Other Fires by Lenore H. Gay - Book Spotlight and Giveaway

I am pleased to welcome Lenore H. Gay today in support of her new book, Other Fires.

About Other Fires:

She Writes Press
Publication Date: October 20, 2020

ISBN 978-1-63152-773-9,
Fiction
Trade Paperback
Price $16.95
256 Pages

In Lenore H. Gay’s new novel, OTHER FIRES, Terpe is named for a goddess by her scholarly parents. At age eight, a weird name is bad enough, but it’s nothing compared to her friendless existence at school and living with the increasing strain in her parents’ marriage. Then their home goes up in flames one night, and her dad, Phil, suffers a head injury trying to escape. Phil survives but suffers from Capgras Misidentification Syndrome, which makes a person view a loved one as an identical imposter. For him, the imposter is Joss, his wife and Terpe’s mother. Already worn out by their rocky marriage and a looming book deadline, the stress of Phil’s new condition forces Joss finally to confront painful family history. She finds solace in her growing connection to Adam, a handyman hired to help with repairs and landscaping. But Adam is grappling with his own family secrets and issues, and Joss needs to decide what she wants in the future—and what family means.

Told in three voices—Terpe’s, Joss’s, and Adam’s—this touching novel examines how mental illness fragments families as well as the importance of healthy family bonds.

About the Author:

LENORE H. GAY is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor. She ran a private counseling practice for ten years and later served as the Coordinator of the Internship Program at the Rehabilitation Counseling Department, Virginia Commonwealth University. The Virginia Center for Creative Arts (VCCA) has awarded her two writing fellowships. Her short story “The Hobo” won first place in a fiction contest hosted by Richmond’s Style Weekly. Her essay “Mistresses of Magic” was published in the anthology, IN PRAISE OF OUR TEACHERS (Beacon Press). Another essay, “My First Mentor” was published in the anthology “US AGAINST ALZHEIMER’S” (Arcade Publishing). For three years she served on the steering committee of the RVA LitCrawl. For many years she volunteered as a reader and editor at Blackbird, An Online Journal for Literature & the Arts. She is an active member of James River Writers. Gay’s debut novel, SHELTER OF LEAVES, (She Writes Press) was a finalist for the Foreword Book of the Year Award. Her second novel, OTHER FIRES, (She Writes Press) will be published in October, 2020. Currently she is working on a new novel. Find her online at lenoregay.com

All Amazon purchase links are affiliate links which means if you buy anything through them I will receive a small commission (at no additional charge to you)

Praise

“Once again, Lenore Gay has woven a story that captivates the reader from page one. Other Fires is a brilliant study of tragedy on multiples levels. Beginning with a dysfunctional family struggling in the aftermath of a terrible fire, she expertly peels back the layers of human behavior and motivation that unravels the lives of the guilty and innocent. Peppered with surprising twists and turns, the story will stay with you long after you close the cover.”
—PAM WEBBER, author of The Wiregrass and Moon Water

“Heartwarming and dramatic, the two major intertwining stories in Other Fires reach across decades from troubled childhood to mid-life adults and reaffirm what remains human and vulnerable in all of us. The portraits of the main characters arc from hopelessness to vulnerability and a sense of recovery. Gay holds the reader’s attention from the first page.”
—DIANA Y. PAUL, author of Things Unsaid

“How do people figure out their minds?” This novel explores what constitutes reality, and from whose perspective. Drawing on her varied experiences in life and background in rehabilitation and mental health counseling, Lenore Gay weaves together the perspectives of compelling characters who interact in ways that keep the pages of this novel turning.”
—CHRIS REID, PhD, Rehabilitation Psychology

“Lenore H. Gay weaves a tale of tragedy through Joss and Phil, a struggling couple that is threatened even further when Phil is injured in a fire. As a result, he suffers from Capgras delusion—a disorder leaving him convinced that
Joss isn’t really his wife, but an impostor. With a husband who doesn’t recognize her and surfacing secrets that only complicate things, Joss wonders if she should give up trying to save her marriage. Her two young daughters, book deadline and an attractive new man only make things even more difficult as she decides how to go on.”
—Deep South Magazine

The Giveaway:

One lucky US reader will win a copy of Other Fires. Just enter as many ways as you would like on the Gleam widget below. Full rules are on the widget. Good luck everyone.

Lenore Gay