Click here to listen to or download the hour-long recording of author Charlie Lovett talking with Pearlsong Press publisher Peggy Elam, Ph.D. earlier this aftenoon about his new fat-positive Young Adult novel The Fat Lady Sings and other projects.
The Fat Lady Sings is available in original trade paperback & ebook format from Pearlsong Press, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other online retailers.
For more information on the Pearlsong Conversations teleconference series -- and how you can join them -- go to the Pearlsong Conversations page at the Pearlsong Press website.
To read an excerpt from The Fat Lady Sings, click on the Bookbuzzr widget below.
Other Pearlsong authors may be on the call as well. All participants will be able to ask questions and comment as time and technology permit.
Sassy, irreverent Aggie Stockdale should have gotten the lead in her high school's production of Hello Dolly! It's her dream role; she's had the part memorized since she was ten; and she and Roger Morton, who's playing the male lead, definitely had chemistry in the audition. But Aggie isn't just a talented actress, writer, and athlete. She's also the fattest girl in the senior class.
What happens after she checks the cast list for the musical will hurl Aggie into an unexpected journey of tears, friendship, jealousy, revenge, Oreos, and lots and lots of theatre. She'll discover hidden talents and new friends; she'll survive a daunting audition and revel in a thrilling opening night; she'll search for love, inspiration, help with her math homework, and the perfect closing number; and her emotional ride won't be over 'til the fat lady sings.
The Fat Lady Sings is available in both original trade paperback and ebook format for ages 13 & up.
Kirkus Reviews (April 1, 2011) says, "Unlike most [story] arcs about fat teens, this one never equates emotional growth with weight loss; Aggie's refreshingly non-symbolic fatness is just part of her....Given the ratings of Glee and the emerging popularity of teen lit combining queer themes and musicals, this should be a hit."
"A palpable hit!" says professional actor Andrew Sellon. "Charlie Lovett's new book is saucy, smart, heartfelt, & very funny. The author must have been a teenage theatre lover himself to have captured the offstage "drama" of the teen theatre world so vividly. Fans of Glee, Wicked, & Hairspray will eat this up. There may need to be a sequel, and perhaps—a musical!"
"As a writer and publisher of plays for teens, I greatly appreciate Charlie Lovett's richly developed characters," says Steve Fendrich, publisher, Pioneer Drama Service. "The Fat Lady Sings leads you on a journey of self-acceptance, whether you are a teen or remember what it was like to be one. This book carries its audience of readers to a theatre stage—or perhaps it's a stage of life—and beautifully illustrates how to feel comfortable with yourself, both inside and out."
Charlie Lovett is Writer-in-Residence at Summit School in Winston-Salem, NC. His plays for children have been seen in over 2500 productions in all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries. He is the founder of the Charlie Lovett Fund for Elementary Drama, which supports theatre productions in elementary schools. He is the author of 11 previous books, including works on Lewis Carrol and the acclaimed memoir Love, Ruth. His first novel, the thriller The Program, was published by Pearlsong Press in 2008. The Fat Lady Sings is his first Young Adult novel.
To receive the teleconference call details (phone number & access code), send an email to pearlsongconversations @ pearlsong.com. The call details will be automatically emailed to you. There is no cost for participating in the Conversation, other than any long distance toll charges that might apply.
The Conversation will be recorded and available for listening or downloading afterward, but we'd love for you to join us "live" if possible!
Click here to go to the Pearlsong Conversations webpage with links to recordings of previous Conversations. Click on the Bookbuzzr widget below to read the first chapter of The Fat Lady Sings and share with friends.
In a guest post at The Rotund blog, Rebecca Rabinowitz writes about 2 new Young Adult books with fat protagonists who don't lose weight as part of their emotional growth. The first book mentioned is Charlie Lovett's The Fat Lady Sings, just published by Pearlsong Press this month in original trade paperback & ebook.
Rabinowitz declares The Fat Lady Sings "full of gusto and damn fine fatassery." Read her whole post here.
Sassy, irreverent Aggie Stockdale should have gotten the lead in her high school's production of Hello Dolly! It's her dream role; she'd had the part memories since she was ten; and she and Roger Morton, who's playing the male lead, definitely had chemistry in the audition. But Aggie isn't just a talented actress, writer, and athlete. She's also the fattest girl in the senior class.
