Local author, Lenore Bavota, writes a gripping tale based in Sesuit Harbor.

Sesuit In My Heart follows an EPA Agent who returns to East Dennis in hopes of reuniting with his daughter and in the process uncovers evil lurking beneath the surface of the close-knit community. 

The author, Lenore Bavota, began writing the novel in the mid-90s when she was living in East Dennis, where the story takes place. She got the idea for the book when she was jogging around the Sesuit loop one morning, which is exactly how one of her characters stories begins as well. 

As the decades unfolded, Bavota went through many life transitions and became too busy to focus on the book, so she temporarily put down the project. As the chapters of her life evolved, she finally had time to pick it up again, and she did so with great, newfound determination to finish her work. Her efforts resulted in the 161-page book she self-published in 2020 and dedicated to her husband, Woody, who “never doubted” she could write.

Having lived in the Sesuit community which inspired her book, Bavota writes with a keen sense of environment and intertwines various locations that resonate with any visitor or resident of the historic neighborhood. Her personal and professional knowledge of the inner workings of the community helps her build the foundation upon which her story stands.

“You know, I just wrote what I knew,” she says. “When I was jogging the boats were up on the dry docks and I could hear the lines of all the sailboats clanking against the masts in the wind as the seasons changed and I felt inspired.”

Bavota invented a cast of sympathetic characters who work to solve issues that loom over the year round community in real life; such as environmental troubles, economic divisions, and challenges that local businesses frequently face. The characters navigate these struggles with a positive outlook encouraging readers to root for them to prevail, making the book a perfect beach read.

“I wanted to write a book that people could kind of get lost in,” she says. “If you’re on a beach reading it, you have the smell of the ocean and the sense of the breeze and everything else that goes with sitting where it was inspired.”

From being a grandmother, wife, business owner and realtor; Bavota wears many hats in life. Her family and friends who have read her work sometimes can’t believe she has the time and talent to write, but they now promote her work whenever they can. 

Sesuit In My Heart can be purchased on Amazon and can be found in the CLAMS Library network. Bavota plans to write a sequel to the book that picks up with the same characters and involves sharks and wind farms. Members of her Sesuit In My Heart Facebook group are very eagerly awaiting her new work.

When asked what advice she has for writers who are hesitant to publish their work, she says, “There’s no right or wrong… just start writing!”