Suzanne Maggio
Bay Area, CA
Podcast host of “From Sparks to Light”, social worker, professor and multi-genre author
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: February 3, 2024
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: From Sparks to Light Media
Page Count: 238
Format: Paperback, eBook
ISBN: 979-8989990108
Price: $20.00, paperback; $7.99, eBook
ABOUT THE BOOK
Estrellas is the unflinching story of Suzanne Maggio’s walk along El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. At 60 years old, Suzanne decided to walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago by herself.
Even though most people do this journey for religious reasons, spiritual transformation wasn’t on Suzanne’s mind when she set off for this adventure. She decided to do the walk for adventure, one that would test her physical capabilities and her personal resolve.
As she started the journey, it wasn’t the one she predicted. For Suzanne, the most challenging part of the journey was when she got back home and had to make sense of the experience.
The book follows Suzanne on her trip and introduces readers to the people she met along the way (including a group of nuns who inspired the name of her podcast, From Sparks to Light).
In the days and weeks that followed, she realized that she had built a different kind of family on The Camino. It was one filled with people whose experiences, expectations, and beliefs were different from hers. It was a family of choice rather than blood, and, like her own family, she would come to depend on them.
In May, Suzanne will do another solo walk, this time on the third leg of the Via Francigena in Italy.
This book is for anyone who has ever thought about tackling a long journey/ hike, anyone who is familiar with The Camino, and anyone who wants a captivating read that is both entertaining and inspiring.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suzanne Maggio is an award-winning author of The Cardinal Club – A Daughter’s Journey to Acceptance. A licensed clinical social worker, Maggio has helped hundreds of families improve their relationships by encouraging them to open their hearts and share their stories. She now trains the new generation of helpers as a university lecturer in Psychology, Counseling and Social Work.
Her debut memoir, The Cardinal Club – A Daughter’s Journey to Acceptance was a finalist in the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the 2020 Independent Book Awards. In 2016, she earned a Silver Award from Travelers Tales for “Yo Soy,” a story about the search for identity while traveling in Nicaragua.
Maggio is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, a passionate cook, frequent traveler and avid baseball fan. She lives in Northern California with her husband, where they raised their two sons and where they now manage two rambunctious dogs and a brood of demanding chickens.
TALKING POINTS
- Summer is the most popular time on The Camino. Educate your listeners and inspire them, too.
- Practical advice for the walk along The Camino. Suzanne can share what she wishes she knew before she embarked on this journey; anyone wanting to walk The Camino needs to read Estrellas!
- Tips for women traveling alone
- How to leave all the responsibilities of home and go on the adventure of a lifetime
- Suzanne can talk about the people she met along the way and those who left the biggest impression
- How the meaning of family changed for Suzanne
- How sharing our stories allows us to build community
- In May, Suzanne will do another solo walk, this time on the third leg of the Via Francigena in Italy. This walk will be incredibly special because it will be an opportunity to connect with her Italian roots.
- How Suzanne’s journey compared to Martin Sheen’s in the hit movie, The Way
TIMELY TIE-INS
- Read a Book Day – September 6
- World Tourism Day – September 27
- Adventure Day – October 19
- National Take a Hike Day – November 17
PRAISE
“This book is so beautifully written that it inspires you to get out and do something meaningful and different with your life. It felt like a gift to walk alongside Suzanne, privy to her thoughts, reflections, feelings and experiences while reclining in the comfort of your chair. At times I could almost feel the blisters growing on my feet. I read a lot and this will definitely be added to my list of favorites.”
—Winston Wicomb
This is a beautifully-written reflection on Suzanne’s 500-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. I loved hearing the stories of her fellow peregrinos as well as the experiences that both challenge and uplift her. After reading this lovely book, I felt buoyed up by a sense of hope and renewed faith in the power of walking and nature to bring out the goodness in each of us. I highly recommend this book as a tonic for the challenges we face with the pandemic, climate change and our polarized political atmosphere.
—Heidi Pidcoke
Moving and beautifully-written, Suzanne Maggio’s memoir of her walk along the Camino is something you will not soon forget. In Estrellas, you travel in Suzanne’s footsteps, sharing her insights, meeting new friends, enjoying well-deserved meals and, yes, sympathizing with her suffering with sore feet. I loved this book and bought many copies for friends as gifts.
—Anne Magaw
Hiking El Camino is different from hiking the Appalachian Trail. Most pilgrims walking this ancient trail are looking for more than a great nature experience, they are looking for transformation and enlightenment. By confronting her own vulnerabilities, the author makes meaning of her epic journey.
—Robert Wielgos
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Memoir / Christian Inspirational
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1647429003
Price: $15.99
