Nan’s Notebook
East Coast USA
Use a news reader app?
Get new posts from Nan!
Just copy and paste this address into your reader service:
https://www.4seasonshelf.com/blog?format=rss
“Get in,” this book says. “We’re going on a mission.”
The blog post is about the “Ink Drinker,” a leading protagonist of N.G. Swett’s illustrated novel “The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission.” The author and illustrator tells why and how the character came about and shares a video on a new series of tiny acrylic paintings for readers and writers under the 4seasonshelf Project, Outer Lands Archipelago, east coast, USA.
The reader is the hero — the “Ink Drinker” — in the new indie illustrated novel “The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission” by N.G. Swett
“The Clerk” and the “Ink Drinker” fall under a powerful primordial island’s spell and crash land in the sea. They swim, surf, tumble and crawl ashore to an island suspended in time.
They must complete the mission and find a bridge back to base. But the mission isn’t clear, the bridge isn’t built yet, and neighbors along the proposed route have a deeper story to tell. Following signs, raw instinct and each other, the odyssey transforms the duo into heroes. They find a bridge to the future, but it’s not what they expect.
“With writing a novel, you can look up and find many lonely years have passed,” said author N.G. Swett. “I basically enlist the reader to be the ‘Ink Drinker,’ a primary character needed to get the book to the finish line. They’re near the top of my acknowledgements at the back of the book.”
“The project took much longer than expected. I don’t know what I expected really since I had no experience of writing a novel before. At one of the later stages of editing it, I thought some company would be nice for the narrator, the ‘Clerk,’ so I added the ‘Ink Drinker’ as co-pilot on a mission,” said Swett. “When you write fiction, you can do whatever you want.”
“Necessity was the mother of invention,” said Swett. It’s a novel that feels like an active mission, or what IndieReader calls “a cataclysmic adventure.” (Read full IndieReader book review here.)
Swett wrote the Clerk and the Ink Drinker characters so a reader — most any reader — could see themself and find common ground and feelings beyond gender or background, a kind of civil camaraderie. “That was tricky. That’s where the idea for the Odyssey Rescue Group (the Org) came in as a different kind of entity, one that might be found after some self help research deep on the internet,” Swett said.
The ‘Ink Drinker’ art cards
In recognition and gratitude to all the Ink Drinkers out there, especially those willing to brave debut novels of unknown authors (there should be an ‘Ink Drinker’ monument somewhere), Swett is making a series of original mini art cards dedicated to readers for the 4seasonshelf Project.
Dear Outer Lands Librarian
Dear Outer Lands librarian is a blog post for librarians in the Outer Lands Archipelago including Long Island, Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod among others. It offers the illustrated novel ‘The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission’ for their collections and patrons and describes its appeal to Outer Lands readers and art lovers. It offers links to reviews and international purchasing options through the 4seasonshelf Project and Ingram Spark.
From an Outer Lands author with a book for your collection:
‘The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission’ an illustrated novel
A special shoutout to the librarian in the Outer Lands Archipelago — Long Island, Block Island, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Manhattan, and more.”
An Adventure Begins, Heroes Wanted
Set in the Outer Lands Archipelago, the contemporary modernist illustrated novel is perfect for adult Outer Lands readers of literature and art lovers, who will recognize the beautiful four season setting and island life. About progress, justice, camaraderie and the healing power of storytelling, the book is very much created by and for these extraordinary times.
IndieReader calls the illustrated novel “a cataclysmic adventure.”
The novel’s plot is character-driven, neatly woven together, and multi-layered.
The adventure begins as the world is on the verge of falling apart. The Clerk narrowly escapes the city through the relocation services of the Org and is assigned a reconnaissance mission to its Outer Lands territory. The reader is recruited as the “Ink Drinker” to go along.
Flying to the Outer Lands territory, the duo is forced to make a crash sea landing. They ride a 50-year wave ashore to a terribly beautiful island. Not only must they deliver and pick up dispatches, now they must follow signs to a bridge. From the beach, they enter into a small coastal farming town. As if under an enchantment or spell, they embed with neighbors along a country road and go through a cascade of events and challenges in order to complete the mission.
“This is as much a call to action as it is a story,” said author N.G. Swett. “The world being what it is, a direct connection between writers and readers is essential. The novel came together over the last decade as all hell broke loose in publishing and new alternatives appeared. I specifically added design features in my novel to help readers take a chance on a new book in indie publishing. It’s an adventure, and I want the reader to get in. The language is easy, the plot moves, the type is large, and I even painted illustrations. I made the decision to only publish it in print for the sake of a quality reading experience and the sense of reality and personal connection we get from carrying and holding a book. But the biggest thing is that I added the reader to the title and story itself as the ‘Ink Drinker.’ Together we complete the mission.”
Readers who finish “The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission” join a growing league of heroes who got the assignment and completed the mission.
A list of 20+ book discussion questions is available for groups and book clubs.
N.G. Swett is a New York multimedia communications pro with extensive experience in all facets of the industry including environmental and financial communications in New York City; regional multimedia marketing and public relations for private clients; and news and feature writing for the New York Times, the East End Independent, and Dan’s Papers. Swett’s advocacy has helped families, local small businesses and professionals, downtown revitalization, and shelter pets. Ten years ago, at 50, Swett started new creative projects including the novel, painting and poetry while learning the ropes of ecommerce and self publishing.
Swett lives on Long Island with her husband, two grown children, and a large dog. She studied political science at SUNY Binghamton and attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City.
