Author: Marissa DeCuir

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Inspired by two life-changing transcendental experiences, Paul Corson made it his mission to explore the deepest mysteries of life and the afterlife. Now he’s fusing both spirituality and rational science in a groundbreaking examination of who we are, where we come from, and where we’re going at life’s end in his new book, “Regaining Paradise: Forming a New Worldview, Knowing God, and Journeying Into Eternity” (July 21, 2020).

Corson invites the reader away from a life of restless consumerism and unfulfillment, and toward a journey of self-discovery that illuminates answers to life’s biggest questions: What is reality? What is consciousness? How do we discover our best selves? Do we have free will? What happens after we die? Most importantly, is there a God, and if so, what is the nature/role of this infinite force?

Accessible and engaging, here is a guided journey into self-knowledge, identity, empowerment, and sublime understanding that will open the mind’s eye while sharpening the intellect, a journey to personal fulfillment that bestselling spiritual author Dr. Larry Dossey called an “enormous consolation and inspiration to anyone fortunate enough to read it.”

PAUL CORSON:

Corson’s description of his otherworldly experiences have been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, and on local and national TV. As a pharmacist, Corson established a protocol for the treatment of HIV/AIDs. He received the 2000 Philadelphia Hero Award for his contributions in supporting AIDS survivors. Learn more by visiting his website at https://www.regainingparadise.com/.

“Regaining Paradise: Forming a New Worldview, Knowing God, and Journeying Into Eternity”

Paul Corson 
July 21, 2020
BookLocker
Genre: Spirituality
Hardcover: $33.99 | Paperback: $20.99 | Ebook: $4.99

In an interview, PAUL CORSON can discuss:

• The transcendental experiences he had at age 10 and age 50 which opened his mind to a higher spiritual power and the true nature of self-discovery
• How a consumerist society promises self-knowledge and fulfillment–and then by its very nature undermines those promises
• The necessity of supporting faith and spirituality with rational intellect and scientific knowledge
• Exploring the nature of the afterlife, and the sublime paradise we experience both before we are born and after our lives end
• Exploring the nature of God, and the ways in which God can be explored through various religions, spiritual exploration, and scientific inquiry
• Exploring the nature of consciousness, reality, free will, and energy

An Interview with PAUL CORSON

Can you please describe the transcendental experiences you had at age 10 and age 50 that inspired your current spiritual exploration?

For perspective, my parents were agnostic atheists, as was I, that is, before my transcendent experiences. At both age 10 and age 50, I received distinct messages in my mind that foreshadowed what would happen. At 10 I was led to leave my body and experience the condition of infinity. A moment in time later, I left my body again and was transported to a place beyond the material level: a peaceful, blissful realm.

At age 50, I received a recurring mind message that led to a series of events in which I experienced the place I was in at age 10, and from there I was transported into the white light. At that point I awoke because of the overwhelming intensity of the unconditional love in Heaven.

Still, I felt disappointed because I did not enter into the light. But I was certain that would happen. I just needed to place my trust in the celestial process.

Within a week and I half, upon lying down for the night I entered the white light. I met my deceased father and received an overview of Heaven. I understood in both broad strokes, and also in detail, what I will be experiencing in Heaven.

What are the greatest obstacles to self-discovery and spiritual understanding in our modern, consumerist society?

Vance Packard’s Hidden Persuaders, published in 1967, explained how the advertising industry employs psychoanalytical techniques to sell products. In the past fifty years these techniques have been vastly refined by advertisers, who are driven to increase the bottom line of the corporations that employ them.

From the sixties on the programming of the mind has been unrelenting. In 1988 the late physicist Willis Harman published Global Mind Change in which he observed: “We are literally hypnotized from infancy to perceive the world the way our culture perceives it.”

Wait a minute we may say, are you telling me we’re being brainwashed?

The subtlety of brainwashing or mind control makes the recipient unaware of this intrusion, because this is all taking place on the unconscious level.

The culture of Western society is based on consumerism, which leads us to believe that ownership of the latest and best will lead to satisfaction, contentment. This message is in the air we breathe: it is repeated and reinforced.

The quest for spiritual understanding is derided as being mumbo jumbo by the architects, the movers and shakers of society. It’s inferred that this quixotic quest will divert us from our calling: to revere and attend to our material identity. That’s how we’ve been wired since the time we were young children.

