‘Quicksilver,’ Dean Koontz’ new novel, will be out January 25, 2022. Photo: amazon
Internationally bestselling author Dean Koontz is the author of seventy-nine New York Times bestsellers, fourteen of which rose to #1, including “One Door Away from Heaven,” “From the Corner of His Eye,” “Midnight,” “Cold Fire,” “The Bad Place,” “Hideaway,” and “Intensity.” Rolling Stone has hailed him as “America’s most popular suspense novelist” and his books have been published in thirty-eight languages and have sold over five hundred million copies worldwide. His new book “Quicksilver,” he takes a surprising and exhilarating road trip with a man in pursuit of his strange past―mile by frightening mile. It will be released on January 25, 2022. (amazon, 2022)
“Quicksilver”– Quinn Quicksilver was born a mystery― he was abandoned at three days old on a desert highway in Arizona. Raised in an orphanage, never knowing his parents, Quinn had a happy if unexceptional life. Until the day of “strange magnetism.” It compelled him to drive out to the middle of nowhere. It helped him find a coin worth a lot of money and it saved his life when two government agents showed up in the diner in pursuit of him. Now Quinn is on the run from those agents and who knows what else, fleeing for his life. During a shoot-out at a forlorn dude ranch, he finally meets his destined companions: Bridget Rainking, a beauty as gifted in foresight as she is with firearms, and her grandpa Sparky, a romance novelist with an unusual past. Bridget knows what it is like to be Quinn. She is hunted, too. The only way to stay alive is to keep moving. Barreling through the Sonoran Desert, the formidable trio is impelled by that same inexplicable magnetism toward the inevitable. With every deeply disturbing mile, something sinister is in the rearview―an enemy that is more than a match for Quinn. Even as he discovers within himself resources that are every bit as scary.
‘The Starless Crown’ by James Rollins. Photo: amazon
A new month means new books on the horizon. These are some notable new releases for January in my favorite categories: Fiction, Young Adult, History & Biography, Mystery & Thriller, Science fiction, Fantasy, and Historical fiction. My pick for this month is “The Starless Crown” by James Rollins because I enjoy reading fantasy novels and he is one of my go-to authors. (amazon, Goodreads, 2021)
Joan is a thirtysomething ICU doctor at a busy New York City hospital. The daughter of Chinese parents who came to the United States to secure the American dream for their children, Joan is intensely devoted to her work, happily solitary, successful. She does look up sometimes and wonder where her true roots lie: at the hospital, where her white coat makes her feel needed, or with her family, who try to shape her life by their own cultural and social expectations. When Joan’s father suddenly dies and her mother returns to America to reconnect with her children, a series of events sends Joan spiraling out of her comfort zone just as her hospital, her city, and the world are forced to reckon with a health crisis more devastating than anyone could have imagined.
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, does not want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her annoying and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She is going to find her mom. How can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks?
The Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of “All the President’s Men” — the chronicle of the investigative report about the Watergate break-in and resultant political scandal which led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation—recalls his formative years as a teenage newspaper reporter in JFK’s Washington—a tale of adventures, scrapes, clever escapes, and the opportunity of a lifetime.
When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, Chloe’s father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison. Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath. Twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren’t really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?
Every family has issues. Most cannot blame them on extraterrestrials. Evie Shao and her sister, Kass, are not on speaking terms. Fifteen years ago on a family camping trip, their father and brother vanished. Their dad turned up days later, dehydrated and confused—and convinced he had been abducted by aliens. Their brother, Jakob, remained missing. The women dealt with it very differently. Kass, suspecting her college-dropout twin simply ran off, became the rock of the family. Evie traded academics to pursue alien conspiracy theories, always looking for Jakob. When Evie’s UFO network uncovers a new event, she goes to investigate and discovers Jakob is back. He is different—older, stranger, and talking of an intergalactic war—but the tensions between the siblings have not changed at all. If the family is going to come together to help Jakob, then Kass and Evie are going to have to fix their issues, and fast. Because the FBI is after Jakob, and if their brother is telling the truth, possibly an entire space armada, too.
