Find Adventure Following the Mystic Seafarer's Trail

Author Designs Mystic Seafarer’s Trail Map

 

To Give Tourists an Easy-to-Follow Itinerary

 

Mystic, CT—Lisa Saunders, the author of the recently released book, Mystic Seafarer’s Trail, has designed a free trail map to hand out to tourists.

Available on her website and at some local businesses, tourists following the trail map will be sure to walk, bike or drive past historic tall ships, "The 7 Wonders of Mystic," and the haunts and homes of famous adventurers--living and dead--including the discoverers of the Titanic and Antarctica plus Amelia Earhart. Along the route, visitors will find places to shop or grab a bite, bike, boat ride or kayak.

Saunders of Mystic said, “Ever since I moved to Mystic three years ago, visitors stop me to ask where they should eat or what they should do. They assume I'm resident because I'm walking a dog. Wanting to learn more about Mystic myself when I moved here in the summer of 2010, with the help of locals, I found ‘The 7 Wonders of Mystic,’ tried several adventures--plus a few misadventures--and chronicled them for inclusion in my latest book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail. During my research, which included interviews with bridge tenders and historians plus flipping through dusty old files, I uncovered the secrets behind Amelia Earhart's wedding in nearby Noank, Captain Sisson's ill-fated search for gold during the clipper ship era, and the stories revealed by the shoes found at Titanic's watery grave.”

Upon discovering the route one should follow for the best views and adventures, Saunders now quickly advises visitors who hold up traffic on Route 1 to shout questions to her by handing them her Mystic Seafarer’s Trail map*. Figuring tourists might find the map online before coming to the Mystic area, she included Amtrak train and Peter Pan bus stops along with how to find information on accommodations, restaurants, points of interest and events. To download a copy of the map, visit www.mysticseafarerstrail.com or download: http://www.mysticseafarerstrail.com/files/67073740.pdf.

To learn more about the book, Mystic Seafarer’s Trail,, Saunders will be presenting the story and autographing copies at the following events:

Saturday, April 27, 1pm
Monte Cristo Bookshop
13 Washington Street
New London CT 06320
More info: (860)574-9056

Saturday, May 4, 10-1 pm
Bank Square Books
53 W. Main Street Mystic, CT 06355
More Info: (860) 536 - 3795

Saturday, May 18, 9a.m. - Noon
West Marine Mystic
14 B Clara Dr Mystic, CT 6355
More info: (860) 536-1455

Thurs, June 20, 6:30 p.m.
Local Authors @ The Groton Senior Center
"Amelia Earhart and the Mystic Seafarer's Trail."

Groton Senior Center
102 Newtown Rd
Groton, CT 06340
More info: 860-441-6750

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*According to Lisa Saunders, she designed the Mystic Seafarer’s Trail map using, with permission, maps from the book, Landmarks You Must Visit in Southeast Connecticut, by Constant Waterman.

About Mystic Seafarer’s Trail: While searching for the Seven Wonders of Mystic with her beagle/basset hound, author Lisa Saunders uncovers the secrets behind the Titanic's shoes, Captain Sisson's hunt for gold, and Amelia Earhart's Noank wedding. But will she ever find an adventure of her own--one that will make her thin and famous? Enough to afford a housekeeper? When walking the Mystic Seafarer's Trail (which Lisa designed for those who don't like to go uphill), she meets a blind sailor who invites her on a long, winter voyage. Can this plump writer defy squalls, scurvy, and her fear of scraping barnacles to survive this epic journey? Available in soft cover and e-book, the “LOOK INSIDE!” reveals the first few chapters.

About the Author: Lisa Saunders is an award-winning writer living in Mystic, Connecticut, with her husband and beagle/basset hound. A graduate of Cornell University, she is the author of several books and works as a part-time history interpreter at Mystic Seaport. She is a member of the Mystic River Historical Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (Anna Warner Bailey Chapter), and is the parent representative for the Congenital CMV Foundation. More info: www.authorlisasaunders.com, saundersbooks@aol.com

 

 

The Lisa Saunders TV Talk Show

The Lisa Saunders Show

Community Television for Groton, Ledyard, Mystic,

Stonington, North Stonington, and Voluntown

CHANNEL 12

 The Lisa Saunders show airs on Wednesdays, 8 p.m. and Lisa uploads it to Youtube*

Videographers: Suzanne Doukas Niermeyer and Suzanne Janso

The Lisa Saunders Show informs, entertains and introduces viewers to people who make their community a better or more interesting place to live.

