Dear Reese Witherspoon, Do I Have The Book For You?!!

Dear Ms. Witherspoon/Mrs. Toth,

Hi!  I have no idea how else to get your attention in order to tell you about my book.  Since I do have a blog where I rant and rave about my publishing journey and review newly-released memoirs, I thought I would just write an open letter to you on my blog.  I recently read that you have a book club via Instagram.  Okay, just between me and you, a blog and a website are just about as technical as I get without some serious help from my tech guru husband named Bruce.  I am a southern gal born and raised in North Carolina.  Currently, I reside in a little place called Morrisville, North Carolina.  I have my collegiate degrees in Middle School Education, but I decided six years ago to try my hand at writing about real life though I'm not famous or a well-known person.  I read a book by Will Schwalbe entitled The End of Your Life Book Club and it moved me so much that I decided to begin writing about my own crazy life.  In six years I composed four adult manuscripts geared to women and one manuscript geared toward finding happiness from a cat's perspective.  Relentlessly, I tried to find a literary agent, but was continuously rejected.  Finally, I wrote author and editor Will Schwalbe to ask his advice as my publishing dreams were going nowhere quickly.  He suggested I try self-publishing and so I have.  I just self-published my first book entitled Brave Soul Rising:  Tales From The Trenches of An Uncharmed Life.  I hired my own book cover designer and am in the midst of implementing my marketing plan for the book.  The book is available currently in e-book or paperback format online at Amazon.  Hopefully, it will eventually also be available online at Barnes & Noble.  Following this note is my book summary as well as my bio as I write under the pen name of Grace Sutherlin.  Here's hoping that you find it to be a good read!

Sincerely,
Grace Sutherlin (Pen Name)
Real Name:  Amy R. Schmukler

Brave Soul Rising:  Tales From The Trenches of An Uncharmed Life:  Summary

When Does A Woman Discover What She's Really Made Of?

At what point in a woman's life does she discover the values and characteristics that will truly define her for the rest of her life?  Grace Sutherlin will discover the answer to these questions when she is twenty-seven years of age, is married to an abusive con artist, and opts to leave this unhealthy relationship.  In order to support herself, Grace takes a low wage job as a receptionist in corporate America to make ends meet and subsequently finds herself in an abrasive, substandard working environment full of inflated egos and chauvinistic coworkers.  And finally when she is at her lowest depths both personally and professionally, she defies all the odds and accepts a teaching position in a volatile, inner-city middle school where in order to survive she must relinquish the timid, southern small town girl of her youth and become a battle-hardened, no-nonsense woman with the firm belief that no matter the depths of misery in which you might find yourself, you have a choice in defining the person you are and will be as well as the reality of your future.  Grace discovers the two qualities that will define her as an individual for the rest of her life:  tenacity and resilience.  Ultimately, this is a story of a brave soul rising above the fray and a woman who discovers the merits of having lived an uncharmed and unpretentious life.

Author Bio:

Grace Sutherlin is the pen name for Amy R. Schmukler.  She is a native North Carolinian, former middle school English instructor, and an avid reader and writer.  She holds both bachelor and master degrees in Middle Grades Education with a specialty in Communications from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  She has taught in both the public and private educational sectors.  She currently resides in Morrisville, North Carolina with her tech guru husband and their affectionate feline named Chewie.  You may follow her blog at realliferecollections.blogspot.com or her website www.gracesutherlin.com.  She is currently at work on her next manuscript.