Available Globally Through Ingram Spark
The new release 2026 illustrated paperback novel, “The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission,” is available internationally through Ingram Spark.
The novel is published as part of Swett’s 4seasonshelf Project and is represented by Great Peconic Communications, the author’s own media company (est 1995).
Currently, signed and stamped first edition paperbacks are available at the 4seasonshelf.com online shop (USA orders only). There are no plans for an ebook or hard cover.
Where / What is the Outer Lands Archipelago?
The Outer Lands Archipelago along the American east coast is an inspiration for author and painter N.G. Swett. The islands, which include Long Island, Block Island, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod, New York City and many others, share a unique ecology, history and economy. In this blog post you can find a Google map, an excellent book, and examples of creative works by N.G. Swett including a short video of the Outer Lands beach and surf, and the illustrated novel ‘The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission’.
The spirit of these great primordial islands, which so many have felt, also shapes the 4seasonshelf Project
4.75×3” oval sticker
Black & white
Mailed in protective cello wrapper
Original graphic design for the 4seasonshelf Project by N.G. Swett
Authentic - stamped with artist seal
Author and painter N.G. Swett lives in the Outer Lands Archipelago, the string of islands along the American east coast including Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island, Long Island, New York City and many more. The archipelago’s spirit, beauty and challenges sets the scene for Swett’s 4seasonshelf Project.
Many say the special lighting of these islands, its four season climate, beautiful beaches, and the sheer scale and drama of the skies give the archipelago a special potency in the dream realm. More than a backdrop, author N.G. Swett says the islands are alive with the invisible forces of the universe. Have you felt it?
The Natural History of the Outer Lands Archipelago, east coast, USA
”No continent is entire of itself,” begins the preface to The Outer Lands: A Natural History Guide To Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island and Long Island by Dorothy Sterling. “Between the Atlantic Ocean and the rocky rim of New England lies a chain of islands and a peninsula. Long Island points northeast across open stretches of water to Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and the flexed arm of Cape Cod. Isolated by the awesome processes of the earth’s evolution, these sandy, windswept outlands are the remnants of an ancient coastline.”
Wonderful book on the subject:
The Outer Lands by Dorothy Sterling and illustrated by Winifred Lubell
This richly illustrated and well written book details the natural history of the Outer Lands Archipelago. It can be found in the collections of most libraries in the Archipelago!
Author Endows Archipelago with Special Powers
To its natural history, author N.G. Swett has added a spiritual dimension to the archipelago, giving it the power to enchant and transform, in her new illustrated novel The Clerk and the Ink Drinker in the Outer Lands Mission.
More About the Outer Lands Archipelago
Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.
Written and Illustrated by N.G. Swett
Illustrated Paperback
Copyright 2026 by N.G. Swett
292 pages
First Edition
Escape artist | “Summer Waltz” by NG Swett | acrylic painting (& video)
“Summer Waltz” by NG Swett 2024 | 14x11” acrylic on canvas board
I herein reveal…
what made me want to paint this scene
what I was trying to express
how I think it came out
how I made the video (below)
and more
Heat wave! It’s been so hot.
As much as one wants to go outside and enjoy the summer, IF it’s cooler inside, then one would like to stay inside.
By looking out the window at the beautiful summer day, one can feel FOMO — the fear of missing out. Summer is here, but it won’t be forever. Summer is the season to recreate, enjoy life, and take it easy. If not now, when??
What made me want to paint this scene
I spotted this lovely scene out the window and I thought I would set up my paints as if I were outside painting, only I would do it inside where it was cooler.
I saw a chance to play around with the indoor and outdoor scenes and have some fun with paints — and my smartphone!
The scene outside the window was so summery, breezy and lovely.
And the scene inside the window was also lovely. A bouquet of flowers that our daughter brought sat on the dining room table near the window. The striped curtains fall around the scene like theater curtains.
But there was also something not so lovely: the feeling of not really wanting to go out into the extreme summer heat, feeling a captive inside the house because of that. Of separation from nature. Of watching and waiting. The emptiness of the lounge chairs on the lawn and the chair at the table…
What I was trying to express
The process of painting the two scenes together in one painting — one a kind of outdoor plein air scene and another as a kind of indoor still life — showed me a few things:
initially I felt fear and trepidation, which is visible in the video — doubt that I could make a good painting or a good video
the sense of aliveness in the natural world I try to capture using a dabbed impressionist treatment
gratitude and appreciation for a longtime home, a place near and dear to my heart and where my family lives, albeit a more staged and less changing indoor setting
longing, yearning and meaning of empty chairs but also of possibilities
challenged — demarking the window screen as the focal point, the exact place where indoor and outdoor meet; it picks up sunshine along its thin silvery grid lines
defiance! The curtains lent themselves to a modernist, expressionist treatment — very satisfying! Like, I could make these curtains more exact or prettier, but I just did ‘em how I felt like doing them
the lovely flowers, though challenging in their detail, came through best for me using some abstraction
How I think it came out
I mean, I like how the painting and the video came out. Works for me! I always think it’s a miracle when my painting ends up looking like anything at all, let alone forming a complete picture.
I really had fun with the digital and video tools, too.
Here is the video:
How I made the video
Here are some notes about how I made the video:
I videotaped with my smartphone and a tripod
I edited the video in Canva
the waltz soundtracks are all from YouTube’s free audio library (for YouTube use only)
the scenes of me inside the painting are done with the image of the painting overlaid with a video of me with the background removed