Avis A Townsend

My association with Arcadia Publishing began when I attended a meeting of The Write Touch writers group in Lockport, NY.  A woman from the Buffalo Library was speaking to us, and she held up her book on Buffalo that she had printed with Arcadia.  She mentioned that the publisher was looking for books on towns all across the United States, so I bought her copy to get an idea of what I'd have to do, and I sent a proposal and query letter to Arcadia for my home town of Newfane.

They accepted my proposal, and the book, "Newfane and Olcott," had begun.  However, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  I only had thirty days to come up with 200 photos, plus design the book and create the text.  With only five days to go, I thought I was toast, but then a collector came through with 40 photos, so I was set.  I was very proud of the finished product, and it has sold a lot of books to the residents of Newfane and beyond.  It was released in February of 2005.

Because it went so well, and because I worked for the Wilson School District for sixteen years, I decided to try it again.  Working mainly with Charles Horton, Wilson's Historian, we finished the book with time to spare.   "Wilson," was released on August 15, 2005.

After I retired from the school, I took a part time job at a local veterinarian's office.  My co-worker there came from Albion, and she asked if I would do a book on her home town.  I contacted the historian from there, Bill Lattin, and between the two of us we put out a lovely historical book.  "Albiion" was released in December, 2005.

At the same time, a book store owner from Medina asked if I would do one for that town.  From the beginning, it was difficult.  There were few photos, and no one wanted to cooperate.  Finally, the historian from the Town of Ridgeway, of which Medina is a part, gave me a large stack of photos which had no identifications.  After interviewing several people and getting photos from others, Medina just made the deadline.  It came out the same day as Albion, but I must say it has not sold as well.  Some people in the Medina area were upset because I didn't call them for interviews, but I ran an ad in the Medina newspaper and wrote letters to each historical society.  I guess not all can be winners.

My last endeavor with Arcadia was a joint project with Hollis Canham, and the book "Carlton and Point Breeze" was released in July of 2006.  This book has sold very well, with proceeds going to the Orleans County Genealogical Society's Train Museum restoration project.  It was an adventure working with Holly, and we met several times at her mom's kitchen table, scanning photos and enjoying her mom's homemade soup and snacks.  When the train museum is complete, it will feature the orphan trains of the early 1900's, that transported children with no parents to areas where they would be adopted and cared for by new families.

My Writing

Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, my writing centers on the Niagara Frontier/Lake Ontario region.  This is a lovely area, with snow during the winter and swimming and fun in the summer.  We don't have tornadoes, but in the winter it can be scary with black ice.  I love this area and I love writing about it.

The books at the right are about towns on or near Lake Ontario.  Olcott is a hamlet of the Town of Newfane, and is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario.  Eight miles to the west is Wilson.  Both have lovely marinas and docking facilities.

Albion is about ten miles from Lake Ontario, and visiting the town is like stepping back into the 1800's, with its elegant buildings and churches.  It crosses the Erie Barge Canal.

Medina is situated on the Erie Canal, which is the reason Medina became the boom town it was.

Carlton is three miles from the lake, but Point Breeze is another hamlet sitting directly on its shores, with docks and sailboats a-plenty.