Author: Marissa DeCuir

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dallas, TX – There is more to this world than meets the eye in science fiction author Tracy Richardson’s newest installment in her young adult series, Catalyst (releasing on June 2, 2020 from Brown Books Publishing Group). The story features returning characters from the series’ first book, The Field, but centers on Marcie, who has a sixth sense. She feels a sort of knowing about certain things that can’t be explained – an intuition that extends beyond normalcy.

This summer, Marcie is spending time working at Angel Mounds, the archeological dig her mother heads, along with her brother, Eric, and his girlfriend, Renee. The dig is the site of an ancient indigenous civilization, and things immediately shift into the paranormal when Marcie and her teammates meet Lorraine and Zeke. The two mysterious dig assistants reveal their abilities to access the Universal Energy Field with their minds – something Marcie knows, only vaguely, that her brother has also had experience with. Marcie learns how our planet will disintegrate if action is not taken. She and her team must decide if they are brave enough to help Lorraine and Zeke in their plan to save Mother Earth, her resources, and her history. It looks like the summer just got a lot more interesting.

“[Catalyst is] based in present-time Earth dealing with the real issues we face while also exploring the possibilities of what and who might be out ‘there’ and what our relationship with them can be,” said Richardson. “It also explores our evolution as a species.”

Inspired by a desire to protect and sustain the planet, Richardson wrote Catalyst not only to entertain readers but to encourage them to think. “We can make the world a better place,” Richardson also said. “We don’t have to go with the status quo. Each and every one of us can be a catalyst for positive change.”

For more information about the author and her series, visit www.TracyRichardsonAuthor.com.

About The Author

TRACY RICHARDSON wasn’t always a writer, but she was always a reader. Her favorite book growing up was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. In a weird way that book has even shaped her life through odd synchronicities. She has a degree in biology like Mrs. Murry, and, without realizing it, she named her children Alex and Katie after Meg’s parents.

Tracy uses her science background in her writing through her emphasis on environmental issues, metaphysics, and science fiction. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her doing any number of creative activities — painting furniture, knitting sweaters, or cooking something. She lives in Indianapolis, and, in case you’re wondering, yes, she’s been to the Indianapolis 500.

Praise For The Series

“Readers will appreciate the fast-paced, compelling drama. A good choice for people who hope there’s more to space than space.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Tracy Richardson is a worthy heir to Madeleine L’Engle. Richardson’s characters intellectually travel beyond ordinary consciousness to delve into concepts of dark energy, collective [un]consciousness and universal energy fields.” —Rita Kohn, NUVO Newsweekly

“…true-to-life characters, contemporary environmental issues, and engaging metaphysical principles skirt the edges of science fiction and magical realism in this modern coming-of-age novel.” —LAURIE GRAY, Award-winning author of Maybe I Will and Summer Sanctuary

Q & A with Tracy Richardson

1. In what ways does Catalyst differ from The Field, and how is it similar?

Catalyst and The Field are both science fiction novels with environmental themes. The Field’’s science fiction focus is on actual science that is currently being researched and written about– The Universal Energy Field or the Zero Point Field. Its environmental theme is softer – introducing readers to the possibility of access to an endless supply of energy and comparing it to so-called clean coal and other renewable energy sources like wind and solar. There is a metaphysical bent to The Field as well. Eric is able to access the Collective Consciousness with his thoughts – another thing that has been researched and written about.

The science fiction elements in Catalyst are more supernatural and traditional sci-fi – that’s all I can say without spoilers! The environmental focus is reality based as it highlights the dangers of fracking and all of the other destructive activities humans do that cause climate change. In Catalyst I am stepping out strongly as an environmentalist and the characters take a more active role in fighting climate change. The books are companion books. Many of the same characters appear, but Catalyst is not a sequel to The Field and can be read as a stand-alone.

2. Environmental issues are a major theme in your work. How would you describe the current state of our nation’s relationship to these issues?

As with many things in our country, I believe there are essentially three camps on the issue of the environment. Those who are justifiably extremely concerned and who care deeply about what is happening, those who deny that anything is happening negatively to the environment at all, and those who are totally unengaged for a variety of reasons.

There are so many people who are raising the alarm. Young people are especially engaged. Scientists have been warning us about the dangers of climate change for years. Then there are those people, often our leaders or leaders of industry, who are fighting for the status quo in the name of profit and power. I don’t think we can reach those people.

But the people who are not engaged because they are uniformed or just trying to get through the day and make ends meet are the ones we can reach. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s that they don’t know what to do. I was at a big super-sized grocery store near where I live in Indianapolis recently. EVERYONE was getting their groceries in plastic bags. They didn’t even have paper bags available and no one, except me, brought their own re-useable bags. It seems like a small thing, but if we all stopped using plastic bags it would have a huge impact.

The Midwest is usually behind the coasts on this sort of thing. Recycling was mandatory when I lived in New York over 20 years ago. In the suburban neighborhood where I lived outside of Indianapolis for a number of years one of my neighbors refused to pay the $3 per month to recycle because he didn’t want someone ‘making money’ off of his trash. So short-sited. But recycling is not the answer. We need to reduce and eliminate the trash we generate. I’m sure you can tell I’m a bit passionate about this!

I feel like the tide is turning toward action on addressing environmental issues. We have so little time.

3. What sets Catalyst apart from other science fiction novels?

Catalyst is not about space exploration and space wars. It’s about how we’re not alone in the universe and how we’re probably not even be the most advanced species in the galaxy. It’s based in present time Earth dealing with the real issues we face while also exploring the possibilities of what and who might be out ‘there’ and what our relationship with them can be. It also explores our evolution as a species. What’s next for humanity if we can move forward and past our fear and hatred into love and compassion.

4. How does your degree in biology influence the story of Catalyst?

I have always loved science. To me there’s a magic and beauty to the world around us that science helps explain. My science background helps me to see how we are all connected by an elegant design. Science and spirituality are not contradictory. It doesn’t matter what your concept of God or a higher presence is. I think science proves its existence. My background in science also helps me to understand some of the more complex concepts and break them down for my readers to weave them into a story. It’s given me a curiosity to always wonder ‘why’ and understand that for all we think we know, there is vastly more that we don’t know.

Science is a discipline. Researchers test their hypothesis again and again and revise their discoveries. It is not an opinion. It is based on the facts as we currently know them. To say that climate change isn’t real is to deny these facts.

5. The novel unfolds in Indiana, your current place of residence. What are some of your favorite characteristics of your home state, and have you incorporated any real or local aspects into your writing?

The Midwest is a beautiful, but underappreciated, part of the country. Indiana has many different areas of topography. In The Field, Renee, who is from France, comments on the subtle beauty of Indiana, the glorious over-arching sky, the undulating corn fields and picturesque farmland.

In Catalyst, southern Indiana features more prominently with its rolling hills and state and national parks. I’ve taken creative license with my locations in the state, so I’m not representing actual places, more a melding of real places into someplace else entirely. However, I did visit Angel Mounds historic site near Evansville along the Ohio River and incorporated it into Catalyst. I also visited Cahokia mound in southern Illinois and an archaeological site near St. Louis called Emerald Mound and morphed all three indigenous sites together for the dig site in Catalyst.

Greystone mountain is based on a hill in Brown County State Park that has the stone monoliths described in Catalyst. The wind farm that Eric and Renee visit in The Field is based on the actual wind farm located along I65 midway between Indianapolis and Chicago. While I create a lot in my imagination, a lot of real people and places do make it into my books!

6. What impact would you like Catalyst to have on readers?

I would love it if readers would see that the Earth is our one and only home and that we have a responsibility to take care of her. To recognize that we are all connected and that what happens on the other side of the world can impact them and is affected by the things they do. To understand that what they do matters and that they can have an impact. We can make the world a better place. We don’t have to go with the status quo. Each and every one of us can be a catalyst for positive change.

