This spring, Holliston resident Emma Fedor was proud to release her debut novel, At Sea (Gallery Books). The book, which Fedor describes as part romance, part thriller, part coming-of-age, follows Cara, a recent college graduate and aspiring artist spending the summer on Martha’s Vineyard with her aunt and uncle. While there, she meets and falls in love with Brendan, a charming, charismatic soldier on leave who claims to be living with an unbelievable secret: he is able to breathe underwater. Still reeling from the recent death of her mother, and swept up by Brendan’s charms, Cara grows close to Brendan and quickly comes to believe him. As their relationship progresses, however, Brendan begins to exhibit alarming behaviors, raising questions about who he really is.

Publishing At Sea has been a lifelong dream come true for Fedor, who spent five years writing and revising At Sea, before landing a literary agent and signing a book deal with Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, in late 2020. While she has been a passionate writer her entire life, it wasn’t until her early 20s that Fedor began seriously trying to write and publish a novel, working on a manuscript at night and on weekends, while holding down a full-time day job. “I can’t imagine a life where I wasn’t working on something creative,” she says. “Even if At Sea had never gotten picked up, I know I would have kept on writing books. It’s something I find deeply satisfying and that adds great purpose to my life.” She is currently working on a book about a group of rock climbers in the American West.

Emma and her husband, Nate, moved to Holliston in 2017 and quickly fell in love with the town. Their family has since expanded to include their goofy chocolate lab, Homer, and Trudy, their baby girl, born October 2022. Emma loves talking about the writing and publishing process and is always happy to attend book clubs. She can be reached on social media @emmamfedor or at emmafedor.com. She encourages Holliston residents to pick up their copy of At Sea from Aesop’s Fable, Holliston’s amazing local indie bookstore!