A BRIEF SYNOPSIS Looking for Love in All the Wrong and Right Places is a novel that takes a spirited look at the lives of four young women who live and love in New York City. How they manage a multitude of character-testing experiences and sail through some rather risque antics, and how two of them cope with a case of sibling rivalry are major elements in the story. From seeking out the right man to marry, to having married the wrong one, and even to having a same-sex partner, the women live unpredictable lives. Because all of the women in the book, mothers, as well as daughters, have been looking for love and don't always find what they want, (or sometimes lose what they have, ) the book also suggests the dark "Miss Lonelyhearts" side of life. But in the end, there is a happy conclusion -- with the main heroine, Tessa McMullan, walking down the aisle a smarter, more evolved young woman. The story takes place in 2012; three of the women are now in their mid-twenties, while Katy, the CSU Detective, has just turned 32. All of them want to achieve their goals and a successful quality of life. For some this encompasses good relationships and, yes, happy marriages; for others a good career is the best recompense. Why not all of it, why not happy endings? THE BACKGROUND The women were reared in Larchmont, N.Y., a toney upper middle-class Westchester suburb; three of them were high school friends. Two, Katy and Tessa McMullan, are sisters. Tessa graduates from NYU, having majored in drama, while her older sister attends one year and then drops out to pursue a career in law enforcement. Vera Stern, the only one of the women who comes from poor circumstances, is very bright, sails through Barnard College, graduating cum laude, while Angel Manelli, the shyest of the group, remains at home, attending a local community college, and works in her father's boating business. By 2007, all four have relocated to Manhattan. The main group of women, Tessa, Vera and Angel, meet for bimonthly brunches and share at other times by cell phone. They call themselves "The Bod Squad." Some of the sub-plots include Tessa learning the hard way that she must be more cautious in whom she dates after she encounters a sociopath - a disturbed young man who was so maltreated by his mother that he really detests women and so when Tessa rejects him (and also accidentally breaks his nose) he is in a demonic rage. He begins to stalk her and eventually hires someone to throw acid in her face so no one can say she's pretty any longer. After hang-ups and anonymous threats in the mail, Tessa reaches out to her friends. One of them shares Tessa's concerns with Katy, her very own sister, who is a New York City detective. Katy gets background information on the man and his brother, obtains permission to have a plainclothes detail follow and protect her sister. In the end, the careful surveillance saves Tessa, and of course helps diminish any vestiges of rivalry between the sisters. Another subplot involves Angel Manelli, who is conflicted about family loyalties. She feels guilty when she realizes that her mother, a stay-at-home traditional Italian wife, knows nothing of her husband's deceitful affairs. Angel finally confronts her father about his extra marital relationships. Her taking a stand eventually leads to her rejecting the overly conservative customs within her traditional Italian family and she begins to deal with her life-long addiction to food. Meanwhile, her mother Lorraine confronts her own uncertainties and faces her long-time unfaithful husband and her future with newfound courage. What Lorraine does provides a fascinating story on its own.
I compare this book to Mary McCarthy's The Group, and feel it has every chance to be a mini-series or as a big screen blockbuster. It's also perhaps the finest description of addiction and its effects on lovers, family, and friends in contemporary American fiction....use that quote in any manner you wish. - John Frederick, Documentary Producer, California This book is incredible. I read it twice! First, very fast. The second time I couldn't believe that you can be so uplifting - almost like Dr. Wayne Dyer - not only great with your quotes but your fiction is alive all the time. It reminded me of my own life story - my first marriage and surviving with two smart handsome boys in a tough city like New York. - Eva Pollack, Physical Therapist, New York I wanted to tell you that I read the first five chapters of your book and I couldn't stop reading though I am in the midst of moving. Though I spent many years in NYC City, it was at a later period. I am European. Yet, I loved the very human qualities of this dysfunctional family, the Brooklyn touches and certainly the Yiddish terms. I used to hear those from all my Jewish friends. It is all sooo New York. I'm looking forward to reading the rest! - Annouk Van de Voorde, Belgian writer who grew up in Africa and now lives in Arizona
Someone To Watch Over Me, is a novelized memoir that captures the shifting spirit of the past six decades. Because it's based on true events and real people, many of whom are well known, I've fictionalized my story to protect the identities of the main characters and the people who passed through their lives. The three women who share center stage come of age in New York City during the 1960s. Annie Ryan becomes a writer, Maureen McDermott a well-known singer, and Sabrina Aldrich a television newscaster. At times all three meet and share their hopes, their challenges and tribulations -- in short, their humanity. This novel takes a searching look at dysfunctional families, childhood rape, interracial romance, divorce, addictions, redemption and love. It is serious in sections, humorous in others, and deeply human throughout. The story ends just after 9/11, a date that changed the world. Do all three survive? Sabrina is at the TV station when the first plane hits the World Trade Towers, Maureen has an apartment nearby and Annie has been married to a New York City fireman who is on duty that fateful day. The drama is moving and real and the ending thought provoking.
This healthy living stuff is hell! This is the conclusion that Judi Young reaches as she continuously falls off her new diet and exercise routine. After all it’s hard for a gal to detox with a glass of red wine in one hand and a bucket of KFC in the other. Only one slight snag – Judi also has cancer, and this new regimen is supposed to be a vital part of her healing! In her first book, which is both rollicking adventure and poignant memoir, Judi writes what may well be the ultimate ‘how not to cure yourself’ guide as she struggles with an eating disorder and her own insecurity. Throw in a 5kg tumour, an eccentric 84-year-old uncle and an antagonistic family and you have the perfectrecipe for mayhem. Judi bravely shares her story as she struggles to find an answer to the question, “Just who is the girl in the picture?” It became a quest that included enemas in India and stuff-ups in the Philippines, as well as a reconnection with her family after a 25-year absence. Eventually, Judi must decide if she will ever be able to stick to a diet or whether she should just quit and have surgery. Writing with charm and black humour, Judi finally makes her choice while facing the most important question of all: “Will I still look good in a bikini?” She finds her answer eventually – it only took five years of introspection to be ready. Her message is simple – we are okay as we are. It took her a lifetime and a tumour to figure it out. You will find yourself cheering Judi along as she lurches from one remedy to the next. If you have tried – and tried – to change your life, this book will help you smile more kindly upon yourself while you work out how to do things YOUR way.
When Lily is a young teenager, the time comes for her and her friends to leave school and find work; some are emigrating to America, some going to work in shops. Lily is going into service in the Big House – Lissadell. Lily's employers, the Gore-Booth family, are kind, but life as a young housemaid can be hard: Lily works long days, she has to learn to get along with the staff, particularly her roommate, the sullen and uncommunicative Nellie, and she misses her home and family. But when Maeve, daughter of Constance Markievicz and niece of the Gore-Booths, comes to visit and decides to paint a portrait of Lily an unusual friendship begins between the two girls from such different worlds. A warm and engaging story about friendship, life in the early 20th century and how the political world affects everyone.
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