Former Prior Lake resident pens 'The Witness Tree'

Prior Lake American

Former Prior Lake resident Amy Jerabek Pendino has been writing her whole life.

In elementary school, she kept a diary — a daily log of what she wore or ate, that later turned into a home for tales she made up. She continued writing these stories though high school. In college, Pendino branched into poetry and song lyrics.

Now, Pendino — who lives in Elko New Market — has written and published a novel, titled “The Witness Tree.”

The book follows Dani Holden, a woman who moves to an Iowa farmstead and helps neighbors remove a strange tree that ends up being cursed. The tree ties Holden’s story to Lilly Bradstreet, a woman who lived in the same town 70 years prior and who falls in love with a Mexican migrant worker and must choose between the worker and her family.

“I tried to capture the dignity and the interesting behavior of those small-town characters as I remember them in the 1970s in Prior Lake,” Pendino said. “The opening scene, I think a lot of Prior Lake readers would recognize because it’s the local bakery. Coffee cups would hang on the wall of the bakery for regulars and that’s how I opened the book.”

Pendino came up with the story idea six years ago after visiting a friend — who had also lived in Prior Lake — when the friend moved to a town near the Minnesota and Iowa border.

“Between these two sections of farmland, there was this really weird tree,” Pendino said. “I asked why it was still standing .. and she had heard that the tree was cursed and no one wanted to cut it down.”

Pendino said she would spend time before or after her morning chores and on the weekends writing. When she retired from her career as a teacher, she was able to write more.

“As far as knowing when the book was done, you get that satisfying feeling in the middle of your gut that says, ‘OK,’” Pendino said. “I’ve had two other books and I have not ever wished to share those with everybody. This one was different. It had its own story to tell in a way and I was excited to share that.”

The author began sending out queries to big-name publishers, but didn’t get a response. Two years ago, Pendino attended a conference about independent publishing and decided that was the route to take.

“I’ve met a number of independent booksellers and publishers and I like to have that control of my project and where it’s going,” Pendino said. “I like to support independent and small-market people.”

“The Witness Tree” is available at amypendino.com, Content Books in Northfield, Barnes & Noble in Burnsville and on Amazon.

Pendino, who has been in the same book club since 1994, said she is most interested in meeting with book clubs.

“It’s just fascinating to hear what other readers bring to the stories themselves from their lives and I love that,” she said. “That’s my dream is to be able to, in this next career, next phase of life, continue writing and continue talking about these stories with other readers.”

Book clubs interested in having Pendino visit can contact her at amypendino.com.