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Creativity Has No Expiration Date
Jeanne Sparks
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March 07, 2026
Creativity Has No Expiration Date:
Local Author Deborah Brasket on Publishing Late in Life
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“Have you ever wondered if it’s too late to write that novel, become an artist, learn to skydive, or play the piano?” local author Deborah Brasket muses.
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Community members are invited to explore that question at a free event on Sunday, March 22 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Santa Maria Public Library, 420 S. Broadway in Santa Maria.
Join Brasket and Jeanne Sparks, co-executive director of Santa Barbara County Action Network, for a candid conversation about how Brasket came to publish her debut novel, When Things Go Missing, later in life. Brasket will share her journey, read from her book, answer questions, and sign copies.
The event is sponsored by SBCAN and Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library.
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When Things Go Missing is about the fragility and resilience of family life.
When the mother who has been holding her family together mysteriously disappears, it sets into motion a ripple of anger, grief, and regret that reshapes the lives of those left behind--her two troubled adult children and distant husband. Each embarks on their own journeys to fill the missing pieces in their lives and make their family whole again.
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The novel has been praised for its “gorgeous prose,” “grit and grace,” and for being a “propulsive page-turner that you cannot help getting swept up in.”
Brasket says, “When Things Go Missing is a love story long in the making. I dedicated it to all families who fall apart and struggle to find their way home again.”
She adds that while beginning her publishing career late in life, she doesn’t consider herself a “late bloomer.”
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“Like many women, I’ve been creating things my whole life: in my home and family, my career and community. Publishing novels is just the latest bloom. Creativity truly has no expiration date.”
Brasket spent six years sailing around the world with her husband and children. When she returned home to the Central Coast, she earned her Master’s degree in English at Cal Poly and taught at Allan Hancock and Cuesta colleges before joining SBCAN. There she served as a board member, board president and then executive director.
After retirement, she settled among the golden hills and vineyards of Paso Robles to write the kinds of novels she loves to read. Her first novel When Things Go Missing was published in September 2025. Her second novel This Sea Within will be published in June 2026. Visit her website www.deborahjbrasket.com to learn more. Or contact her at [email protected]
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Creativity Has No Expiration Date
Creativity Has No Expiration Date
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ACTION NETWORK
