A Book, An Island, and A Dream

"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; we will understand only what we are taught." ~Baba Dioum

I always wanted to learn scuba. For years, I waited for my daughter to grow and share my love of the water. That never happened. She was too much like my husband, they swam like rocks.

The drive to learn was too deep. I went to my local dive shop and signed up to take classes, alone. It was a life changing decision. I was pleased to discover many "single" divers in my class. Several of us have become lifelong friends.

The ocean life I discovered filled me with wonder. Have these creatures been here all along? Why didn't I come and take a look sooner? I was over-joyed by the experience of swimming with the fish. I wanted to share that experience with others.

I set out to write a book about the ocean. My early drafts of On Bonaire had no central relationship and very little character interaction or development. After all, I just wanted to show readers the magical life found under the sea.

As I developed my craft of writing, I realized I had to add to my story. I increased the love interest, added several conflicts, and developed the characters, all while keeping Bonaire, and the ocean, the staring characters.

The book was completed well before self-publishing was available. The finished book then sat on my shelf. I didn't have the gumption to blindly send manuscripts to editors. Many of them wanted to see what I had already published, and a list of the awards I'd won. It was all very discouraging.

On Bonaire sat quietly for years. Then came the ability to self-publish my labor of love. I still couldn't have done it alone. I have to thank friends and family who were my first readers. I worked with editors who helped me strengthen the story and tighten up the pace. The end result was a travel adventure, women's fiction novel that became, On Bonaire: A Lyle Cooper Story.

Inspired by Baba Dioum, I hope to teach my readers that deserving creatures live under the sea. I want them to understand how life there, both large and small, need our help to survive. I dream that my readers will be moved to love and conserve our oceans.

With Love,

Anne Bennett