To put it simply: we need to be rewired, which is easier said than done, because the mind resists, both tooth and nail. Ultimately, if the wiring is done tactically with care and delicacy, we can change our priorities. We can heed the ancient Greeks in the sixth century B.C.E. who etched into the stone that formed the archway of the temple of Apollo at Delphi, “Know thyself and thou wilt know the universe and the gods.”

Knowing who we are at our core leads to knowing the god force that created us and the universe.

Some view “faith” and “science” as mutually exclusive. Why do you believe it’s important to support faith / spirituality with rational, scientific inquiry?

Faith and science: Faith is an emotional feeling of trust and certainty, driven by any number of factors, one being an intuitive knowing. Rational, scientific facts are observable, repeatable, and appeal to our intellect, the sensible guardian that we’ve trusted will lead us to truths.

Faith is pulling us in one direction, while the intellect is pulling us vigorously in the opposite direction. In this regard, we’re conflicted, and rightfully so. How can we resolve this matter?

To grasp the all-causative nature of infinity, the intellect will have to reconcile a matter that is essentially beyond its capacity for rational thought. For this to happen, the intellect will have to acknowledge its limitations…but nevertheless yield and reluctantly take it in for review.

Once the intellect has conditionally accepted the separate value of non-empirical evidence, its shift in position opens us to the value of higher intuition; this energizes the human will to exert itself in an endeavor it has been given license to pursue.

How do we resolve the paradox of creation and thus that which is essentially beyond common comprehension?

Faith. The seemingly ‘untraversable’ can be bridged by the power of faith. This is not blind faith in a creed or scripture. Faith, in this case, is a leap of understanding, grounded in higher intuition that is conditionally endorsed by the intellect. Faith allows us to make a further ‘leap.’ Faith grounded in reason allowed me to take this next step in understanding. It can do the same for you.

How can a deeper understanding of the spiritual forces at work in the world (and beyond) benefit one’s personal sense of identity, fulfillment, and empowerment?

Our spiritual sense of self can be heightened when we acknowledge the myth of materiality: “The material cloak—the matter and energy that comprise the body—is not the invincible all-providingness we had believed it to be. That could be emotionally dispiriting because we are likely to believe that life itself and, correspondingly, conscious awareness, the “soul” of who one is, is somehow unexplainably packaged with the matter and energy of the body.

Giving thought to what has been presented, we may consider that consciousness, the scintillating living moment of awareness we experience, might not be a product or by-product of a material process as materialists insist. Instead, consciousness and life itself is an expression of the ‘magical part’ that derives from the otherworldly causal realm.

If we are to embrace the knowledge of our ultimate origin, our true heritage, we must shatter, bit by bit, the timeworn myth that materiality has mystical powers and is preeminent.

Understanding that at our most basic level we are radiating orbs of (divine) energy that is part of an infinite, all-creative source, impacts the way we identify with ourselves and relate to all people. We recognize that we share the same heritage, that we’re all sustained by the same force; we’re linked as cosmic brothers and sisters.

What is the most important thing you hope readers learn from ‘Regaining Paradise’?

The way we interact with people reflects the way we see ourselves on the most fundamental level of our existence. You may believe that you have a fairly good sense of who you are. When you pass by a mirror you may neaten your hair a touch and continue with your day. That’s nothing unusual; I can relate to that, you might think. But, if you see only the image of your self-reflection on those occasions, then you have been missing something truly significant; you have not seen yourself in your entirety. To be more direct, we have an unalienable right to know who and what we are—to know about the unseen ‘better half’—the magical part that enables us to function as conscious, thinking individuals with free will.

The magical half: Consciousness that is weightless and spaceless, did not obtain from the matter and energy, or from the natural forces in the universe since that would be a violation of the most basic universal laws of conservation. By reason that leaves open only one possibility: the life force and consciousness became imbedded into this level by a higher level force from an otherworldly level.

That means, we’ve all received that magical touch, which by definition means we’re veritable miracles. Realizing the sublime divineness that radiates at our very core will motivate us to express ourselves in accordance with that identity.

Praise for  “Regaining Paradise”

“‘[Regaining Paradise]’ resonates deeply with my own views. I am confident, based on what we know about the nonlocal nature of consciousness, that some form of immortality is not optional but is mandated. Paul obviously realizes this and is bold and erudite in asserting it. This book will be of enormous consolation and inspiration to anyone fortunate enough to read it.”

