Del Tech grad's book available on Amazon Kindle

Rehoboth Beach resident Mark Belisle has published his first book, making it available on the Amazon Kindle.

A graduate of Delaware Technical and Community College, Belisle is using Amazon to get his book, “Sunflowers,” into the hands of Kindle readers. He said anyone who wants to publish a book can do it: all one has to do is upload the book in a Microsoft Word file.

“They basically do all of the work for you,” he said.

To promote his book, a collection of short stories, Belisle is relying on word of mouth, a Facebook page and a blog.

“I’m going to see how well it does through mainly word of mouth,” he said. “I may advertise on Kindle sites in the future.”

Belisle is a pharmacy tech at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, but it’s not his dream career. “I decided to come to Delaware Tech to study communications because I realized that the pharmaceutical life is not for me," he said. "I’ve always been a creative person.”

Still, he plans to stay at Beebe until he figures out his next move. “I’m so thankful for my job at Beebe,” he said.

So what exactly is his dream career? Anything where he can write.

“I want a career where I can write for a living, whether it’s popular fiction, news writing ­– anything, really,” he said.

Belisle said a creative writing class taught by English instructor Jen Morley opened his eyes to what he should be doing with his life.

“Creative writing class really sparked my interest in writing and inspired me to start writing regularly,” he said.

Before taking creative writing, he always viewed writing as a chore. Now he loves it.

“I love writing because I love the idea of sharing my thoughts and ideas with others to help them escape their problems for a while,” he said.

His family has always been supportive, ever since he discovered his talent for writing in junior high. Belisle also receives a lot of support from his girlfriend. “The amount of support I have received is remarkable,” he said.

Morley has no doubts that Belisle can be a very successful writer.

“He’s already successful. He is naturally talented. Not only that, but he’s a very hard worker,” she said.

Morley also said she can’t take credit for Belisle’s success.

“They were a wonderful group of students. They kind of formed their own support, even outside of the classroom. It was very satisfying to hear them talk about their work,” she said.

Belisle has been working on his book for about a year. Local artist Jen Zenzenski of Rehoboth Beach is doing the cover art.

“Sunflowers” is available for the Amazon Kindle for $1.99.