IS NOT A MATTER OF BEING A WRITER…

IT IS A MATTER OF WRITING; THEN REWRITING, AND REWRITING, AND REWRITING, AND REWRITING AND REWRITING AND REWRITING…

Although I wanted to become a writer, I never intended to self-publish. However, after winning the 2017 Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest for Nonfiction, I was awarded a meeting with a West Coast literary agent. The meeting was flattering—he praised my manuscript—but clarified that a traditional deal for 17th‑century history was unlikely. Only scholars with existing publishing records stood a chance. So, nowI publish DBA (‘doing business as‘) Scéalta Sinsear (Irish for “Ancestor Stories”) in the following formats: hardcover, paperback, eBook, and PDF formats.

My post-retirement obsession with writing stems from a determination to share stories of my ancestors. To accomplish this, I have had to learn to craft the books myself, every step from cover and interior design to typesetting, indexing, graphic layout, ISBN purchase, Library of Congress registration, pricing, and distribution. Over time, I became a one‑person publishing studio, producing limited‑edition hardcovers, paperbacks, e‑books, and PDFs.

My writing journey is intertwined with my family life. While caring for my grandsons, I snatched time to research and design covers, often working with a baby on my shoulder. To finish chapters, I would set my alarm for 3 AM. That dedication earned me both insight and exhaustion. As I often joke, the weight of my research is like the “chains” Jacob Marley wore in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. However, my “chains” have been “knitting eyebrows” with my seventh great‑grandfather, Reverend John Cotton (1584–1652), whose story has fueled my new book, A Tale of Two Bostons.

Today, I write from home in Austin, Texas, and created this website and BA Cotton Online.