Front Row Seat to the Jersey Shore...

continued from page 16 lived there, or currently have homes there.”

The author’s journey started when publisher Henry Quinlan (So, You Think You Know the South Coast? So, You Think You Know Cape Cod? So, You Think You Know Nantucket?) from Omni Publishing was looking for a New Jersey writer, reached out to Christiano-Mistretta and decided to sign her.

She has always been connected to the Jersey Shore — as a kid, teen and adult she vacationed there with her family.

“I had a fun grandmother who would go on the rides (roller coasters in her 70s) on the boardwalk,” the author also fondly recalls times with friends and her husband loves the shore off-season as much as she does. “My father-in-law had a place down the shore when he was still alive, and my brother-in-law lives in Cape May.”

According to Christiano-Mistretta, she can’t choose a favorite spot because she has memories from all over — Cape May, Wildwood, Bay Head, Point Pleasant, Spring Lake, Atlantic City, Margate, Asbury Park, Seaside Heights, Ocean Grove, Ocean City.

“It’s all so magical. The air smells fresh. You actually see kids doing stuff; like skateboarding and surfing instead of being on their phones,” says the author. “And there are places to see live music.”

Christiano-Mistretta immersed herself in research (about 80 percent). She says she knew quite a bit about the Jersey Shore, but there was much she didn’t know, which made writing the book even more rewarding.

The author is inspired by almost everything.

“I’m a positive person and live life to the fullest,” she says. “I get excited by listening to music and motivational speakers, reading, exercise, meditation, cooking, being around pets… I make each moment count.”

During the pandemic Christiano-Mistretta became a certified feline behaviorist and is building a clientele as a cat-sitter, looking forward to cat-sitting her first Sphynx this summer.

The author is making the rounds at book signings and speaking engagements, and she is currently writing several other books.

“I have a few hobbies like art and acting,” says Christiano-Mistretta. “I’m always doing something creative so you never know what will come into fruition.”

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Purchase the book: Omni Publishing (www.omni-pub. com/)