–Larry Dossey, M.D, Author of ‘One Mind: How Our Individual Mind is Part of a Greater Consciousness’ and ‘Why It Matters’ (Hay House, 2013).

“Paul Corson presents a unique, intuitive look at eternal questions: creation, infinity, and what happens after we die…Against the background of scientific thought and rational perspective, Corson further addresses the importance of enlightened spirituality, while successfully avoiding the traps that diminish the value of most religious traditions. He recognizes the power of what we all share, and successfully creates a perspective that allows our differences to exist without causing dissension and turmoil. His vision of the world we could create if we are able to adopt this perspective carries the power of hope for our future.”

–Marc D. Baldwin, Ph.D. in American Literature.

​
“In this expansive book ‒ combining science, physics, logical reasoning, and intuition ‒ Paul Corson bids the reader to step outside their usual range of experience and journey with him to the limits of the cosmos. The ideas set forth here are clearly and successfully articulated and thoroughly referenced.”
​
–Bill Reinsmith, Ph.D., award-winning essayist and Professor of Philosophy at the Philadelphia University of the Sciences authored ‘A Harmony Within: Five Who Took Refuge: A Study in Creative Withdrawal’.

“This book is a brilliant explanation concerning the mysteries of our existence. Corson’s observations are backed by science as well as reason. He addresses the transcendent realm not from the platform of Earth, but from a place beyond the circle of the universe. Corson’s unique perspective recognizes the suprauniversal factors beyond universal time that are genesis for our material existence as well as the source of our spiritual immortality. His genius lies in explaining the origin and nature of universal time and its infinite source. For those who seek answers to existential questions of purpose and meaning, and whether there is actually an Other Side, I highly recommend this book.”

–Wanda Woodward, Ph.D. Philosophy. Author of The Anatomy of The Soul: An Authentic Psychology and The Human Soul: An Ontological Exegenesis of Transcendence

“Having read Paul Corson’s book, ‘Touched by God,’ I was eager to read his current book and was not disappointed. In it he expands upon his scientifically based theological studies which, while complicated to a non-scientist like myself, are well worth taking the time and effort to grasp. His writing is intelligent and inspired ‒ enough to make an agnostic such as myself reconsider my philosophy of life and find hope for a compassionate and meaningful universe.”

–Jamie Brambly, Director of the Fulton County Regional Library, McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania

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:

“Superb… Dortzbach spins a charming fictional tale in ‘Finding Hemingway’ that is equal parts travelogue and self-discovery memoir, with just enough fantasy to make the story sparkle”
– Readers’ Favorite (5-star review)

MILWAUKEE, WI – A romantic comedy with a touch of magical realism, Ken Dortzbach’s debut novel Finding Hemingway (Cloister Inn Publishing, July 7, 2020) sends its protagonist on a life-changing adventure after she receives a mysterious phone call from Ernest Hemingway.

Hyper-focused, overachieving New York lawyer Callie McGraw has six months between jobs and a hefty severance check when she is called to Spain by Ernest Hemingway. She begins packing her bags for the sun-kissed streets that night. Starting in Barcelona, Callie embarks on a six-month escapade of a lifetime, a whirlwind of Spanish food, wine, art and dancing, with a revolving cast of friends and lovers keeping her company in each new locale. Callie’s next cocktail is never far away, but Hemingway knows her secrets, the demons that plague her deep down. With each mysterious call and each enigmatic clue, Hemingway challenges her to open herself to laughter, passion and love. Ultimately, he defies Callie to face her greatest fears and embrace life on her own terms.

A vividly drawn ode to both Spanish culture and the soul-striking spark of a good book, Finding Hemingway showcases the empowering story of one woman’s journey to self-acceptance and fulfillment.