Southeastern Connecticut Television Studios

www.sec-tv.org

80 Plaza Court

Groton, CT 06340

Studio Phone: 860-449-1477

email: info@sec-tv.org

Located in the Groton Shopping Plaza between the Groton Post Office and Benny's

Frank Facchini,ffacchini@sec-tv.org

Frank Fulchiero, ffulchiero@sec-tv.org

Phone number for call-in shows: 860-445-7499. 

TIPS FOR APPEARING ON TV:

TIPS FOR APPEARING ON TV: Clothing: Solid, darker colors seem to look best. Avoid wearing a lot of shiny jewelry. Hair: make sure your style does not hide your face--especially if the camera shoots you from the side. Makeup: Wear what you normally would, but remember that the bright lights may make you looked washed out. Lipstick and eyeliner might help! Material: Bring list of topics you can discuss, five questions you can be asked, and a few props if possible. Prior to your appearance, send in: 1. Your name with any title or occupation: (include a website or phone number/e-mail if you would like that posted on the T.V. screen. Sample: Lisa Saunders, author & speaker www.authorlisasaunders.com www.saundersbooks@aol.com 2. What you would like to be called on the television program: Sample: Lisa 3. Address, email, phone (for studio use, not public): 4. One paragraph bio and a few possible questions to be asked. Sample: Lisa Saunders is an award-winning writer living in Mystic, Connecticut, with her husband. A graduate of Cornell University, she is the author of several books and freelances as a publicist and workshop facilitator.  She is a part-time history interpreter at Mystic Seaport and a field agent for National Field Service Corporation, and is the parent representative of the Congenital CMV Foundation working with healthcare professionals and politicians to prevent the #1 viral cause of birth defects. Visit Lisa at: www.AuthorLisaSaunders.com If you have less than 8 or so "slides," they can be imported into the switcher, and then the camera can switch to them when referenced.They would need to be already arranged in the right order and numbered. The studio would need those by 11 am that day, Wednesday (along with the way your want  your name, title and contact info to appear on the screen). The slides should be emailed as JPEGs, with a resolution of at least 1024x768, a fairly common one for output or input into PowerPoint.With the slides in the switcher, the film crew would need some kind of verbal "cue" to put up the right slide, and when to take it off. Sample comments on the air would be: "now show slide 1" and "that's good.. " (which would mean the camera can come back on you). You can also go back and say "let's go back to slide 3" etc…    *Sample Shows Uploads: Lisa Saunders discusses shipwreck artifacts with Captain Bill Palmer Lisa Saunders interviews author, model and B&B owner, Pam Collins Fisk of New London, CT Lisa Saunders interviews Dr. Joanne Moore & Rachel Baer about insomnia and yoga Lisa Saunders interviews Kelly Matis at Mystic Aquarium about seal rescue and sea lions Lisa Saunders Show: Emergency Coordination, Northeast Utilities Theme song to The Lisa Saunders Show: "I'm Worth It" (Un Grand Sourire) written and performed by Connie Howard www.conniehowardmusic.com See Connie’s interview, which includes performance: Lisa Saunders Show and Connie Howard, Singer/Songwriter (part 1)   Note: If you are a guest on my show and don't live in the Mystic area, you may be able to bring a DVD of the show to your local public access station for airing. You would then be the "sponsor" and would need to fill out a form. PURA: http://www.ct.gov/pura/site/default.asp Public Access Studio Listing http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/dpucinfo.nsf/3fcf2cde5ae350e98525742e004bf71e/2f15d694c6ccca04852564f700551630?OpenDocument  If you want to submit jpeg images beforehand and don't have your own, consider these sites for  images/video:  Online catalogue at the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/) for historic, royalty-free images http://www.gettyimages.com/ You can also try this site: http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/public-domain-photographs.html *Sample Shows Uploaded to Youtube: Lisa Saunders interviews Captain Bill Palmer, shipwreck explorer and author Lisa Saunders discusses songwriting with singer Connie Howard (part 1) Lisa Saunders discusses songwriting with singer Connie Howard (part 2) Lisa Saunders interviews Pam Collins Fisk, Coastal Cottage Inn Dr. Joanne Z. Moore discusses insomnia, yoga, and Pathfinder magazine for widow/ers Older shows: Cindy Modzelewski, kayaker:Cindy featured on