Local author urges Lynn English students to pursue success

LYNN – In many ways, the economic landscape in the early portion of the decade looked much like it does today.The 9-11 terrorist attacks, nationwide accounting scandals and the fall of the once-untouchable dot-com industry led to panic in several industries as 401(k) accounts started to fade and businesses were forced to close up shop with little notice.Once a successful management and marketing consultant, Marblehead resident Julie Hahnke was one of the hardest hit by the downturn, losing her business and in the process, her half-million dollar retirement account, house and boat.Seven years later, as the economy worsens seemingly on a daily basis, Hahnke has turned the tables on fate, achieving success not as a business consultant or finance professional, but as an independent author.Set to release her second book, The Grey Ghost, May 1, Hahnke said it was the struggles she experienced when she lost her business that pushed her to begin pursuing a dream as a writer, and while she has not achieved the fame and fortune of some of America’s familiar best selling authors, her grassroots effort remains strong thanks to motivation and determination.”I think the two sorriest words in the English language are ‘what if,'” Hahnke told a group of Lynn English High School students Monday morning. “If you have a dream or a passion, you need to go for it.”Hahnke spoke to two groups of students as part of the school library’s celebration of National Literacy Week Monday, telling her story of hard-fought success and visually demonstrating some of the themes contained in her two novels by playing bagpipes and waiving around a period sword.A Dartmouth College graduate, Hahnke used the time following the closure of her business to pursue a dream of writing. She turned down an offer to ghost write a book for a high-society CEO in favor of producing something she could call her own.After three and a half years of writing and shopping her story, she independently released her first novel, “Through the Eyes of a Raptor” in 2005, selling 3,000 copies in the first six months.The story, set in contemporary Scotland, is a tale of shape-shifting, murder and ancient prophecy, centered around a 13-year-old girl.Her second title, The Grey Ghost, will be released by independent publisher Publishing Works out of Exeter, N.H. on May 1, although many independent bookstores have already added the title to the shelves.The Grey Ghost is aimed toward reluctant readers, or students who may have trouble reading, as portions of the story are told entirely through illustrations done by her friend Marcia Christensen.”It is good for reluctant readers or young readers,” she said. “Rather than simply show what you have already read like most books do, we are alternating a dynamic between words and pictures.”Although she has had a little bit more support now that she has a publisher, Hahnke is still selling the book primarily on her own through bookstore and local school appearances.She has also worked with Publishing Works to develop a cost-efficient way to shop the book to stores, sending a PDF file with only a portion of the book to interested shops, rather than producing an entire free copy for buyers to screen before purchasing.Her book sales are not staggering and her promotional efforts keep her on the road and in classrooms throughout the year, but Hahnke says looking at where she came from before starting her first novel, she has to consider the effort a success.”I feel I am very successful, although the number of sales are not high,” she said. “I have been able to follow a dream for seven years and make this a reality – that is successful to me.”