A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death. Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts: A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he is forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home. An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact – one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe. On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation. But with each passing moment, doom draws closer.
Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family of five boisterous sons. From the start, her life will be marked by extraordinary events, for the ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth. The family will survive that crisis unscathed, only to face a new one as the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known. Her family loses all and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life will be shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.
In his new book, Marc Savoy shares the fascinating story of Cajun Music’s iconic instrument. Photo: amazon
Born in 1940, Marc Savoy grew up in a rural French-speaking community outside of Eunice, Louisiana, and started playing the accordion at age twelve. By age twenty, he was building and selling his own Acadian-brand Cajun accordions. In 1966, he opened the doors to the iconic Savoy Music Center in his hometown. Today, he is revered as one of the finest builders and players of the instrument in the world. His new book “Made in Louisiana: The Story of the Acadian Accordion” is the story of how an instrument once known as the “German-style” accordion became the iconic image of Louisiana’s Cajun culture. (Marc Savoy, 2021)
Most strands of American music have an iconic instrument. Horns for jazz, banjos for bluegrass, and electric guitars for rock and roll, but few invoke the immediate recognition as the accordion found in the wildly unique music of Louisiana Cajuns. Few know the instrument as intimately as world-renowned accordion player, builder, and author, Marc Savoy. Upon seeing a Louisiana-handmade diatonic accordion for the first time in 1957, a teenage Marc Savoy began a quest that arguably no one has come closer to achieving: to build the perfect Cajun accordion. Told in Savoy’s own words, “Made in Louisiana” is the story of the evolution of his Acadian brand accordions—from being a young prodigy to a self-made businessman to a music store owner to a definitive figure in Cajun music.
Olympic gold medalist Cindy Brown teams up with Harvard lawyer Raye Mitchell to release ‘Breaking the Insidious Silence: The Cindy Brown/Bank of New York Mellon Whistleblower Report.’ Release date is March 15, 2022. Photo: amazon
Cindy Brown, the Olympic Gold Medalist and former Women’s National Basketball (WNBA) player, teams up with Harvard Lawyer Raye Mitchell to release “Breaking the Insidious Silence: The Cindy Brown / Bank of New York Mellon Whistleblower Report.” Available on Amazon for pre-order, the report chronicles Brown’s fight to be heard and seeks the truth in finding the responsible party in a S.W.A.T.-like event in which Brown was evicted from her home at gunpoint. It has a release date of March 15, 2022. (Black Château, 2021)
Raye Mitchell is a University of Southern California MBA, and Harvard Law School graduate, civil rights lawyer, investigative writer, producer, and expert on helping people be heard and tell their story publicly. She explains, “’Through Breaking the Insidious Silence’ Ms. Brown wants to find the truth about whether Bank of New York Mellon is the corporation that ordered the S.W.A.T.-like attack on her and caused her to be evicted at gun point. Cindy, like so many Americans, has had to go it alone as a self-represented litigant in the growing national crisis of the civil justice gap and the inequalities in navigating the civil justice system. We aim to break that insidious silence.”
Almost fifteen years ago, Cindy Brown became the victim of identity theft, which lead to financial institution misconduct and the loss of her home in what is considered an unlawful foreclosure. Seeking justice, she went to court mostly as a self-represented litigant. Brown was blocked from having her day in court, and like many Americans, was forced to navigate an uncivil civil justice system alone.
Brown says, “In November 2020, I was evicted at gun point and living in my car. No person should have to endure that experience, so I am fighting for our collective restoration of dignity.”
Brown’s story has been captured by the media and has received over 200,000 views on YouTube. The court documents that are at the center of the March 2022 hearing are also available.
“We will not retreat. Especially in this moment – as a global pandemic has widened inequities – our collective dignity and humanity requires that people like Cindy share their stories as tools on how to help others speak up, be heard, and find justice. Brown’s quest for justice has gained oxygen, shifted conversations, and is inspiring people to take action to ensure we all have fairness and equal access to justice. ‘The Breaking the Insidious Silence: The Cindy Brown / Bank of New York Mellon Whistleblower Report’ and the mission served is about so much more than one person, one group, or one organization,” Mitchell adds.