“Heartwarming… ‘Finding Hemingway’ is a romantic travel adventure with a magical realism twist”
– Foreword Clarion Reviews

“Finding Hemingway”
Ken Dortzbach | July 7, 2020 | Cloister Inn Publishing | Women’s Fiction
Paperback | 978-1-733-624-7-0-1

About the Author

KEN DORTZBACH: Ken Dortzbach is a native of Madison, Wisconsin. A graduate of Princeton University and the Northwestern University School of Law, he practiced law internationally for almost twenty years, including living abroad and working in countries across the globe. During that time, he found a special appreciation for Spain’s history and culture; when it came time to pen his first novel, the country became the perfect backdrop for his book. In combining his passion for Spain with his longstanding interest in Ernest Hemingway, Finding Hemingway was born. He has two kittens—along with two grown children. Ken and his wife now live in Wisconsin and divide their time between Milwaukee and Madison; they enjoy traveling far and wide together. To learn more about Ken’s work, please visit: https://kendortzbach.com

In an interview, Ken Dortzbach can discuss:

• How his career practicing international law may have aided him in writing this book
• His love for Spanish culture, including Spanish food, art, dance, and microtheater, and how he vividly captures it all on the page
• His experience running with the bulls in Pamplona
• His appreciation for Ernest Hemingway
• His experience writing women’s fiction as a male author
• Where the inspiration for Callie’s story came from
• What’s next for him in his writing career

An Interview with Ken Dortzbach

1. Why did you place the book in Spain?

Spanish culture is one of the many cultures I love. The Spanish have a certain skill at living in the moment. So often we do things we need to do — save for retirement, eat right, exercise. Sometimes you just want to do something because you want to do it and you are passionate about it. Sometimes you want to be a little Spanish.

2. Why write women’s fiction?

As I mapped out the story I wanted to tell I realized it worked better with a woman as the main character. It just felt right. But it is not just a book for women. It is a book for anyone who likes to read. My wife teased me that I wrote a “chick book,” but I told her I wrote a book about personal growth and development where the main character happens to be a woman. Callie McGraw is awesome.

3. What inspired this book?

I have had a longstanding interest in Ernest Hemingway. I also have an appreciation for many cultures, one of which is Spanish culture. It made the perfect backdrop for the book and the plot. I was also oddly inspired by the post-impressionist landscape paintings of French painter Paul Cézanne. When you look at his pre-Cubist landscape paintings you see a bunch of block forms and you say, “Hey, those are just a bunch of block forms.” But when you look harder you see how he defines shape and you see more details. I tried to take a similar approach with some parts of my book. For example, most of the characters don’t have last names. Sometimes certain details can distract from the story or what you are trying to develop.

4. Who will enjoy this book?

This book would be enjoyed by anyone who likes to read and is intrigued by Spain. The main character, Callie McGraw, has a special relationship with the book The Sun Also Rises. That provides the basis for part of the story, and it goes from there as you learn more about her and her life. The book is basically a quirky romantic comedy centered around female empowerment. It is a book for people who love books and love to read. It is a book for people who have wrestled with challenges and overcome them. It is a book for people who have fallen in love or want to fall in love.

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:

Sacramento, CA – In Copy Boy (June 23, 2020, She Writes Press), a story of escape, disguise, and coming of age, lecturer and author Shelley Blanton-Stroud follows Jane, a desperate girl seeking work in the Great Depression. Repeatedly turned away from employment, she disguises herself as a boy to get hired, raising questions on women’s struggles in the workplace and how gender norms influence social expectations, then and now, as well as the role of crisis in developing resilience.

Jane leaves her messy family life behind to find work as a newspaper copy boy in San Francisco. Creating a new identity as a man opens new opportunities for her, and Jane uses her disguise to escape crimes she may or may not have committed. Things are looking up…until her father’s picture appears in the paper and threatens her safety and new way of life.

Pulling from her own family’s Dust Bowl history, Blanton-Stroud exposes the need and the cost of ambition and competition through a proactive female protagonist fighting for what she wants. Throughout her career, she has amplified the writing of countless others through teaching college writing in Northern California, consulting with writers in the energy industry, serving on the advisory board of 916 Ink, and co-directing Stories on Stage Sacramento — all leading up to her own electric debut.

