
By Charlene McKellar
The Haldimand Press
SOUTH CAYUGA—Marilyn Kindy Lamb and Debbie Kindy Guyett are a mother-daughter duo who recently wrote and had a book published together.
Marilyn, 81, from South Cayuga, and Debbie, now in Niagara, worked together for about a year to write the book Red Ticket to Adventure. However, Marilyn had actually started on the story 15 years prior.
“I saw it like a movie,” she explained. “(I was) off and on writing it, a little here and there.”
Debbie then took over the computer part to help. She admitted, “We had a rough start.”
The two didn’t share the same vision of how the story would be told until Marylin suggested Debbie read a certain book.
“Once I read the book and I realized what mom wanted … we worked together much better,” Debbie said.
“I wanted you to feel you were right there, involving yourself into the story,” added Marilyn. In her own words, Marilyn was “really picky with words,” sometimes sitting for over half an hour to find the right word.
Once the book was finished, the duo brought it to a publisher and received great feedback from Tellwell Talent. Marilyn said that they were told it was well written and there was something for everyone. However, “publishing was quite a challenge,” Debbie revealed.
It took another 10 months going back and forth with the publisher before they could make it to the release date. Marilyn explained, “They wanted to change my story.”
There were disagreements about which tense to use, but the mother-daughter team was insistent on keeping certain things the same. After another battle about the cover, and the two paying extra for Marylin to ensure the design was exactly what she had envisioned, the book was finally released on September 16, 2022.
“The target is Grade 7 and 8 and up,” explained Debbie. But it’s really for all ages, assured Marilyn, adding, “It’s got such variety.”
“We want to get the word out there,” said Debbie on their goal now. Marilyn noted, “It’s really for people’s enjoyment. That’s why I got it published.”
The story itself follows four teenagers going on a summer trip after high school. They run into all kinds of adventure and all kinds of creatures.
The two are excitedly planning the next book in the series, which will follow the same group of teens as the first. Debbie said her mom is “jotting down” ideas that “didn’t make it into the first book.”
“And I keep thinking of more,” Marilyn added. The two plan to sit down in the new year and get down to work on the next book for readers to enjoy.