TV talk show, "Dreamers & Doers" (first show taped on 3/18/13) Mary Murphy, cosmetology student at Grasso Tech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZzjybsD2tE&feature=youtu.be/ (2nd show taped on 3/25/13) Kathleen T. Poole, Chinese Herbs http://youtu.be/pgGQZ3_Kmqw (first show taped on 4/15/13) Tom Santos, author, discusses surviving the loss of his son with author Lisa Saunders and Julie Russell, LCSW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgIzJ7Kvd6c  Lisa Saunders and Julie Russell interview: Kristin Hartnett - Facilitator, Laughworks: School of Improv. Facebook/Laughworks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7tol1cizWc  April Brunelle of April's Balloons Creations & Rochelle Weinrauch of Simply Enchanted:  http://youtu.be/i0A_LOjWa9Q Alethea Grant, Harpist Part II (contact: gracenglory1@juno.com): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFfdYRO-N3k  Alethea Grant, Harpist Part I (contact her at: gracenglory1@juno.com): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao7lfuJaV1M Liz Caswell, Hobby Farmer (Elizcaswell@yahoo.com),  http://youtu.be/qAyKDvnqKcg Lisa Saunders interviews Janet Purinton, Regent, CT DAR, Anna Warner Bailey Chapter      Lisa Saunders discusses the upcoming Martha Washington Tea hosted by the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution Lisa Saunders and Julie Russell interview Lynn Zakowski, inventor of Healing Cream     Lynn Zakowkski, Invented Healing Cream. 860-691-0660, hzakowski@ct.metrocast.net, Website: www.lynnsnaturalhealing.com… Lisa Saunders interviews Kathy Freeman of Beech Brook Farm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC9HwoojSjQ&feature=em-upload_owner Lisa interviewed Christopher Jones, owner of Monte Cristo Bookshop in New London. He loves to promote authors and host events! If you are an author, he would like to hear from you! See "Dreamers & Doers" at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnY9wx2Xhas&feature=youtu.be More info: http://www.montecristobookshop.com Amelia Earhart marriage license, Lisa Saunders, author, and Betsy Moukawsher, Groton Town Clerk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBa4C-Sdsv8&feature=youtu.be Lisa Saunders and Patrick Bailey discuss history of beer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBiMTG6vZwA&feature=youtu.be Captain Bill Palmer discusses shipwreck diving with Lisa Saunders. Includes clip of dives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE97K3xeFA4&feature=youtu.be To purchase Palmer's book, The Last Battle of the Atlantic: The Sinking of the U-853,  or to schedule a shipwreck/fishing trip, contact Captain Bill Palmer, (203) 269-0619, captainbillpalmer@gmail.com, www.thunderfishcharters.com More info about Lisa Saunders or her book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail, visit: www.authorlisasaunders.com or write to: saundersbooks@aol.com Ever True: Union Private and His Wife. Reading by Marcus Fisk, Dick Avazian and Lisa Saunders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYv6TC-vP4U&feature=youtu.be Lisa Saunders gives her congenital CMV presentation about her daughter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPlIxc-01so&feature=youtu.be Lisa Saunders discusses shipwreck artifacts with Captain Bill Palmer: http://youtu.be/mf6Hk6iiX18 or: Lisa Saunders interviews Captain Bill Palmer, shipwreck explorer and author Lisa Saunders discusses songwriting with singer Connie Howard (part 1): http://youtu.be/n-srOfzWaJA Lisa Saunders discusses songwriting with singer Connie Howard (part 2):  http://youtu.be/ufNrMR7E-Kg Lisa Saunders interviews Pam Collins Fisk, Coastal Cottage Inn bedandbreakfast.com/new-london-Connecticut, 339-788-0521, pcollins0404@hotmail.com  To learn more about her upcoming book, Innkeeper's Diary, visit short video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtDronj_s90 Dr. Joanne Z. Moore discusses insomnia, yoga, and Pathfinder magazine for widow/ers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDWegDRCG8E&feature=youtu.be

  

FREE e-booklet: Surviving Loss--The Woodcutter's Tale

This full color booklet is ideal for individuals who have experienced a loss and provides professionals a useful method to assist the bereaved. It includes a grandfather’s touching fairytale that has the ability to soothe the aching hearts of children and adults as it reveals the process of healing after the death of a loved one. The afterword, written by Julie Russell, LCSW, seeks to help individuals understand the grieving process and to return to a life with purpose and meaning.