Copy Boy
Shelley Blanton-Stroud | June 23, 2020 | She Writes Press | Historical Fiction, Noir
Print ISBN: 978-1-63152-697-81 | Paperback Price: $16.95
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63152-698-5 | Ebook Price: $9.95

More about Shelley Blanton-Stroud

SHELLEY BLANTON-STROUD grew up in California’s Central Valley, the daughter of Dust Bowl immigrants who made good on their ambition to get out of the field. She teaches college writing in Northern California and consults with writers in the energy industry. She co-directs Stories on Stage Sacramento, where actors perform the stories of established and emerging authors, and serves on the advisory board of 916 Ink, an arts-based creative writing nonprofit for children. She has also served on the Writers’ Advisory Board for the Belize Writers’ Conference. Copy Boy is her first novel, and she’s currently working on her second. She also writes and publishes flash fiction and non-fiction, which you can find at such journals as Brevity and Cleaver. She and her husband live in Sacramento with an aging beagle and many photos of their out-of-state sons. To get to know Shelley Blanton-Stroud and her writing better, visit her at https://shelleyblantonstroud.com.

Early Praise

“This is Raymond Chandler for feminists.” — Sharma Shields, award-winning author of The Cassandra

“Copy Boy is a rewarding historical novel with a ferocious, fascinating lead.” — 4-star Foreword Clarion Review

“An expressive and striking story that examines what one does for family and for oneself.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“A stellar debut. Combining the best elements of noir, historical, and coming-of-age fiction, Blanton-Stroud has written a compelling, nuanced story that transports readers to San Francisco in the 1930s. Deftly plotted and expertly executed, Copy Boy is as mesmerizing as the moment when the fog lifts over Nob Hill. Highly recommended.” — Sheldon Siegel, New York Times best-selling author of the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez Mystery Series

“Copy Boy is a fantastic story of a young woman’s survival and reinvention. Blanton-Stroud’s prose sings and crackles and brings us into the world of Jane with so much compassion and beauty and wisdom. An engaging, wonderfully original book.” — Karen E. Bender, author of The New Order, long-listed for the Story Prize, and Refund, a National Book Award finalist

“Full of adventure, chutzpah, historical detail, and, most of all, heart, Copy Boy is a thrilling, Depression-era coming-of-age story well suited to our times.” — Maggie Shen King, award-winning author of An Excess Male

Shelley Blanton-Stroud’s Copy Boy is one of those novels that can rekindle your faith in fiction. Her distinctive voice, command of historical details, and sheer storytelling verve show through on every page. Maybe this exact story never happened, but it should have—in exactly this way. A bravura debut—I’m expecting great things from this author. —David Corbett, award-winning author of The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday.

In an interview, Shelley Blanton-Stroud can discuss:

• Her family’s dust bowl history and how that influences her writing
• Grit and resilience and their connection to success
• Women at work
• Gender stereotypes and fluidity
• Why noir is right for now
• Her experience amplifying writers and why she tells her own story now
• Book clubs and their effect on reading life
• Jane’s struggle between her ambition and desire to connect
• Themes of fact vs. fiction and how they relate to the novel

An Interview with Shelley Blanton-Stroud

1. What is your novel’s origin story? How did your family’s dust bowl history influence you and your book?

As a boy, my father lived in a Hooverville tent camp near Wasco, California, convenient to the cotton fields where his family picked. One day, his friend’s mother asked the two boys to get rid of his friend’s daddy, who was drunk again, spending their picking money, putting them further at risk. She told them to drive the man 30 miles south and leave him there by the side of the road. Though they didn’t know how to drive, they did what she said. This was the seed of my novel.

2. Women in the book behave unconventionally. Is this a modern sensibility or did women in the Depression-era act this way?

Depression era photographer, Dorothea Lange—inspiration for one of my characters—used the male pronoun to describe herself. She called herself he and him, explaining that doing so made her believe in her own ability to take the pictures that improved conditions for people living without homes along the side of the road. Women have always behaved unconventionally if they wanted to achieve significant things. It has always been necessary, and it has always created trouble.

3. As a reporter, Jane makes up evidence. What are you saying about facts and truth?

Documentary photographer Dorothea Lange took a quote from Sir Francis Bacon as her credo: “The contemplation of things as they are, without error or confusion, without substitution or imposture, is in itself a nobler thing than a whole harvest of invention.” Yet her artistic eye led her to compose photographs, moving things out of the camera’s view. She was a historian of the contemporary. This selectivity is part of what makes her photographs so compelling. Historians have always shaped selected facts into narratives that align with their own point of view. We all choose where to look, consciously or unconsciously.

In my novel, Copy Boy, my main character, Jane, lies to survive. In the Great Depression, she remakes herself, reinvents herself, becoming a man, changing her name. And, as a result, she gets good work at a newspaper and begins to thrive in the lie. But her willingness to dismiss the gap between fact and truth in that profession creates trouble. The way she negotiates the gap reveals her character. Or maybe it creates it. As it now does for all of us.

