Success Stories
Susan has helped a number of her students writers to self-publish their books. These writers are not unlike you. They started Writing With Susan and got the support and guidance they needed only to begin their projects but to keep on writing until they finished. Susan has helped them self-publish their books either on-line or through a local printer.
Lowell Fewster
In his 2019 memoir, “Journey Without Maps: Discovering My Way through the Peace Corps, the Church, Social Justice Ministry & Photography” Lowell Fewster tells how he was one of the first U.S. Peace Corps contingents in Nigeria in the early 1960 and how that experience shaped his life. As an American Baptist minister, Lowell has been a pastor, campus minister, seminary administrator and regional church leader. He and his wife, Julie, attended Susan Omilian’s “From Memory to Memoir” class in Windsor, Connecticut and both produced memoirs. Lowell wrote of working with Susan: “Essential help in the creation and writing of this memoir came from Susan — teacher, writing coach and editor. I took her memoir-writing class three times. (I hope I finally got it right!) Susan has encouraged me, shown me the way and enabled this memoir to become a reality.”
read moreJanina B. Nawarskas
“One day in May, 1947, three years after a tearful separation with my family at the German border, I saw a man speak with a war refugee and walk toward me. I stared at him. He seemed to know me, but I didn’t. He stooped down and said, ‘I am your father.’ “
read moreLori Rea
Loretta (we know her as Lori!) Vandivier Rea has published her book, Ghosts of the Connecticut River through Trafford Publishing. It’s a great collection of stories of strange happenings on the river!
read moreSharon Hackleman
Sharon Hackleman self-published her first children’s book, Marion the Magnet’s First Mission, to teach kids about the law of attraction with her character’s “Easy as 1-2-3, Think it to be!” lesson. Sharon thanked Susan in the introduction of the book “for being
read moreBuy a War Bond, Sign a Bomber
In memory of their mother, Josephine Siembor Omilian, Susan and her siblings self-published a booklet about their mother’s World War II service. Her brother Frank wrote and researched the piece while Susan did layout and production design.
read moreTown of Manchester, Connecticut Senior Center
Susan has self-published two books of essays written by the students in the From Memory to Memoir writing classes she teaches at the Town of Manchester, Connecticut Senior Center. They include The Way We Were: A Collection of Memories,
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