Today, my guest isMaria Sutton, author of The Night Sky: A Journey From Dachau to Denver and Back
which, BookReview.com called, "...a book of many parts, all fascinating." Her nonfiction book has 45 5-star reviews on Amazon.Maria's memoir, The Night Sky: A Journey from Dachau to Denver and Back, was born in the barracks of a German military command center, which had been converted to house Europe’s Displaced Persons after WWII.
Maria immigrated to America in 1951, and, at age 13, overheard a conversation that the man she had been calling “Dad” was not her biological father. Her book is the culmination of her 43-year quest to find her biological father who disappeared shortly after her birth in war-torn Germany.
Now, with her book a reality, Maria Sutton is an author with a book to promote. Like many of us, she has an idea of what she wants, but how does she make it happen? Please welcome Maria Sutton who will tell us how she got what she wanted, and how all of this began so long ago.
My 43 Year Journey To Truth
by Maria Sutton
Every writer wants to have an attention-getting quote from a New York Times bestselling author on the back jacket of his or her book because it translates into sales. I’ve read more “how to become a best-selling author” blogs than I care to remember and pretty much knew the tricks of the trade, so when my book was being finalized for printing, I began a quest to get that awesome sentence to proudly point to the world that if an NYT bestselling author recommends my story, it’s got to be a good one.
It didn’t take me as long as I thought it would to find just the right author. Within a few days, I came across Eric Wilson, author of Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel. He had been on the NYT list for three different books, and he had a special interest in Eastern European history. I couldn’t go wrong with this selection, so I brazenly sent him an email requesting a review. After all, the worst that could happen was a rejection, something to which I had become accustomed. To my utter disbelief, Eric accepted my request. Elated, I sent him my book, and then nervously awaited his review. The longer I waited, the more frantic I became—what if he hated my story? I would be ruined.
Within a few weeks Eric sent me a message, stating his review had been posted on Amazon. A few clicks later, I found the 4.5-star rating. His comments stated he gets many requests from authors wanting reviews and rejects most of them, but my request caught his attention because he wanted to know how 43-years of dry research could be turned into an interesting story. I breathed a sigh of relief: He thought I had done a near-perfect job of it.
How I Got To Where I Got
I should back-track to how I got to where I got. I am a fast writer, so when my friends told me I had to write this story, I did– nd whipped it out in a record four-month time period. Just as I was getting ready to send it out to Literary Agents who handled memoirs, a little voice inside of my head warned me to get my book critiqued. I luckily picked an Ivy-leaguer who was a published author. Expecting him to say my book was the best one he’s ever read, I reeled when he sent me his comments.
In essence he said it was a great story, but that I was nowhere in it and readers would want to know what kind of person would search for someone for 43 years, and why. This was quite a set-back. How was I going to make a boring person like me interesting, and how could I put myself in the story? After struggling with the format for several weeks, I remembered the many years of the front-porch conversations I had with my mother while she gently rocked in her creaking rocking chair as I sat on the tattered sofa, pad and pen in hand, writing the miniscule clues she inadvertently let slip—the clues that eventually led to finding my father.
It took me a year to re-write the book and another year to get it published. Looking back, that was the easy part. The hard part is that marketing is a never-ending job, but it has been exciting. I’m amazed at the number of organizations and people who have tracked me down through my publisher, inviting me to Author Readings/Discussions, radio interviews, book clubs, luncheons, and dinners.
My critic was right: People are going to want to know what kind of person never gives up until they find what it is they are seeking. If you’re curious about me or how I solved the mystery, please visit my website Maria Sutton The Night Sky to learn more about my journey to truth.
Takeaway Truth
Maria's book, The Night Sky: A Journey from Dachau to Denver and Back is available in local libraries, bookstores, and major ebook sellers like Amazon and Barnes&Noble.
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