4. Many Dust Bowl migrants are still alive. How was their situation like or unlike the situation of homeless Californians today?

There are differences. But the core elements are the same—people have lost their shelter, the very basis of what is necessary to survive, often due to economic facts outside their control. These people, aiming to survive, don’t have the basics they need to get back on their feet. And on top of that struggle they are judged and hated. Now, as then. But also, as a result of this
hardship, some will be crippled in their life’s trajectory, never recovering what or who they
might have been. Others will be made stronger, more resilient, by the test.

5. Does Jane’s cross-dressing mean she’s questioning her gender? If not, how should we see it?

I conceived of Jane cross-dressing not because she is consciously exploring her sexuality or her gender, but because she feels that she is better able to survive and thrive as a man than as a woman, that it is easier to do so as a man. I believe Jane would have many lovers, men and women, in her life, secretly, but also more freely than most women would have because she is surrounded by artistic creatives who, even in the Depression era, were given a bit more latitude. But for me, the main thrust of that choice, for Jane to wear a fedora and suit, was to see who she was capable of becoming without the limitation a woman faces.

6. Why is noir relevant now?

Noir is back. You may know it as a literary and film genre of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye and Farewell My Lovely come to mind. But the genre cycles back when cultural conditions are right, shifting in its particulars according to the zeitgeist.

I love the way novelist Megan Abbott explains it—”In noir, everyone is fallen, and right and wrong are not clearly defined and maybe not even attainable.” Today many of our traditionally moral institutions—government, elections, churches, universities—are doubted and rejected as not worthy of authority. This is a noir sort of world, when a person must struggle to get as close to “right” as possible.

7. You have quite the extensive career helping other writers, what inspired you to write Jane’s story now?

I was a reader first. Though I always dreamt of being a writer, I did not believe in my own ability to make that happen. So I organized my life around being writing-adjacent, guiding other writers into making successful choices. It wasn’t until my husband’s heart failure that we both agreed, if there was something we wanted to do, we’d better get around to doing 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 Arty to miss a day of school, either he is very, very sick or a fairytale-character turf-war has begun in his backyard — such as what begins this particular Wednesday. First, he finds an ax-swinging, bearded, sweaty warrior Dwarf scaring his dogs. Soon enough, Emma, Cry and other middle-school friends also find fairy creatures — Elves, Spriggans, Pixies, and a hoped-for Dragon — crashing into their normal homework-doing, backpack-carrying, phone-charging schooldays.

Why are these magical beings here? What should be done? Is that axe sharp? Can Pixies be given aspirin?
Arty with his friends — and spying jerks, and questionable strangers with long names — follow the clues and try to find out, even as things turn dark and dangerous.

The mythical beings are taking sides. The Gwyllion, that legendary Old Woman of the Mountains, has a sinister plan, turning the neighborhood into a fantasy battleground. One that awaits young heroes.

Professor Welkin Westicotter Marplot, of Coillemuir, Scotland, is a collector of esoteric tales of global wisdom and curator of ancient manuscripts. He is a recluse and, as he claims, has been collecting and collating adventure and fantasy stories for over a century.

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:

Los Angeles, CA — Anna Penenberg was a dancer, single mother, and therapist dedicated to healing trauma. But when her 16-year-old daughter, Dana, begins showing symptoms of a mysterious illness, Anna becomes engulfed in a trauma more astonishing than she had ever imagined.

“Dancing In The Narrows” (July 7, 2020, She Writes Press) is the story of a single mother’s love and persistence in the face of fear. Anna and her daughter struggle against a debilitating illness with no known cure. In search of wellness, mother and daughter must navigate the labyrinthine world of the American medical system and beyond.

“Dancing in the Narrows” is a touching memoir recounting Anna’s perseverance as she struggles to maintain her relationship with her direly ill daughter. As her condition worsens, mother and daughter embark on a tumultuous journey to find a cure. Full of adventure, laughter, terror, and sheer grit, “Dancing In The Narrows” is a poignant chronicle of Dana and Anna’s multiyear odyssey toward healing.

