Are you in a book club?
Does your book club read dark and gritty things (addiction, coming of age, queer, etc.)?
Do you like talking about social norms, breaking them, and all the things that go with that?

Then Raising Women is the book for you!

Raising Women is an interactive novel in which readers have twenty-four possible pathways with four unique endings to explore the wild that is growing up girl. Readers get to choose the decisions that are made and face the consequences that follow. Depending on what you choose, you may taste blood, get branded with a searing screw driver, or date a married man – all while each choice challenges what it means to be a woman, real, or both.

By merging literary fiction and interactive fiction, Raising Women is a one of its kind. Get all the messy girl/unhinged women, coming of age, contemporary lit fic, transgressive fiction, and interactive fiction vibes in one book that allows you to read it over and over in new ways. Readers say: "Capturing the magic and madness of girlhood within each little novella, Raising Women has a story for everyone," "The novel is an unapologetic deep dive into the complexities of girlhood and womanhood, all while giving you the power to shape the story’s outcome. The narrative does a fantastic job of capturing the confusion, rebellion, and desire for belonging that defines coming of age, especially as a young woman," and "I’m now heavily doubting all the times I’ve shunned the use of second-person narrative because this was incredible!"

If this sounds interesting to your book club,
How do you feel about books with with no book club prep work (like, the questions and supporting materials are already done for you)?
Then download the Raising Women Book Club Kit.
This kit includes:

• A book synopsis
• An author letter and bio
• 16 discussion questions to provoke interpretations of Raising Women
• 10 character analysis questions each for Roman, Evan, and you
• Links to more downloadable Raising Women fun

And if you're planning on reading Raising Women with your club, reach out to me! I'm happy to answer questions you might have, or join in. If you live in the metro Detroit/south eastern Michigan area, we can plan an in-person date, or if you are located outside that space, I'm happy to coordinate something virtual. I'm honored you're considering this book as an adventure for your group to read, and don't doubt that there are many things to talk about (some of which are highlighted for you in the provided book club kit).

Download the Raising Women book club kit here (and check out the Raising Women site for other free downloads).

Happy reading!

We're getting to the end of the Raising Women giveaways!

Over two-hundred years old, paper dolls have been a cheap toy for a long time. Both nostalgic and "practical," I want to offer you a chance to bring back some memories and download this paper doll and fashion set for free! This paper doll set provides additional interactive elements to the Raising Women experience (you'll find many items from the book included in the set). Have fun dressing her up, placing her around your house (think of a cooler Elf on the Shelf), OR she makes the perfect bookmark!

Whatever your reason is, download the Raising Women paper doll today!
(Based on Raising Women by Shannon Waite, art by Alexandra-Jane -@ghostpainters_real).

If you go to a fancy enough restaurant, you might find recommended food and beverage pairings. This is because the right pairing can elevate a meal. It can make eating the meal a truly memorable experience.

I don't know anything about drinks, so maybe a specific drink could enhance a book, but I do know a lot about music. I'm thinking about how a specific song paired with a book, like a beverage with a meal, could place the story in the right atmosphere and enhance it, make the experience that much more memorable.

I'm here to tell you my pairing for my book Raising Women.

If you want a more enhanced, accurate experience reading Raising Women, listen to Artemas's "i like the way you kiss me." And watch the music video.

At the end of September I blogged about my weird process for making mixes (not drinks - also, not the same as a playlist). In that blog post, I talked about what makes mixes and playlists different, and also the extensive process I go through to make them. Anyway, all that's to say is that I've also got a mix full of VIBES for RAISING WOMEN! Whether you've read any of the stories in Raising Women or not, it's a solid mix (although if you've read the book, you'll "get it").

Songs Include:
1. Caffeine - Jack Kays
2. It's Called: Freefall - Rainbow Kitten Surprise
3. i like the way you kiss me - Artemas
4. ...Ready For It? - Taylor Swift
5. dirty little secret - Artemas
6. Broadripple is Burning - Margot and the Nuclear So & So's
7. # Grownupz - Fein
8. Girls Like Girls - Hayley Kiyoko
9. Lunch - Billie Eilish
10. It Gets Better - fun.
11. If You're Gonna Lie - FLETCHER
12. Detroit - Badflower
13. Where Is My Mind? - Pixies
14. Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl - Broken Social Scene


Go check it out. It's available both on Spotify *and* Youtube to listen to!
SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE

And if you haven't read Raising Women yet, check it out here.

Ready to dive into a world where vulnerability meets edge? My upcoming interactive novel, Raising Women, is an immersive journey into the raw and real, and in addition to the book releasing in just over a month, I've got something else that's extra special for you.

Many women will remember cootie catchers (millennials will anyway. Maybe older or younger too? I'm not sure how much they did or didn't play this game). You'd write down colors and numbers and futures and ask your friends to pick, and then you'd all laugh at their tragic outcome. If someone was lucky, they might get rich. (Where are those girls at? I could borrow some money.)

In case you're out of the loop, cootie catchers are origami figures that are used as fortune tellers. The outer parts of the cootie catcher are typically labelled with colors or numbers that a player chooses from, and the fortune teller moves the little paper device, counting numbers based on what was chosen,and then land on the four inside flaps. One of those gets chosen and read aloud. There you go. That's your future, all predicted over the course of twenty seconds.

I'm excited to share that you can now download the exclusive cootie catcher inspired by the book for free! This cootie catcher will offer you predictions straight from the novel. The outer layer of the cootie catcher had a word related to the book, inside you get some numbers to choose from, then you finally get your fortune. This game is not just a trip down memory lane though — it’s a new way to engage with the heart of the story. With each fold and fortune, you’ll explore the darkly delightful twists and turns of your own journey.

Print this, cut it out, and enjoy!

And here are directions on how to put it together in case you forgot.

We're getting so close - just over a month away.
Pre-order here!

And check out the Raising Women site for downloads and other things.