Raye Mitchell, also known as “Boss Girl Raye Mitchell,” is an award-winning entrepreneur, investigative writer, lawyer, diversity inclusion, and dignity expert. As a lawyer, Raye remains committed to helping everyday Americans be heard and gain access to justice in the era of a crumbling civil justice system that is anything but civil. Talking about the justice gap is devoid of discussion about Americans’ dignity gap when they go to court with or without a lawyer.
Cynthia L. Brown is an author, motivational speaker, a leadership expert on dignity in the dispute resolution process, Access to Justice for In Pro Se Litigants, and an A.D.A. Dignity Expert. Ms. Brown is a devoted advocate for fairness, respect for all, dedication to living the dream of dignity and access to justice. Cynthia L. Brown is an accomplished civil justice professional and proud member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal Woman’s Basketball Team. Ms. Brown has earned credentials and certifications from the United States Department of Justice, FBI.
‘The Starless Crown’ by James Rollins is book one of the Moon Fall series. Photo: amazon
James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers including, among others, the Sigma Force series, six individual thrillers, the Tucker Wayne Series, the Jake Ransom middle school grade series. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. In his new book “The Starless Crown,” which will be released January 4, 2022, an alliance embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the secrets of the distant past and save their world. It is book one of the Moon Fall series. (amazon, 2021)
“The Starless Crown” – A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death. Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts: A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he is forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home. A drunken prince, who steps out from his beloved brother’s shadow and claims a purpose of his own. An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact – one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe. On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation. But with each passing moment, doom draws closer.
‘Contrast Brings Clarity’ is the new book on homeschooling by Teressa Kennedy. Photo: Teressa Kennedy, used with permission.
My name is Teressa and I am a proud homeschool mom, entrepreneur, and author with a passion for education. At this point on our homeschooling journey, I feel it is necessary to share our story with the goal of helping parents, and educators like yourself, work towards building stronger partnerships between schools and families in our mission to educate our children. From my personal experience, children learn best when parents, educators, other family members, and community members work together to encourage and support them along their journey. (Teressa Kennedy, 2021)
As parents, we want the best for our children, but sometimes we stand in our own way by solely relying on our experiences to help educate them. My son gave me gentle reminders to show me that he and I have two different learning styles. As much as I tried to teach him the way I was taught, it was not effective. Also, I came to the realization that I had limitations, and needed others to help support my son and me along our educational journey.
We have an amazing village of fellow parent educators, family members, teachers, and clients who all share the same vision about supporting our children’s unique educational journey. I hope our story will encourage you.
Does one size really fit all? As lovely as that might sound, people come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. It is therefore virtually impossible to design a clothing item that can truly fit all people. In reality, the ‘one size fits all’ ideal is actually designed to fit sizes within a specific range.
Much like clothing items, traditional education centers around a ‘one size fits all’ methodology. As a result, a single-core teaching model is used for all students, regardless of their individual learning style. And this applies to teaching styles as well as to student evaluations. So, as a parent, what do you do when your child does not fit into that one core teaching model?
In “Contrast Brings Clarity,” Teressa answers that very question. Her courageous response completely changed the course of her life — and that of her son. While she struggled to build a suitable educational experience for him, Teressa overcame countless obstacles and, in due course, answered the homeschooling call. Eventually, side by side, mother and son embarked on the adventure of a lifetime.
Along her incredible journey, Teressa learned numerous strategies that helped her son succeed academically — and she would like to share those strategies with you.