7. What was your inspiration for including alternate dimensions in the book?

As part of my science geekiness, I am fascinated by the idea scientists propose that there are multiple universes out there. It’s hard enough to conceptualize the immensity of one universe let alone the idea that there could be an infinite number of additional universes!! I also believe that we are here on Earth to grow and learn and develop both as individuals and as a species. The idea that there are other dimensions within this universe where we can advance in the process of our personal development is intriguing as well. What’s the next stage of human development? Telepathy? Telekinesis? Instant manifestation? Who can say?

8. You’ve mentioned Madeleine L’Engle as one of your largest literary influences. How have her stories shaped your writing?

In some ways her novels helped inform my theology. She also studied the writings of physicists when writing A Wrinkle in Time and the other books in the Time Quintet series. In A Wind in the Door her characters travel inside the human body to help heal Charles Wallace’s mitochondria who have a consciousness of their own separate from him and are making him sick. That concept also brings to mind Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who where there is a whole civilization of Who’s living on a dust spec resting on a dandelion. I LOVE exploring the idea that there is far more to the universe than we can possibly know.

In A Ring of Endless Light the main character is dealing with the illness of her beloved grandfather and her connection with him, her family, her boyfriend and the dolphins that her boyfriend is studying. Ms. L’Engle recognized that we are all connected, and that intelligence and consciousness are not limited to humans. These are the ideas I want to portray in my novels, too. I wish that I could have talked with her before she died.

9. What is one small thing that you believe anyone could start to do today that would help the earth?

This is difficult to answer as I think it’s past the time when we can simply do one small thing. The most important thing we can do is speak up. Speak truth to power. Show up at marches. Support candidates who support the environment. Demand change.

The biggest cause of climate change is carbon emissions, so reducing our carbon footprint is important, but I think one small thing we can each do that would have a huge impact is reducing our use of plastic. Plastic shopping bags, straws, plastic cups and take out containers, plastic food storage bags, product wrappers, etc. all end up in landfills and the oceans and don’t degrade for thousands of years, if ever. There are enormous islands of plastic trash floating in our oceans. Reducing our use of plastic is critical. Simply using a reusable cloth shopping bag and buying some reusable camping straws (or not using straws at all) is a small thing that would have a big impact.

Of course, there are dozens of other things we can do, but not enough space to list them all!

10. What can readers expect in the third installment of the series?

I’ve just started writing the next novel. It’s a true sequel to Catalyst and is from both Eric and Marcie’s point of view. Eric and Renee are in France with her physicist father and are being persecuted by people who don’t want his research into the Universal Energy Field to be made public and available to everyone.

Marcie is in Washington, D.C. with Leo on an internship with an environmental group. They are all moving into the space of being true catalysts for change. That’s all I’m going to say except that I see a research trip to France in my future!

Book Excerpts

“A surge of energy jolts me, and my body starts vibrating from head to toe. I’m not exactly falling, but I have the sensation of movement, and my feet no longer feel like they’re connected to the earth. One moment I’m holding hands with Leo, and the next moment I’m disconnected, by myself, alone . . .” – page 148

“Maybe this is what I’ve been waiting for: a mission and a purpose, connecting with the collective consciousness. I feel a little like I’m stepping off a cliff into the unknown, but if I don’t move forward, I know I’ll regret it.” – page 35

“The drumming changes to a slow, resonant tempo, and I feel my vibration slow as I focus on connecting
with the earth. The feeling of connectedness and of being beyond space and time are still with me as I leave the Fifth Dimension, but there is also sadness in knowing that I can’t stay there yet.” – page 96

“As suddenly as this sensation started, it ends, and I’m back with my feet on the ground, holding Leo’s hand. I’m disoriented because it’s still utterly dark, but I sense the others around me. What just happened?” – page 148

“All the times I went stargazing with my dad I wondered about the stars and galaxies we saw. I felt a certainty that life existed elsewhere in the Universe. I never once imagined I would meet that life, though.” – page 151

“The closer I get to the top, the brighter the crystal glows, and the stronger I sense its electrical current.
The Native spirits whisper encouragement to me as I climb, giving me the confidence that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” – page 229

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“A riveting and deeply human memoir.”
– Anne Lamott, California Hall of Fame inductee, novelist, and nonfiction writer

PARIS – For nearly fifty years, Sara Somers suffered from untreated food addiction. In “Saving Sara” (She Writes Press, May 12, 2020) Somers’ intimate memoir, she offers readers an inside view of a food addict’s mind, showcasing her experiences with obsessive cravings, compulsivity, and powerlessness regarding food, with the hopes of educating her readers and promoting life-saving conversations between loved ones and those suffering with addiction.

“Saving Sara” chronicles Somers’s addiction from childhood to adulthood, beginning with abnormal eating as a nine-year-old. As her addiction progresses in young adulthood, she becomes isolated, masking her shame and self-hatred with drugs and alcohol. Time and again, she rationalizes why this time will be different, only to have her physical cravings lead to ever-worse binges, to see her promises of doing things differently next time broken, and to experience the amnesia that she –like every addict– experiences when her obsession sets in again.

Even after Somers is introduced to the solution that will eventually end up saving her, the strength of her addiction won’t allow her to accept her disease. Twenty-six more years pass until she finally finds her way back to that solution.

A raw account of Somers’ decades-long journey, “Saving Sara” underscores the challenges faced by food addicts of any age – and the hope that exists for them all.

“Read Saving Sara to see how bad [addiction] can get before it gets great – and find out just how she did it, so you can do it too. What a great read!”
– Judy Collins, New York Times bestselling author of Cravings

SARA SOMERS suffered from food addiction from age nine to age fifty-eight; she has been in food recovery since 2005. In a double life of sorts, Somers worked as a licensed psychotherapist in the San Francisco Bay Area for thirty-four years. After finding recovery, Somers moved to Paris, France, where she currently lives. She writes a blog called Out My Window: My Life in Paris. When she’s not writing, Somers volunteers at the American Library in Paris, enjoys the cinema, reads prolifically, and follows her favorite baseball team, the Oakland Athletics. Most importantly, Somers devotes time each day to getting the word out about food addiction and helping other food addicts. “Saving Sara” is her first book. To learn more about Sara and her work, visit www.saving-sara.org.

“Saving Sara: A Memoir of Food Addiction”
Sara Somers | May 12, 2020 | She Writes Press
Paperback ISBN: 9781631528460 | Price: $16.95
Memoir

In an interview, SARA SOMERS can discuss:

• Why she decided to chronicle her experiences with addiction into a memoir, and how personal stories can be used to educate and heal others
• Why food addiction is often viewed differently from other addictions, and whether she would like to change the perception of food addiction
• What the symptoms of food addiction are, and why they may go unnoticed
• How those who haven’t suffered from addiction can support and stand in solidarity with those who have

An Interview with SARA SOMERS

1. You’ve written a powerful and evocative book detailing your experiences with food addiction. When did you know you needed to write your story? Did you always have in mind that you would share this book with the world? 

I learned from my experience in 12 Step programs that telling my story is not only very healing for me, it also helps others who are in trouble to identify with me, and learn about a solution to their problem. Most addicts of any kind will only listen to others’ input when they believe their addiction is understood. I never planned on writing a memoir. Friends read my story and encouraged me to share it with the world. Those of us in recovery from food addiction want word of the solution to get out.

2. Although your memoir presents your personal and individual journey with food addiction, what general truths about the disease can readers learn from “Saving Sara”? Are there any myths about food addiction that you hope to dispel?

The first truth about food addiction I want to stress is that it is an addiction. People like me are told all our lives to just muster up some will power, eat less, exercise more, and all will be well. Even after spending thousands and thousands of dollars on diets and therapists, without success, we keep chasing that myth. Binge Eating Disorder, Bulimia, and Anorexia are all described in
the DSM-V as eating disorders. With little doubt left about the problem, another truth is that there is a lot of disagreement about the solution.

Designers of diets perpetuate the myth that the solution to being fat and to binging is easy for everyone. For most people who are addicted to food, the solution is not easy. If a food addict wants to take the weight off and keep it off, that person likely has to make major life changes, for example, behaving differently in response to emotional pain and stress, and thinking differently
about their relationships in the world. Without these changes, they will go back to binging when the first significant challenge comes their way. To make these changes, most food addicts need to get into some sort of recovery program.

