MANATEE HIGH GRADUATE PUBLISHES
BOOK FOR TEENS

(Bradenton, FL. - September 27, 2012) Nicole Quigley, a 1995 graduate of Manatee High, had her first novel published this month and it is a fictional tale intended for young adults.

Titled “Like Moonlight at Low Tide,” Quigley´s book tells the story of Melissa Keiser, a girl growing up in Manatee County who comes from a broken home and is the victim of severe bullying from her peers. How those experiences shape her outlook, and how she responds, make for a moving and compelling story.

Nicole Quigley will hold a public reading and a book signing at Books-A-Million in Bradenton, this Saturday, September 29, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During that time, Nicole will also lead a discussion on "What Happens After You've Been Bullied."

Books-A-Million is located at 4225 14th St. W. in Bradenton.

Nicole will hold a similar event at Village Café at Rosedale, on Anna Maria Island, where much of her book takes place, on Saturday, October 6, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Village Café at Rosedale is located at 503 Pine Ave. on Anna Maria Island.

When Nicole was at Manatee High, she was rejected as a writer for the school newspaper and dropped from Honors English.

“I thought that was the end of my writing dream,” Nicole said.

However, English and Creative Writing Teacher Jon Scott, who still works at Manatee High, saw something in Nicole´s writing and encouraged her to pursue her passion.

“He (Mr. Scott) fanned the flames of my dream,” Nicole said. “He´s in the book, in the acknowledgements section.”

Nicole attended Appalachian State University in North Carolina, and has worked in Public Relations for Washington, D.C. firms for 13 years. She is 35 years old.

The story of her novel comes partly from her past.

“I was home for Christmas visiting my folks and I was looking at my old street and I remembered some of the bullying I went through when I was in middle school; and I tried to imagine, knowing what I know now, how does that story play out?” Nicole said. “I first drafted this story to talk about what happens after you´ve been bullied - those heart issues that linger even after the bullying stops.”

Nicole hopes her book will reach teens like her today.

“I most want is to reach a teenager who still believes the lies that was spoken to them, and how those things drive them to make decisions,” Nicole said. “My hope is that they will take a step back and think, ‘Wait a minute, I´m not the things those people said I was.’”

Although the story is based on her experiences, she wants people to know the story she tells in her book is not her story.

“I was bullied in middle school and I had to look at my own life and realize that I had worth,” Nicole said. “But that´s where it ends. This is a fiction story, and I want to make it clear that it is fiction.”

“Like Moonlight at Low Tide” can be found at Books-A-Million, on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.