Absolute Zero: Misadventures From A Broad (Val Fremden Midlife Mysteries)

Description

Praise for Absolute Zero: “Loved it. Couldn’t stop, had to see what happened next.” “This character makes you proud to be a woman.” “Want a good laugh and a new friend? Grab this.” “Her characters are lovable and believable and you cheer, and cry, along with them.” “Wonderful book. Had me at the first paragraph.” A Midlife Meltdown...with a Side of Fries. Val’s long-suffering life as a patient daughter, dutiful wife and reliable workhorse has turned her into a snarky, miserable nag. She has the house, the husband and the career. The only thing missing is the happy. Before she’s set out to pasture, Val wants one more go around the track. Unbridled. In Italy. La dolce vita or bust. Will Val find her happy ending abroad? Or someplace she never thought to look? And will she get there before her money (and her sense of humor) run out... Absolute Zero is a satirical look at starting life over through the eyes of a sharp-witted, reluctantly redneck woman who’s always played it safe – until now. Freedom comes at a price. Will it be worth it in the end? If you like deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you’ll love Absolute Zero. It's the prequel to Margaret Lashley’s hilarious, irreverent Val & Pals Series of seriously funny women's fiction. Why did you decide to write women’s fiction? I grew up in an era of strong women role models, such as Marlo Thomas in That Girl, as well as Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett in shows that bore their names. These women were pursuing their own dreams, their own ways. I didn’t see much of that in fiction today. I wanted to create a character that was strong, yet vulnerable. One that celebrated the everyday, self-made woman who was struggling to finally put her own needs first. My main character, Val, is a survivor who bears the scars of her hard journey proudly, and with her own quirky coping mechanisms and dry sense of humor. Where did you get the idea for Absolute Zero? I wanted to explore the idea of a woman who, outwardly, had it all. But she’d played by society’s rules instead of following her own heart. She was deeply unsatisfied, yet nothing would solve her unhappiness except a complete do-over – an absolute shedding of her old life. This would come at a great price, but would it be worth it? What would someone be willing to pay for freedom – for the chance to live her own life her own way? What type of reader would enjoy your brand of women’s fiction? Readers who like to be taken by surprise – who like to laugh and cry and dissolve into another world when they read. My characters have their great triumphs and cringe-worthy failures. They are flawed and vulnerable and funny as hell. My stories draw laughs using a wide net – from Pat Conroy’s twisted, dark family humor to Bridget Jones’s slap-stick situational gaffs. Things don’t always turn out as planned. But that’s life – when it’s truly lived.