Kirkus Reviews (April 1, 2011) says:
This dynamic theater story stars Aggie, a girl whose enthusiam, mad talent and diva qualities lead her astray. Steamed that she doesn't get the lead in the school's production of Hello Dolly! and convinced it's because she's fat, Aggie writes a roman a clef musical. It features two girls, the fat one an undisguised Aggie, the thin one suspciously similar to the girl playing Dolly, Cynthia...Aggie's friends (techie Suzanne, ever-loyal Elliot and lyricist Cameron) support Aggie's hostility toward Cynthia despite knowing it's unfair: Cynthia's nice and actually deserved the lead because of her singing skill. They mount a major production of Aggie's show that, astonishingly, succeeds. Aggie's almost failing math, Cameron comes out to his parents (and it goes badly) and Aggie resents the parental support that Karl, her father's partner, gives Cameron -- Aggie's possessive of her stepfather's attention. The prose, sometimes unpolished and forced but always infused with warmth, brims with musical-theater references. Unlike most arcs about fat teens, this one never equates emotional growth with weight loss; Aggie's refreshingly non-symbolic fatness is just part of her. Like Elphaba in the song that Cameron rewrites, Aggie tries defying gravity -- and succeeds, musically, socially and romantically. Given the ratings of Glee and the emerging popularity of teen lit combining queer themes and musicals, this should be a hit. (Fiction. 13 & up).
"As a writer & publisher of plays for teens, I greatly appreciate Charlie Lovett's richly developed characters," says Steven Fendrich, publisher, Pioneer Drama Service. "The Fat Lady Sings leads you on a journey of self-acceptance, whether you are a teen or remember what it was like to be one. This book carries its audience of readers to a theatre stage -- or perhaps it's a stage of life -- and beautifully illustrates how to feel comfortable with yourself, both inside and out."
Charlie Lovett is Writer-in-Residence at Summit School in Winston-Salem, NC. His plays for children have been seen in more than 2500 productions in all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries. He is the founder of the Charlie Lovett Fund for Elementary Drama, which supports theatre productions in elementary schools. He is the author of numerous nonfiction books, including works on Lewis Carroll and the acclaimed memoir Love, Ruth. His first novel was the thriller The Program (Pearlsong Press, 2008). The Fat Lady Sings is his first Young Adult novel.
Pearlsong Press books
Judy Bagshaw: Kiss Me, Nate! In a small Canadian town romance blossoms between a BBW schoolteacher and coach during a community theater retelling of The Taming of the Shrew.
Lynne Murray: At Large The 3rd book in the Josephine Fuller mystery series finds Jo a suspect in the death of the woman who broke up her marriage.
Tracey L. Thompson: Fatropolis Most of her life Jenny has felt she's not good enough, not attractive enough, because she's fat. Then one day she stumbles through a portal between a world that values thinness and one that values roundness. Sometimes falling can wake you up.
Louise Mathewson: A Life Interrupted: Living with Brain Injury A collection of poems chronicling the author's recovery from a brain damaging car accident, with a list of journaling therapy writing prompts and other resources she found helpful in transcending trauma.
Leslie Moïse: Love is the Thread: A Knitting Friendship Sustained by the metaphor of knitting, Love is the Thread traces the way one spiritual friendship can change all our relationships. The memoir centers on the friendship between a woman snared in a lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and another woman reweaving her life after an abusive relationship.
Lynne Murray: The Falstaff Vampire Files Sir John Falstaff is undead & misbehaving in San Francisco. Kris Marlowe doesn't believe in vampires, but when she's attacked by a horde of murderous monsters she must seek help from the most famous rogue in history.
Lynne Murray: Larger Than Death Meet Josephine Fuller, a sleuth of size who doesn't apologize. Full-figured & full of attitude with abundant sleuthing skills, Jo takes time off from her new job and walks into a murder case. Her best friend and early role model, a plus-sized clothing designer, lies slain in her own apartment. Was she the victim of a serial killer who targets voluptuous women, or is the murder personal? In the first of a series being brought back to print -- & ebook -- Jo copes with her friend's murder, an unexpected romance and bizarre neighbors as she races to find the killer before becoming the next victim.