Lisa Saunders, the author of Surviving Loss: The Woodcutter’s tale, discusses the ways in which she is trying to move forward to honor the memory of her deceased daughter.

Surviving Loss: The Woodcutter's Tale may be used by readers to begin to speak of their own losses, whether by discussing the fairytale,identifying with the author’s experience finding purpose, or in the portion on understanding and coping with the natural process of grief.

This poignant combination provides a message of hope and is a tool for healing.

FREE e-book available at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/283862

Softcover booklet available:  http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Loss-Woodcutters-Lisa-Saunders/dp/1482315505/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360589786&sr=1-1&keywords=surviving+loss%3A+the+woodcutter%27s+tale

Amelia Earhart’s Wedding Anniversary February 7th

 

 

Amelia Earhart’s Wedding Anniversary February 7th

Earhart married Putnam in 1931 in Noank, Connecticut

 

Mystic, CT— Mystic Seafarer’s Trail, the latest book by Mystic author, Lisa Saunders, includes little-known details about Amelia Earhart’s wedding in Noank, Connecticut, on February 7, 1931. Saunders’ research included interviewing the grandson of the judge who performed the ceremony.

Most accounts of Amelia Earhart's life barely mention her wedding, except to say she got married—reluctantly. The 2009 movie "Amelia," starring Hilary Swank, shows her getting married outside, despite the early February date.

Excerpt from Mystic Seafarer’s Trail:
Mary Anderson, Curator of the Noank Historical Society, confirmed what my breakfast companion Barbara told me—that Earhart was secretly married in a simple civil ceremony in the square, flat-roofed house I found on Church Street. Learning I was including this information in a book about the area, Mary said, "You tell everybody that the wedding scene portrayed in the movie [Amelia] is inaccurate. My husband's grandfather, the Groton probate judge, performed the ceremony, and my father-in-law, Robert Anderson, a young Noank lawyer at the time, attended as a witness. When the judge congratulated her after the ceremony, calling her Mrs. Putnam, she replied, 'Please sir, I prefer Miss Earhart.'"

About the Author: Lisa Saunders is a speaker and award-winning writer living in Mystic, Connecticut, with her husband and beagle/basset hound. A graduate of Cornell University, she works as a part-time history interpreter at Mystic Seaport and is a member of the Mystic River Historical Society. Her other books include EVER TRUE: A Union Private and His Wife (published by Heritage Books) and Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (published by Unlimited Publishing LLC).

For more information about Lisa, visit www.authorlisasaunders.com or write to saundersbooks@aol.com

 

Mystic Seafarer’s Trail is available as a soft cover in Mystic area shops and as an e-book through: www.amazon.com/author/lisasaunders (Media may contact Saunders directly for a review copy.)

 

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Book Details:

Mystic Seafarer's Trail

Subtitle: Secrets behind the 7 Wonders, Titanic's Shoes, Captain Sisson's Gold, and Amelia Earhart's Wedding

Authored by Lisa Saunders

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 29, 2012)

Softcover Price: $ 12.95

ISBN-13: 978-1480085848; ISBN-10: 1480085847

 

FREE today-Feb 4: Mystic Seafarer's Trail

 

I have made the e-book version of Mystic Seafarer's Trail free today through Monday, Feb. 4, on Amazon. It includes little-known details about Amelia Earhart's wedding in Noank, CT. You don't need a Kindle to download it (it can go to your computer or phone). Visit: http://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Seafarers-Trail-Titanics-ebook/dp/B00A3RX85E

If you don't want to down load it, you can read Chapter One and Two by clicking on the “LOOK INSIDE” feature, or you can read Chapter One below:

1 Wanted: Epic Adventure

Shortly after stepping out of my new home with my hound for our first stroll through the historic seacoast village of Mystic, Connecticut, a woman pulled over in her van and yelled, "Excuse me."

Assuming she was a tourist wanting directions to Mystic Pizza or some other attraction, I wasn't prepared for what she really wanted to know.

"Do you realize the back of your skirt is tucked into your underwear?"

What a debut in my new hometown—I don’t think this is what National Geographic meant when they named Mystic one of the top 100 adventure towns in the United States.

