ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
The Writer Was Always There
P.A. Lapham is a Massachusetts author whose lifelong love of storytelling has taken her from childhood mysteries and imagined fantasy worlds to a professional career writing about science and medicine.
Although fiction was never far from her thoughts, it would be many years before she returned to the creative work she first loved. The Glass Coast, her debut novel, marks that return and the beginning of a new chapter filled with more stories waiting to be told.
It Started With an Old Lighthouse
P.A. wrote her first novel at age twelve. She and her grade school best friend created a Nancy Drew-style mystery titled The Secret of the Old Lighthouse, then mailed it to a publisher with a note asking them to send the bill for printing.
The book was never published, but the stories continued. In high school, a visiting playwright selected one of P.A.’s murder mysteries to be performed by the drama department. She later created ambitious science fiction and fantasy projects filled with imagined kingdoms, political intrigue, and dragons.
College, work, and the practical demands of life eventually took precedence. The stories, however, never completely disappeared. They simply waited.
P.A.’s professional path led her into science, medicine, and technical writing. Her work included scientific papers, complex medical documents, and articles about canine medicine and genetics written for pet owners.
The research, precision, and attention to detail required by that career ultimately strengthened the skills she would bring to fiction.
In 2024, P.A.’s husband, who had known her since childhood, asked why she had never considered writing a novel. His question reignited a creative spark that had never entirely gone out.
P.A. returned to writing with an old-fashioned spiral notebook and a story originally titled Disappeared. As its characters, mysteries, and central ideas evolved, that early manuscript became The Glass Coast.
Life Beyond the Page
P.A. lives in Wareham, Massachusetts, near the salt-stunted oaks, sandy cliffs, and windswept coastline that helped inspire the fictional world of Ellis Reach. She and her husband share a blended family that includes four daughters, three granddaughters, and seven dogs, making quiet writing time a rare achievement.
P.A. is also a devoted audiobook listener whose lengthy commute has introduced her to an ever-growing collection of authors and stories. Her own return to fiction reflects a belief shared in the dedication of her debut novel:
“It’s never too late for inspiration or love.”
