Sometimes, but ever so infrequently, middle-aged writers, after years of rejection from book publishers, finally do get their reward of having their work in print. This kind of rare victory was most recently celebrated in the brilliant new biography of author Penelope Fitzgerald, which recounts the writer’s remarkable literary rise to fame at the unlikely age of sixty.
And perhaps that same kind of epic, against all odds, tale of authentication is starting to unfold for Talbot County Free Library’s communications manager Bill Peak. After decades of countless hours of writing and research before and after his regular job, first with the National Association of Broadcasters, and more recently as the County’s “Library Guy” for programming, Bill Peak is starting to get his own due after the publication last month of The Oblate’s Confession by Eastern Shore-based Secant Publishing. Including positive reviews in such highly regarded literary journals as the Kirkus Reviews, which has called it “spellbinding.”
In his Spy interview, Bill talks about the roots of his novel, the challenges of writing about the 7th century from his 21st century Mid-Shore home, and his unique breakthrough after a short piece of his appeared in the Delmarva Review, and coping with the sometimes surreal experience of finally becoming a published writer.
This video is approximately five minutes in length. A humorous outtake can be found at the end of the video.
Mr. Peak’s novel is available at the News Center in Easton and the Bookplate in Chestertown or through the decidedly non-local Amazon website.
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