3. What effect do you hope your memoir has on readers? What would you like for them to take away from the book?

I want to offer a solution to a number of different audiences, starting with bingers who are still suffering and don’t realize there is a solution, and bingers who have found the solution but still treat it like a diet. I want to reach the bingers’ family members, who feel helpless and powerless. I also want to reach medical professionals, including psychotherapists and people working in the field of addiction. I want the people who want to help the addict to know they can send their loved one to the experts on ending the binge-eating cycle: recovering food addicts themselves.

4. In addition to sharing your personal stories, you’re also taking on other projects and means for helping those suffering with food addiction. Can you speak a little bit to what you’re doing? If a reader also wants to take action and stand in solidarity with those suffering, how would you recommend they do so?

Although it’s not a “project,” I do as much service as I can in GreySheeters Anonymous, which is the particular 12 Step Program that I belong to. I want to help this program grow and attract more and more people.

I will also be writing a blog about binging and eating disorders, addressing questions that readers have, but I want to stress that I can only tell my story and my experience.

Any readers, whether those with food addiction or those who love them, can visit an “Open” meeting of most Anonymous programs. There they will hear the stories that are devastating as well as the stories of recovery. They will hear the joy of coming back from a certain death. They will gain a better understanding of addiction and recovery.

5. Do you currently have plans to continue writing? If so, what can readers expect to see from you in the future?

As I mentioned, I will write a blog that addresses questions that readers have. And already people are asking me to write more about my recovery. That is always a possibility! But I want to stress that this book is just one person’s story of food addiction and recovery. The real ‘star’ is the solution to the misery and hell of food addiction: Greysheeters Anonymous. My writing about recovery will always focus on my experiences in this life-saving program.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“An addictive story” — Reader’s Favorite (5-star review)

“An atmospheric tale that deftly captures the leisure and egos of its expensive spa setting.” — Kirkus Reviews

NEW YORK – Take a peek behind the curtain of wealth and glamour in Phyllis Melhado’s sassy and sultry beach read. 

The guests who arrive for a 10-day stay at the nation’s premier spa at Lavender Lane seem to have everything a girl could want: high-flying careers, social and financial prowess, access to the top fashions and beauty products, and even a dash of fame. Yet each woman is in need of rejuvenation from insecurities, flatlined business motivation, or failed relationships – problems that will require more than the spa’s renowned anti-aging quince cream to fix. As the women learn to trust one another, they each figure out how to take a second chance at life, and reclaim what’s most important.

“The Spa at Lavender Lane” (Black Rose Writing, May 7, 2020) follows Nadia Demidova, legendary doyenne of the fabled Palm Springs getaway and her difficult guests: a burned out Fifth Avenue retail executive, a striking former model and Chicago socialite, an overweight Texas housewife and her beautiful teenage daughter, and a CEO who, unhappy with recent plastic surgery, remains secluded in her room. Fortunately, Madame Demidova can rely on her Assistant Director to help manage the herd – not knowing that this valued employee is poised to make an audacious move. And when an uber-eligible man arrives on the scene, lust, ambition, and competition for the spa’s ownership are thrown into the already gossip-worthy mix.

“Phyllis Melhado has written a lively, bitchy novel populated with a cast of women, young and old, that make the Real Housewives look like Girl Scouts. You’ll love them. You’ll hate them… The perfect beach read.” — Charles Salzberg, award-winning author of Second Story Man

About the Author

PHYLLIS MELHADO: The former Vice President of Public Relations for Estee Lauder, Phyllis Melhado has had her work published in Town & Country, Cosmopolitan, and The Scarlet Leaf Review. She has also ghosted a best-selling beauty book as well as a nationally syndicated beauty column. She earned her Master’s degree in Communications from NYU and lives in New York City. The Spa at Lavender Lane is her first novel. To learn more about Phyllis and her work, visit https://www.phyllismelhado.com.

“The Spa at Lavender Lane”
Phyllis Melhado | May 7, 2020 | Black Rose Writing
Paperback ISBN: 978-1684334643 | Price: $18.95
Kindle ASIN: B084PZTC1Q | Price: $6.99
Women’s fiction

In an interview, PHYLLIS MELHADO can discuss:

• Her background with Estee Lauder, meeting the Lauders, championing for breast cancer awareness, and more insider stories
• Watching the world of fashion and beauty move from print to online, and other major industry changes
• The theme of second chances within the book, and how she herself took a second chance when she decided to leave a top position to write full time
• Having her moment as a supermodel
• How women in business and fashion have been mistreated over the years, including her personal experiences prior to joining the Lauder team, and what her hopes are for #METOO

An Interview with PHYLLIS MELHADO

1.Where did the idea for “The Spa at Lavender Lane” come from? Have you been working on this title for a long time?

I actually had the idea years ago. When I was in the thick of my job – which was almost all of the time – I rarely had time for a lengthy vacation, and going to a spa was a great way of relaxing and recharging. Spas were my escape of choice, sometimes just for a long weekend to a place in

Connecticut I liked. When I left Estee Lauder, I wanted to decompress and get my head ready to dive into the writing life. I went to Canyon Ranch, as I have a few times over the years. It’s a wonderful place for getting your head and body together!!

That’s how the idea started. I actually thought of the character of Nadia Demidova and her spa quite some time ago at a writers conference and wrote the first paragraph then, which, amazingly, has changed little. The story had not really come to me then in any meaningful way and I tucked the idea away. When I started writing in earnest, I went to screenplays and back to books and then to screenplays again.

2. You worked with Estee Lauder for nearly 20 years, during which you saw many great accomplishments from launching some of the best-known fragrance and beauty products to championing a breast cancer initiative. Did you see your career in the fast-paced beauty world as an asset to writing this novel?

This is a book about women and their experiences and their hopes and dreams. I met so many women during my career – privileged women in New York social circles, working women and stay-at-home mothers, and women who did it all out of necessity or choice when I travelled the country to do promotions.  I worked in a world of women promoting products for women, so even when there were men in the picture – and there certainly were, both personally and professionally, it’s always been a woman-centric world in which I lived.

I love to engage with people and am blessed with many friends – so many of whom I met while working at Estee Lauder. I like people and am generally intuitive about them to the point where people have always come to me for advice.  I’m a really good listener. Perhaps in my next life I’ll become a shrink!

3. One significant theme in this book is second chances, and the idea that women should be able to reinvent themselves, their careers, and their relationships at any point in life, whether a teenager, or in middle age. Why is this idea so important to you? Do you see this theme in your own life, as you transitioned from Estee Lauder to your writing career?

Second chances are all around us!  And so many women are opting for them – finding new careers, choosing late motherhood, going back to school, finding love a second or even third time.  To be honest, when I started writing the book and decided on a spa as the setting, I did not set out to write a book about second chances, but because it was my own experience, I suppose it infused my subconscious. But I do know that women often go to a spa to re-think their lives. 

I knew my whole life that I wanted to be a writer. But I was also drawn to the world of advertising and promotion. And I was dazzled by the cosmetics industry. Who didn’t want to look like Karen Graham, the extraordinary beauty who personified the Estee Lauder brand for so many years, and live in the dream world of an Estee Lauder ad with its beautiful clothing and elegant settings.  I remember buying my first Estee Lauder lipstick – Tender Lip Tint, it was called. I was a copywriter in a small ad agency. I think it was then that I set my sights on my dream job.

Every now and then a very young writer comes along who absolutely wows everyone with his or her talents and abilities to see into human nature as well as the nature of life.  For most of us, I think it takes living and learning to craft a story and to create characters that resonate. I hope I have done that with the story and the women in The Spa At Lavender Lane. 

4. In your book, Lauren, the teenage daughter of an insecure Texas housewife, Charlotte, is obsessed with the idea of becoming a model. While her mom wants to support her, she’s also worried that modeling will lead Lauren to overindulge in drugs, sex, and alcohol. Do you think modeling has become safer for women, especially young women, over the years?

