About the Book
Journey to Yacco: A Memoir of Discovery
David Saunders was born a Preacher’s Kid. As a PK, the life experiences and expectations of a child of clergy were different from his peers. When Saunders was eleven, he left all that he knew when his parents moved the family to a British Colony in the Caribbean and then to British Guiana. Yacco is a word from the vocabulary of the Patamona tribe of Amerindians, who inhabit a village deep in the interior of British Guiana. Loosely interpreted, the word means cousin, member of the family. It is a term of genuine acceptance, of connection and belonging. Journey to Yacco is the story of Saunders’ early life. A journey that takes him from the red clay soil of North Carolina to the coral reefs of the West Indies, to the variegated jungles of South America. He recounts the adventures and misadventures of a Southern boy growing up in the 1940s and ’50s.
Saunders is hard at work on the sequel about his teenage years living on an island of coconut palms and hurricanes, and in a country of snakes and dugout canoes.
About the Author
David Saunders is an alumnus of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. He spent most of his professional career in the field of not-for-profit senior care organizations in North Carolina and Western New York.
His writing experience includes articles in company-related publications, along with stories published by Grand Stand Magazine.
Saunders and his wife are empty-nesters living in coastal South Carolina, along with Murphy, their Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier.
His hobbies and interests have included designing and building furniture; long-distance cycling; exploring parts of Western New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia on his Suzuki; camping; reading; writing; volunteering for not-for-profit organizations and taking part in Coastal Carolina University’s Osher Life-long Learning Institute.
Qn 1: Can you tell us more about your book, Journey to Yacco: A Memoir of Discovery, what is it about?
Journey to Yacco is the story of my early life as a southern Preacher’s Kid growing up in America’s 1940s and ‘50s. It lays the foundation for recounting my journey from the red clay soil of North Carolina to the coral reefs of The West Indies, then to the variegated jungles of South America. Yacco is a word from the vocabulary of an Amerindian tribe in British Guiana, now known as Guyana. Loosely interpreted, the word means cousin, member of the family. It is a term of genuine acceptance, of connection and belonging.
Qn 2: Who do you think would be interested in this book, Journey to Yacco: A Memoir of Discovery, is it directed at any particular market?
I think the book will appeal to seniors since it evokes memories of times long gone, and to young persons who may be interested in reading about life before the days of technology. Clergy and/or their children, especially missionaries, will also enjoy it.
Qn 3: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?
Since I have returned to the region of my youth, I now am drawn to authors with a southern bent. I like Sue Monk Kidd’s writing style and her telling of a captivating story in The Invention of Wings. Delia Owens has a way with words and tells a captivating story in Where the Crawdads Sing. I think Pat Conroy is the quintessential storyteller. I mention the above to the exclusion of a plethora of other authors/books, including David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers, the true story of two preacher’s kids who made quite a name for themselves.
Qn 4: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?
Start writing. No story can end before it’s begun.
Persist. Even when the Muse seems to have gone AWOL. She always seems to return. As a senior citizen, before my book was published, there were times when abandoning the writing project was tempting, alluring even.
Connect. One of my best decisions was to accept an invitation to become a member of a writing group. Fellow writers have provided constructive criticism, support, encouragement and prodding.
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