year of isolation at my back and rejoining society. And if that wasn’t enough, I was doing so as a published author, at long last. And it was time for me to begin writing again. I opened my drawer and retrieved the outline for my next book. What I discovered was a real opportunity to reexamine the plot without constraints, rules, or judgment weighing me down. Along with the characters in my novel, I could feel my wingspan unfold, as I stepped out of my own way, and allowed my imagination to take flight.

—

SUZANNE SIMONETTI grew up in the New York suburbs just outside of the city. After earning a BS in marketing, she spent several years writing press releases, until she left her corporate job to focus on her passion for crafting fiction. She lives on Cape May Harbor with her husband. When not on her paddle board or yoga mat, she can be found at the beach trailing the shoreline for seashells, scribbling in her notebook, and channeling dolphins for meaningful conversation. Find her online at

Website: https://suzannesimonetti.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneSimonettiAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzannesimonettiauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExitZeroSuzi

THE SOUND OF WINGS, Suzanne Simonetti

Seventy-year-old Goldie Sparrows faces declining finances, questionable health, and a late husband who torments her from the beyond. She seeks refuge in her butterfly garden, which is filled with voices and memories from long ago.

Jocelyn Anderson is a struggling writer who finds escape from her custody battle in the journal of her late mother-in-law. As she gets pulled through the pages of time, Jocelyn discovers her own husband has a hidden history she knows nothing about. Is this secret now Jocelyn’s to keep?

Krystal Axelrod is living a life she never dreamed she could have. And yet the demons of a dysfunctional childhood and mean girl culture from her cheerleading days cast their shadow over her ability to feel whole, capable, and worthy. Does Goldie hold the key to Krystal’s path to freedom?

A masterfully crafted tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and the risks we take in the pursuit of justice.

“A story world so completely alive with the characters so real, I can feel them breathing behind me.”

—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times and USA TODAY best-selling author of With or Without You, Cruel Beautiful World, Is This Tomorrow, Pictures of You

 “Simonetti’s stirring novel excels at creating characters that are fully fleshed out and deeply committed to their artistic careers and their interpersonal relationships. The three principal characters are thoughtful and conscientious, and the deep dives into their thoughts and memories give sharp illustrations of their motivations and fears up to the touching conclusion.”

—Kirkus Reviews

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