Gary Morgenstein, Jesse’s Girl – Review & Author Guest Post 6.17.09

The story opens as a jarring phone wakes lifelong Brooklynite and widowed father Teddy Mentor well after midnight. It’s the Montana wilderness program saying that his 16-year-old adopted son has run away – and they haven’t a clue where he’s gone. Only two weeks ago, Jesse had been taken to the program by escorts to deal with substance abuse problems. Jeopardizing his flagging PR job in New York, Mentor rushes across the country to find Jesse, who is off on his own quest: to find Theresa, the sister he’s never known. When Teddy finally discovers Jesse at a bus stop in Illinois, he is torn between sending him back or joining his son on a journey to find this girl in Kentucky. But he decides to go and they become embroiled in a grisly crime when Theresa’s abusive husband Beau attacks her – Jesse stabs the big beast of a man, leaving him for dead. – FROM AMAZON.COM

AUTHOR GUEST POST…I want to thank Farrah for inviting me into her living room to talk to all of you. Writing is magic. I sit alone, propped up in bed like Proust (except he didn’t have a laptop and probably wasn’t listening to heavy metal on his iPod), and characters leap out of the great creative beyond. They become a story and, when you’re done, strangers honor you by reading your words.

So how did Jesse’s Girl come about? There’s nothing more difficult than being a parent. If I can be arrogant enough to quote my own words, Teddy Mentor, the main character in the book, explains that we think marriage is ‘til death do us part, but that’s not true. Not when about half the marriages in America end in divorce. It’s parenting which never ends. The good and the bad.

I wanted to explore a widowed father struggling with a teen gone off the rails, in this case, suffering from the awful illness of addiction. Throw in that the kid’s adopted, fumbling to find his roots, nor do they exactly have a Ward and Beaver Cleaver relationship, and let the ride begin. Many times my heart ached for Teddy and for his son Jesse, because loving your child and wanting to help them and the anger and frustration when you can’t is so overwhelming.

You parents know what I’m talking about.

As we near Father’s Day, this is for all the Dads – and of course, the Moms – who love so much it hurts. Keep on loving!!!

I hope you enjoy my novel Jesse’s Girl and I’m very excited to give away a copy!!!!!

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…As a parent of 3 children (3, 8,9) this book had me thinking about and of course worrying about the things my kids might get into when they get older. I wonder, while I know I would love them without a doubt regardless of their choices in life, how far will I go for them? Teddy, Jesse’s adopted father, reminded me of my own dad and step-dad who loved me unconditionally no matter how frustrating I may have been at times growing up. I highly recommend this book filled with raw emotions to any parent struggling with doubt of their abilities while loving their older kids. (WARNING…there is foul language in this novel.)

The Book Faery Reviews is giving away ONE copy of Gary Morgenstein’s Jesse’s Girl. Leave a comment for Gary below for your chance to be randomly selected for a copy of his book. As always, be a subscriber to The Book Faery Reviews, write about this giveaway, and/or tweet about it in Twitter (don’t forget to add in @wifeandmomof3 so I see it) for additional entries into this book giveaway. The giveaway will run thru Father’s Day, June