Modeling may appear totally glamorous, and it is, but modeling is hard work, make no mistake.
I tried it for a bit and soon learned that I wasn’t cut out for it. Like some cliché out of an old garment center novel, a little guy with a cigar put his hands on my breast and when I asked him what he was doing, he said “adjusting the material.” I shoved him away and told him not to touch me to which he answered the classic “You’ll never work in this town again.” Really. That’s exactly what he said! It was after that I went to graduate school and got my MA.

There were always drugs and coked up photographers and dirty old men. Alas, I don’t think it’s changed all that much. I know people like Eileen and Jerry Ford, of the famous Ford Modeling Agency, tried to protect their young models, as others did as well, but I know some girls took the bait. I am told those things are still going on today, although I am no longer in that world.

The terrific women who were the Estee Lauder models with whom I worked, were a world apart from that, as were any of the creative people with whom we worked…Karen Graham, Willow Bay, Paulina Porizkova, Elizabeth Hurley are all marvelous, hard-working intelligent women. And Victor Skrebneski, who did all of our photography, has no peers, then or now, either as a man or an artist.

5. Do you have plans to write more novels moving forward? I personally would love a sequel in which Toni is the star!

I would love to write a sequel to The Spa At Lavender Lane and have some ideas, but there’s another story I have to get out there. It’s very different from this book and takes on a completely different tone. Tentatively titled Bridget and Anthony: A Love Story, it’s based on the true story of a brilliant and courageous young woman who follows her dream to become a world-class doctor, despite being diagnosed with serious breast cancer while still in medical school – and the extraordinary young man she marries who sacrificed his own dream to make hers possible. Their story will tug at your heart and fill you with joy even though it deals with a difficult issue.

After that, I will turn my attention back to the ladies at Lavender Lane and maybe the handsome man who invaded their midst when they least expected it!!

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NEW YORK – What do you do when your boyfriend’s daughter asks you for a tampon two minutes after first meeting her? And how young is too young to curl up and watch “Borat” with said boyfriend’s son? Performer and writer Dani Alpert mulls over these questions and more in her hysterical new memoir all while highlighting her unconventional and pseudo-parenting role as “The Girlfriend Mom,” (May 5, 2020).

When Dani fell in love with a divorced dad of two, she went from intentionally child-free to babysitter — without compensation. She’s not pretending to be a blended family expert. Instead, she candidly and comedically shares her mistakes (what kid doesn’t want a donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation as a Christmas gift?) as well as her successes (like transforming an alcove into a space where the kids can freely graffiti as a mode of self-expression). 

Seven years in, she couldn’t imagine her life without her boyfriend’s kids — only to be dumped for a natural blonde. Unguarded and invested, Dani fights for a place in the lives of the children she never wanted. Her story is one-of-a-kind while also representing the growing communities of do-it-yourself families and those who are child-free by choice. Dani’s distinctive position and look at the world, as well as the circumstances that created “The Girlfriend Mom,” allow readers to join her journey — without putting themselves in immediate danger. Dive into Dani’s life as she takes on an unorthodox role in a family already in progress — and opens herself up to a boatload of tears, and just as many laughs along the way.

Early praise for Dani Alpert and ‘The Girlfriend Mom’:

“I’ve known Dani since she was 17, and not surprisingly, she has written a book that is uncensored and fearless. ‘The Girlfriend Mom’ is a gutsy book written with heartbreaking honesty and humor. A real (hilarious) look at the modern family!”

— Heather Dubrow,

“The Real Housewives of Orange County” and Heather Dubrow’s World

“Her boobs are real, and so is her attitude. Witty, engaging, and sweetly sharp, she’s a new comic voice to reckon with.”            

 — Ali Wentworth,

Actress and New York Times bestselling author

“Just when you thought the definitions of the American family had become as broad and diverse as they could be, here comes Dani Alpert’s hilariously honest look at her own! ‘The Girlfriend Mom’ is Dani’s heart-warming account of her DIY approach to maintaining her bond with the children of her longtime ex-boyfriend. But it’s the budding friendship with the kids’ mother, the ex of her ex, that proves her far-reaching tenacity for love, friendship, and family.”

 — Dan Bucatinsky, 

Actor and author of “Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?”

“The cultural spotlight cycles across young moms, single moms, special needs moms, moms-to-be, adoptive moms, military moms, celebrity moms, empty nest moms, moms of multiples, mocha moms, first-time moms and soccer moms, all spiritually joined in motherhood.By sharing her story, Dani Alpert skillfully introduces a very different niche of women with many of the responsibilities and heartaches of childrearing though they never expected or even wanted the label of ‘mother.’ Adoptive and step-mothers will find common threads here, but in the end, it is fascinating to realize there’s no one quite like a Girlfriend Mom.”

— Karen Malone Wright, 

Founding voice and chief executive, The Not Mom

“Harrowing, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful, her global effort to keep moving forward at all costs shows how going backwards can lead to some unexpected places — most surprisingly, to yourself.” 

— Heidi Shink

Author of “3 Minutes to a Pain-Free Life”

“The Girlfriend Mom”
Dani Alpert | May 5, 2020 | Memoir | Paperback | 9781734575200 | $14.99

Dani Alpert’s first headshot was her mugshot taken after getting arrested for tagging in the New York suburban town where she grew up. She’s been trying to reclaim those glory days ever since. After attending NYU Film School and the American Film Institute, Dani spent 25 plus years working as a screenwriter, stage performer, producer, and director. Her Lifetime Television film parody “A Really Intimate Portrait . . . of a Complete Unknown” was a festival breakout, lauded by both critics and audiences. Her writing has appeared in publications including Medium, theWoolfer, HuffPost, Babble, Pilates Style Magazine, Stepmom Magazine, and the Hollywood Journal. She’s spoken at lifestyle conferences and been interviewed on nationally syndicated radio shows for being the Girlfriend Mom. Dani boasts placing second (in the mature category) in the 2014 U.S. National Pole Championships. Pictures provided upon request.

In an interview, Dani Alpert can discuss:

• How a woman who is child-free by choice must unexpectedly (and reluctantly) invite children into her life when she falls in love with a dad — or does she turn and walk away?
• The boundaries and expectations of a tertiary caregiver, from legal to financial to ethical and beyond
• Sacrificing your own autonomy not just for the person you love but also for the people your person loves
• Parenting on the fly — quirks, mistakes, and lessons learned for someone who never expected to have children

An Interview with Dani Alpert

1. When you met Julian and discovered he had kids, what was your initial reaction? When did you begin to think about how his child-filled life would affect your child-free one?

I didn’t care because it was lust at first sight. All I was thinking about was getting into his pants, not starting a long-term relationship. The possibility of meeting his kids, let alone getting involved with them (in any way) was not on my radar. I continued on my child-free life way. There was also a part of me that thought dating a dad was sexy — I’d never had a dad before. That sounds creepy.

In the beginning, Julian almost made it seem like he didn’t have kids — by that, I mean, because he didn’t have full custody, there were plenty of “between-the-sheets” days. As time went on, he’d cancel our plans more frequently. It didn’t truly hit me over the head until we moved in together. I’d get the side-eye from Julian if I preferred not to partake in the weekend activities with the kids. My feeling was, they were his kids and his time with them — I was just the girlfriend. When I started to feel my autonomy slipping away, I knew this might be an issue.

2. When you add children into the mix, it undoubtedly changes a romantic relationship dynamic. How did you navigate, making sure your needs were expressed and addressed while also considering the kids?

It was a clear-cut Jekyll/Hyde relationship. When we weren’t with the kids, we were starring in homemade porn (figuratively speaking … sort of). And when we had the kids, we toned down the PDA. I adjusted to Julian’s “Dad” persona, which was easy because it was temporary. As time went on, expressing our love for one another in front of the kids wasn’t an issue. I don’t think our romantic life suffered at all.

3. You were a part of these kids’ lives during their formative years. How do you think the experience would have differed if they were younger? Older?

