Meet the Author
BIO
Though I always wanted to call myself a writer, I took a winding, circuitous route. My path took me to publishing giants Harcourt and Simon & Schuster, where I worked as an editor and a publicist promoting other book authors. I went on to spend two+ decades in brand communications and strategic planning for colleges, Fortune 500 subsidiaries, and nonprofits.
A major health crisis in 2017 prompted me to take stock of my life and go out on my own. That’s when I founded Bungalow Hill, a solo shop that helps artists and writers tell their stories. My work with creative people inspired me to test my own limits as a writer.
Writing my first book, Little Giant , was much more difficult than I ever imagined, a labor of three years, but it’s changed most everything for the better. Finally, after years of frustration and self-doubt, I’ve found my path from the business realm to a more creative life.
I live in Midcoast Maine with my husband on a small hill overlooking a field ringed by pine trees. As the bird flies, it’s a 2,100 journey south from Maine to Aruba, the remote Caribbean island that’s the setting for Little Giant. Read on if you’re curious about how this story came to be….it all started under a mango tree.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
As a non-surfing baby boomer in your sixties, what inspired you to write a book about two Gen-X surfer dudes in the Caribbean?
It’s weird, I know. I was drawn to the paradox of Bula’s success. In our “bigger is better world,” here were two friends who built something remarkable by deliberately staying small. Their experience challenges most everything we think or hear about business and success.
David and Yair certainly challenged my default mindset: work hard, climb the corporate ladder, find happiness at the top. During Covid, it struck me I had leaned my ladder against the wrong wall. All my striving hadn’t made me happy. I had always wanted to write creatively, but I’d never found the courage or the inspiration. Discovering the Bula story was my rocket fuel. I figured, at my age, it was now or never.
How did you discover the story?
In September 2021, I booked a flight to Aruba to relax and reset after the pandemic. The first afternoon I sat down under a mango tree next to my stepson, David. Driving from the airport to his house, I’d seen all the shuttered shops and empty storefronts…the pandemic had hit Aruba hard. When I asked him how Bula had fared, David turned and looked at me: “Yair and I are fine, Bula is doing great, and we’re still having fun.” Right then my life changed. It wasn’t a rational decision, but I just knew I’d go to any length to solve the mystery of how a small business managed to weather a global pandemic and come out stronger.
I wasn’t looking for this story…the story found me.
What lessons can we learn from Bula?
That limitations can become advantages. Bula’s small size and isolated island location forced David and Yair to get creative and focus on their community. They created a business that fit their environment and values: stay friends, have fun, and do something beneficial. It amazes me that, during the twenty years it took them to build Bula, they never lost sight of these three simple ideals. Bula shows us that success doesn’t always mean scaling up…sometimes it means diving deeper and perfecting the model.
Why do you think the story resonates with readers?
We’re all looking for permission to define success on our own terms. The story shows us it’s possible to build something remarkable without sacrificing our souls.
What surprised you most about writing the book?
How universal the story is. Whether you’re in New England, the Netherlands, or the Caribbean, everyone understands the courage it takes to choose a different path.
Little Giant is being made into a documentary. How did that happen?
A collaboration of international partners, including Qredits and the Aruba Tourism Authority, contributed funding for a documentary based on the book. Sometimes a story is so visually and emotionally compelling, it almost demands to be made into a film. The documentary will let viewers experience the vibrant community and beautiful Caribbean setting that make Bula unique.
Why this book now?
Little Giant gives readers a hopeful alternative to the post-pandemic hustle culture. Lots of people are experiencing high levels of stress and loneliness, especially men. The book shows how David and Yair valued their friendship and work-life balance over a pure profit motive. Together, they created an amazing life for themselves by making their relationships a priority.
In popular culture, in books and movies, we don’t get to see the inner dynamics of a deep platonic bond like theirs. The book fills that void by showing us all the ways our friendships contribute to our longevity, creativity, and happiness.
What do you hope readers take away from the book and the documentary?
The courage to trust our instincts. Success doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s version. And it doesn’t always require a grand leap to get there. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply begin…and bring others with us on the adventure.