The Serendipity of Catastrophe by Lisa Fellinger - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

The Serendipity of Catastrophe

by Lisa Fellinger

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GENRE:  Women's Fiction

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BOOK BLURB:

A mother defeated by anxiety. A daughter determined not to become her mother. Can one month in Europe reunite them?

Anita Lorello is paralyzed by grief. When her husband dies in an accident the night before a long-awaited retirement trip, she’s devastated by the loss of her partner and once again shelves her dream to finally visit Europe. But when her estranged daughter agrees to accompany her nearly a year later, Anita is eager for the opportunity to repair their relationship.

Carrie Lorello’s life is crumbling. After a night of clouded judgment ends in her being fired, her mother’s offer of a one-month paid vacation seems like her best option. But she refuses to get caught up in her mother’s irrational worries and critical comments, and under no circumstances is she to learn what a failure Carrie’s proven to be.

Desperate not to lose her daughter again, Anita fights to conquer her anxiety and become the mother Carrie always wanted. But as Carrie’s life grows more and more complicated, her mother is the last person she wants to confide in.

Without anyone else to hold them together, can Anita and Carrie overcome their differences, or will the secrets between them derail their trip and destroy their relationship for good?

The Serendipity of Catastrophe is an emotionally compelling work of women’s fiction. If you enjoy travel stories, complex mother-daughter relationships, and lovably flawed characters, you’ll love this hopeful story of resilience and second chances.

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EXCERPT THREE:

Anita turned and set her eyes on the ride, its rainbow-colored seats impossible to miss. Victor never would have expected her to go on the Ferris wheel, but somehow it seemed like exactly what she needed to do to move forward, to prove to herself she would no longer allow anxiety to rule her life. To most, it may have been a simple carnival ride, but to her it was so much more.

The line was shorter than Anita expected, and soon she was next up. The young girl ahead of her climbed into a bright green bucket with her father, and her mind drifted to Victor and Carrie all those years ago.

“Next,” the operator called out.

Anita walked to the next open bucket, this one sunshine yellow, and climbed in. With a small lurch, the wheel took off, propelling her slowly into the air. Instinctively, she closed her eyes, then forced herself to open them. She didn’t come this far to ride with her eyes closed. Besides, it made her more nauseous not to see where she was going.

At the top of the wheel, she looked out across the amazing city she’d spent the past few days exploring and falling in love with. Although this Ferris wheel was smaller than the one in London, being up on a mountain made it seem as though she was higher off the ground than she was.

“I did it, Victor,” she whispered.

She smiled as the wheel lifted her up and around once more. She had done it. She made it to Europe, made her way to Tibidabo on her own, and conquered her fear of Ferris wheels.

But there was still work to be done.

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GUEST POST:

Overcoming Writing Obstacles

Writing a book is challenging. Beyond learning the craft of writing and how to tell a good story, finding the time and mental energy to sit down and write an entire book, then revise it countless times can be a mental battle.

For me, my biggest struggle initially was finding the time to write. I started by getting up early in the morning to write before work, but when my work schedule changed and I began going to the gym in the mornings instead, I had to figure something else out. So, I started writing on my lunch breaks. Every day, I’d go to the library, or sit in my car, or go to Starbucks on my lunch and spend the hour writing. I treated it like a second job. Some days I wouldn’t feel like writing, but when I pulled out my computer and opened my manuscript, my brain knew it was time to work.

But then my world was turned upside down. In 2020, my son was born, and I decided to start my own business as an editor and book coach. Any time I had for my own writing was now eaten up by being a mom or building my business. My manuscript sat untouched for months. Even though I desperately wanted to write, I didn’t have the energy at the end of the day to do so.

Eventually, I remembered how I had so much success before: by treating my writing like a job. I needed to give the same level of commitment to my own creative work as I did to my actual work. My time was even more limited now and some days were entirely unpredictable with my little one around, but I made an effort at the beginning of each week to schedule in writing time as appointments with myself in my schedule, and I made every effort to ensure I kept those appointments with myself. Of course, mom life meant some would be missed, just the same as with any other job, but I tried to reschedule that time where possible or gave myself grace when I just had to miss the writing time altogether.

Progress might have been slower than I was used to, but I finished the book. And I have another one in progress. When people tell me they wish they could write a book, but they don’t have the time, I always encourage them to start anyways. Sure, you might not have the time to write a book as quickly as you’d like, but you can still make slow progress. And I truly believe that making slow progress towards your dream is better than putting those dreams on hold indefinitely.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Lisa Fellinger writes contemporary women's fiction with lovably flawed, relatable characters. When she's not writing her own stories, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams as a book coach and developmental editor. She lives in Buffalo, New York with her husband, son, and fur babies.

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CONNECT WITH LISA:

Website:

www.lisafellingerauthor.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/lisafellingerauthor

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lisafellinger_author

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BOOK BUY LINK:

Books2Read:

https://books2read.com/u/ml6kpq

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Lisa will award a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway