Right Here All Along: Finding Quiet Moments in Texas State Parks – Signed Hardcover

What if the quiet you were looking for was right here all along?

At 68, I made a commitment: visit all 88 Texas State Parks, one at a time. Not as a challenge — as a way to keep getting outside, to keep noticing things, and to keep learning. Right Here All Along: Finding Quiet Moments in Texas State Parks gathers the first sixteen parks of that journey into a book you can hold, read slowly, and return to whenever you need a quiet moment of your own.

Part art book, part personal journey, part reminder to be present — the title says what the trail keeps teaching me. The steadiness, the calm, the energy I thought I had to go looking for — it was right here all along, in places an hour or two down the road.

What’s inside

Each of the sixteen parks has four pages:

• The sketch. An original drawing I made while sitting in the park — imperfect, unhurried, and true to the day.
• The reflection. What that particular visit stirred up: the weather, the walk, whatever the park had to say.
• Walking Further Down the Trail… A little about the park itself — where I sat to sketch, and what not to miss if you visit.
• If You Need a Quiet Moment. A tiny ritual you can do anywhere — no park required — and a quote to carry with you.

More than a book

Scattered through the pages are QR codes that bring the journey to life:

• Each park links to its own short film on YouTube — most of them show the sketch actually being drawn, right there on the trail.
• Each park also links to the song it inspired, on Spotify or Apple Music or to my artist page if that park had no specific song.

Read a park’s pages, then scan and watch the visit — or let a song like “Dancing Memories” (Huntsville) or “The Small Things Matter Too” (Daingerfield) play while you read. The book, the films, and the music all grew from the same sixteen days outdoors.

Made by one pair of hands

Every sketch in this book was drawn by me, at the park, on the day of the visit. Every reflection, ritual, and park note was written by me. Every film was shot and edited by me. The songs began with me too — each one grew out of a park visit and was produced in collaboration, with AI-generated music and vocals bringing the melodies to life. Nothing here was rushed, and nothing was made by committee.

Who this book is for

If you love Texas — or love someone who does — this book is a way to wander the state’s parks from your favorite chair. It’s for readers who are tired of hurry, who’d rather age well than fight aging, and who believe a sketchbook, a trail, and a little quiet can do more for your energy than any productivity system. You don’t need to have visited a single park to feel at home in these pages.

It also makes a lovely gift: for a parent, for a friend who’s slowing down on purpose, for anyone with a Texas State Parks pass — or anyone who’s been meaning to get one.

Every copy is signed

I sign each copy myself before it ships.  If you’d like it inscribed to someone, leave a note at checkout.

The details

• Title: Right Here All Along: Finding Quiet Moments in Texas State Parks (Volume 1)
• Author: Susan Svec
• Format: Signed hardcover
• Publisher: Leaf & Ink Press
• ISBN: 979-8-9962650-0-8
• Covers parks 1–16 of my 88-park Texas State Parks Quest
• Pages: 80
• Dimensions: Trim Size of 7″ X 10″
• Includes 16 original sketches, 16 reflections, 16 sets of trail notes, 16 quiet-moment rituals and quotes
• QR codes to 16 park films (YouTube) and companion songs (Spotify / Apple Music)
• Parks included: Cedar Hill State Park, Bonham State Park, Purtis Creek State Park, Lake Tawakoni State Park, Huntsville State Park, Brazos Bend State Park, Galveston Island State Park, Sheldon Lake State Park, Sea Rim State Park, Fort Boggy State Park, Tyler State Park, Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, Martin Creek Lake State Park, Daingerfield State Park, Lake Whitney State Park, and Fort Parker State Park
• Written, sketched, filmed, and signed by Susan Svec of Susan Soaps & More
• Ships from Scurry, Texas

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Right Here All Along about?
It’s a signed hardcover documenting the first sixteen parks of my journey to visit all 88 Texas State Parks. Each park includes an original sketch drawn on-site, a personal reflection, practical park notes, and a small quiet ritual with a quote — plus QR codes linking to the short film and song created for that park.

Is this a Texas State Parks guidebook?
Not exactly — it’s a companion, not a guide. That said, each park’s “Walking Further Down the Trail…” page tells you where I sketched and what not to miss, so it works beautifully as a starting point for planning your own visits.

Is every copy really signed?
Yes. I sign each book by hand before it ships.

What do the QR codes do?
Each park has QR codes that open its YouTube episode — most show the sketch being drawn at the park — and its companion song on Spotify or Apple Music.

Who made everything in the book?
The sketches, reflections, rituals, quotes, films, and editing are all my own work. The songs grew out of each park visit and were produced in collaboration, with AI-generated music and vocals.

Do I need to have visited these parks to enjoy the book?
Not at all. Plenty of readers will use it the other way around — reading first, visiting later. And the quiet-moment rituals work anywhere: a porch, a kitchen table, a waiting room.

Is this a good gift?
It’s made for gifting — especially for parents and grandparents, Texas nature lovers, hikers, sketchers, and anyone drawn to slower living. Signed copies make it feel personal without you having to do a thing.