Meet the People Behind the Scenes at
Persis Granger's
BEAVER MEADOW PUBLISHING

Thurman, NY, Business Number 1001

Persis Granger ~ author

I was raised on a dairy farm in the small town of Hillsdale, NY. After college, my husband Richard and I fell in love with the Adirondack region, and we moved with our two daughters to Thurman, NY, in 1976.

I've loved to read ever since I learned how, and I grew up with novels tucked under my mattress, in the laundry basket, and in a secret hiding place beneath an unused heat register in my bedroom floor. I guess it was just natural that I would love writing, too, but it took me a long time to get around to it.

When my kids were grown I wrote an occasional article for the local papers, and finally, in 2002, I published my first book, a nonfiction work for adults called Shared Stories from Daughters of Alzheimer's: Writing a Path to Peace. That gave me the confidence to write Adirondack Gold and the Adirondack Gold Teacher's Guide. On July 1, 2008, Adirondack Gold II: A Summer of Strangers made the scene. It picks up the story of Hollis Ingraham in 1898, and has a lot of mystery and intrigue.

It takes a lot of help to create books, and my family pitched in. My husband and youngest daughter contributed the illustrations, and the rest of my family became my support staff. Read about them below. To order books, click here. I continue to enjoy freelance work, and have had pieces published in Adirondack Life, Adirondack Family, Orlando Woman, Ecolocal Guide, Adirondack Guest Informer and BackRoads,.

Book writing has opened many wonderful doors for me. I visit schools, libraries, book clubs and support groups to present programs, and I've met such neat people. Somehow, that led me to begin hosting events for writers, begun in 2006 with writer Cassie Selleck, who has since left the business. I welcome inquiries about the Adirondack Mountain Writers' Retreat (this year a three-day memoir workshop with Irene Sherlock) and the St. George Island (FL) Writers' Retreat for Women (with outstanding YA novelist Adrian Fogelin). Writers may register and pay from this web site.

I am a member of The Adirondack Center for Writing, Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council, Writers and Editors, International Women's Writing Guild, and have pages on Facebook, MySpace, Author's Den, LinkedIn, Etsy, JacketFlap (http://www.jacketflap.com/pgranger) and probably some other places I registered on in the middle of the night on some wild and crazy impulse. I've found useful written material on the websites of all of these organizations (and more), as well as Poets and Writers, Inc. (See links for these groups on my page of resources for writers.) I also have a blog, accessed at http://persisgranger.blogspot.com/.

Laurel (Granger) Nittinger ~ illustrator

I've always enjoyed drawing, so when my mom asked me to illustrate these books for her, I was more than happy to take on the task. I took a few drawing and painting courses for fun while earning my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Now I'm employed by Mehigan, Robert & Bellone, Inc., of Schenectady, New York, as a communications consultant for the New York State Department of Civil Service Employee Benefits Division. I still like to draw and paint in my free time and also enjoy graphic design and woodworking. I live in South Bethlehem, New York, with my husband John, sons Charlie and Will, and dog Chester. John helps Mom with her computer problems, and Charlie and Will add comic relief.

Richard Granger drew the maps.

Here's a little information about him:

I'm the author's husband. I grew up in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, and my friends and I used to spend hours in the woods building hideouts from branches, logs and scrap lumber. In 1989, after I was grown up, I decided to build a real house out of logs cut from our own woods at the foot of Crane Mountain. It was a big project, and after it was done I built four more small log cabins. Before I began building log cabins, our family had a small farm where we raised and preserved most of our own food.

Robin Granger ~ proofreader

I love details, so proofreading is the perfect job for me! I earned my Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications from Potsdam College of the State University of New York in 1988 and have spent the majority of my career in marketing and event planning. I am currently Vice President of Communications and Member Relations for The Chamber of Schenectady County. I live in Clifton Park, New York, with my husband Steve, son Clark and two dogs. Every chance we get, we head north to the Adirondacks and our second home, Beaver Meadow Lodge. Contact: rgranger@nycap.rr.com.

Steve Buckbee ~ book designer

Before the book can go to the printer, a book designer has to get it formatted and insert the illustrations. Steve Buckbee used his extensive experience in printing to prepare Adirondack Gold. He also advised me on sections of the book dealing with hunting and survival skills. Here's what Steve has to say:

I'm Steve Buckbee, son-in-law of the author, and I absolutely live to be in the woods! I have a Bachelor of Science in Technology Education from the State University of New York at Oswego. In 2002, I became a New York State licensed guide in hunting, fishing and camping so I could spend more time on the land I own in the Adirondacks in Thurman, New York.

I'm owner and operator of New York Outdoor Adventures (NYOA), a guiding and booking service for outdoorsmen across New York State. Prior to forming NYOA, I was a partner in Digital Page LLC, a printing and prepress company in Albany, New York. I live in Clifton Park, New York, with my wife Robin, stepson Clark, chocolate Labrador Spencer, and step-beagle Patch. I'll be helping with the Adirondack Mountain Writers' Retreat in August 2008. You haven't lived till you've tasted my breakfast sandwiches cooked over a campfire when the mist is rising off the beaver pond! Contact: sbuckbee@nycap.rr.com

Clark Rischbieter was the book's first critic, listening carefully to the early drafts of the first chapters. He also prodded me to hurry up and get it done, and posed for the illustrations on both book covers. Here's a little bit about Clark:

I'm Clark Rischbieter, grandson of the author. I may not be a native of the Adirondacks, but they're sure in my blood! I'm a junior in the Shenendehowa School District of Clifton Park, New York. I have straight A's, and my best subjects are science and math. I play bass and do vocals in a band called "Enigmatic Heart" that my friends and I started. I also enjoy guitar and graphic design. I love to visit my grandparents and Beaver Meadow Lodge in Thurman, New York, where I can ride my four-wheeler. I live in Clifton Park with my mom Robin, stepdad Steve and two awesome dogs. Visit my band's web site at http://www.myspace.com/enigmaticheart, or see our T-shirts and CDs at http://enigmaticheart.bigcartel.com/ .

Tom Kennedy is a long-time family friend of the Grangers and one of the Crane Mountain Valley Boys, the Beaver Meadow Lodge house band. He plays guitar and mandolin.

Tom is the Magnet Resource Technology Specialist at Beal Elementary School in Springfield, MA, and has a long-time interest in web developmemt. He has been designing web pages for schools since 1995, and is an advocate of Linux, Apple, and alternative operating systems. He is Beaver Meadow Publishing's original web site creator. (It worked perfectly till I started messing with it. If I've created problems, please notify me by clicking the contact link on the navigation bar. I'll try to fix it. PRG)

Along with his wife, Diane, and his two daughters, Katelyn and Colleen, Tom lives in Easthampton in Western Massachusetts. He can be reached at tjkenn@charter.net