Guest Post, Excerpt, and Giveaway ~ SUMMER OF GEORGIE by Kerry Crisley

Summer of Georgie
by: Kerry Crisley
Genre: ChickLit/Women’s Fiction
Release Date: December 2, 2021
Publisher: Lazy Sunday Books

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.

Making lemonade from…tiny post it notes?

by Kerry Crisley

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Every cloud has a silver lining!

Now, normally such Pollyanna would inspire a subtle eyeroll from me. Make lemonade? Nah. When life gives me lemons, I usually fix myself a lemon drop so I have something tasty to sip while I grouse about it.

When it comes to the inspiration for my debut novel, Summer of Georgie, however, I have to grudgingly admit, this was a case of turning the sourest, bitterest lemons you’ve ever tasted into a sweet and delicious elixir.

Basically, the worst job I ever had led to my checking off “write a novel” on my bucket list.

I spent a whopping 11 months in an office where the email system was set up to send a copy of every message I sent and received to my boss (the same was true of every employee). A place where it was company-wide policy to only purchase the smallest size post-it notes and narrowest widths of tape. A place where I was asked – no, told – to lie about the founder’s book sales. A place where my manager was Lucy holding the football and I was Charlie Brown, falling for it every single time.

I had made the change in an effort to improve my work life balance. My son – on the autism spectrum – was in middle school at the time, and seventh grade for him had been nothing short of hellacious. Switching jobs meant less pay, but it also meant no late nights and a far shorter commute. It meant more time to support my son. It was a no brainer.

When I left less than a year later, I was at my lowest point professionally and personally. I was unemployed and unhealthy, but – silver lining! – suddenly the novel I always wanted to write was there, and I had the time to actually start writing it. Creating Summer of Georgie was cathartic, but also empowering. It helped me realize that I hadn’t always been kind to myself, which is something I’ve worked hard to change. Just as Georgie’s relationship to her inner voice, Gilda, evolves during the course of the book, my own self-talk is a lot more supportive.

Today, I am happily working at a progressive school with a team of delightful, smart and caring colleagues. My son had an amazing high school experience, and is heading to film school in a few short months. And I have a book out!

Lemonade, indeed.

“What did you think?” Frank asks.

He’s referring to the radio program, I deduce. Good morning to you, too.

“I thought it went really well,” I say. “The host clearly read – and liked – the book, and I loved his comment on it being a good gift for graduates. We’re highlighting that on social media.” I hand him the sales report. “We had an uptick in sales last night while you were on the air.”

“Really? How much?” He looks up at me.

“About 50 new orders.”

He pauses. “That’s a lot?” He looks at me, a challenge in his dark brown eyes. Black eyes, Gilda starts channeling Quint before I can stop her. Lifeless eyes, like a doll’s eyes.

“Yes,” I say with a confidence that I don’t quite feel. “More than 50 in a single hour is a lot.”

He taps the copy that’s resting on top of his desk. A copy that, I now see, is flagged with at least two dozen Post-its (extra small ones!). “I just would have thought that with all the media coverage these last few weeks there would have been more buyers and more callers.” He looks at me pointedly. “Clearly you’re not reaching the right audience.”

I let that one pass. “Well, there will be a lot of promotion this summer leading up the grant event. We’re planning on including references to the book in all of our emails, newsletters, and summer advertising.” Plus, adds Gilda, you’re not, you know, Oprah. Just sayin’.

Shut up, I tell her. Let me focus.

“Well, it isn’t enough. We need reviews,” he says, more to himself than to me. “We need newspapers to run a review of the book.”

I pause, not wanting to bring up The Book Prophet just yet. “I’m pitching some reviewers now in order to have something in time for the grant event,” I begin. “And some of our former grant winners who received the complimentary copies have posted online reviews.”

“They should all post reviews online,” Frank says. “Actually, they should all be promoting it to their own members. Start keeping track of which groups have already written reviews of Giving it Away. Add that to the sales report. I want 100% participation. Reach out to all grantee organizations – all of them – and tell them to post a review, and then share the book with all of their members. They should be emailing their members directly, not just posting to their websites or social media pages. Though they should do that, too.”

“I...I’ll talk to Lena about that,” I say, jotting notes down onto the pad I’ve learned to have handy when I enter Frank’s office. That’s gross, whispers Gilda. Asking – no, telling – charities to pimp your memoir? That’s just gross.

I should tell him that I think it’s gross. That by keeping tabs on who’s promoting his memoir and who’s not could be looked at as an abuse of the grantor/grantee relationship.

Purchase Summer of Georgie from:

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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. Kerry is a current member of the Women's Fiction Writing Association, and also muses about pop culture and wellness on Medium. Summer of Georgie is her first novel.

Places to find Kerry Crisley:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

You can follow Summer of Georgie Blog Tour here.

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