3When a teacher retires, do they ever retire from the subject that spurred on their career? In Bruce Damuth’s case the answer is no.

As an avid reader, Damuth has completed a historical romance novel, published by Archway Publishing, entitled “Ophelia: A Novel”, which he admits was not as easy a task as one might believe.

“Even though I majored in language and literature, while absorbing most everything I can as a reader, it still took two years to see this endeavor through. Writing takes time and more effort than people think.”

Raised on the East Coast, in New York, Damuth admitted that he always enjoyed fiction books that were based upon a reality story. During his stint in the Army for three years, he was a Russian linguist working in the serious field of military intelligence.

“I like to read and write where there is a question to ask of you that is reality driven. If a book makes you think about yourself, it is doing something right.”

The reality of making a living in a teaching career left him no time to actually complete a manuscript. Once retired and only substituting within Hawthorne’s school district, time became more of a luxury. He admitted that the book had rewrites, editor notes and a process which played into the betterment of the final outcome.

Even though it is considered a short story, the effort was a commitment just the same.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to narrow down the dialogue within a short amount of pages, yet get the message across.”

Damuth stated that his efforts have created a story about the morality of the past and the present. When asked if there was another book in the works, he stated, “Let’s just get this one out and go from there.”