Once recovered from my wardrobe “malfunction,” I continued toward downtown Mystic with Bailey, a beagle/basset hound mix, to embark on a new life and shake off my old, sedentary landlubbing ways.

No longer did I want to be known as the lady who always talks about losing weight but never does it. No longer would I sit around daydreaming about becoming thin and famous so I could hire someone else to clean my house. I had a real shot at it now that I lived in a place where I couldn’t help but fall into a swash-buckling adventure—the kind that might inspire me to write a bestseller.

Straddling both sides of the Mystic River in the towns of Groton and Stonington, the village of Mystic takes its name from an Indian word, “river running to the sea.” With its scenic views of tall ships, islands, lighthouses, and secluded coves, it has attracted such legendary honeymooners as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It is a place where those who cross the oceans gather to swap stories and repair their boats. It is where famous explorers are born, visit, get married, or come to live.

To launch my career as an adventuress, I decided to walk Bailey to the haunts and homes of such celebrated adventurers as Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; Dr. Robert Ballard, the discoverer of Titanic’s watery grave; Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, the first aviator to fly over the South Pole; and Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, who accidentally discovered Antarctica.

Now was the time for me to join their ranks, to start living life on the edge. Maybe I could become thin and famous like Amelia Earhart. Like her, I am fairly tall, my middle initial is M, I have a gap between my two front teeth, and until I looked it up, I couldn’t spell medieval either (more on that and her wedding day later). Unlike Amelia, I wasn’t skinny, but that was about to change. I would stop lying around reading about adventurers and do what it took to become one.

My husband, Jim, and I were transferred to the Mystic area by his company, which meant I had to quit my job as a full-time writer for a college and search for a new one in a community revolving around life at sea—not easy for a confirmed desk sitter like me. Finding the area already teeming with underemployed writers and publicists, I was grateful when my former employer hired me back as a consulting writer. Although freelancing allowed me to work from home in my pajamas, it offered no retirement benefits—hence the need to become famous. Being famous not only helps pay the bills, but it gives you an edge when trying to accomplish other goals.

Now was the time for me to follow in the path of prominent authors such as Herman Melville who went to sea on a whaler (a ship designed to catch whales and process their oil) when he couldn't find a job. Although he deserted and had to live among cannibals for a time, he found the inspiration to write his first novel. Further sea adventures, which included mutiny and hearing about a whale that rammed and sank the Essex, led to the creation of his magnum opus: Moby Dick. I, myself, could barely get through this “Great American Novel,” but somebody must like it. And now that I lived within walking distance of the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world, I felt that was a sign. Perhaps I could enlist on it as a deck swabber on some epic voyage. The house we purchased came with a brass, whale-shaped door knocker. That had to be a sign.

If following in the footsteps of a whaling writer didn’t work, there was always the chance I could get famous by finding a dead body—just like Bailey and our older daughter had. Although it didn’t make her into an international celebrity, I use it as a party stopper whenever I want to be the center of attention. Of course, I should really find my own body, preferably of a well-known person. Celebrities are always coming to Mystic to film movies or vacation.

Since I couldn’t count on finding a dead body, famous or otherwise, I decided to start small. First, I planned to compile “The 7 Wonders of Mystic”—something quick I could shout to the tourists who rolled down their car windows asking what they should see (besides my underwear).

National Geographic’s website suggests that Mystic adventurers bike what it calls the 25-mile Vineyard Loop that includes “some hairy climbs that stops at two of the best wineries.” Hairy climbs? I hoped to get thin, but did I have to go uphill to do it? I thought not.

Instead, I would conquer a trail of my own design—one that would avoid hills where possible—and call it the “Mystic Seafarer’s Trail.” It would include “The 7 Wonders” (once I figured out what they were), plus the stomping grounds of legendary explorers. It would encompass the Mystic, Stonington and Noank area and even include where Kate the acupuncturist weighed her newborn on a lobster scale after giving birth on a schooner and rowing to shore.

With so many potential wonders to consider and adventures to try, I had a lot of ground—and water—to cover. So, every afternoon, I checked my skirt and off Bailey and I went to follow a scent of our own.

Read Chapter Two by clicking on the “LOOK INSIDE” feature of the Mystic Seafarer’s Trail at: http://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Seafarers-Trail-Titanics-ebook/dp/B00A3RX85E