Macon Magazine

74 l MACON MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013 Just in time for the primo gi-giving season of the year, two new books – one for mid- grade readers and one for young adults – are now available from Macon authors Sandra Flatau (writing as Sandra Page, which is her maiden name), and Lauren Morrill Ragusea, a newcomer to central Georgia. A LOST WORLD Unlike many retired Baby Boomers, Macon attorney Sandra Page Flatau never pined for a career as a published author of children's fiction. In fact, aer a decade as a teacher with a master degree in history, she entered law school at Mercer University and embarked on a successful 23-year career as a trial lawyer and municipal judge before deciding to write. Her writing inspiration was a photo she had taken as a child in 1955 during a family trip to a little-known marketplace in Guatemala. Although greatly faded, the old snapshot still triggers vivid memories of a place that set Flatau's imagination aglow. As the mother of two children, Joë and Colleen, she felt her adventurous childhood helped set the stage for a lifetime love of learning, and she wanted her children, grandchildren, and others to experience similar influences. "e food, the smells, the vibrant colors, the kindness of the Maya people – all of it fascinated me," she said, describing the effect of the snapshot she pored over some six decades aer it was taken with her Brownie Instamatic. "I have always known that travel could create magic, but not all children can have that opportunity." She hopes her book will give young readers a real taste of adventure and a glimpse into a lost civilization. Flatau (then Sandra Page) grew up in Miami as a self-described tomboy, the youngest of three sisters. Her family lived a modest, middle-class existence, rich in adventures linked to travel opportunities. Her father's job at Pan American Airlines allowed the family free worldwide travel. Trips to Guatemala and Mexico were among the Pages' favorite destinations. Because the tourist industry there was not yet well established or commercialized, Flatau was able to steep herself in the culture in an unobtrusive way that might be impossible today. Her first novel, "Pyramid of the Lost World," is dedicated to her parents, Audrey and Howard Page, now deceased. She never lost her love for the Maya people, their village life and the mysterious rain forest of Central America. Her fascination for the area's history as an advanced civilization now extinct is as intact as the photo that inspired it. Her daughter, Colleen Popson, married and also a mother of two, visited Belize for several summers during her high school years and is now a Maya archaeologist and scholar, working on a new media program for the Smithsonian Institution. On one memorable high school trip, Colleen, who as a student, was allowed to "sweep but not dig," uncovered a still-intact Maya pot and other ancient artifacts – a Photography by danny gilleland Sandra Page Flatau with her book, "Pyramid of the Lost World." BOOK LOCAL AUTHORS PRODUCE NEW BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS by paige henson By the

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