12/05/2024
What’s your odyssey?
The life of Mary Overly Davis, a native Texan working as an architect in New York City, was upended in the late 1990s when her husband suffered a brain seizure in Central Park while walking with Mary and their 4-year-old daughter. She cared for him over his horrific six-year battle with an ultimately fatal tumor.
A decade ago, inspired by Homer’s poem The Odyssey, Mary began writing the story of her own epic journey—the illness, the death, and her attempts to regenerate her own life while nurturing her daughter.
When I became acquainted with Mary a year ago, her manuscript was stored in a closet. I talked her into letting me read it, and I found the singular story of a mighty women who was often dismissed or underestimated by those closest to her.
I signed on as her editor, and today (Mother’s Day) is official Publication Day for her memoir, Odysseus & Me, released by my little indie imprint, News Ink Books. It’s a lovely book, with original artwork by this multi-talented first-time author. Oh, and it’s written in poetic verse, a la Homer.
Mary takes readers on her own long, strange trip, aligning locations, friends, and enemies—both mortal and immortal—with those of The Odyssey as she explores the transient nature of human relationships. As Mary writes, “It’s a story of heartbreak, love and coming to terms with one’s innate character. It is also a story about an ordinary life. And some of it is true.”
Did I mention that it’s for sale? You can order a copy through your favorite bookstore—or click the link to the Odysseus & Me page on Amazon. You can order author-signed copies online from Diamond Hollow, the book’s great homeport bookshop in Andes, N.Y. http://diamondhollowbooks.com/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2Ss4KFVfbqi7Xp4ingniYXyb1lcJSimkwYy5mbvHFWiUAu5GsDpBklWL8_aem_AZtV3SQNeIME_KvXtayKEGZmT-avCEpW3Y9oESFZQR9Ck14Un09A4Q9RDx74C2Ssfw6rZ5o_7g0cVIu3kFVguFDQ
Thanks, friends.
Odysseus & Me: A Memoir
Wee Indie Book Publisher
