This is Christmas in Maine. A Mainer writes a book that is Maine through and through. And the book is published in Maine too.

Stephanie Mulligan is the Maine author and now she is a book publisher too.

Let’s go back to 2008. She was in her early twenties when she wrote her first book. A children’s book called ‘How To Catch A Keeper.’ The inspiration came from a job she had working on a lobster boat. She wrote it and shopped it to publishers, but nobody picked it up.

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A couple of years ago she hooked up with an illustrator and then self-published that book. Which led to a garage with 2,000 copies of the book in it.

But the story doesn't end there, that is just the beginning.  She started McSea Books and expects to publish 15 to 20 books within the next couple of years.

Stephanie is married to Matt Mulligan. Not only is Stephanie’s story “try because you just never know”, so is Matt’s. Matt never played football until he attended Husson University. He was playing on the basketball team and was asked to try out for football.  Next year he was recruited to attend Maine and he became a Black Bear.  Then played 9 years in the NFL including a year with the Patriots.

So there’s the inspiration for another illustrated children’s book teaching about perseverance and why we all should ‘try because you just never know’. That book is the next book coming from the Mulligans and McSea Books. “Just A Kid From Maine” is the title

McSea Books
McSea Books
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Again. It’s Maine written, and published in Maine.

Now let’s go back 35 years ago to ‘The Maine Christmas Song’ recorded by Con Fullam.

Stephanie remembers performing that song at Otisfield Elementary School. And has thought of that song this time of the season every year since. She couldn’t ‘shake the feeling of turning the song into a book’

Last year Stephanie was with her Mom and they were listening to the song when she thought “What a beautiful picture book this would make”

She reached out to Con Fullam and asked what he would think of her doing a children’s book about that song. And she asked Cynthia Baker to do the illustrations.

Another book “The Maine Christmas Song” book.

McSea Books
McSea Books
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The inspiration for books keeps coming.  All Maine born. And they will be all Maine written. And Maine published.

Husband Matt’s first job years ago was raking berries. Inspiration for a forthcoming book.

Matt’s father, retired from the mill in Lincoln, was out with his grandchildren teaching them about tapping trees. Right. Inspiration for another book.

McSea Books
McSea Books
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Looking for a very special Maine gift or two this time of year, you’ll find the books in gift shops, at all local book stores in Maine, and through Amazon.  Here’s a link to Stephanie Mulligan and McSea Books.

And to go back to the early inspiration of Stephanie’s, the thought she ‘couldn’t shake and had to turn into a book’, The Maine Christmas Song will be performed this year by the Portland Symphony Orchestra in their Christmas concerts.

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