Each year the Shorewood Book Club has an annual event where they sponsor one author to come and give a presentation at the Shorewood Country Club, 4958 West Lake Road. This year’s event is set for Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m., and is open and free to the public. Reservations can be made by calling (716) 366-1880 extension 3.

D’Agostino grew up in West Seneca and has lived in Fredonia for 25 years. She worked as a journalist for small-town newspapers before beginning a 32-year career teaching English, literature, and writing to middle school, high school and college students in Western New York and the Finger Lakes region. She will retire from Dunkirk High School in October.

D’Agostino was inspired to write her book after a visit to Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands region of New York state in Alexandria Bay, which is more than an hour north of Syracuse on the St. Lawrence River. D’Agostino also makes many local references throughout the book including street names, landmarks and even a local restaurant.

“I was highly motivated and obsessed with the story I heard at the Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands,” D’Agostino said. “I heard the story of the Boldt family and crafted a story that readers will find suspenseful and entertaining.”

Submitted Photo “Braided Lies: A Thousand Islands Castle Mystery”, released by Catherine D’Agostino in 2023 will be the subject of her presentation at the Shorewood Country Club at the end of September.

As the author sponsored by Shorewood this year, D’Agostino will discuss at the end of September the background behind her story, along with the history of the Boldt family that inspired the book.

“I will discuss how I created the characters, the challenges involved in writing a full length novel and how I overcame those, along with how I selected character names,” D’Agostino said.

She will also discuss symbolism and irony in her book, and there will be a question-and-answer section at the end of the presentation. D’Agostino said both writers and readers will be interested in her presentation if they enjoy similar stories to the one she wrote.

“I think writers and readers enjoy stories with ironic twists and unlikeable characters so that the protagonist can swoop in and try to save the day,” D’Agostino said. “I’m fortunate that the book has done very well. The story touches on nerves that older people face when they look back on their lives. I’m told it’s a very relatable book, with many twists and turns.”

“Braided Lies: A Thousand Islands Castle Mystery” is currently available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but D’Agostino will also have paperback copies available at the event, and will be available to sign any. At the moment, she is hard at work on her next novel.

“I am hard at work this summer on my next novel, this time in the heart of wine country in the Finger Lakes region,” D’Agostino said. “I am devoted to setting my stories in New York state.”