Can I brag a bit?

My sister-in-law Kim sent me an exceptional gift this week — it came in the form of a voluminous email attachment.  Charting the Unknown is her first book, to be published in March 2010 by Los Angeles-based Behler Publications.  I was touched that she trusted me with her baby … aside from her husband, kids and publisher, there are very few who will have read the manuscript.

Before page one ended I was sobbing loudly in our easy chair.  My wife deposited a box of kleenex on the side table, and I grabbed a wad.  By page three, I was laughing hysterically.  And so it went – an emotional and moving journey on a rollercoaster of waves – for 280 pages.  It’s an intentionally-crafted piece of art that will take your breath away.   Behler selects books that speak of personal metamorphosis, and this has happened to Kim through facing Fear straight on, and plowing through.

[Behler's mission is to] publish personal journeys with socially relevant themes: stories dealing with how people are influenced and changed by their experiences, and how they deal with those repercussions. Not only do we want strong, honest characters, but also strong attention to voice and development. We look for books where readers say, “I’m a better/more thoughtful/smarter person for having read this book.”

And now, a synopsis of Kim’s memoir:

Charting the Unknown is the story of Kim and Mike Petersen, who, while in college, were inspired to write their dreams on a piece of paper, which was unceremoniously stashed in Kim’s Abnormal Psych book.

The list was forgotten through the course of life; jobs, raising a family, and experiencing the loss of a child. The list miraculously reappeared at a time when their children nearly teenagers. One dream stood out – living on a boat – despite the fact that their boating experience consisted of several hours canoeing on a lake, and a week on a Carnival Cruise Ship.

Undaunted, they purchased an unfinished 65-foot power catamaran shell, sold everything, and moved from Toronto to West Palm Beach, Florida to finish constructing the boat and begin living aboard. They faced humorous obstacles, fears, each other, and themselves, as they adapted to a new environment.

As they ventured into 4,000 miles of open water and crossing the Atlantic, Kim ventured deep into her own soul for a final showdown of her own fears.

Read more of the publisher’s (wildly enthusiastic) thoughts on Kim’s book here and here.   For a foretaste of the book, subscribe to Kim’s blog here.