Eventually, she and her husband applied for positions with the Peace Corps, in a "if we don't do it now, we'll never do it," frame of mind. They were assigned educational posts with the Peace Corp in rural South Africa. And it was during their stay in South Africa that Arsenault found ample time to reflect back on her job at Merriam-Webster, and her original idea for a mystery novel. Merging the premise of using a seemingly innocuous tea glass as a weapon and the idea that clues were hidden within citations catalogs, Emily began writing her book. After two years Arsenault and her husband returned to Connecticut, where she began revising her book and seeking an agent. "I was rejected a lot before I finally got an agent," Arsenault said. "I kept revising the book and then sending it out again and again. By the time an agent finally called to say yes, I had actually given up. I was shocked when she called me."
South Africa RPCV Emily Arsenault writes "The Broken Tea Glass"
Mystery writer to read from first novel
Emily Arsenault has written a first novel, "The Broken Teaglass." It is mystery with a literary puzzle. She will be reading from it and autographing copies of it on Tuesday, March 23 from 7 to 8:30 p.m at the Thayer Memorial Library at 717 Main St., Lancaster.
By Kristen Phillips
Times & Courier
Posted Mar 17, 2010 @ 12:24 PM
Last update Mar 17, 2010 @ 01:36 PM
Lancaster -
A mystery author with local ties will be on hand to read from her novel and sign copies of the book on Tuesday, March 23 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Thayer Memorial Library.
Emily Arsenault, author of, The Broken Tea Glass, introduce her mystery novel, read selected passages, sign autographs and field questions about how to get a book published.
Arsenault spent her first three years in Lancaster, and her parents were teachers at local schools. Her mother taught high school in Clinton and her father taught middle school in Bolton. When her father accepted a teaching position in Connecticut, her family relocated where she spent the remainder of her youth.
This is her first novel and she got the inspiration for it from her job as a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster Inc.
After graduating from Mount Holyoke College with a dual major in philosophy and religion, Arsenault said she had few obvious job options.
"I felt very lucky to get a job where I had the opportunity to use my brain and learn something in the process," Arsenault said.
In a nutshell a lexicographer is a person who spends their day finding and defining new citations for words, and keeping the definitions current. While spending long day sifting through citation catalogs, Emily imagined that within these citation catalogs, clues to a mystery were hidden.
But the writing didn't begin at once; it took a change of scenery for the words to flow.
It was my very first job and it frightened me to think that Id be sitting in the same cubicle for the rest of my life," Arsenault said.
Eventually, she and her husband applied for positions with the Peace Corps, in a "if we don't do it now, we'll never do it," frame of mind. They were assigned educational posts with the Peace Corp in rural South Africa.
And it was during their stay in South Africa that Arsenault found ample time to reflect back on her job at Merriam-Webster, and her original idea for a mystery novel. Merging the premise of using a seemingly innocuous tea glass as a weapon and the idea that clues were hidden within citations catalogs, Emily began writing her book.
After two years Arsenault and her husband returned to Connecticut, where she began revising her book and seeking an agent.
"I was rejected a lot before I finally got an agent," Arsenault said. "I kept revising the book and then sending it out again and again. By the time an agent finally called to say yes, I had actually given up. I was shocked when she called me."
Arsenault and her husband now call Shelburne Falls home, because they fell in love with western Massachusetts while attending college.