Lauri J Owen: Blowing Embers Book 2 of The Embers Series (sequel to Fallen Embers) continues the saga of Kiera, transported to an alternate Alaska in which those who have the power to control the elements -- now including Kiera -- have ruled over those who cannot, including the shapeshifting indigenous peoples. The Fairbanks slaves struggle to maintain their newly won freedom, which is threatened by a force that will also shatter Kiera's heart.
Pat Ballard: Dangerous Love New romantic suspense from the Queen of Rubenesque Romances! Ava Manning saw some research she wasn't supposed to, and now someone wants her dead. As if that isn't complicating her life enough, she has to deal with charming LAPD detective Ricky Don McKinzie....
Karen Blomain: The Season of Lost Children In a small college town in Pennsylvania the lives of a bigamist's wife, a Polish orphan, an ex-priest and his wife -- a former nun -- and a mute teenage runaway intersect.
Charlie Lovett: The Fat Lady Sings Young Adult fiction. Sassy, irreverent Aggie Stockdale should have gotten the lead in her high school play. But she isn't just a talented actress, writer, and athlete. She's also the fattest girl in the senior class.
Ellen Frankel: Syd Arthur Love, Laughter & Enlightenment! A middle-aged Jewish woman is soon in over her chakras as her spiritual search takes her from yoga studio to meditation hall to ashram gift store to the pages of Zensational catalogue. Her Mah Jongg group insists it's merely a midlife crisis. But nothing's going to stop Syd's journey toward Nirvana -- not even the hottest sale at Nordstrom's.
Lauri J Owen: Fallen Embers Kiera and her nephew are transported to an alternate, feudal Alaska during a strange dog's attack. The icy land is ruled by decadent mages who have enslaved the shapechanging, indigenous peoples. Kiera soon finds herself fighting -- and, to her astonishment, summoning fire. Before she can find her way home she must learn about the local systems of magic and her own powers. Kiera's path leads her deeper into Alaska, to romance, joy and heartbreak. Choosing to follow her heart may cost her everything.
Lynne Murray: Bride of the Living Dead Big, beautiful & rebellious, indie film critic Daria MacClellan is most comfortable in a monster movie poster T-shirt & blue jeans. Yet when family drama hijacks her engagement, she's trapped into a formal wedding with her perfectionist, anorexic sister, Sky, planning the whole thing. Daria adores her fiance, but her wedding seems to be spiraling into a horror film. Will the spectre of a picture perfect wedding turn her into the Bride of the Living Dead?
Rebecca Brock: The Giving Season To have the life she's always dreamed of, Jessy must fight her insecurity and learn how to let Michael -- and his family -- love her just as she is.
Rebecca Fox & William Sherman: Measure By Measure A robust, comic romance fleshing out the truth about soap opera: It's not just for the rich and slender. Taken from the online cyber-serial, it's a Tales of the City for the fat and fabulous.
Frannie Zellman: FatLand In the near future the Pro-Health Laws of the United States of America have become so oppressive that people seeking freedom over their bodies have established a new country. In FatLand, life is good and scales are forbidden. Free from the hatred and discrimination of the Other Side, FatLanders have built happy, productive lives. But not everyone is flourishing.
Pat Ballard: 10 Steps to Loving Your Body (No Matter What Size You Are) The Queen of Rubenesque Romances shares the steps she created -- and used -- to heal the damage of years of dieting. Join her in celebrating size diversity, self esteem, positive body image, and health at every size.
Charlie Lovett: The Program A new weight loss clinic in New York City has an offer for you -- given them $5,000 and they'll make you as thin as a supermodel. You can eat whatever you want and never gain an ounce. Tempted? Fledgling journalist Karen Sumner would be -- if only she had $5,000. When Karen finally walks through the blue and gold doors of The Program, however, she's on the trail of the hottest story of her career. If she and her friends are right, The Program is doing something even worse than creating an army of unnaturally thin women. Library Journal calls The Program "a lively first novel. Highly recommended."
Linda C Wisniewski: Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, and Her Polish Heritage Even before she was diagnosed with scoliosis at 13, Linda Wisniewski felt off kilter. Born to a cruel father in the insulated Polish Catholic community of Amsterdam, New York, she learned martyrdom as a way of life. Off Kilter shows her learning to stretch her Self as well as her spine as she comes to terms with her mentally deteriorating, widowed mother and her culture. Only by accepting her physical deformity, her emotionally unavailable mother, and her Polish American heritage does she finally find balance and a life that fits. Maureen Murdock, author of Unreliable Truth: On Memoir & Memory, calls Off Kilter "a courageous, insightful book, particularly relevant for anyone who grew up feeling physically 'different.'"
