About

Mother Beach is a gift book written by Patty Merski, illustrated by Chanda Patel & published by Skeezel Press.

About Skeezel Press

Based in Erie PA, Skeezel Press was established in 2004 when founder Patricia Merski expanded her wings beyond ‘housewife and mother’ to author and publisher, with the creation of a single title, Roaring Boring Alice (A Story of the Aurora Borealis). We produce one book at a time, within a framework that is somewhere between a tradition and hybrid publishing model as defined by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). We adhere to industry standards in all aspects of the publishing process, from manuscript selection and editing, to illustration development and professional design.  Please visit our website for more information about Skeezel Press and our books.

Mother Beach backstory…

Written more than twenty (20) years ago, the poem Mother Beach, has recently been produced as a beautiful gift book designed for beachcombers, everywhere.  

As with every book, there is a story behind the story and Mother Beach is no different.  It is our hope your mother beach experience will be as rich and expansive as ours has been during its creation.
  • The setting is the beach at Gramma's cottage located along the shores of Lake Erie.  'The cottage' has been in the family for 75 years.
  • The illustration on page 26 is mom's hand, a tribute to 89 weathered years of hard work carried out with tremendous love and care, beautifully illustrated by Chanda Patel.
  • All of the specimens featured in the book are from the author's personal collection of Lake Erie beach glass.
  • The face of mother beach is hidden (in the sand) within the illustration on the last spread.
  • There is an authentic piece of Lake Erie beach glass or a shell affixed by hand to each jacket.
  • Our Mother Beach graphic was created by Erie graphic designer, Greg Straub, owner of Erie Apparel.
  • The book was printed in the United States of America.