The Book Stacks

Thank you, Maryann, for coming by The Book Stacks today to talk about your book. On behalf of all my readers, I welcome you to the site.

Thanks you so much for the opportunity to be here to introduce my book. Like many other writers who have a project that is a little closer to their hearts than others, this is that book for me. Not because of the writing, or me, but because of the central character who came to me as a fully developed character and always surprised me during the writing process.

One Small Victory was inspired by a true story that I found captivating when I read the small news item a number of years ago. It was about a woman who bullied her way onto a drug task force after her son was killed in an automobile accident and drugs were found in the car. Her efforts helped bring down the main distributor in the area. The difficulties this woman faced came from the dangers she encountered while working as a confidential informant, as well as the fact that she couldn’t tell anyone what she was doing.

As I read the very short news item in the paper, I started wondering what it would have been like to do this, and Jenny Jasick came to life and started telling me. She told me about how difficult it was to pass the physical fitness test. How painful it was to have to lie to her family and her friends. How scared she was when her ex started making threats to take the other children away from her. And how absolutely terrified she was of the scum she had to associate with as she got deeper and deeper into the work.

And she did all this while grieving for the worst loss a woman can experience. That took another whole level of courage. If I lost a child, I might not even have the courage to get out of bed, let alone take on the local bad guys.

The story deals with some difficult issues, but Jenny’s sense of humor is a good antidote to the darkness. When she announces that she wants to do something about the drug problem, her friend asks if she is thinking about going out on the street like some modern-day Wonder Woman. Jenny’s response is, “I would if I didn’t have to wear the steel bra.”

You’ve got to love a woman like that.

One Small Victory can be ordered from most bookstores and online at the major retailers. It is also widely marketed to libraries, so people interested in reading it can request that their local library order copies.

My website is: http://www.maryannwrites.com My blogs are http://themanyfacesofgrief.blogspot.com/ and http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/.

The book can be purchased by clicking here.