In the Shadow of the Dam: BERTHA 'VAN' EDWARDS NORTH with Bill Seymour

Fictional Gainesville and the real Downsville, N.Y. - In The Shadow of the Dam by Betha "Van" Edwards North with Bill Seymour - are merged not by choice, but by the rising waters of the Pepacton Reservoir. This haunting and fictional-historical memoir reveals how a quiet hamlet defined by modest lives, long-held customs, unspoken truths and carnal desire was upended by outsiders carving the reservoir and its dam to quench New York City's thirst. Nothing was spared-not the land, not the culture, not even the dead-as transformation swept through a valley. It is also the story of one girl's desire to escape as the past and present collide. Written over 60 years ago when the memories were fresh, this unpublished story now sees daylight as a last fierce act of love for the author, my grandmother. --- Bill Seymour.
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I've published books in every genre, from the corporate to the poetic, history and fiction, yet In the Shadow of the Dam isn't easily categorized. It's a captivating work of steamy fiction, civil disruption and greed written by an author who was edgy for her day.
Yet the book has a second dimension. It's is also a legacy, published not by author Bertha 'Van' Edwards North, but for the author by her grandson, Bill Seymour.
'Van', Bill's grandmother's nickname, submitted her book to publishing houses in the 1960s and got discouraged after receiving the rejection slips every aspiring author knows. She set the manuscript aside, and it gathered dust.
Besides a manuscript, 'Van's' legacy is a grandson, Bill Seymour, who relied on his grandmother for nurture and affection. With her as his mentor and parent-like confidant, Bill went on to become a successful writer, an appreciated educator and a widely-respected journalist.
Years following 'Van's' passing, as an act of tender affection, Bill resurrected the manuscript, assembled its elements, and brought it to fruition. Today we find it, as 'Van' had always dreamed, on retailers' bookshelves, available to all.
That her book is published is an example of giving thanks to the special individuals each of us has had in our lives, gentle mentors who helped us discover our passions and come to a better place. -- I. Michael Grossman, publisher.