Adding Lib Blog Tour! (+$25 Amazon GC Giveaway!)

Title: Adding Lib

Author: Kathryn Elliot

Series: The McGinn's #1

Pages: 344

Date Published: 2014

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Format: Kindle

Genre: Contemporary

Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tours
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Synopsis:
Libby O’Rourke has a short fuse. Her mother, Mae, carries a big match. Engulfed in the never-ending life-juggling of suburbia, Libby fails to notice Mae’s emerging dementia symptoms until a kitchen fire puts the problem on the front burner.

Proficient in the art of denial, Mae brushes the shattering diagnosis aside and sets her sights on a matchmaking crusade for her eldest son. After all, if her lucid days are numbered, Mae’s going to make damned sure he makes it down the aisle while she still recognizes the groom.

It’s going to take a razor wit and an iron stomach to handle Mae’s diagnosis. Thankfully, just like her mother, Libby has both.

~Guest Post!~

Hi Andra, and thanks for hosting! (Hey Girl! Glad to have you!) 

Writing is not new to me; it’s been part of my daily routine since the ink dried on the college diploma. A local journalist and freelance publicist, finding the words is what I do. However, Adding Lib is my first work of fiction – a debut.

Debut – blech. I hate that term. I have no aversion to the definition; a first appearance, but my gut instinct screams RUN with debut-makers in other professions; pilots, for example.

“Welcome aboard flight 732, folks. I’m your captain, John Newbie; this is my debut flight and I’m wicked excited!”

I’m out – rip open the overhead bin, grab the duty-free Rum and run like Flo Jo for the emergency exit before Captain Newbie flips on the fasten seat belt sign. He may be the King of Halo in his parent’s basement, but when my life is on the line, I’m seeking a more vintage flyer.

So, why ask anyone take a chance on my debut? Well, I suppose the answer to that question lies in whether or not you need more laughter in your life. I need it in spades. The mother of two teenage sons, levity is a welcome counterbalance for the hair-pulling stress. And on that note, many ask if Adding Lib is autobiographical. The short answer is no, however there are definite similarities between Libby O’Rourke’s life and my own.

From a loud, Irish and outspoken family (that may be redundant), we’ve been directly affected by Alzheimer’s, the most commonly mentioned form of dementia, and continue to struggle with the battles associated with the disease. However, Adding Lib developed primarily from my work within the Alzheimer’s community and the Brain Injury Association of Connecticut – both proved pivotal resources and shaped the storyline from the ground up. My family just added accent pieces.

A pantser down to my Spanx, Adding Lib was a bucket list item long before the first words hit the page. Its storyline centers on Libby’s relationship with her mother, Mae McGinn, and the new challenges of early onset Vascular Dementia. The rough draft was just that, rough; I’m talking sandpaper. It was uncomfortable, forced and not at all my voice. I knew something was wrong and putting a name on it was driving me round the bend. Then it hit me - laughter.

Yes, laughter. Fear may be the biggest monster in the dementia war, creeping in and stealing memories and moments without a blink of warning, but laughter is a mighty foe! Laughter heals; its comfortable tones seep in to frightened souls with familiar warmth and soothe both patients and those who love them. It’s not called the best medicine for nothing! Once I let my satire roots dig in, Adding Lib’s characters developed the depth and sincerity needed to tackle a difficult subject and the story took a relatable direction.

The first in the McGinn Series, I hope the humor and heartstrings of Adding Lib resonates with readers long after ‘The End.’

Thank you! (No Kathryn, Thank YOU!) 

~Try an Excerpt!~

At three o’clock, excess wine and a bladder weakened by two pregnancies woke Libby from a sound sleep. She crept to the bathroom as quietly as two-hundred-year-old floor boards would allow and, on the way back, noticed the phone’s blinking message light.

“Crap.” Mae’s message taunted from the answering machine. “What to do?” she said to herself. “Check it, or go back to bed?” Years of maternally ingrained guilt won out as she pressed play.

“Hi Lib,” Mae’s recorded message played. “It’s your mother.”

“Color me surprised.” Libby groaned.

“I just got back from my visit with Dr. Cooper. You remember him, he removed Daddy’s planter’s wart.”

“TMI Mom, TMI.”

“Anyhow, he did a splendid job with my colon and said I had none of those dirty pollocks.”

“Polyps, unless you’ve got a ten-foot abstract in your small intestine.”

“You can watch now. Did you know that? They have a camera in your bum the whole time, fascinating really. Anyway, a few of my other test results were a bit off, and he wants me to see a neurologist for some silly reason. Nothing to worry about, just a little blip to check out. Anyhow, I need someone to take me for the appointment, and I was hoping you could find the time. If not, don’t worry, I’ll call your brother Sean. I’m sure he can drop anything less important than his mother.”

“Of course. He’s Jesus.” Libby’s eyes rolled.

“Take care, sweetie. Call me when you can, love to all.”

Libby replayed the message and returned to bed. Blip speculation haunted her dreams.

~Meet Kathryn!~ 

Kathryn Elliott is a lifetime journalist with awards in political satire, human interest, and commentary. A Connecticut native, she is a happily married mother of two sons with high hopes one of them will pay for a delightful rest home.

A true believer in laughter's healing power, Kathryn writes characters whose flaws resonate with readers long after "The End."

ADDING LIB is her debut novel, and the first in The McGinn Series.

Kathryn will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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