BOOK NOOK By Nanete Wiser
The sixties are groovy again thanks to Donna Parrey’s two new books.
SIXTIES: A Journey Through and To and The MuttCracker are available just in time for the holidays. We caught up with Donna about her adventurous move from New Jersey to Pass-a-Grille and more.
How did you end up in Pinellas County?
After a New Jersey snowstorm dumped 22” of the white stuff at our apartment door in February of 1979, a NJ friend who had relocated to Pass-a-Grille invited us to visit. We did, and that was that! My hubby-at-the-time and I packed up and moved later that year.
What do you love about living in Paradise?
When I first relocated from New Jersey and arrived in Pass-a-Grille, it was like that scene in The Wizard of Oz … my life turned from black-and-white to technicolor! Even after living here for 40 years, the tall palm trees silhouetted against the blue skies still make my heart skip a beat.
How did you become a writer?
I’ve been a writer since Mrs. Casey assigned my 2nd grade class a project to write a storybook. Writing has been a constant thread throughout my life. It wasn’t until I retired that I actually thought about publishing.
Who do you read that inspires you?
It’s funny … I don’t write novels at all, but reading someone like Dean Koontz, who is such a master of setting and character, is inspiring. I also very much admire the story-telling voices of Mitch Albom and David Sedaris.
Why will baby boomers enjoy this book?
While the stories in SIXTIES: A Journey Through and To are mine, I’m hoping that baby boomers can relate to similar times in their lives … the neighborhood kids, memorable moments in school, leaving the nest, raising one’s own family, watching their parents age, and becoming grandparents themselves.
If my book sparks memories of their own, there are blank pages in the back to add their personal stories, like a do-it-yourself mini-memoir. Not everyone is inclined to write a book, but when boomers tell their stories to their kids and grandkids, they’re often encouraged to write them down, so I wanted to make it easy for them to do so.
You’ve shared some amusing anecdotes, unabashedly honest in this book.
In “Apple of His Eye” I share the humor of dating in my teens versus as a thirty-something after a divorce and then again as I approached sixty after a second divorce, as an over-ripe apple bobbing in the unfamiliar waters of online dating. In “Who Sez Nobody Wants My Stuff?” I tell the story of my childhood weekly dusting of a Marie Antoinette statuette I loved that I had found ‘garbage-picking’ in light of today’s frequent warnings to boomers that nobody wants our stuff. There are dozens of other essays, stories, and a few poems about changing music, fashion, photography, food fads, and more.
What sixties lessons can we all adopt now to make life better?
I can’t help but think of that ubiquitous peace sign we all flashed back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Peace now means so much more than our world-wide state of affairs. It’s relevant to our country, our neighborhoods, and our peace of mind, individually. It brings to mind the song lyrics, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
What’s next for you?
My first published book was The MuttCracker, a children’s holiday picture book featuring 15 breeds of dogs in the re-imagining of the classic Nutcracker story, was illustrated by a pet portrait artist. This time of year is usually dedicated to marketing. The MuttCracker is for holiday shoppers who have pet-lovers on their list. I’m a big proponent of pet adoption, so I’ve also written another pet-themed children’s book, called Romeow and Drooliet, about a talented tom cat and a sweet, ambitious bulldog, who bring their community together. I hope to publish that in 2021.
I will also continue to write personal essays and may create another themed collection. PN
HOLIDAY BOOKS…
Check out Tombolo Books, Book & Bottle or Barnes & Noble for great gifts.
- A Promised Land – Barack Obama
- Arising – Les Payne
- The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
- Dearly – Margaret Atwood
- One Life – Megan Rapinoe
- She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton – Sarah Smarsh
- S–T Naturally – Lindy West
- The Cold Millions – Jess Waters
- Memorial – Bryan Washington
- The Silence – Don DeLillo
- Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind – Peter Godfrey-Smith
- Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Confessions on the 7:45 – Lisa Unger
- Magic Lessons – Alice Hoffman
- The Library Book – Susan Orlean