Release Date: October 19th, 2021
About The Book:
SUSAN’S FIRST BOOK HOLDING FAST: A Memoir of Sailing, Love, and Loss is the story of leaving everything behind to follow her husband’s lifelong dream of sailing away. Many people dream of escaping reality but few actually go.
Blond, blue-eyed, irreverent John bursts into Susan’s life in her twenties with a dream of sailing off. Susan dreams of settling down and doesn’t want to go. A three-year voyage with their young daughter profoundly changes their lives. A gripping adventure story and an inspirational memoir of finding our power in the unlikeliest of places.
About The Author:
Susan Cole has lived on or around sailboats for more than thirty years. In between sails, she earned a B.A. at Barnard College, an M.A. in Psychology at Columbia University, and for many years, ran a successful market research firm in New York.
Susan was born in Cleveland, Ohio. When John talked her into buying a romantic, leaky 1903 48-foot Fire Island ferryboat to live on, her unexpected life on the water began. Then, she persuaded him to buy a house, and hoped John’s sailing dreams would fade. When their daughter Kate was seven, they left Connecticut behind and sailed to the Caribbean.
Now, years later, John has passed away but Susan’s spirit of adventure lives on in New Orleans where she lives with her cat, Ollie. Kate has become a worldwide traveler who lives in Vancouver, Washington with her husband and baby boy.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susancoleauthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/susancoleauthor
Book Blurbs:
“A wife follows her husband to sea and finds herself along the way in this memoir…A perfect, realistic counterpart to Amity Gaige’s Sea Wife (2020), Cole’s moving memoir is emotionally astute, and her use of excerpts from the Laughing Goat’s log provides welcome insights into John’s perspective. Vivid characterizations…The author’s voice is so assured…” —Kirkus Reviews
“Susan Cole’s honest and poignant memoir is an adventure story and love letter wrapped in one. Holding fast can require letting go, and for Cole, following her husband’s dream to sail away leads her to discover unknown strengths within herself, and everything she needs to make it home. A heartwarming read.” — Jennifer Rosner, author of The Yellow Bird Sings
“Thoroughly absorbing… Vivid story of survival and adaptation that operates on many different levels, promising to attract not just readers of true-life adventure, but those who want stories of endurance and moving forward…Enlightening, moving.” —D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Bloggers On Tour:
Oct. 15th – Bookoholic Cafe https://instagram.com/bookoholiccafe
Oct. 28th- Books and Coffee MX https://instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx
Nov. 8th – Noor The Bookworm https://instagram.com/noorthebookworm
Nov. 11th- Rajivs Reviews https://instagram.com/rajivsreviews
Nov. 14th- Miss W Book Reviews https://instagram.com/misswbookreviews
Nov. 24th -Books Love And Understanding https://instagram.com/booksloveandunderstanding
Dec. 3rd- Bookphile Belle https://instagram.com/bookphile_belle
Dec. 4th- Rebecca Well Read https://instagram.com/rebecca_well_read
Dec. 8th – Rozier Reads and Wine https://instagram.com/rozierreadsandwine
Dec. 10th- Delightfully Booked https://instagram.com/delightfullybooked
Dec. 11th -Novels and Latte Book Club –https://www.facebook.com/groups/357651988042629
Dec. 15th – Lindas Book Obsession https://www.facebook.com/lindasbookobsession/
Suzy Approved Book Tours 