Yorktown Writer Susan Berliner Signs Copies of her Self-Published Novel "Dust"

Out of nowhere, on a calm day in 2006, a mini tornado lifted the roof off a Maine Auto Body repair shop and killed the owner. It's a rare phenomena called a Dust Devil, but add a touch of color to the swirl and the X-File's Fox Mulder might be the first one claiming a consciousness to the deadly truth.

With those files long since closed, Yorktown's Susan Berliner has breathed this very twist in her self-published novel, "Dust," and appeared to sign books at Tazza Café off Route 202 in Somers on last Thursday.

A big fan of the X-files and drama of that ilk, her first inclination upon coming across the clipping was whether another writer from that area might have already written a book about it.

"I'm going to write a book," she said since Steven King had not.

But she wasn't going into the process of writing a book completely blind. She was a reporter for The Daily News Record in the 1970's, has freelanced for many years and still writes educational material.   

On the other hand, she didn't go out and take novel writing courses or study up on the elements of three-act drama. With a beginning and an ending in mind, she said, the characters would pick up the action and her book developed.

Of course, without a publisher the speed of sales only travels as fast as the word of mouth, but self-publishing does have its advantages. First, she said it's a process that takes a few months instead of a few years, and the author has total control of the content.

For instance, since the genre lends itself to capture a lot of young readers, her choice of main character, and the subsequent development, would likely have been very different in the hands of a publisher, she said. A 13-year-old would have been the one investigating the unusual cluster of devils rather than a 35-year-old librarian or her ex-husband. 

"A lot of kids have read the book and they love it," Berliner said.

Still, she doesn't plan on getting rich off "Dust" or the two other books she has in the works, but she equates the labor of writing a book to another love.

"It's like giving birth, it's difficult but the end result is rewarding and worth it," she said.

Ultimately, she won't turn away the bigger bucks a publisher might bring for her second novel, "Peachwood Lake," and doesn't leave out the possibility that "Dust" will help open some doors at Madison Avenue publishing houses.

"That's what I'm hoping for," she concluded.

"Dust" sells for $15.95.  It can be ordered at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Susan Berliner can be reached at sberlinerbooks@optonline.net