Four years ago this week I moved from my Crown Hill Farm, a house where I lived for 20 years—-longer than any place in my life. Part of the challenge in making that move was leaving behind a town where I had become an integral part of the community, and wondering if I’d ever find the same level of acceptance in my new hometown of East Aurora.
That wonder was quickly answered as East Aurora residents, business owners and media welcomed both me and my books for signings, writing workshops and interviews about my work. The exciting end result is that in my community I've become known not only as Christina Abt, but as Christina Abt the author.
The most recent example of such acknowledgment came compliments of The East Aurora Advertiser Newspaper and reporter Shelly Ferullo. Through one of my recent Money or Love Facebook posts Shelly and I agreed to interview about my new book . We chatted on the phone a few days later.
This is the second interview Shelly and I have shared, the first being two years ago with the publication of Beauty & Grace. She is a popular reporter for the paper and I was grateful for her interest and looked forward to her article.
Today I picked up the lastest copy of The Advertiser and searched for Shelly’s article. When I got to the Life and Leisure Section on page 5, I found that my author photo, book cover images and Money or Love story were not only on the page, they WERE the page….aside from a few ads and a wedding announcement.
After spending months tucked away in a writer’s coccoon trying to craft a story to engage readers, it’s hard to describe the impact of such public acknowledgment, especially when it appears in your hometown newspaper.
Suffice it to say, although I have only lived in East Aurora for a relatively short time, it is definitely feeling like home.