If the kids were much younger than 8 and 13, I wouldn’t have stuck around. Julian would’ve been more involved (I’m guessing), and his attention more divided. Somewhere inside, I knew this, and I’d often remark to anyone who’d listen, that I was lucky because Julian didn’t have full custody, and the kids weren’t infants or toddlers.

I don’t know that the experience would’ve been different if the kids were older. There’s no way of knowing. Based on my one and only experience, they were the perfect ages. I was able to be an influence in their lives, do a bit of molding, and I never had to wipe anyone’s ass.

4. You formed a great relationship with the children’s mother, Marie. How did that form, and how did it help you in the wake of your breakup with Julian?

I reached out to Marie out of desperation. She was my gateway to Tyler. I wasn’t speaking to Julian, and Tyler was too young to drive. I needed her if I was going to see Tyler. When she and I started talking, a weight had lifted. She validated and encouraged my relationships with her kids, thanking me for loving them. It made perfect sense to me. Who better than the ex-wife to know what I was going through? Marie was an unexpected salve and instrumental in my healing.

5. Do you still identify as child-free despite your strong relationship with your ex-boyfriend’s children? 

The short answer is yes. I’m a woman who knew I didn’t want kids, and I never had them. And then Julian and the kids happened. My strong relationships with Nicole and Tyler doesn’t necessarily make me feel as if I have kids — it’s a lot more nuanced and beyond explanation. I will say that when Nicole refers to me as her stepmother to friends or work colleagues (because it’s easier than explaining Girlfriend Mom), it tickles me. However, I don’t identify with stepmom. Girlfriend Mom is the only description that makes sense to me … that I can relate to — even now. 

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ALISO VIEJO, California – In her hilarious debut novel, “Adult Conversation: A Novel” (May 5, 2020, She Writes Press), podcast host and parenting expert Brandy Ferner takes readers on a wild journey toward self-rediscovery amidst the absurd expectations and double standards placed on women in motherhood and marriage. With a mix of Ali Wong-style edgy humor and therapeutic insight, Ferner says out loud what others will not as she delivers a fiercely relatable and empowering read that highlights the importance of reclaiming autonomy, the liberating power of female friendship, and the desire to bail on your family and high-tail it to Las Vegas. Growing up, many women are taught to be invested in a very specific version of the “American Dream”: a perfect marriage, a perfect family, a perfect house, with only organic produce. But what happens when mothers continually sacrifice their needs and sanity in pursuit of  perfection?

April is a thoughtful yet sarcastic mother of two who tries her best to be a caring, connected mom in a middle-class culture where mothering has become relentless. April rages at modern motherhood’s impossible pressures, her husband’s “dad privilege,” and her kids’ incessant snack requests. She wants to enjoy motherhood, but her idealist vision and lived experience are in constant conflict with one another. Is she broken — or is motherhood? 

Desperate for an answer, she seeks out a therapist, and unexpectedly lands with a woman whose validation and wisdom gives April the clarity to reclaim herself and even start designing clothes again—her pre-motherhood passion. But when the ever-elusive babysitter cancels last-minute, April finds herself back at square one. She seeks guidance from her therapist who is now dealing with her own crumbling marriage—and instead of counseling April, she convinces her to speed off to Las Vegas to help catch her husband cheating. With a little weed, alcohol, and topless pool hopping, plus a male stripper and some much-needed autonomy, the two find lost pieces of themselves that motherhood swallowed up. But neither is prepared for how tested—and tempted—they will be, or for the life-altering choices their journey will force them to make. Who is guiding whom anymore?

Praise for ADULT CONVERSATION: A NOVEL

“Ferner’s book is at times laugh-out-loud/ so-funny-you-have-to-repeat-aloud-to-the-person- nearest-you, and at times viscerally poignant in how accurately she portrays motherhood — as well as how tenuous working-outside-of-the-home can feel!”

Dr. Darria Long, ER doctor, bestselling author of ‘Mom Hacks’, 

national TV regular contributor, and mom

“Ferner nailed it in this sharp-witted debut about the roller coaster ride that is motherhood. Her observations are not only relatable and authentic, but laugh-out-loud funny. You will not be able to put it down, just like your children.” 

Emily Liebert, USA Today bestselling author of Pretty Revenge

More about  ADULT CONVERSATION: A NOVEL

Adult Conversation: A Novel
Brandy Ferner | May 5, 2020 | She Writes Press
Paperback | 978-1631528422 | $16.95
Ebook | B07VMDKDN9 | $9.95
Fiction – General, Family Life, Humorous, Women

More about BRANDY FERNER

Brandy Ferner is a mother, wife, and the creator of the Adult Conversation podcast, social media pages, and blog. Her writing has been featured on Good Morning America, HuffPost, Romper, CafeMom, TODAY Parents, and more. In addition to writing and fulfilling her kids’ endless snack requests, she spent the past decade working as a doula, childbirth educator, and birth trauma mentor, ushering clients through the intense transition into motherhood. The insight gained from watching moms crack wide open—literally and figuratively—and her own experience as an independent woman who suddenly traded autonomy for snuggles, led her to say out loud the things that modern mothers are thinking. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s comedic, but it’s always honest. She currently lives in Southern California, and her love language is sleep.

In an interview, Brandy can discuss:

• Parenting, childbirth, and birth trauma
• Women in media
• Feminism and domestic gender politics
• The unequal gender roles in parenting
• The problem with the self-care trend
• The shock of losing your identity when becoming a mother and the work of finding it again
• The trickiness of marriage post-kids
• “Dad privilege” – a term that refers to the built-in free pass Dads get
• How moms have to learn to speak up for what they need
• What no one tells you about motherhood
• Why modern motherhood is relentless, different from past generations

An Interview with BRANDY FERNER

1. Adult Conversation contains a lot of hilarious and unflattering observations about motherhood and marriage — why was it important to you to include these anecdotes?

Mothers need to know that they aren’t broken, and if we keep up the facade that we’re all loving it and doing just fine, then we go back to our isolated homes and wonder what’s wrong with us when it’s not actually as enjoyable as we’ve been lead to believe (and no one’s mentioning that part). Despite having small people on you or around you 24-7, the job of a mother is quite lonely, her work goes widely unseen and she isn’t valued for her huge sacrifices. I needed for mothers to feel wholeheartedly seen and appreciated – especially around the emotions and situations that are too personal to talk about openly – and laughing about it all was a must. My hope is that after reading my book, moms will feel validated, empowered, and motivated to ask for what they need and to set much-needed boundaries.

2. What were the false expectations or social standards surrounding motherhood and marriage you most wanted to explore?

The biggest one for me was this idea of gender inequality. Even if you have a loving, woke husband and you call yourself a feminist, after you have kids, it’s as if a giant curtain drops and you see that all this “women can do anything” stuff was a total farse. You can’t do anything when there are children to feed, bathe, and keep alive. You quickly realize that there is a built-in “Dad privilege,” which is an unspoken expectation that you, as the mother, will do nearly all of the domestic and child labor even if you also work. Our culture has supported this notion since before we were born.

3. Do you think that female friendship and solidarity serves as a potential corrective?

The only thing I think serves as a true corrective is systemic change which includes a shift in gender expectations, sexism, and outdated policies around family leave, subsidized childcare, etc. But, I do think that authentic female friendship is a vital piece to our coping with this broken framework. And I say “authentic” meaning someone you can share the hard moments and frustration with, not just the happy times. You have to be able to be real with someone who gets your struggle or you will stuff it all down inside of you and basically bathe in anger and resentment.

4. What role does humor play in confronting the challenges imposed by modern motherhood?

Humor is absolutely medicinal! I don’t know of a better way to cope with sustained hardship and the ridiculousness of parenthood. There is something so validating about laughing with a fellow mother about being brought to your knees by kids. And for me, nothing is off limits (clearly, if you’ve read the book).

