ZENOBIA: The Curious Book of Business

Today ZENOBIA, that very curious book of business, rolls off its Michigan presses. The making of ZENOBIA has been a two-year odyssey that took me back to such classic books as Little Prince and Alice in Wonderland, not to mention Calvino's Invisible Cities. My husband designed the book and produced its 15 illustrations. My co-author, Matt Emmens, Shire Pharmaceuticals CEO (and long-time friend), was just last night named Life Sciences CEO of the Year by the Eastern Technology Council.

So this is a risk, this book—a literary fable about the role of the imagination in corporate America. It's full of characters named Vert and Hedger and Nod (have you met them out there already?), and it stars an intrepid young soul named Moira, whom, I might add, is modeled after a wonderful young woman I mentored a few years ago when she was a senior at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.

We had fun with this. It's a new genre, something that taught me so much more about writing.

Thanks to the team at Berrett-Kohler for having faith in it, to my agent, Amy Rennert, for making it happen, and to the always inspired Nettie Hartsock.

And, Mr. Emmens: Congratulations on this, your first book.