Sunday, July 27, 2014

A Fab First Quarter!

Very excited to report that the A KIND OF MAD COURAGE is off to a pretty good start! We've had a bunch of really great reviews! Click here to get your copy now!
 
“This is such an incredible compilation of short stories. As a mother and a daughter who has lost her mother, I identified with so many of the tales woven into this beautiful work of fiction.... I admire this very talented group of authors for the superior quality of the work they have produced as well as the very worthy cause they have supported with their efforts. Very impressive!”

“This collection of eclectic short stories about mothers, women, and others, is so worth reading.”

“Many of these stories touch the heart and well explore the human and, in particular, the female human condition. This is the kind of short story collection that bears reading and re-reading.”

“They are all very good...and I think your favourites will depend on which aspects of the mother-daughter relationship interest you, and your own experiences, I imagine. Well done, ladies, highly recommended!”

“Wonderfully written short stories of mothers with the courage of lions.....but get a tissue box for some.....you may need it! I enjoyed reading this book thoroughly. It was a blessing and an honor.”

“So many messages, such great food for mind and soul. The emotional truth in each of these stories is what will touch to the core. One of the best short story anthologies I have ever read.”

“I adored 'A Kind of Mad Courage'. I loved the tapestry of perspectives about mothers and the mother-child relationship. I found myself, my mother, and my own daughters in these stories over and over again. It is funny, charming, thoughtful, and poignant ... a perfect go-to for my bedside table.”

“This is a sweet collection of tender, funny and sometimes poignant short stories exploring facets of motherhood. There’s a good mix of stories here – dramas, quirky comedies and a little romance thrown in for good measure... Overall, a great read for the beach or a quiet afternoon.”

“I took my time with this collection of stories, sometimes plowing through a couple of tales in an afternoon, at other times savoring each word and phrase of another. I know I'll be returning to some of the stories often.... It's a wonderfully diverse compilation!”

We've already raised hundreds of dollars for the foundation. Please keep reading! Click here to get your copy now!
 

Friday, April 11, 2014

A KIND OF MAD COURAGE

Learn more about the stories HERE.  


Nineteen authors from around the world were given six weeks or less to produce “a story involving a mother somehow.” The result is a gorgeously eclectic collection of tales that will make you laugh, cry, and truly appreciate the “mad courage” of motherhood.

Laura Chapman, Francine LaSala, Nikki Mahood, Heather McCoubrey, and Karen E. Martin each present unique takes on impending motherhood, while Sheryn MacMunn, kc wilder, and Julie Valerie portray the end of the journey. Samantha Stroh Bailey, Louise Wise, and Maria Schulz show the pride and peril of dealing with teenage daughters, while Elke Feuer, Diana Shafter Gliedman, and Donna Valenti demonstrate that a mother’s work is never done, even under the craziest of circumstances. Regina-Cash Clark, Wendy Janes, and Monique McDonell explore the impact on lives in which mothers go “missing,” while Carey Heywood and Jen Tucker warm your heart and tear it out, respectively.

Samantha Stroh Bailey - “Hide and Seek”
Regina Cash-Clark - “Autumn's Eyes”
Laura Chapman - “Oh Baby”
Elke Feuer - “The Sacrifice”
Diana Gliedman - “Love in the Time of Cannibals”
Carey Heywood - “A Poem for Mommy”
Wendy Janes - “Verity”
Francine LaSala - “Monkey Bread”
Sheryn MacMunn - “Last Words”
Nikki Mahood - “This Year's Love”
Karen E. Martin - “Two Thousand Steps”
Heather McCoubrey - “Emily's Promise”
Monique McDonell - “A Tale of Two Mothers”
Maria Schulz - “Like a Boomerang”
Jen Tucker - “Heartstrings”
Donna Valenti - “In the Nick of Time”
Julie Valerie - “LLL”
k.c. wilder - “Lady in Red”
Louise Wise - “Becky's Mum”

**All proceeds benefit The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation.**



THE STORIES


Hide and Seek - Samantha Stroh Bailey
Claire's teenage daughter, Emily, goes missing on a birthday cruise, and Claire can only fear the worst from the lately rebellious teen...  


Autumn's Eyes - Regina Cash-Clark
What would it take to push a mother to her limit, for her to leave three of her four children behind? Desperate lives lead to desperate choices. How far will June go?


Oh Baby - Laura Chapman
Rocker Tuck and new wife Autumn return from Chapman's "Ten Drummers Drumming" (Merry & Bright), now with a baby on the way.


The Sacrifice - Elke Feuer
Melissa learns there isn't anything she won't do to protect her children from the abuse and neglect of her alcoholic husband Roger...


Love in the Time of Cannibals - Diana Shafter Gliedman
Could a zombie apocalypse finally give rudderless Jessica the direction she needs--and the connection she craves? It will if her mother has anything to say about it.


A Poem for Mommy - Carey Heywood
In helping his young daughter craft a poem for Mother's Day, a father beautifully recounts the story of the romance with her mother that led to them becoming a family.


Verity - Wendy Janes
After an accident means she'll no longer be able to live on her own, septuagenarian Susan may need to divulge a secret she's been keeping from Verity all her life.


Monkey Bread - Francine LaSala
Amy and Deck (Rita Hayworth's Shoes) learn more about having babies than they ever wanted to know at a madcap family dinner celebrating Presidents' Day.


Last Words - Sheryn MacMunn
The bond shared between Ruth (Finding Out) and her mother, Eliza, is revealed, from the time of Ruth's childhood before the War to the death of Eliza.


This Year's Love - Nikki Mahood
Fallon and Abner are married, mortgaged, and expecting a baby any minute in this fun, heartfelt mini-sequel to Fallen.


Two Thousand Steps - Karen E. Martin
With the unsolicited help of a fairy friend from their childhood, two grown sisters - one with kids, one without - each get to walk a mile in the other's shoes...


Emily's Promise - Heather McCoubrey
Even though pregnant Emily's life is shattered by Jason's infidelity the night before her wedding, she's determined to give her baby the best life possible.


A Tale of Two Mothers - Monique McDonell
How do you deal with the mother who abandoned you when she shows up out of the blue - and what does it mean for the woman who raised you? Chloe's about to find out. 


Like a Boomerang - Maria Schulz
Tess has been stressing out her mother, Charlotte, since the day she was born. But when disaster strikes during a campus Halloween party, it could prove the worst stress yet… 

Heartstrings - Jen Tucker
Young widow Vicki's no stranger to loss--and guilt, as another mother's loss helped her daughter live. Will meeting up help the two mothers heal? Or make matters worse?     


In the Nick of Time - Donna Valenti
Iris may be dead but her insistence on looking after her children is far from buried. Will her husband Nick get it together? Or will Iris have to move Heaven and Earth to make him?

LLL - Julie Valerie
Words of wisdom from the game of Scrabble unite a daughter with her aging mother, a former Scrabble champion whose mental faculties are quickly fading.

Lady in Red - k.c. wilder
Her dying "Gran" is the only mother she's ever known. But only when Gran is gone does a woman discover the woman her grandmother really was, and the secrets she hid.


Becky's Mum - Louise Wise
Straight-A student Becky's being pulled off the straight-and-narrow by her derelict boyfriend Darren. Will her mother's wisdom sink in before it's too late?