A Cloverdale author is doing his part to help restock libraries destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.
Copies of My Temporary Life by Martin Crosbie have been sent to libraries in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York City, where facilities and collections were ravaged by the storm last October.
The donation is part of a larger movement called Indie (Independent) Authors for Hurricane Sandy, spearheaded by author K.S. Brooks, a native New Yorker who now lives in Washington State.
Brooks contacted Crosbie, who writes a column for a web site she administrates called Indies Unlimited.
He had obviously heard of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, but hadn't thought of the impact on the area's library systems.
"It's just nice to be able to do something to help," Crosbie said, adding he will follow up with copies of his second novel in the series, My Name is Hardly.
Crosbie self-published his first novel, the coming-of-age suspense/thriller My Temporary Life, on Amazon.com last year.
After taking advantage of a promotion in February 2012 that featured his book for free for a limited time, the e-book took off and soon became a Top 10 Amazon bestseller.
To date, close to 30,000 e-books have been sold, and on Amazon.com it averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from customer reviews.
My Name is Hardly was released on Amazon.com last December. He hopes to have the third book in the trilogy, A Different Kind of Girl, available this spring.
The self-publishing success has led to speaking opportunities such as the North Shore Writers Festival this April, where he will be on a panel.
Crosbie is one of more than 70 independent authors from around the world who have donated their fiction, non-fiction and e-books to public libraries and schools in need through Indie Authors for Hurricane Sandy (books are vetted by the organization).
The first libraries to receive donations were a school library in Monmouth Beach and the Queens library system in New York City.
"This school requested books appropriate for Grades pre-K through eight," said founder Brooks in a media release. "The students use the library for both research and recreational reading. For the branches of the Queens library system that were destroyed, we are also providing first-rate fiction for all ages."
For more on the project, visit ksbrooks.com/AuthorsforHurricaneSandyLibraries.
—with files from Tricia Leslie