Photo by Amy Cherry Janice Blair, a former resident of St. Marys, recently published her first book “Then There Was Niv.”

By Amy Cherry

Staff Writer

In the new book “Then There Was Niv”, author Janice Blair conveys a message of hope and inspiration as she takes readers through a journey of the fictitious land of Niv.

Born and raised in St. Marys, Blair, 50, is a graduate of St. Marys Area High School. She is the daughter of Jerome and Esther Herzing and is married to Jan with two daughters, Jessica, 28 and Jean, 24.

“It is a morally sound book meant to bring hope, especially today with our world so full of greed and disappointment,” Blair said.

Blair will be conducting a book signing on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at My Father’s House Book Store on Erie Ave. in St. Marys.

The book follows Daisy, a young journalist who has lapsed into a coma after falling at work, in a journey through Niv where she makes many life decisions, all of which are connected to real choices she made during her life.

Niv is a far off land which Blair named after the abbreviation for New International Version of the Bible.

“While there are biblical references in the book, they are not in your face,” Blair noted. “I wrote it around and about the scriptures.”

While in Niv Daisy encounters many people while being escorted by a spotted owl.

“She comes to terms and learns about the most treasured and cherished of all the endangered species, which is man,” Blair said. “The book contains factual data about the ever-present threat to our animal kingdom and plant life.”

She added the book leaves readers questioning what are they doing with what they have already been given.

Blair began writing the book in October 2007 while living in Indianapolis, IN. It took her six months to write, eight months to find a suitable publisher and another eight months until final publication.

She self-published her book through Word Association Publishers of Tarentum as a work of as inspirational fiction.

Throughout the book Blair ties in references to her life such as making Daisy originally from Pennsylvania. Blair also includes her daughters in the book, under fictitious names.

The book is an easy read written for sixth graders on up.

“Readers will encounter fear, happiness, joy, a love story, reality about our planet and what we’ve done as well as topics including sporting events, medical, dating, a money system, parenting, family and career,” she added.

Blair left the book open for a sequel which she has completed various sections of. She originally planned for the project to be a three book series.

Currently she is working on penning her father’s memoirs about growing up in the area. It is tentatively titled “Northfork As I Remember.”

Blair briefly attended Edinboro University and Penn State Altoona before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. She later obtained a business degree from DuBois Business College.

She returned to the area where she worked as the secretary for the Elk County Planning Department for two years and as the Elk County Veterans Affairs Director for three years. While in Indianapolis she worked as an administrative assistant for the Indiana Department of Health for one year.

 The book, priced at $16.95, is available at St. Marys Pharmacy, The Village Peddler, My Father’s House Book Store and Gift Shop, Cliffe’s Drug Store in Ridgway, Bennetts Valley Pharmacy, Elk County Store, Weedville, The Emporium Pharmacy, Cameron County Main Street, Cameron County Artisan Center in Emporium, Kane’s Value Health Care Center Pharmacy, Bill’s Place in Brockway, Allegheny Crossroads in Lantz Corners, Port Allegany Pharmacy, Mt. Jewett Shur Save Grocer, Mercantile in Bradford, Olive Branch Book Store in Clarion as well as online at Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com and WordAssociation.com.