Independent Publishing · Est. 2026
A publishing house for the writers whose best work begins after fifty — because life is the finest editor there is.
[ ocean roar · fifty is the new prologue ]
The Manifesto
Our Mission
Act Three Press is an independent publishing company dedicated to discovering, developing, and publishing exceptional books by writers over the age of fifty. We believe that some of the world's best stories are written after careers have ended, children have grown, and life has provided the perspective that only experience can bring.
Our Vision
We want Act Three Press to be known not only for publishing outstanding books, but also for creating a supportive community where writers feel encouraged, respected, and inspired to share their stories.
What Makes Us Different
Most publishing companies focus primarily on market trends and sales potential. We believe life creates better stories, deeper characters, richer memoirs, and more meaningful nonfiction. Our authors bring decades of living to the page — and that perspective deserves to be celebrated. We don't define writers by their age. We celebrate the wisdom, resilience, and creativity that often flourish later in life.
What's Next
Over the next several years, Act Three Press will expand beyond publishing to offer educational resources, workshops, book coaching, and a vibrant community for writers over fifty. It is never too late to write the book you've always wanted to write — and we are committed to helping writers turn a lifelong dream into a finished book and a lasting legacy.
The First Title
First edition · ebook forthcoming
Losing Everything and Finding Myself in Costa Rica
by Tam D. Matthews
Chris Peters had a life she'd spent decades building — a gallery, a partner, a future she thought was solid ground. Then David took it all, and at fifty-eight, she found herself starting over with nothing but a suitcase and a shattered sense of who she was.
She didn't plan to end up in Costa Rica. She didn't plan on the ocean air slowly loosening something in her chest, or on a community of misfits and dreamers pulling her into their lives, or on a man on a motorcycle with a surfboard strapped to the side, offering a kind of ease she'd forgotten how to feel.
Rebuilding isn't the same as returning to who you were. It's messier, braver, and — if you let it — more honest. In a small coastal town where the sunsets refuse to be ignored, Chris begins to paint again, to trust again, and to discover that losing everything might have been the only way to find herself.
A luminous novel of reinvention for anyone who's ever wondered what's left of them when the life they built falls apart — and dared to build something truer in its place.
The Author
Fig. 01 · Tam D. Matthews, Costa Rica
Author · Educator · Reinventor
Tam spent decades building the kind of life you're supposed to want — a career in education, a children's theater she poured her heart into, roots in North Carolina that went deep. Then, in 2023, she packed it up and moved to a small coastal farming community in Costa Rica, trading certainty for something closer to aliveness.
She lives there with her partner Craig and a small pack of rescue dogs, including Sadie, who never lets her forget what a second chance looks like. She writes Retired and Free — Living in Costa Rica on Substack, and her essays on expat life and retiring abroad have appeared in Escape Artist.
"Some of the best stories start in the third act, not the first."
What We Publish
More than genre, we value authentic voices, compelling storytelling, and books that offer readers insight, hope, entertainment, or a fresh perspective.
Our Values
Voices — Field Notes from a Third ActLive
Dispatches from the Pacific coast — Retired & Free — Living in Costa Rica, by our debut author Tam D. Matthews. Updated automatically as she publishes.
Costa RicaAug 7 · 2026
The Slow Death of My American Safety Brain
Read on Substack
Field NotesJul 31 · 2026
I expected a parade. I expected colorful dresses. I expected horses. I did not expect a man tied to a fence.
Read on Substack
ReinventionJul 12 · 2026
In Costa Rica
Read on SubstackSubmissions
We're actively acquiring debut and midlife authors over fifty. Send a short pitch and we'll reply within four weeks. Every submission is read by a human.