‘Lineage: Life and Love and Six Generations in California Wine’ by Steven Kent Mirassou. Photo: amazon
Steven Kent Mirassou is an acclaimed winemaker and a descendant of one of the oldest and most respected wine families in California. He received his BA in American Literature from the George Washington University and his MA in Literature from NYU. He started his wine career in sales but found his true passion after moving into the production side of the business in 1996. Steven has made the highest rated wines from the Livermore Valley, and he is a co-founder of the Mount Diablo Highlands Wine Quality Alliance and the President of the Livermore Valley Wine Growers Association. With his decades of winemaking expertise, and with his extraordinary gift for haunting writing, Steven takes readers straight into the heart of his calling in his first book “Lineage: Life, Love and Six Generations in California Wine.” (amazon, 2021)
Steven Kent Mirassou starts “Lineage” with a description of the critical hour at the vineyard before the harvest starts. It is a cold night and it is “wondrously lonely out now” before the workers arrive. He is alone with his thoughts as they wander to the past and he reflects on the path that brought him to the wine making business. As the narrative moves along, he takes readers deep into the art of his craft, through the six generations that the Mirassou family has been growing grapes and crafting wines in California, the last thirty years in the Livermore Valley. As with every story, there is family drama, including the highs and lows of running a business. But through it all, he loves what he does and he learns that every loss brings on new beginnings. The book is divided into two parts: Part One consists of chapters like The Deep and Simple Immensity, Making Wine is Morning Work, and Thanks You Can Never Repay and Part Two has chapters like The True North of Civilization, Imprisoned in These Barrels, and Each Dusty Sunset Observed. It is an inside look deep into the art, the craft, the passion, and the 8,000 years of history that lie inside the finest of wines. As he puts it, “I work to take care of people, to add richness and joy to their lives, to make the people who drink my wine a little happier after than than they were before, each day.”
Images of beautiful Italian vineyards often accompany thoughts of wine and the wine making business. What the general public does not see is what happens behind the scenes: the long cold nights with the only illumination coming from the lights around the perimeter which are powered by generators, the tired workers who show up to work the vineyards, and the winemakers with arms deep in crushed grapes. Told in the first person point of view, it is a deeply personal look into the history of winemaking and his family business. This is a book like no other. It is a combination of autobiography and beautiful poetic prose: “This sweaty ferment that is the wine production business is like the snake attracted to its own tail, making eternal circles.” Accentuated with hauntingly beautiful pictures that tell their own story, it is more than just a book about the history of winemaking, it an impressive work of literature. “Lineage” brings the art of winemaking to the general masses and is recommended for readers interested in books about winemaking with a genuinely personal touch as well as poetry fans.
“To taste a wine with one’s heart is to come to know the dirt between the farmer’s fingers, the exhalations of the vineyard as it sleeps in the black night.”
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
“The Sweetest Ladybug” by Isabel Cintra is a fantasy-based tale about kindness and inclusion. Photo: amazon
Isabel Cintra grew up in the small town of Sao Joaquim de Barra, Brazil. At an early age, she entered the magical world of writing and literature. Her book “Corvo-Correio” was a winner of Brazil’s 2017 Off Flip Literature Prize. (Black Château, 2021)
Isabel Cintra brings a message of representation and diversity to children around the world. She grew up wondering why the characters in her favorite fairy tales did not look like her and now she is changing that. Through her vibrant picture books, illustrated by her brother Zeka Cintra, Isabel strives to introduce kids to a world where diversity is valuable and beautiful. Her stories feature black and brown heroes and sheroes.
Award-winning author Isabel Cintra introduces children to the magical world of small insects in her new illustrated book, “The Sweetest Ladybug.” This fantasy-based delightful tale brings a message of representation and diversity, as well as the importance of kindness and inclusion.
Imagine if everything happening in your imagination also happened in real life. This is exactly what happens one day in the life of a curious, sweet, and intelligent girl named Johana. Guided by a beautiful ladybug, Johana discovers all the mysteries and beauties hiding in her own garden.
“When I was a child, I imagined being inside a hole where little ants were going. Playing with that imagination and wondering how the small insects in the garden live was the thought process behind this story.” – Isabel Cintra
“The Sweetest Ladybug” is a modern version of Alice in Wonderland for children aged 7-12. Johana becomes small, makes odd friends, and goes through some fantastic adventures full of kindness and challenges. It is available in paperback on Amazon and other major retailers. Paperback price: $15.99
The unfamiliar red Mustang pulled up alongside Lily Reyes, matching her pace as she walked on the sidewalk. Lily didn’t like the feeling of being stalked. She began walking faster, and looked around to see if anyone was outside. The Tallahassee heat and humidity had the neighborhood looking like a ghost town; everyone was at work or had retreated inside their air-conditioned homes. The Mustang continued to creep along and pace her. Its windows were tinted, only offering her a general outline of the male driver wearing a baseball cap.