More about Anna Penenberg and Dancing in the Narrows

“Dancing in the Narrows”
Anna Penenberg | July 7, 2020 | She Writes Press
Paperback | 978-1-63152-838-5 | $16.95
E-book |B07VN5LC5X | $8.99
Memoir

About the Author

Anna Penenberg is a healer by nature and her training is dedicated to helping individuals and families affected by trauma. Her approach integrates neurobiology, psychotherapy, and wisdom traditions into personal pathways of re-patterning. Anna’s métier is the relational field, providing safety, cadence, and dimension in the therapeutic exchange. Navigating the dynamics of trauma through this unique work addresses suffering at its core, fostering compassionate healing connections with oneself and others.

Anna holds a BA in Psychology and MA in Dance Therapy from UCLA and certifications in Marriage & Family Therapy, Body-Mind Centering®, Infant Developmental Movement, and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation. She is the mother of two adult daughters and lives in Topanga, California. Dancing in the Narrows is her first book.

In an interview, Anna Penenberg can discuss:

• Her unique therapeutic methods and approach to spiritual healing
• The importance of self-care and dealing with trauma
• Alternative therapies for dealing with chronic illness
• Her personal experiences dealing with Lyme disease and the American healthcare system
• Cultivating healthy relationships with our children, motherhood, and the mother-daughter bond
• The importance of hope and resilience in the face of trauma and insurmountable uncertainty

An Interview with Anna Penenberg

1. What drew you into healing? How do you approach trauma healing?
I have always been fascinated with how humans grow and develop. I also find all relationships within the human capacity inspiring and feel a need to support healthy relations.

My approach integrates neurobiology, psychotherapy, and wisdom traditions into personal pathways of re-patterning. I work with the relational field, providing safety, cadence, and dimension in the therapeutic exchange. I have developed a sophisticated method of soul retrieval to restore somatic, psychological, and emotional balance—unearthing traumatic fragments held by the inner child and within the physical body. Navigating the dynamics of trauma through this unique work addresses suffering at its core, fostering compassionate healing connections with oneself and others.

2. How does one practice self care when they are consumed with caring for a loved one?

You practice self-care ten minutes here and 10 minutes there, when your loved one is sleeping and sometimes when you can get another to relieve you of care-taking. As a parent of an ill child, I soaked in an Epsom salt bath at night when she was asleep and even read a light story. I also took short walks, swam in a pool, ate well and maintained friendships over phone and text in brief moments when I wasn’t needed by my daughter. It is the little things that help, like cutting a rose from the garden and putting it in a vase where you can see it.

3. How has your own trauma influenced your therapeutic approach?

Without intention I became my own teacher as I witnessed myself going through a very traumatic time. I, my own experiment, as I sensed and felt numb, terror and tiny breaks from fight, flight and freeze. I worked on myself all the time, through focusing my mind and conscious breathing. I developed a keen sense of the layers of trauma. I used multiple modalities to unwind my discomfort, recognize inner constriction, and beliefs that held me back. I learned how to sustain my system health in dire situations and this has deeply informed my work.

4. What did you learn about yourself from taking care of your chronically ill daughter?

I am determined, and have more strength, courage and guts than I ever thought in the face of potentially losing my daughter. There is a place in me that is made of steel, that does not bend when the stakes are high and the right thing needs to be done.

5. What gives you hope?

Life itself gives me hope. It is a powerful force, sometimes with a delicate balance but always with soul and purpose. I believe everyone is here for a reason and that gives me hope.

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:

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Many of us recall childhood science classes with little enthusiasm, having felt alienated by seemingly esoteric concepts. Appalachian naturalist David Parrish is here to change that. The 50-year practitioner brings biological studies to the curious nonscientist in an accessible and relevant way, inspiring readers to consider the world around us in a new light.

How well are we following Mother Nature’s “house rules?” Are science and religion really in conflict? Are life and death truly binary? These are just a few of the thought-provoking questions that Parrish explores in his new book, “The Gyroscope of Life: Understanding Balances (and Imbalances) in Nature” (Pocahontas Press, 2020).

Parrish tackles concepts relating to biology and agriculture while sharing his personal experiences with religion, battling illness and more, proving not only that science is relevant to daily life, but that it profoundly impacts all of our lives. Whether you’re curious about the sustainability of modern agriculture or the accuracy of “The Big Bang Theory” theme song, David Parrish will move you to think like a scientist in his insightful, unconventional — and often humorous — love song to biology.

