BRISTOL, R.I., Oct. 7, 2009 — Maddie Hickman is 16 and fresh off the worst year of her life, which includes not one but two ex-boyfriends. Maddie swears off love and her once-beloved self-help books, and spends her after-school hours editing the school paper and banging out weepy poems – until the morning a letter arrives, addressed to her. “Anonymous” is a student at Maddie’s school, and he needs her help because a guy he likes suddenly hates him. Terrified of being caught by parents, peers, and the boy who now loathes him – a jock with everything to lose if he’s outed to their homophobic high school, Anonymous seeks Maddie’s help.
In “Fear of Falling” (published by iUniverse), the letter forces Maddie to step out of her teenaged turmoil and into the real world, and she finds herself imploring the school’s administration to publish an article protesting homophobia. When they refuse, she decides to go outside the lines to help Anonymous and other gay students. But even with her friends’ help, how far is she willing to go? Will she and her friends jeopardize their good standing? Their friendships with each other? Their safety? Remembering one of her grandmother’s favorite sayings, “when there is a fear of falling, jump!” Maddie wonders what crash-landings are to come for her and her friends Peter and Susan – because they are really flying. Wry humor, teenaged angst and self-awareness combine to delight young adults and readers of all ages.
About the Author
Hannah R. Goodman, M.Ed, is the author of two other books about Maddie Hickman, “My Sister’s Wedding,” finalist of the 2004 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards in the Children’s Book Division, and “My Summer Vacation,” which received a 2007 IPPY Award in the category of young adult fiction. She is working on an MFA in Creative Writing at Pine Manor College. A former high school English teacher, she now owns her own consulting company The Write Touch, and is a writing coach and tutor for students of all ages. She resides in Bristol, R.I., with her two daughters, husband, and three cats. Find out more about her at http://www.hannahrgoodman.com.
“Fear of Falling”
Available from: http://www.iUniverse.com, http://www.bn.com, and http://www.amazon.com
Returnability on Books
iUniverse offers a variety of publishing services to help individuals publish, market and sell fiction, poetry and nonfiction books. The company utilizes print-on-demand technology, and is one of the largest self-publishing companies in the U.S. iUniverse is based in Bloomington, Indiana.
EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests, contact:
Promotional Services Department
Tel: 1-800-AUTHORS
Fax: 812-355-4078
Email:
(When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)
# # #
