by Donna Lear
It’s just days before the Christmas of 1918. Nine-year-old Anna’s father, a hardworking engineer on the B&O railroad, is stranded by a snowstorm in Brunswick. In a small downtown shop, he buys her a special gift and creates a memory that lives deep in Anna’s heart for her entire life.
Brunswick plays a small, but significant role in a newly released Christmas book titled The Golden Ring by Maryland author John Snyder.
A few years ago at Christmas while visiting his grandmother, Anna Snyder in LaVale, Maryland, Snyder asked her about her childhood and what it was like growing up in the early part of the century in her hometown of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania.
As they talked, Mrs. Snyder told her grandson about one particularly memorable Christmas. Intrigued by the tale, Snyder drove from LaVale to Meyersdale with his wife and two daughters, and along the way a story idea was born that would turn into The Golden Ring.
“I couldn’t get the story out of my head,” Snyder said. “The core of The Golden Ring is true. My great- grandfather worked for the railroad and so did my grandfather. He had a run that passed through Brunswick. My great-grandfather bought my grandmother a gold ring and slipped it on her finger while she slept, the way it takes place in the book.”
His grandmother’s father was very religious, Snyder said, and didn’t normally buy gifts – so this ring became a treasure for his grandmother.
The book has been released on the limited basis this year with plans for wider national release next Christmas.
Snyder’s grandmother, Anna, passed away on November 22, just days after he delivered a finished copy of the book to her.
“I wrote the book probably 20 times, over and over. My grandmother got to see it in progress, but I wanted to finish it and show it to her before she died.” he said. “I knew it was a race against time.”
Snyder has been to Brunswick a number of times as part of his research for the book. As owner of the advertising and public relations firm The Snyder Group. He handled the opening of Hardee’s in Brunswick “years ago.”
“We had town and county officials out there for breakfast for the grand opening.” He reminisced.
“I’m also sort of a sentimentalist, and when my grandfather told me about trips he’d taken on the train, my family and I would follow these convoluted routes to see places he talked about. My entire family has been to Brunswick.”
He’s found the process of book publishing harder than expected.
“In the beginning I thought the whole process would be very simple. Write the book, send it out, and get it published, he said. “But publishers won’t talk to you unless you have and agent, and agents won’t talk to you unless you’ve been published.
“I believe in this book and when I believe in something, I’ll fight for it and find a way to do it.”
Snyder chose to self-publish the book and promote it himself, spending 12 to 15 hours a day, seven days a week for the last several months.
“I can sleep in January.” He said with a laugh. “It’s harder to get published today, especially when it’s a Christmas book. But I’m willing to go out and do what I need to do, because I believe in it, and the feedback has been so incredible,”
“People come up to me in tears at book signings and tell
me the story touched them in
a very powerful way. Older people say it brought them back to a time they
remember. Kids like the story.
Even my cigar-chomping golf buddies- who you’d think wouldn’t be
interested- say they were just taken with it.”
Snyder has been making the rounds of book
signings at Borders Books and Music stores, and will be at the Frederick store
on Saturday, Dec. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. The
Golden Ring is on sale now at the store.
The cover, prologue and three chapters of the book are also on his
website: www.thegoldenring.com.
Snyder lives in Gambrills, Maryland with his wife Ruth Ellen and their
daughters Nikki and Carli.