“The Gyroscope of Life:
Understanding Balances (and Imbalances) in Nature”
David Parrish | June 2020 | Pocahontas Press | Nonfiction / Science
Paperback | ISBN: 978-0-9967744-7-5 | Price: $17.95

About the Author

DAVID PARRISH: Parrish is proud to have been born and bred in the hills of Appalachia, and he counts himself fortunate to have worked and played in those same fascinating hills throughout his professional life. After earning his PhD in plant science from Cornell, Parrish joined the faculty of Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where he was recognized with awards for excellence in teaching and advising. Courses he taught included crop ecology and environmental science. He co-authored a textbook, more than 50 research articles, and several scientific reviews and book chapters. His research interests spanned seed physiology, sustainable cropping systems, and biological sources for renewable energy. In retirement, Parrish and his wife of more than 50 years remain in the mountains of southwestern Virginia on the 30 acres they call Hole in the Woods. He continues to be an avid gardener and outdoorsman, particularly in chasing catch-and-release smallmouth bass on the New River. “The Gyroscope of Life” is his latest work, and will be available for purchase June 2020.

In an interview, David Parrish can discuss:

• The meaning behind the book’s title, “The Gyroscope of Life”
• His ties to fundamentalist religion and his “rebirth” as a scientist
• Why life/death and male/female are not actually binary opposites
• Mother Nature’s “house rules” and how well humans follow them
• How modern agriculture is unsustainable — and what we might need to do to fix it

An Interview with David Parrish

1. The central metaphor of the book is the gyroscope of life. How did you come to think of life in gyroscopic terms?

I was 2 years into this project when the gyroscope metaphor sprang into being during a writing session — just one of those serendipitous things that happen to writers. I had long understood that cells — the basic units of life — are alive only as long as they can maintain the complex assemblages of matter that they are. Anything that disrupts that assemblage puts the life — the stability — of the cell at risk. I was trying to describe that relationship, and the notion of a gyroscope simply appeared. I immediately knew it was solid, and, as I moved on in the project, I realized the same metaphor could be applied at higher, more complex levels, to include ecosystems and even the biosphere.

2. What are some of Mother Nature’s “house rules,” and how well have human beings been following them? Are we in a state of crisis?

Mother Nature has just three house rules — three drop-dead requirements for her children if they are to avoid extinction. (Her “children” are what we think of as species.) I’ll paraphrase her here: 1. Fit your ecosystem; 2. Keep your living complexity together (her equivalent of get and keep your shit together); and 3. Make more of yourselves. By all indications, we 7.7 billion humans are doing great at complying with #2 and #3. It might seem we have found a way around #1, but I suspect we are about to get our suspenders snapped.

3. In “Gyroscope,” you describe the perceived conflict between science and religion, and how you personally were affected by it. How did you resolve this conflict?

I was raised a fundamentalist Christian and was adamantly creationist through my public school years. But, eventually my knowledge of the Bible and my struggle with its conflicting creation accounts (which I knew had to be reconcilable) led me to postulate two separate creations, and that opened my mind to new ways of looking at life. I eventually came to believe that all conflicts between science and religion spring from a failure of each side to understand that it has no dog in the other’s hunt. Science is fact/physics based, while religions are faith/metaphysics based. They are not yin and yang; they are more like matter and antimatter.

4. You also break down binary constructs of life/death and male/female. What are the larger impacts of realizing that these are not binary?

Understanding that alive and dead lie on a spectrum — with some dead stuff acting quite lifelike and some living things acting very dead — is just an intellectual nugget, without any practical applications or implications as far as I can determine. On the other hand, stigma often accrues to those who, for any number of biological reasons, are not totally masculine or totally feminine in their plumbing or in their behavior. Ignorance in this area is a liability. We need to understand sexuality as a biological — not a sociological — phenomenon.

5. This book makes scientific inquiry and biological concepts accessible to nonscientists. Did you write specifically for the nonscientist? Ultimately, what do you hope readers take away from “Gyroscope”?

It was certainly my intent to make biology accessible and relevant for nonscientists, but I think some of the connections drawn in this book might also be of interest to fellow scientists. I hope that scientists and nonscientists alike can have aha moments. I would like for all readers to come away with an appreciation for the importance — and tenuousness — of balance in nature. It has existential implications.

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

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/