by Len Lear

Katie Lentz Crawford, 44, a 1989 graduate of the Springside School, a brilliant writer who took 15 years to complete her first novel, “Mine,” will discuss her powerful book on Thursday, July 14, 7 p.m., at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane in Mt. Airy. What took this mother of four so long to write her novel?

“There were months, years when I didn’t write. I can only write in silence,” she told us in a recent interview.

“I really only started to make significant progress on this novel once my children were in school. I can edit with some craziness going on, but even that doesn’t usually work out so well; hence, my daughter banging on the office door yelling out, 'Seriously how long does it take to write a book?' They are unimpressed.”

(I am currently reading “Mine,” and unlike Katie's children, I am very impressed. Her elegant prose tells a compelling tale of two sisters, Maggie and Janie, bonded by the loss of their sister and later their mother, who begin their life in the coal region of upstate Pennsylvania. Whenever I put the book down, I cannot wait to pick it up again.)

Katie was born on Boyer Street in Mt. Airy, but her family moved two years later to Ambler, where her parents still live.

After graduating from Springside, Katie went to Swarthmore College (her family has lived in Swarthmore for the past 10 years), where she was quite intimidated when she discovered that her freshman class included two published authors (at age 18), two junior Jeopardy winners and dozens of former high school class valedictorians. “I thought this whole Swarthmore College thing was not going to work out,” she said.

It did work out, however. After graduation from Swarthmore, Katie got a job teaching at the Clara Barton School at B and Wyoming for three years and then at the Swarthmore Rutledge School for three years. Then she went back to Philly and taught at the Taylor School at 6th and Erie. She left when she gave birth to her first child. Her husband, John, is a family practice physician with offices in Kensington and Mayfair.

Since Katie has lived her entire life in the Philadelphia area, how did she select a coal mining region as the physical setting for “Mine?”

“My maternal grandmother was from the coal region. I have visited there, so I do have some images in my head, but really my concept of this place is mostly conjured in my imagination after listening to so many family stories.”

After finishing “Mine,” Kate spent about two years querying literary agents but to no avail. She either received no response or rejections. She then contacted Deeds Publishing in Athens, Georgia, on her own, and they agreed to publish the book.

How much of Maggie, the heroine of “Mine,” is in Katie? “I relate very much to Maggie. As a mother I worry constantly about my children, probably even more so now that they are teenagers or on their way to becoming teenagers, and their choices will be their own.

“There is not much I can do except have faith that they will keep themselves safe. It is really hard to be present and warm and a good listener when your head is full of all the terrible things that could happen to these people you love more than life itself. I tell them all the time, 'Your life doesn’t just belong to you. It belongs to all of the people who love you. Keep it safe.'”

Who are Katie's own favorite authors and books?

“My favorite book still is 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' I recently read 'East of Eden' for the first time and was blown away. I loved 'Olive Kittredge' by Elizabeth Strout. I have always loved Louise Erdrich, particularly 'Love Medicine.' I think Abraham Verghese is a gorgeous writer. Penelope Lively’s 'Moon Tiger' was beautiful. And 'Gilead' by Marilynne Robinson; read it like prayer.” What was the hardest thing Kate ever had to do? “My nephew, Joseph Lentz, died of a brain tumor when he was two. Watching his parents, my brother, Bryan, and sister-in-law, Jen, say goodbye to their beautiful, brilliant son broke my heart in more ways than I ever thought possible.

“They were and are such selfless, devoted, wonderful, decent parents throughout Joseph’s life and death. I prayed for every miracle possible to save him, but one never came.

“And yet I came to realize that being witness to Joseph’s death also meant being witness to a miracle — my brother’s and his wife’s capacity to love under such circumstances and to share their son with everyone who loved him so selflessly.”

What is Katie's greatest regret, if any? “I can’t think of one single, monumental regret, thank God, but I am loaded with tiny ones. Small acts of meanness throughout my life. And as a mother — oh my — as I recently wrote in an essay, 'Show me a mother without regret, and I will find you a liar.'”

What is Kate's most treasured possession? “My lemon trees. We grew them from a seed from an Acme lemon. They are now about three feet tall. I’m told I might have lemons in five years. If you pick a leaf off and rub it between your fingers, it smells like lemon.”

What is Kate's most impressive characteristic?

“I credit my mother with this one. I’m not envious.”

More information at 215-844-1870, www.deedspublishing.com/crawford or www.bigbluemarblebooks.com