AUBURN NATIVE PREPARES
FOR FIRST BOOK RELEASE
BY TERESA A. FRANCO
NEWS STAFF WRITER
Writing a novel may take quite awhile for some writers, but it only took a couple months for
Tracy Brusa to become an author. The Auburn native’s first book is due to hit bookshelves of several
local bookstores by the end of this week. The book, entitled “I am Not Your Eve!” is a young
adult thriller and the first of a series she began writing in March. She is currently working
on the third book. Before putting pen to paper, Brusa was a fulltime mother.
However, she said becoming an author has always been one of her dreams.
“I’ve always had a passion for writing,” Brusa said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do in
my life.” The series is about a 14-year-old girl named Rose, based on Brusa’s
daughter Briana, who is struggling at home. When Rose goes for a walk one day, she is confronted
by a beastlike character named Quench who forces her to go on a killing sprees with him. He
threatens to harm the girl’s family if she does not comply with his wishes.
The story is based in Shrewsbury, where Brusa currently resides, and surrounding
areas, as well as Kennebunk, Maine, where she and her family vacation. She said her hometown,
Auburn, is also mentioned in the series.
Brusa based Quench around a monster allegedly spotted in the 1800s called Spring Heeled Jack.
Originally, she said she wanted to write something about the monster, but then decided to create
another character with some of his qualities. Her youngest daughter,
Heather, 10, is a fan of superheroes, Brusa said, so she gave her mother some ideas for Quench.
Brusa said she decided to write a young adult book because she wanted to create something that would
encourage people to read. “I wanted to do something they would want to pick up and read and
not turn them off,” she said. “It’s definitely a compelling book in that way.”
Purchasing the book will not only give the reader some entertainment,but they’ll be assisting a charitable
cause. Ten percent of the proceeds from each book go toward the program Heather’s Cause at
Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services. The program, Brusa said, is for children with mood disorder
and is named after her youngest daughter, who is bipolar. Brusa is self-publishing her book
through Author House. She said she chose this route over sending her manuscript to publishers because
she’ll have more say in how the book is produced, such as the title and the front cover of the book.
“I really like to have control over the book,” she said. While attending Auburn High School in the mid-1980s, Brusa said she took an English literature class that sparked her interest in writing.
She later took creative writing classes at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, where she
wrote numerous short stories. Brusa said she has always had a love of reading. Two of her influences
are Tess Gerritsen, who writes thrillers based around her home state of Maine, and Stephanie
Meyer, author of the “Twilight” series. For aspiring writers who have yetto be published, Brusa said they
should keep striving for that dream.“Don’t let people tell you that you can’t do it — if you have the passion for it, you can do it,” she said. “Stick to your goals.”Brusa acknowledged that writing
takes up a lot of time and said she is grateful for the support she has gotten
from her husband Christopher and three children. “I’ve been literally writing and not doing much of anything else,” she said. Though the writing may be timeconsuming, Brusa said the process
of writing the book has been fun. She said she particularly enjoyedhitting the words “The End,” while
finishing up her book at a park. “It was an amazing feeling,” she said.
Brusa has several local book signings this summer. On Saturday, June 26, she has a signing at Tatnuck
Bookseller in Westborough, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and that same day
she will be at the Auburn Mall from 2 to 5 p.m. On Saturday, July 10, she
has a book signing scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. at Borders in Shrewsbury.Once her book becomes live, it will be available at the bookstores listed and may also be purchased on Amazon.com and her Web site
http://tracybrusa.vpweb.com/.
Teresa A. Franco may be reached
at 508-909-4136 or e-mail her at tfranco.
stonebridgepress.com.