Librarian’s second book published

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courtesy of amazon.com

Lisa Kent’s new book

Lisa Kent, Johnson State College Access Services Librarian and the online librarian for JSC’s External Degree Program, has released her second novel.

“Raising Evangeline” is a sequel to her debut book, “Peace Cottage,” which according to Kent, “has done very well in Vermont and Quebec.”

“Raising Evangeline,” like “Peace Cottage,” is published by Curiosity Thrills Press, a new imprint under Curiosity Quills Press.

Kent has a friend connected with Curiosity Quills Press who urged her to submit her first manuscript to the company. It was the only publisher she submitted it to, and they liked it so much they signed her to a contract for “Raising Evangeline” and are also publishing her next book, “Vineheart Farm.” Kent said, “I was incredibly lucky” when discussing her experience finding a publisher.

Her story is about a woman who leaves Vermont with her two daughters and starts over on the coast of Maine. The main character, Lucy, copes with the independence of her daughters, and begins to refocus on her own life as a potential love interest is introduced.

Writing has always been a passion of Kent’s, as she kept a diary as a youth, was an English major in college, and has continuously had jobs that involve writing as an adult.

She drew on some of her past experiences as part of her inspiration for “Raising Evangeline,” specifically her love for the sea. “I grew up on a landlocked farm and didn’t see the ocean until I was in college, so it’s always been a very special place for me and we try to get there as a family four or five times a year,” she said.

When asked if she based any of her writing on her own life Kent said, “I made sure to write about what I knew and I had enough experience to make a good story.”

Some of Kent’s favorite authors also influenced “Raising Evangeline” – writers like Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy. “I spend time on setting up a scene in a book and so did Pilcher and Binchy,” she said.  “I want to write on a caliber with some of the authors I enjoy and I read over and over again. I want to write a book that resonates and people remember it and they read it every year.”

Kent credits her readers for motivating her to write the sequel to “Peace Cottage.” “It’s because of them that it even exists. I thought the story was done,” she said.

Among the challenges she faced with her second novel, Kent said finding the time to write was perhaps the biggest.“Time!” she said emphatically. “After everything else is done, you’ve got 10 minutes, and you use that 10 minutes to write.”

The 286-page book took approximately a year of her using the precious spare minutes she could find to complete.

Kent has many book signings coming up in the local community, including Dec. 5 at the Bishop John A. Marshall School’s craft fair in Morrisville, Dec. 12 at Haymaker Card and Gift in Morrisville and Dec. 19 at Bear Pond Books Store in Stowe.

Up next for Kent is a book unrelated to her first two, called “Vineheart Farm,” which is scheduled to be released in June of 2016.