5. How do you think our culture’s gender standards are being sold to us now, in the 21st-century?

I think we all feel like it’s getting better, like we’re moving closer to equal, but surprisingly, recent studies have shown that we are actually moving backwards. The good news is that many changemakers in this motherhood arena are writing books, producing podcasts, and talking about ways moms can demand better, and how to set boundaries in their own marriages and families – and people finally seem to be listening! I think the change is coming – and I’m hoping that my book is part of that change – but we weary mothers are definitely the ones at the front of the revolution. “No one is coming to save us,” is one of the themes of my book, and it’s definitely applicable here too.

6. What do you think about this trend of “self-care” for mothers? 

I loathe the idea of self-care in this context, which I know is controversial. I get the idea of it, and under better conditions, sure, we can all benefit from being kind to and looking out for ourselves. But, the idea of “self-care” is being sold to us by people and systems that refuse to help us. They’re basically saying, “Yes, you take care of everyone in your family, but now add yourself to that list because we’re not going to do it.” And it’s to the point that moms themselves believe and regurgitate this sentiment, so the whole thing feels like a complete gaslighting and elicits immediate rage from me. 

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“As I move deeper into age, I find that an attitude of gratitude serves whatever I do.”

Austin, TX – Author and podcaster Stephanie Raffelock is one to always practice what she preaches. She’s a firm believer that we can’t transcend aging with some sort of magical formula, but we can transcend worn-out attitudes that don’t lend themselves to making aging a positive experience. In A Delightful Little Book on Aging (April 28, 2020, She Writes Press), she tackles the topics of grief, vision and the reclamation of creativity through grace and a touch of humor.

There’s never been a better time to be old than today. Yet in a culture that all too quickly embraces botox to make wrinkles disappear, many wrestle with what getting older really means. Raffelock strives to bring a new voice to the conversation and encourages readers to embrace aging instead of shying away from it.

Come along with Raffelock for her discussion of everything from ageism in athleisure styling to selectivity in volunteering. Regardless of age, she’s one of the wisest and most intriguing voices you’ll find on a page.

“A helpful, uplifting work for readers handling the challenges of growing older.” — Kirkus Reviews

Stephanie Raffelock is a graduate of Naropa University’s program in Writing and Poetics, who has penned articles for numerous publications, including The Aspen Times, Quilters Magazine, Care2.com, Nexus Magazine, Omaha Lifestyles, The Rogue Valley Messenger and SixtyandMe.com. A Delightful Little Book on Aging, her first book with She Writes Press, will be released in the spring of 2020. She is the host of Coffee Table Wisdom, a podcast that is a revolution in positive aging. A recent transplant to Austin, Texas she enjoys life with her husband, Dean and their Labrador retriever, Jeter (yes, named after the great Yankee shortstop). For more information, visit https://stephanieraffelock.com.

“The author’s words are soothing and comforting and will give many aging and aged readers the strength to understand grief and become more compassionate human beings.” — Readers’ Favorite

“Deeply compassionate, eminently readable, and filled with timeless wisdom and unbridled joy. Stephanie Raffelock will be your favorite new discovery. You’re welcome.” — Jonny Bowden, board-certified nutritionist and best-selling author of Living Low Carb and The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

“A Delightful Little Book On Aging”
Stephanie Raffelock | April 28, 2020 | She Writes Press
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1631528408 | Price: $19.95
Non-Fiction / Lifestyle

In an interview, Stephanie can discuss:

• Why aging is a remarkable and noble passage
• The three “A’s” of aging well: attitude, adaptability and activity
• The creative surge of midlife women that invites reinvention and reclamation
• The message we want to give younger women is the message we should be giving ourselves
• Changing the conversation about getting older to inspire and claim the joy of the later years

An Interview with Stephanie Raffelock

1. What first drew you to writing on the subject of age?

Part happy accident and part realization. I’m of a generation of women who are reinventing their later years and looking for camaraderie and inspiration.

2. How do you guide your readers on becoming comfortable with age and even learning to celebrate it?

There’s some fear around growing older and a lot of it has to do with how advertising still addresses an older population as objects of care rather than sovereign souls with a whole other passage left to live.

3. How old is old?

Old is when you stop and recede from the world. That being said, human development happens right up until the time that we die.

4. How do you see the aging process reflected in personal and cultural attitudes?

The old paradigm is one that we fear, one that has us succumbing to a worn-out idea of insignificance. The new and emerging paradigm has us embracing the third chapter with full heart/mind and body engagement.

5. What do you think contributes to a happy older age?

Gratitude, attitude and relationships, i.e. keeping love alive in our hearts with family and/or friends.

6. Some say age is but a number, but it often feels like more than that. Why is it that age holds such significance to us?

Age is more than just a number. It’s a badge of honor to have lived long enough to know that the life in front of us is far shorter than the life we’ve already lived. To that end, these years seem more precious, more miraculous and certainly more deserving of our very best selves.

7. Why do you think someone who is struggling with getting older should pick up your book?

Read this book to know that you’re not alone in your fears and concerns about aging. Read this book to help dispel some of those fears. Read this book to inspire yourself to embrace the nobility of this remarkable passage.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CHILMARK, Massachusetts — Emotional turbulence from loss, betrayal, and discovering decades-long family secrets can trigger risky life-changing decisions. For Eleanor “Els” Gordon, protagonist of Alice C. Early’s The Moon Always Rising (She Writes Press, April 21, 2020), who impulsively starts anew in a derelict Caribbean plantation house, the possibility of healing and belonging springs from the most unexpected relationships.

In 1998, fiery Eleanor “Els” Gordon thought the new century would find her married to her childhood soul mate, rejuvenating her family’s Scottish Highlands estate, and finally earning a managing director title at her investment bank. Maybe she’d even have the courage to discover why her estranged mother ran home to Italy thirty years earlier.

But when 2000 dawns, Els is mourning her fiancé and her father, and she’s unemployed, broke, and sharing an antique plantation house on the Caribbean island of Nevis with the ghost—or “jumbie”—of Jack Griggs, the former owner. Jack’s jumbie wangles Els’s help in making amends for wrongs committed during his Casanova life, and in exchange he appoints himself Cupid on behalf of a charter captain who’s as skittish about vulnerability as Els. Meanwhile, Els lures her mother to Nevis in hopes of unraveling the family secrets—but will the shocking truth set her free, or pull her fragile new happiness apart?

ALICE C. EARLY’s career spans academia, commercial real estate, international executive recruiting, and career-transition coaching, and has included many ‘first woman to…’ roles. Her college English/creative writing major and professional roles requiring listening and shaping stories eventually pointed her back to her first love—writing fiction. Within the Martha’s Vineyard community she cherishes, Alice sings in a local group and fosters sustainability and women’s rights and voices. An avid cook, she nurtures friends and neighbors with local bounty and her experiments in gluten-free baking. Alice and her husband have visited Nevis annually since 1996 and otherwise share a hand-built life in view of the sea. Visit her at www.aliceearly.com.

“The Moon Always Rising: A Novel”
Alice C. Early | April 21, 2020 | She Writes Press
ISBN: 978-1-63152-683-1 | Paperback Price : $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-63152-684-8 | E-book Price: $9.95
Literary Women’s Fiction

In an interview, Alice Early can discuss:

• How traveling annually to Nevis inspired her writing
• Why she created protagonist Els as an outsider
• The depth of research that shaped The Moon Always Rising
• How her varied professional background prepared her to write fiction and why she wrote her debut novel now
• The genre-bending aspects of the novel and her choice to weave elements of magical realism into a literary and women’s fiction title
• Her protagonist’s reaction to workplace sexual harassment in pre- MeToo 1999 and how it triggered her decisions

Praise for The Moon Always Rising

“Early’s prose is tight and lyrical, confidently capturing her characters and their emotional landscapes…The enchanting portraits of Nevis—and of…Scotland—help make this an unexpectedly memorable beach read.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Complicated and memorable… The Moon Always Rising finds a woman remaking her life abroad and a ghost repairing old rifts.” — 4 star Foreword Clarion Review

“The Moon Always Rising takes your imagination on a trip to lush Caribbean Nevis and the Scottish Highlands in an engrossing story about how love and forgiveness help broken people mend. I especially loved the fabulous ghost (jumbie)—such a unique and intriguing character!” — Martha Hall Kelly, author of international bestseller Lilac Girls and its prequel Lost Roses

“Alice Early gifts us with a smorgasbord of never-dull ex-patriots on the sunny, vibrant island of Nevis… The Moon Always Rising is a rich and intelligent novel written with grace and style.”
— John T. Hough, Jr., author of The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Dialogue and the award-winning novel, Seen the Glory.

