Susan Barry

[No initial promotion of DYING WELL due to agent involvement] AND SO THE DREAMS BECAME, when one day in 1989, as a freelance research writer for a well-known rare book house, I moonlighted my own fear of dying. I began in the impressive UCSB Library nearby. Intended to benefit family and friends too it became the research journey of a lifetime. It led to such as the Yale and British Libraries and to the emerging stars of the new field of death education, among them my mentor Robert Kastenbaum. DYING WELL IS THE BEST REVENGE is the last revised update and title of an early incarnation, and currently unknown beyond Amazon's website, friends and family. 80 this year, I hereby conclude a journey and legacy of which I am proud. As for credentials; The originator and first Administrative Director of the Rice University Publishing Program, I subsequently assisted New York publishers in regional book promotion. I was a literary scout for editors at Random House and Harper Collins but soon hated writing nothing but rejection letters - with one funny and famous exception! Numerous early writing credits include a television scriptwriting award and a Children's Bicentennial Play now in the National Archives. A trained caseworker, following a move to Santa Barbara, I was a rare book research writer, professional Bereavement member of a VNA Hospice team, and a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling. I produced an in-house training video for The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center. I now live outside Austin Texas where my passion is directed to higher education for foster students. BEAUDY A TRUE STORY was written to be sold at Black Beauty Ranch. Since it does not fit the current children's illustrated book profile, I have never submitted it to a traditional publisher. Nevertheless, it has had remarkable popularity with BOTH children and *adults as uplifting grief therapy for the loss of a pet or human. Under the auspices of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, BEAUDY is in rural Texas' elementary schools' libraries touting humane animal treatment, and in 4-H Clubs; as well as in Texas children's hospitals and public libraries where requested. I "channeled" BEAUDY in one sitting. The broad generational age response to its education and spiritual mystery has been very gratifying!