written by B. L. Lang, author of the novel "Saint Clements Bay"
As a young girl in the 1950’s, I spent most summers at my grandmother’s cottage in southern Maryland. The place, primitive in a charming sort of way with an ivy-covered outhouse tucked away at the edge of the pines, was perched on a bluff overlooking Saint Clements Bay down at the mouth of the Potomac River. That bay and the river are important bodies of water flowing into the treasure that is the Chesapeake. Through the years, I’ve been pestered by vivid memories of the water, murky and brackish as the salt mixed with the fresh, but supporting plentiful blue crabs, beds of rich sea grasses, oysters, and adventure. Inspired by my own history, an inescapable love of the Chesapeake and the Saint Mary’s County area, I wrote Saint Clements Bay: A Novel of Remembrance. It’s a sweet story of a time gone by, a little history, some rather quirky characters, and a “near as can be remembered” account of my grandmother’s remarkable life and family, many of whom are native to the County.
The Chesapeake needs all of us to pitch in however we can to bring it back to health and bounty—that’s why I have pledged one third of profits from the sale of the book to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. When it comes to working hard to ensure the improved status of the Chesapeake, no organization does more and is more effective than CBF. They provide education, activism, expertise, and more, to get the job done. We’ve made an initial donation to CBF and, with the help of new readers we hope to keep contributing for a long time to come. The book can be purchased at the publisher’s website, www.plangentpress.com where you can also read reviews and more, or on Amazon. Watch for author signings in the area later this spring.
If you have a question or comments on the book, you can email me through the publisher’s site. I’d love to hear your own stories about the Bay—send me a note!
B. L. Lang, Author
We can't thank Ms. Lang enough for her generousity. The magic of it is that she is just one of thousands of others who have similar memories of the bountiful Bay in earlier days. We would like to hear your stories, too. Won't you please share them in our Comments section?
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