“I finished the book and think about it every day! We are so welcomed into the story, and into the lives of the characters, that the effect on the reader is profound. The reader is THERE—present to the smells and sounds and tastes of each scene… We feel Els pain, and her struggles with grief and loss. We love the community… the locals who come to drink and talk politics, and [charter captain] Liz’s mysterious involvement in her life. We care about the woman Jack wronged, and Els’s estranged mother Giulietta, and the unraveling of their stories. There are times we want to give Els a big shake, but we learn to let her emotions thaw, and let redemption slowly work its magic. We become part of the process. Good storytelling! I’ll be recommending it whenever I can.” ~~ Ann Bassett, producer, MVTV

An Interview with Alice Early

1. What first drew you to write a story set in Nevis, and how has your experience with the setting inspired this book?

My annual sojourns to Nevis since 1996 served as both inspiration and writing retreats. The Nevis I first knew was far less developed and sophisticated than it is now, more like the “old Caribbean,” and I found it mentally, physically and spiritually captivating. I never set out to write a novel based in Nevis, but kept coming back to this enveloping tropical setting that has a touristy surface combined with deep social justice, political and racial undercurrents. Many of my novel’s characters and elements, most notably the “jumbie” (ghost) Jack Griggs and his house and garden and the fisherman Finney Freeman and his home and family, were inspired by people and places in Nevis.

The spark for the plot was Finney, an Anguillan fisherman and former boat builder, who follows his beloved wife Vivian to her home island of Nevis, bringing with him political activist sentiments that eventually entangle the protagonist, Eleanor “Els” Gordon, and cause a near-catastrophe. Given my experience of living on Martha’s Vineyard, an island that is a tourist destination, I wanted to explore the dynamics of visitors who believe they understand a place just because they have fallen in love with it during a brief vacation, and may even choose to move there based on those impressions.

I also wanted to explore how Els, uprooted by tragedy from her native Scotland, could settle into an abandoned plantation house filled with the belongings of the former owner, and how she might use his artifacts to learn about the island she’s chosen as her new home.

2. You’ve written in your blog that you avoided making this book autobiographical, and failed in many aspects. What in your own life inspired Els’s story?

I share Els’s quest in life for belonging and a sense of home. I’m a nester and a homebody who craves connection and community. Like her, at one time I buried my loneliness and emotional isolation in work. She puts her ambitions ahead of love until she loses everything she loves most. I lifted threads from my own (pre-MeToo) professional experience— the struggles of smart, capable women in male-dominated workplaces, the corrosive and relentless presence of sexual harassment, the nagging question of what is “the price of admission” and what crosses the invisible line.

When I moved in with my husband, he was several years a widower with a home that retained touches of his late wife’s taste and many of her possessions. I became fascinated by the idea of inhabiting the shell of a life shed by someone departed. That was the spark for the creation of Jack and of Els’s stewardship of his legacy.

3. You have quite an impressive and varied background— what led you to writing this book now?

I was a creative writing-focused English major in college and always hoped to write fiction, but was too penniless and scared to attempt a writing career back then. My hopscotch career from academia to business tapped constantly into my writing ability, but for non-fiction pieces of all kinds. After my mother died, ending ten years of parental caregiving duties, I had an “if not now, when?” moment and became serious about finishing and publishing The Moon Always Rising.

Many years of working and saving have given me the luxury of dialing back my day job now in order to write and spend time with readers. I’ve earned my gray hairs and paid my dues, and this is my time to return to a passion for words on the page that I’ve nurtured since about the age of seven.

4. Some readers find your protagonist Els difficult to like in the beginning, but say she grows on them and becomes relatable and sympathetic as the story unfolds. Do you agree and if so, why did you intentionally make Els unlikeable?

A wise writing teacher drilled into me that a character doesn’t have to be likeable, but she has to be believable. My intention with Els was to create a wounded character who pushes the love she craves away, then believably struggles to let love back in.

When the story opens, Els is locked in grief and anger. Underlying that is a deep-seated conviction that she’s unlovable, stemming from the fact that her mother abandoned her at two and has had no contact in 30 years. Els grows up prickly and combative and makes herself hard to love, so when people dislike her, it only confirms what she expects. In many ways, she’s well suited to the investment banking world she joins, matching the men in toughness, ambition, and cursing. But underneath, Els is desperate to find belonging and love. On Nevis, she feels herself “cracking open” when she can no longer sustain the grief or anger. Her tentative openness blossoms as she creates a new home for herself. Els will always be a quick-tempered, demanding person, but her entitlement, brittle edges, and emotional reticence dissipate. When she contrives finally to meet her mother, a far different person from the one she fantasized, Els discovers the rewards of accepting the love people can give, versus pining for some idealized vision of love.

5. In your book, many characters must actively choose to forgive and/or be forgiven in order to escape the bonds of their past lives. What inspired you to adopt forgiveness as such a central theme?

I’m a great believer in second chances and I love a good redemption tale. Most of the main characters in The Moon Always Rising are stuck in a place from which only forgiveness (of others, of themselves) can release them. The power of forgiveness must have been bubbling along in my subconscious as I was writing, because only after I finished the book did I realize this is its main theme. Much of my professional life as a college dean, executive recruiter and career transition coach has involved helping people make life-changing decisions and many of them required the courage to let go of something that no longer worked. I’ve come to believe that healing and progress in life usually require forgiveness of someone for something.

6. The Moon Always Rising incorporates elements of literary fiction, women’s fiction, and the paranormal. Can you walk us through how you balanced these genres?

I just set out to tell a story; only after the fact did anyone try to categorize my novel. My story demanded elements of romance, mystery, and fantasy without adhering to any genre norms. I believe in spirits and am drawn to magical realism and the Latin and South-American writers whose characters consider the supernatural a part of daily life. In creating Jack’s jumbie, which was the most fun of any part of this work, I wanted to shape a bad-boy character who reflected Caribbean folklore and superstition, but wasn’t bound narrowly by those beliefs. I believe the fence lines between categories of fiction are arbitrary and just begging to be crossed, and that readers will happily follow.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SAN FRANCISCO — An explosion in the heart of Paris launches an international investigation that propels Doyle O’Gara, a computer scientist at a technology supplier to the CIA, from the periphery of the new war into its moral nerve center in Missions (April 16, Black Rose Writing) the debut novel of international lawyer Marc McGuire. As the suspense-filled investigation leaps from one surprising clue to the next, O’Gara hurtles toward a disastrous miscalculation and a moral dilemma that tests him and the country he serves.

The book is a fast-paced, thought-provoking political thriller with an offbeat plot and unexpected outcomes. The resurgence of Islamic jihad has inspired several best-selling novels, but Missions delves more deeply into the dark recesses of the human spirit that permit a select few to murder in the name of God or politics.  These new enemies emerge from the story not as cardboard background villains but rather as complex personalities fighting for causes they believe justify their crimes. 

With equal candor, Missions probes the corrosive effects such crimes may have on the liberal values of a free society. Seemingly minor errors in the translation of intercepted messages, combined with Doyle O’Gara’s silence during a critical meeting with the CIA, lead the investigation awry as French and American authorities rush to prevent a second attack. When O’Gara confronts the consequences of his mistakes in a Marseille hospital burn ward and finds himself facing criminal charges back home, he cannot avoid haunting questions about his personal responsibility in the midst of his nation’s war.

MARC McGUIRE is an American-born international business lawyer who has lived much of his career in Europe, first in Zurich, Switzerland, and later in Paris, France. He received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law, and he currently resides in California. Missions is his authorial debut.