Maybe I should run up to a house and ring the doorbell, Lily thought. But what if no one was home, and her stalker took that opportunity to come after her?
The car came to a hard stop right next to her. As the passenger window inched downward, Lily took a breath to scream.
“You getting in?”
“Oh, god,” she said, blowing out pent-up air. “I thought you were like some disgusting creep. Where’d you get the car?”
“Borrowed it from a friend.”
Lily opened the passenger door, tossed her backpack inside, and got comfortable in her seat. The cooling AC blew over her. “Nice ride. Must be a good friend to let you borrow it.”
“It’s a business thing.”
Lily decided not to press him for answers. Carlos never liked it when she asked too many questions, and she didn’t want him getting uptight. He seemed distracted about something. Why, he’d barely looked at her.
Lily was kind of hoping he would have noticed how she’d dressed up for him.
“I thought you were going to pick me up at Subway,” Lily said. “Decided to spare you the walk.”
Lily’s mom, Sylvia, didn’t know about Carlos. No one knew about him, except for Lily’s best friend, Madison, and even she wasn’t supposed to know anything. Carlos was paranoid about being busted. When Lily had first started dating him, she’d lied about her age, telling him she was eighteen. It was only after they’d been going together for a month that Lily admitted she was only fifteen. Of course, she hadn’t been the only one stretching the truth. When they’d first hooked up, Carlos had said he was nineteen, not the twenty-one he really was.
“Did you bring some change of clothes?” Carlos asked.
“In the backpack, even though you never explained why I needed them.”
“Always nice to have options.” “Where we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Lily tried to play it cool, and hid her smile. Madison seemed to think that Carlos was just using her, but she didn’t know him like Lily did.
“Stopped and got you a wild cherry Slurpee,” he said. “Better drink it before it melts.”
He had remembered her favorite drink. She would certainly mention that to Madison. Lily reached for the Slurpee, and took a long sip.
“Want some?” she asked.
“Not without adding some rum.” “I’m okay with that.”
“Maybe later.”
Carlos liked to party, and liked it even more when Lily joined in with him. She had to be careful, though. Her mom was always in her business.
As if reading her mind, Carlos said, “How long did your mom let you off the leash?”
“I told her I’d probably be eating dinner at Madison’s.”
“That gives us a little time.” “Sure does,” she said.
Lily reached out her hand, and ran it along his leg. Carlos needed to see she was grown-up, and not some kid, but instead of positioning her hand on him like he usually did, Carlos acted preoccupied. Maybe he was just in one of his moods.
She withdrew her hand and began drinking her Slurpee. “Sure you don’t want some?”
He shook his head, and she continued to sip. Halfway through the cup, Lily’s skin began tingling.
“I feel weird,” she said.
“We can get some fresh air at Cascades Park.” “Is that where we’re going?”
Carlos nodded. He still wasn’t looking at her, and seemed unusu ally attentive to his driving, continually checking the rearview and side mirrors.
“It feels like we’re floating,” she said.
Lily flapped the hand not holding her drink. “I’m flying. Whoa.”
Something wasn’t right. Why was she feeling out of it? Her gaze fell to the Slurpee. One look, and the pieces came together. Lily’s accusation was shrill: “You put something in my drink!”
“Relax. I just made you a Molly and benzo cocktail to help loosen you up.”
Lily tried to process her panic, along with Carlos’s explanation. She wanted to feel reassured, but didn’t. One by one, words emerged from her mouth. Each syllable felt as if it were weighted down on her tongue. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted you to be calm while I explained a few things.” “Oh, shit.” This was bad. “You’re breaking up with me.” “No, baby, never.”
