Galloway Author to Hold Book Signing Saturday

Absegami High School graduate and former Galloway Township resident Denise Sabatine Smale always wanted to write a children’s book, but she never knew what she wanted to write about, exactly.

Then, six years ago, she gave birth to her first son, Jack. Jack is a curious child who is always asking questions, and his curiosity became the inspiration Smale needed.

Smale’s first children’s book, What if the Sun Didn’t Rise?, is the story of a little girl constantly posing questions throughout. Each of the book’s 30 pages has a large picture on it. It is illustrated by Smale’s nephew, Ryan Blowars, a student at Northampton Community College near Bethlehem, PA.

Smale will be signing copies of her book on Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Atlantic County Library System's Galloway branch.

“All my friends were asking me to send them signed copies, and I thought that might get a little expensive,” Smale said. “Then one of my friends suggested having a book signing at the library. I called them and they were very excited about it.”

The signing will be a part of the library’s “ which began on Monday and runs through Saturday.

“They’re going to have a lot going on there,” said Smale, who has also participated in book signings at the library near her home in the Poconos, where she lives with her husband Richard and two sons.

“My husband brought the kids to a couple of signings,” said Smale, whose other son, Samuel, is 3 years old. “(Jack) thinks it’s cool, but he doesn’t understand the whole process yet.”

It’s a daunting process.

“It’s like people in the music business that spend go knocking on doors and say ‘Can you listen to this?’ and get shot down,” Smale said. “It’s the same thing. I go to publishers and say, ‘Can you read this?’ and they’ll turn you down without even knowing what the book’s about. Bigger companies won’t even look at you without an agent.”

Smale finally got her book published through Publish America, a self-publishing company. The book has been available since March on the company’s website and on Amazon.com.

Smale has also approached book stores in her area, but a number of them are closing.

“It’s discouraging,” Smale said.

Bookstores have been closing recently because of the explosion in popularity of e-readers.

“I don’t know if e-readers are huge sellers among kids,” Smale said. “They like to be able to look back and forth at the pictures, but that may all one day change.”

For now, Smale is going to work on promoting her book while beginning work on her next book, Santa, I Moved. She also has four other books written that just need work done to the illustrations.

To show support, residents in Galloway and the surrounding areas are invited to attend Saturday morning’s book signing. Smale also has a Facebook page.