Hello, Molly!

Molly Shannon, an SNL alumnus, shares tender heartfelt stories of how her quirky, wholly original brand of comedy grew out of tragedy.

 

Hello, Molly! is a multi-faceted love story—a genuinely candid, touchingly honest memoir written by Molly Shannon, an Emmy-nominated actress and comedian.

 

Shannon was a six-year cast member of Saturday Nite Live, and her inimitable humor has always been steeped in paying close attention to the people in her life. Her psyche was imprinted at the age of four when a fatal car crash claimed the lives of her mother, her younger sister and a cousin. The tragic accident was caused by her father—his being over-tired and driving under the influence.

 

Adventurous from an early age, Shannon’s innately cheerful, positive disposition saved her. She drew upon humor to lighten her load—and also help dispel bouts of depression and guilt that plagued her usually colorful, open-minded father. The two serve as cheerleaders, confidantes and touchstones for each other. A beautiful father-daughter story is woven throughout many funny anecdotes of Shannon’s hard work, dedication, resilience and sacrifice on her road to stardom. She employed many laugh-out-loud, creative career strategies enroute to SNL where she honed memorable, quirky characters like Catholic school misfit, Mary Katherine Gallagher, among others.

 

Shannon’s conversationally styled narrative reflects her wholly original brand of comedy as she expresses sincere gratitude for those who believed in and boosted her career. However, the story of Shannon’s enduring love for her absent mother and sister--as well as the attentive bond shared with her big-hearted father and revealing insights into his life--casts Shannon in a whole new light that beams radiantly with heartfelt sensitivity.

 

Hello, Molly!: A Memoir by Mollie Shannon

Ecco Press/Harper Collins, $27.99 hardcover, 97800630556237, 304 pages

Publication Date: April 12, 2022

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (April 12, 2022), link HERE

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake

A flirty rom-com about a passionate young woman with ADHD who falls hard for an Australian visiting Philadelphia -- a man who suddenly upends her life...and his own.

As in her prior novel, A Brush with Love (see my review below), neurodiverse author, Mazey Eddings returns to share another lively, edgy rom-com about a young, single woman grappling with life, sex and love. In Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, Eddings introduces readers to Philadelphian, Lizzie Blake, a woman with great intensity and passion struggling with a slew of faux pas that prohibit her from having stability in her life – be it via employment, the acceptance of her parents or beaus. Afflicted with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), down-on-her-luck, Lizzie, who prefers one-night-stands to serious relationships, succumbs to a romp with Rake, a “hot Australian” she meets at a bar, whose past romantic baggage has made him swear off relationships and hook-ups, too, for that matter. But Rake finds the passionate, sexy charm of madcap Lizzie irresistible—and vice-versa. Their one-night stand leads to two, which then leads to an unwanted pregnancy—all of which forces the impulsive couple to rethink who they are and what they really want out of life.

Eddings has professed that her “personal mission in life” is to “destigmatize mental health issues and write love stories for every brain.” In her creation of Lizzy Blake, she proves, yet again, she has the knack for capturing the true essence of marginalized characters who cleverly come into their own—with many adventures and surprises along the way. Once again, Eddings delivers a lusty, snarky, “lovers-to-friends-to-soul-mates” romantic comedy that greatly entertains while mining hot-button contemporary issues in a fun, accessible way.

 

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake (A Brush with Love Book Two) by Mazey Eddings

St. Martin’s Griffin, $16.99 paperback, 9780778312000, 336 pages

Publication Date: September 6, 2022

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

 

Romance

A Brush with Love

by Mazey Eddings

Only a writer as creative and perceptive as neurodiverse author Mazey Eddings could have made a dental school in Philadelphia, Pa., the perfect place to set an edgy romantic comedy. In A Brush with Love, her first novel, she plumbs deep roots, both literally and metaphorically, exploring challenges faced by two young dental students. Their unexpected chance meeting upends their lives.

Harper is an intense person, a driven perfectionist, whose battle with a general anxiety disorder stems from the sudden loss of her parents when she was only 12. She has succeeded in being a top student at Callowhill University's School of Dental Medicine, channeling protracted sorrow by throwing herself headlong into her medical studies. As a senior near graduation--though she intends to continue studies in oral surgery--one day she falls down a flight of stairs onto a freshman named Dan, completely destroying a 3D model made for one of his courses. Dan wanted a career in finance but, faced with familial expectations, he begrudgingly enrolled in dental school. Their meet-cute collision ignites a spark that turns into a romance. Their attraction, however, brings their individual sordid pasts and emotional scars to the fore, challenging what they know about themselves, each other and the push and pull of their lusty passions.

Eddings's energetic story appears, on the surface, entertainingly frothy. However, as she focuses on her quirky characters--revealing who they truly are and why--readers will discover much deeper, thought-provoking emotional issues. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

Discover: In this lusty rom-com, two dental students are tested by the truth of who they are on their road to love and self-actualization.

St. Martin's Griffin, $16.99, paperback, 336p., 9781250805980

NOTE: This review for A BRUSH WITH LOVE was featured on Shelf Awareness for Readers on Friday, March 4, 2022. To read the review as originally published link HERE. 

 

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Attitude of Gratitude

Very grateful that an essay of mine is featured in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology. The book offers inspiring true stories about ordinary people who have chosen to focus on thankfulness in order to find deeper joy and happiness...And I'm even more grateful that my story, "The Rolls," is the first one in the collection. Pleased and proud to be included in another Chicken Soup for the Soul project.

Order a copy today!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Attitude of Gratitude - 101 Stories About Counting Your Blessings and The Power of Thankfulness edited by Amy Newmark

Chicken Soup for the Soul, $14.95 paperback, 336 pages, 9781611590937

Publication Date: August 16, 2022

To order this book on Amazon, link Here

To order this book on Barnes and Noble, link HERE

To order this book on INDIEBOUND link HERE

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