Missions

Marc McGuire | April 16, 2020
Black Rose Writing | Political Thriller
Paperback | 978-1684334605 | $18.95

In an interview, Marc McGuire can discuss:

• Why he chose to write a novel about Islamic jihad and the war the West declared against it
• The impact of the conflict on the current generation of readers
• His decision to set Missions in the early days of the new war
• How his time living in Paris and Washington, D.C. influenced the story
• The influence of his legal background on various aspects of the novel
• How he branched out from being an international lawyer to becoming a novelist

An interview with Marc McGuire

1. How did you select the subject matter for Missions?

I wanted my first novel to arise from historical events that transformed my generation in some powerful way. One of my top candidates was the attack on Sept. 11 and its aftermath. Nothing else during my lifetime has stirred such a variety of strong emotions among so many people: feelings of loss, anger, fear, patriotism, suspicion, disillusionment and many other emotions. Missions takes place during the first year following the 9/11 attacks, when those feelings are still raw and the transformations of our society are still underway.

2. Much of the action in Missions takes place in Paris. How did your time living abroad affect the writing?

It is a big advantage to write about places one knows. Having lived in Paris for eight years, I can envision in some detail the scenes inhabited by Christine Dupont, the lead French investigator, as she pursues the urban jihadists. I have also spent considerable time in the other places featured in the novel: Washington, D.C., Marseille, Berlin, Istanbul and London. Following the characters into familiar environments helps me imagine what they are seeing and hearing, such as the experience of Mohammed Jamal and Sheik Musawi, two of the Paris plotters, meeting late at night on Austerlitz bridge over the Seine.

3. How has your experience in international law influenced the book?

Since I first began my law studies, I have always been fascinated by how societies resolve human conflicts and power relationships within various kinds of legal systems or, at times, outside such legal systems. In Missions, you can see one approach followed by the CIA against Doyle O’Gara and quite another followed by Mohammed Jamal and the Paris jihadists. Both approaches seem to fall short of achieving justice, but there are big differences between the two in terms of human costs and consequences.

4. Why did you set the story during the early days of the war against Islamic jihad?

That was a time period when the adversaries on both sides were developing their strategies for the long conflict ahead. The story in Missions may raise questions about where those early strategies are leading humanity today.

5. What does Missions tell us about the human condition?

Doyle O’Gara has a few things in common with Ali Benhadj, the Paris bomber, as well as many important differences. I think it is significant and a bit depressing that someone like Benhadj is capable of committing an act of suicide-murder, taking his own life and the lives of others who have never hurt or threatened him, all in the name of abstract ideas like Islam, while O’Gara is equally capable of killing adversaries he has never met, finding justification in different abstract ideas. As far as I know, humans are the only creatures on earth capable of such ideologically driven killing of their fellow creatures.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BOSTON, MA – “The Way You Burn” (She Writes Press, April 14, 2020), explores one young man’s attempts to understand the complicated pasts of his loved ones by unraveling the vast webs of secrets they’ve kept hidden. Yet as he uncovers their stories, he learns about the inescapable injustices faced by the women he’s known and the true depth of the human heart.

When David approaches his New Hampshire cabin one cool October night to find it engulfed in flames, he knows his girlfriend, Hope, set the fire. At least, he’s pretty sure he knows.

David first decides to upend the creature comforts of his post-collegiate life and try roughing it for a year after he inherits two acres of land and a rustic cabin from his deceased grandfather. Life at the cabin proves to be more difficult than expected, especially when David accidentally digs up clues that hint at a secret his grandfather hid from the family. And then there’s the woman he loves—Hope—whose dark past is written in the twisting pink scars covering her body. Their relationship is challenged after his car slides through an intersection one dark night and, later, when he realizes that someone is out there, watching him through the trees.

Over the course of five seasons, David struggles to maintain his relationship with Hope, vowing to be the one person she can count on in a world full of people who let her down. Ultimately, in an attempt to understand the sacrifices Hope has had to make, David decides to write down their story, making their fleeting romance at once permanent and timeless, demonstrating that things don’t have to last forever in order to be meaningful – or maybe even perfect.

“Meade artfully explores the cumbersome weight of personal secrets and the emotional consequences of concealing a source of profound shame… A  moving, emotional, and unpredictable drama.”

— Kirkus Reviews

CHRISTINE MEADE: Christine Meade is a writer, editor, and educator. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the California College of the Arts. A native New Englander, Christine currently lives and writes outside of Boston, MA. “The Way You Burn” is her first book, to be published by She Writes Press in April 2020. To learn more about Christine Meade’s life and work, visit her website, https://www.christine-meade.com. 

“The Way You Burn”

Christine Meade | April 14, 2020 | She Writes Press
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63152-691-6 | Price: $16.95
New Adult / Fiction / Mystery, Thriller

In an interview, CHRISTINE MEADE can discuss:

• Why she chose to write from the male perspective, and how she approached David’s coming-into-consciousness with women’s issues
• The importance of recognizing coming-of-age stories that take place after college
• Her interest in the secrets we keep and the consequences of their revelation
• Why she chose to write in the second person
• How her work in editing has prepared her for writing this novel, and why she dedicates her time to helping other writers hone their craft
• What her future writing plans are, and whether readers will see David – or possibly Hope – again

An Interview with CHRISTINE MEADE

1. Tell us a little bit about why you wanted to explore the coming-of-age experience from the perspective of someone in his twenties. Do you think “new adult” stories are often overlooked in fiction?

Although many think about high school experiences–as detailed in young adult novels–as the true coming-of-age period in one’s life, I’ve always seen the post-collegiate world–and new adult novels–as a grittier coming-of-age moment where the stakes are higher. After the confines of the parental home and a conventional four-year college are left behind, many individuals find themselves ostensibly standing at the edge of the cliff of life, trying to make real decisions for the first time about career, home, and love without any real sense of the possible consequences their decisions can hold.

2. I particularly enjoyed David’s “coming-to-consciousness” as he begins to understand the widespread abuse women face. Why did you choose to write from the male perspective? Was it difficult for you to inhabit the male gaze / male voice?

I wanted to take on the challenge of attempting to understand the various abuses women have faced throughout the generations from a young man’s perspective. It felt important, in this day and age, to explore this reality from a second-hand observer instead of from a victim’s perspective in order to guide readers to empathize with experiences that may not match their own. I like writing from characters of different ages, genders, and personalities because I think that is one of the true gifts of being a fiction writer!

3. Written in the second person, David addresses Hope throughout the book, as he details the ups and downs of their relationship. Why did you choose to construct this tale retrospectively and in second person?

I wanted the book to serve as David’s retrospective reflection on his year-long relationship with Hope. One’s early-to-mid twenties is a time that provides so many lessons–for better or worse–in terms of boundaries, personal strength, and the course an individual sets their life on. It felt important that David’s reflection be addressed to Hope because what he learns about himself has everything to do with what he learns from his relationship with her. Writing in second person allows David to connect directly with Hope while figuring out for himself what he is able to take away from the challenges he faced.

4. You are a native New Englander, and much of your book is set in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Have you been to the places you write about in the book? What techniques do you use when writing setting, or what advice would you give to a writer who is looking to improve their descriptions of place?

I love a strong sense of setting both in the books I read and those I write. I love to travel and I believe that love was developed from a steady diet of books as a young reader that transported me to places I could smell and see and hear in my mind. I think setting really influences a novel’s tone, and in The Way You Burn, the moodiness of New Hampshire’s seasons mimic the ups and downs of David’s romance with Hope. My family has a cabin in New Hampshire where I have spent many weekends over the course of my life, and the setting details in the book are pulled directly from observations of the natural surroundings of my family’s home. I encourage writers to try using places that featured prominently in their own pasts as setting for their fiction as I find it to be a fertile reservoir of surprising and unique sensory details.

5. Do you have plans to write another book soon? Perhaps one featuring this same set of characters?

Yes! My next book is already finished and tentatively titled The Moon, Her Crown, but it doesn’t feature David and Hope. This next novel takes a different look at the coming-of-age narrative, this time from the perspective of a burgeoning tarot reader as she searches for her missing mother in a small, coastal Maine town.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/