Author: anderholmt

One year ago, my book, Inn Mates ~ An Innkeeper’s Memoir was published. It’s a true story based on my life as an innkeeper in Bar Harbor, Maine. It’s also a story about my husband Jeff and I who ditched our corporate lives in the midst of something that felt like a mid-life crisis. We then stumbled on a historic inn that was destined for the wrecking ball. Creative chaos ensued over the course of our 15 year ownership, transforming both the inn, and ourselves in the process.

Dear readers: I owe you a debt of gratitude. You took a chance on a rookie author and learned far too much about hospitality’s less glamorous side, and also a lot about Jeff and me. I hope you had a few good laughs too. You met a few wacky guests and kind-hearted souls. And many of you said you were understandably relieved your life was less chaotic than ours.

But life is a journey, and here’s what I learned as I walked along my path in 2024:

Maine has some of the most beautiful libraries I’ve ever seen. An important community gathering place for readers in the midst of our virtual, digital age.

Libraries, book fairs and book groups gathering are great places to meet people.

Indy bookstores are the beating heart of most small towns in Maine, offering books, music and local culture.

Books weigh a ton and are a pain to haul around to book fairs. The wheelie bag was invented for good reasons!

When you’re interviewed on TV, focus on the host, and never look at the camera (who knew!!).

Theo is a good traveler and he knows how to pose for photos, but he barks at the wrong jokes. More media training may be required!

I hope 2025 brings you good health, hope, and happiness. For Jeff and me, everyday is a gift, and a chance to begin again.

Maine’s celebration of light kicks off the holiday season with crisp temperatures and 4:00PM sunsets. No wonder so many of us love to illuminate evergreen trees and wreaths, what better way to navigate where we’re walking at night!

I’m honored to see Inn Mates ~ An Innkeeper’s Memoir on the list of many local publications and shopping lists in the weeks leading to December 25th. I’m also grateful to the many bookstores and libraries which welcomed me to share the Inn Mates story with so many, with special thanks to my readers. Thank you, so very much!

I’m wrapping up the 2024 Inn Mates library tour before the snow starts flying here in Maine. It’s been a privilege to be an invited speaker at libraries from the northern stretches of Bar Harbor and Ellsworth, further south to the quaint towns of Gardiner and Gray, to historic Yarmouth, Cumberland, and the beautiful seaside towns of Ogunquit and York.

The library patrons, librarians and staff I’ve met enjoy a good story, and truly love reading and books. All kinds of books; fiction, nonfiction, crime and cozy mysteries, robustly researched works of scholarship, and humor.

Public libraries are the locus for like-minded people engaged in a quiet pursuit. Reading the lines of their chosen book, and sometimes reading between the lines to gain insights which may be hidden on the page at first glance.

Libraries also serve a vital role in our communities, offering dynamic programs for book groups, artists, musicians, bakers and craft makers. I recently read that libraries in the United States are visited over 1 billion times a year!

And while most folks are looking to borrow a book at the circulation desk, many others pop in to read magazines and newspapers, filling a gap in public life. In many ways, libraries have become the new town square. A place to build community, where people interact face to face, rather than virtually through apps and devices. Libraries are places where our analog attention span can shake hands with the digital age – perhaps offering us the best of both worlds.

My planning for library events in 2025 will begin after the holidays…until then support your local library!

In mid-September I attended a Wisdom & Words Writing Workshop at the beautiful Bear Mountain Inn in Waterford, Maine. The retreat was focused on the craft of writing and for some of us, a means to get moving on new writing projects, culminating in a Story Salon on our final night. It was a transformative experience, with an added benefit for me – a long weekend stay at a family owned hospitality property – one of my first since selling my inn. Jess & Nick, the owners and their wonderful staff didn’t disappoint. The hospitality and food were exceptional, and the warm welcome was even better. A five-star stay from beginning to end. It felt like love.

Days later, I took the Amtrak Downeaster train to North Station in Boston on a gloomy day in late September. Along the way, I took a detour to the now magnificent Liberty Hotel, located in the former Charles Street Jail in the West End. The property’s metamorphosis from a dark and sad prison into a shining and artfully rendered boutique hotel got me thinking about renewal, second chances, and the possibilities of fresh starts in life. I realize hotels and inns are merely buildings intended to provide safety, shelter and hopefully glimmers of joy when we travel away from our homes. But hospitality is an act of loving kindness which can transform a place where strangers meet strangers, into a meaningful life experience, a memory, even a dream come true.

Inn Mates ~ An Innkeeper’s Memoir, was published this year. It started out as a cookbook but failed miserably because it wasn’t about food and it didn’t have any recipes! Still, I enjoy food writing and I have a trove of recipes to share with like-minded readers. Many of whom have asked for recipes and stories about cooking.

I attended the Wisdom & Words Writers Workshop with Steve Almond, a terrific author and writing teacher. He took me through a few story prompts – and just in time. Enough time for me to think about “what’s next?” Right now my answer is, “I’m working on a project about hospitality and kitchen conversations.” My plans are to Make it Snappy – watch this space!

My summer was fully booked with Inn Mates book reading and signing events; Downeast to Bar Harbor, then onto Gardiner, Ellsworth, Belfast, Yarmouth with bookstore stops in between.

We paused for a staycation at Ferry Beach in Saco, then back on the road to Camden, Gray and the wonderful Maine Authors Publishing Book Festival in Thomaston, Maine. So if you’re traveling along the coast of Maine during the waning days of summer, keep an eye out for a gray Mini Cooper with the INNM8S license plate. And, please don’t forget…

The American Book Fest’s 2024 International Book Awards selected Inn Mates ~ An Innkeeper’s Memoir as an award finalist in creative non-fiction! I’m honored and grateful.

2024 Winners & Finalists Results: http://internationalbookawards.com/2024awardannouncement.html

Dreaming is Free

4 New Books Inspired by the Pine Tree State – Inn Mates makes the list!!

Maine Home & Design Magazine selected my book Inn Mates ~ An Innkeeper’s Memoir as of one of four books to kickoff the summer reading season! This incredible news took the sting away from my bout with Covid which forced me to reschedule my author event at Jesup Memorial Library, which will be held Thursday, June 20th @ 7:00pm.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen to me!

Read all about it! https://mainehomedesign.com/up-close/4-new-books-inspired-by-the-pine-tree-state/

4/1/24

Springtime In Maine

In Maine the first day of spring arrives when the outside temperature just flirts with 50 degrees. Innkeepers like nothing more than early season guests with lusty appetites in search of deals for primo views and special amenities. Just the suggestion of warm weather is enough to encourage some guests to get their groove on. Sometimes, in unexpected places.

As an innkeeper, you try to remain pleasantly detached from the personal details of your guests. But sometimes, it’s just not possible…

2/1/24

It’s Official!

Today’s publication of my writing debut INN MATES ~ An Innkeeper’s Memoir, was eight years in the making. At first, I intended to write a cookbook for inn guests but it became something completely different. It turned into a first person account of two dreamers who ditched the corporate life in Boston and bought a once-grand dilapidated inn in Bar Harbor, Maine. Chaos ensued.

The inn was previously known as Bass Cottage in the Field. We changed the name – only slightly – and commenced to rebuilding the inn from the inside out. Picture this – twenty nine workers, nine months and no one knew if we’d be able to open on time! A pressure-cooker of a project, stomach churning at times – and the last thing I could think about was which muffin should I bake for breakfast on opening day.

My husband Jeff and I spun a silver lining story from our inn keeping experience. And now it’s yours to discover.

Check in time is 3:00PM