Book Spotlight/Giveaway: Summer of Georgie

 

Discover the new book by author Kerry Crisley, Summer of Georgie and don't forget to enter the tour wide giveaway where you could win a chance to win a $50 Amazon/BN gift card from the author. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can find all the tour stops HERE.

Interview with the Author:

Tell us about your latest book, who is the main character(s) and what can we expect when we pick it up? 

Summer of Georgie is about a 40-something woman – who’s also a wife and a working mother of two – who leaves her toxic job (and even more toxic boss) and has one summer to figure out what her next steps are. It’s a story of personal and professional growth that’s very much geared toward older working women, and all the responsibilities, insecurities, and challenges that we face. It’s also a celebration of the love and support of family and friends, and what we can accomplish with these folks rooting for us.

 

Give us an out of context quote from your book to warm our hearts:

 

“I still blame you,” Jules said.

“Not the martinis?”

“You gave them to me. And you know what they say about martinis.”

“I don’t,” I say. “Enlighten me.”

“They’re like breasts.”

“Are they?”

“Of course. One’s not enough, and three’s too many.”

 

Who are some authors that you look to for inspiration? 

In women’s fiction, I enjoy reading books by Katherine Center, Jane Green, Liane Moriarty, and Marne Davis Kellogg. I particularly adore Kellogg’s heroine Kick Keswick – an American woman living in London with expensive taste who works for an auction house by day and steals jewelry by night.

 

Fire down below! What’s the first object you save? 

Oooooh, great question. I’ll assume by “object” that my husband, kids and dog are safely waiting for me outside. I would grab the self-portrait my daughter sketched in pencil for her 10th grade art class last year. It’s ethereal and gorgeous and I’d be devastated to lose it.

 

Advice for newly sparking writers in three sentences or less: 

Join a writers group! The feedback is invaluable, and knowing that you have to submit pages every week/month ensures that you keep writing.

 

Which of your characters would you want to share a campfire with, and why? 

Jules, who is Georgie’s best friend. The character is a blend of two of my oldest friends from high school who are both still a huge part of my life. Jules is smart, fun, and has a snarky sense of humor – perfect for a campfire setting.

 

Tell us about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future? Any new books you are looking forward to? 

I just finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and absolutely loved it. It’s a fantastic glimpse of Hollywood in the 50s through 70s and had an element of mystery that kept me hooked. I’m hearing amazing things about Boys in the Valley, by Philip Fracassi. It’s coming out next summer and I can't wait to get a copy.

 

Can you briefly describe your writing process for us? 

First, I schedule time to write. Between my job, my family, and my inherent joy in being lazy, I’d never get any writing done if I didn’t. The trick for me is to schedule my writing time for the evenings when I know at least two other people in my house will be out. If my husband’s at the gym and our daughter’s at dance on the same night, that’s a writing window.

 

I’d say that I’m 75% plotter and 25% panster, so I have to know what the scene looks like before I begin writing it. I use scene cards – Lisa Chron’s Story Genius was a huge help here. I re-read the last scene, and then spend some time sketching out the next scene’s plot points and why they matter. I do just enough so that I have a place to start, but there’s flexibility to go in a slightly different direction if I’m inspired to do so. 

 

What is next on your writerly horizon? 

My current work in progress is a novel that examines the lifelong friendship between two women that suddenly goes awry. Remember when I mentioned that I like to give myself the flexibility to go in a different direction? Well, I had this story all plotted out, but it seems to be wrenching itself away from my carefully laid out plans. I’ll let you know where it ends up! Beyond that, I’ve always wanted to write a thriller (think Alice Feeney or Lucy Foley). I have two ideas for settings that I’m in love with…it’s a good place to start!

 

 

Summer of Georgie, by Kerry Crisley

Published December 2021 by Lazy Sunday Books

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Page Count: 277

Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Buy Summer of Georgie: https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Georgie-Kerry-Crisley-ebook/dp/B09MZV46FB/

Deep into her 40s with a lackluster career, Georgie wonders how she became so...underwhelming. If she’s not battling her micromanaging boss and egotistical CEO, she’s trying to quiet her inner voice, the one whispering that she hasn’t lived up to the cool, funny and creative person she used to be.

When she's fired for finally pushing back on her CEO’s questionable business practices, Georgie – with the support of her husband and book club friends– uses her free summer to rekindle latent talents and redefine success. But just as she figures out what’s next, an unexpected hurdle threatens to turn her summer of opportunity into a zero-sum disaster.

Summer of Georgie is a fresh and likably snarky take on the “middle age do-over,” with an authentic portrayal of friendship, marriage, motherhood, and that inner critic inside us all.

Excerpt One:

 

All I’m trying to do is dial a damn phone.

           

When I attempt to hit five, my finger presses seven. I start over in frustration. Six, six, five – fuck. Seven again. And the next time. Furious, I smash my phone on the concrete sidewalk and move to grind it to dust under my shoe. I miss – of course – and my foot leaves the curb. The sense of falling jolts me awake.

 

I’m in bed, on my right side and facing the window. I lie there, sensing, listening, remembering. My pulse is fast, throbbing in my chest, my ears, and my throat. 

 

That was the saddest anxiety dream ever. Girl, even your dreams need work.

 

The clock on my dresser reads 5:36. I could try to doze off again, but these days it’s unlikely. Instead, I get up and pad to the bathroom, careful not to wake Dan. Cupping my hands under the faucet I take in a few sips of water, flooding the desert determined to take up residence in my mouth. In the mirror above the sink, my reflection is glum. Her mascara’s smudged and her dark blonde hair needs a trim.

 

Lookin’ good, my internal judge and jury whispers.

 

“What's up with you?“ I whisper back at the mirror. “You never used to be this mean.”

 

Well, you used to actually remove your makeup before bed, she reasons.

 

I give her the finger and stalk away, pausing in front of Max’s door. I ease it open and survey the room. Yesterday’s clothes are strewn inside out across the blue carpet. His hamper is overflowing. On the desk, however, his orange camouflage backpack is neatly zipped, filled with completed homework and ready for school. Max himself is an unmoving hump in the center of the bed, dark brown hair peeking out from under his comforter, his breathing even. He’ll wake rested and calm, as he usually does now. The opposite of me.

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the Author

 

Kerry Crisley is a communications professional, with a focus on the nonprofit sector. Fiction, however, is her first love; she wrote and directed an original play performed by her second grade classmates, and has been writing ever since. She lives in Wakefield, Massachusetts with her husband, their children, and their (very spoiled) rescue dog. When not at work, Kerry can usually be found reading, hiking, or getting into a wide variety of shenanigans with her book club. Anything to avoid housework.

 

Kerry is a current member of the Women's Fiction Writing Association, and also muses about life as a writer, autism mom, dance mom, and rescue dog mom on lazysundaybooks.com. Summer of Georgie is her first novel.

 

Website | Facebook | Amazon | Twitter