Lily struggled to find the words, and speak them. “We’re. Still.
Together?”
“Forever, baby. It’s just that things didn’t work out with my big plan.
Remember we talked about that?” “Big score.”
“That’s right. And it would have been, but my luck went bad, really bad.”
Lily managed to say, “That’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay. Everything went to shit. It put me in the hole for almost five thousand bucks.”
“I can help you . . .”
Lily had earned almost two hundred dollars babysitting. She’d give it to him. But Carlos interrupted before she could finish.
“Thank you, baby. I knew I could count on you. They were going to mess me up bad, maybe even kill me. You were my only hope.”
Lily tried to follow what he was saying, but her brain couldn’t find its balance. Everything was hazy.
“After you work off my marker, baby, we’ll get back together. I promise.”
“Don’t understand.”
“A guy I know fronted the money I owed, but he needed collateral.” “What?”
“I had to put up something of value. And nothing’s more valuable to me than you. I love you.”
Lily had been waiting for a long time to hear those words. But now they sounded wrong. Felt wrong. Love?
Carlos said, “You’re a lifesaver. It will just be for a few months. And when you come back to me, things will be better than ever between us.”
Too dizzy to support her chin, Lily’s face dropped down to her chest.
Talking was beyond her. She didn’t know how long they drove, and was barely aware when they came to a stop. She heard two men talking, but it was like listening in to a dream.
“Is she good to go?”
Lily had never heard that voice before. She would have remembered it if she had. There was something scary about it, a rasp with a serrated edge.
“She agreed to work off what I owe.”
“You explain what would happen to you if she didn’t?” “I told her.”
“Okay, then. I’ll find you if there’s a problem. Count on it. Give me the keys.”
Lily heard retreating footsteps. Carlos didn’t say goodbye. There was a part of her that was still listening for his voice, that wanted him to declare his love for her once more.
She couldn’t lift her head to acknowledge the new occupant of the driver’s seat, but heard the ugly voice.
‘Paid to Be Perfect,’ by Heather Mathes will be out January 4, 2022. Photo: amazon
Fit model Heather Mathes began modeling in 1988. She continued modeling professionally after graduating from Ohio State University with a B.S. in Marketing in 1993 before signing her first contract fit modeling with a major national retailer in 1996. After a ten-consecutive-year fit modeling contract, as well as modeling for other companies outside of her contract, she retired to become a mom in 2008. She then came out of retirement in 2016 at the age of 46 to continue fit modeling for the same company at the exact measurements she was in her 20s, not because she was under contract, but because she had developed health and wellness methods that kept her weight from fluctuating. She did this unconsciously as these methods had become her norm. She shares these methods and more in her first book “Paid to Be Perfect: Paid to Be Perfect,” which will be out January 4, 2022. (Heather Mathes, 2021)
Published by Gatekeeper Press, “Paid to Be Perfect” is part nutrition, part self-help, part glimpse into the world of fashion through the eyes of a 30+ year career model. This book is a practical guide to eating, looking and feeling your best while maintaining your body’s natural size. It encompasses all her healthy lifestyle habits around nutrition, fitness, skin care and wellness, and includes insider secrets into the fashion world where she was paid to be “perfect.” Heather Mathes shares in an informal, uninhibited voice how she focuses on how she feels, enabling her to eat whatever she wants, whenever she wants, while maintaining her body’s natural size. Her practical tips and will help readers, regardless of their size or age, to find and maintain their perfect.
“My stories are based on these experiences working in the fashion industry as a model, and specializing as a standard size six, contemporary fit model—a niche in the world of fashion modeling—to show you exactly how, other than pregnancy and shortly thereafter, I have kept my body within a quarter inch of the same measurements for years while eating whatever I want, without stress or guilt. Whether you’re a size two or a size 22, know that what I share can be applied to all sizes, shapes and ages. The ultimate message, beyond the fit model statistics provided throughout for context, is body positivity for everybody and everybody.” – Heather Mathes
“Paid to Be Perfect: The Secret to Finding Your Perfect” will be available on amazon and other major retailers.
