EBOOK
About
Autumn, 2001. In a surreal and subdued New York City, in which many workers are taking time off or opting into therapy, thirty-three-year-old software engineer and film fanatic Stephanie Willis is coping in her own unique way — by chain-watching classic VHS movies in her one-bed midtown apartment.
Once bedazzled by the bright lights, Stephanie is bewildered as to how she has ended up so alone in such a big city. But the time has now come to throw herself back into her career: a game in which she, as the sole woman at a male-dominated table, is already bending under the weight of a loaded deck.
Fortunately for Stephanie, help is on hand. She is aided by an unparalleled support network — one comprised of fictional characters, summoned from her favorite movies — to help her navigate her personal and professional crisis. Rose from Titanic is showing her how to be a survivor, Tess from 1988's Working Girl is giving her (questionable) career advice, Vivienne from Pretty Woman is providing (even more questionable) dating tips, while Gregory Peck and Shirley MacLaine have stepped in to offer the parental wisdom missing throughout her upbringing in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
And so when a hopeful career opportunity and handsome new colleague both present themselves, and she is once more faced with the expectations and limitations of sex and society, Stephanie must decide who she wants to be, how she demands to be treated, and just where she wants to call home...
I hope THE ROAD HOME will be perfect for female readers worldwide: in particular, adults who enjoy culturally relevant, historically accurate, and commercially uplifting stories sprinkled with nostalgia.
As a narrator, Stephanie is comparable to Ally McBeal: an ambitious, warts-and-all career woman who is obsessed with popular culture and is struggling to succeed in and balance her work and love life.
Her story covers themes that are universal and international: such as the expectations surrounding women in the workplace, the metrics by which we define personal success, and the mid-life, mid-career crossroads whereby city life is a drag, moving home is a step back, and a fresh start is a risk.
As for poignancy, Stephanie's story lifts the rock on the pre-MeToo era, and is in time for this autumn's 20-year anniversary of 9/11, though — as a Tower 2 survivor myself — this aspect is handled not in a gratuitous way, but instead as a time-capsule for one of the most singular moments in modern history.
Once bedazzled by the bright lights, Stephanie is bewildered as to how she has ended up so alone in such a big city. But the time has now come to throw herself back into her career: a game in which she, as the sole woman at a male-dominated table, is already bending under the weight of a loaded deck.
Fortunately for Stephanie, help is on hand. She is aided by an unparalleled support network — one comprised of fictional characters, summoned from her favorite movies — to help her navigate her personal and professional crisis. Rose from Titanic is showing her how to be a survivor, Tess from 1988's Working Girl is giving her (questionable) career advice, Vivienne from Pretty Woman is providing (even more questionable) dating tips, while Gregory Peck and Shirley MacLaine have stepped in to offer the parental wisdom missing throughout her upbringing in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
And so when a hopeful career opportunity and handsome new colleague both present themselves, and she is once more faced with the expectations and limitations of sex and society, Stephanie must decide who she wants to be, how she demands to be treated, and just where she wants to call home...
I hope THE ROAD HOME will be perfect for female readers worldwide: in particular, adults who enjoy culturally relevant, historically accurate, and commercially uplifting stories sprinkled with nostalgia.
As a narrator, Stephanie is comparable to Ally McBeal: an ambitious, warts-and-all career woman who is obsessed with popular culture and is struggling to succeed in and balance her work and love life.
Her story covers themes that are universal and international: such as the expectations surrounding women in the workplace, the metrics by which we define personal success, and the mid-life, mid-career crossroads whereby city life is a drag, moving home is a step back, and a fresh start is a risk.
As for poignancy, Stephanie's story lifts the rock on the pre-MeToo era, and is in time for this autumn's 20-year anniversary of 9/11, though — as a Tower 2 survivor myself — this aspect is handled not in a gratuitous way, but instead as a time-capsule for one of the most singular moments in modern history.