Pat, Ballard: The Best Man Sparks fly the night Lana Clarke meets to plan her sister's wedding -- and not just because curvaceous Lana announces she's stopped dieting and doesn't care if she's fat as maid of honor. The strong-willed sister of the bride attracts the attention of the groom's devastatingly handsome best man, Anthony Angelino. But when the sparks become flames, Lana's in trouble. Tony's first wife died mysteriously. Will Lana be next?
Judy Bagshaw: At Long Last, Love Big beautiful --and in some cases slightly more mature -- heroines grace the pages of this collection of romantic short stories by Judy Bagshaw.
Jack Adler: Splendid Seniors An inspiring ensemble of 52 people whose accomplishments after age 65 remind us that creativity, passion & influence can not only flower in later years, but bear delicious fruit.
Mary Saracino: The Singing of Swans "The Singing of Swans is a remarkable narrative calling--even compelling--us to connect with our own ancestral roots, to seek our own inner wisdom, and to reclaim our own inner voices!" --Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman With the Alabaster Jar & Mary Magdalene: Bride in Exile
Ellen Frankel: Beyond Measure: A Memoir About Short Stature and Inner Growth "If you have ever measured your height or your weight and felt good or bad about yourself as a result, you need this book. In its pages, Ellen Frankel makes an important contribution to human liberation by telling the most fabulous story that can be told, the story of a person coming fully into her own. This book is thought-provoking, heart-rending, and a genuine solace for people of all sizes." --Marilyn Wann, author of FAT!SO?
Pat Ballard: Abigail's Revenge Injustice, romance and suspense smolder in a small Southern town. Romantic suspense from the Queen of Rubenesque Romances, Pat Ballard.
Pattie Thomas, Ph.D.: Taking Up Space "Thomas's incisive blend of sociological inquiry and personal narrative amounts to a provocative treatise on fat oppression in our culture. Taking Up Space is a kind of roadmap through the minefield of the 'war on obesity,' and it offers protection to the reader ready to fight for cultural change surrounding the meaning of fatness." --Kathleen LeBesco, Ph.D., author of Revotling Bodies: The Struggle to Redefine Fat Identity.
Anne Richardson Williams: Unconventional Means: The Dream Down Under Shattered by family tragedy in the early 1960s, an upper-middle-class Southern teenager finds solace in art and literature. Decades later she is called to the continent whose literature once comforted her, and to a magical connection with an Aboriginal woman transcending race and half a world.
Pat Ballard: A Worthy Heir When Pam Spencer sees the newspaper ad seeking "a worthy heir" to Fiona Bainbridge's millions, she jumps at the chance to get her brother the medical care he needs after a job-related accident. But Reese Bainbridge, Fiona's handsome grandson--and jilted heir--rushes home in anger when he hears his grandmother has moved Pam and her brother into the family mansion. Sparks fly--and Pam is up to the challenge.
Pat Ballard: His Brother's Child One party, one silver-tongued, double-talking stranger intent on winning a bet, and Faith Carr ends up betrayed, alone, and pregnant. When Edward Brenner shows up on her doorstep intending to right his brother's wrongs, she's scared and vulnerable. But she agrees to marry this stranger to give the baby a father, although keeping him at a distance. She doesn't realize that Edward fell in love with her the moment he saw her. Will her battered self-esteem allow her to see the truth--and her own beauty?
Pat Ballard: Wanted: One Groom Wealthy Hanna Rockwell will lose her home and her inheritance unless she marries by her 30th birthday. She's stunned when Matt Corbett, the faded rock start she worshipped in her teens, accepts her brother's offer to bail him out of financial trouble if he'll marry her. Her teenaged fantasies come to life--bringing a few surprises with them.
Pat Ballard: Nobody's Perfect Nella Covington can't believe she's agreed to marry arrogant Samuel du Cannon, even if it IS only a marriage of convenience. He needs a mother for his young son, and she needs to keep her childhood home. If Sam's work keeps him on the road enough, she won't have to deal with him much. Sam's never been attracted to plus-size women, so they won't be tempted to have a real relationship. At least, that's what they keep telling themselves--
