Today I have Cara Sue Achterberg, author of I'm Not Her at Celticlady's Reviews! I will be reviewing at a later date!
The Book
It was a Tuesday like any other. And then it wasn't. A simple encounter at a supermarket changed Carin Fletcher's and Leann Cane's lives – literally. Suddenly Carin, a pretty, self-absorbed, underemployed college graduate, finds herself living as Leann, an uneducated, perennially poor, obese checkout clerk, and vice versa.
Carin is at first horrified: she’s enormous, she can barely make ends meet, her husband is an abusive loser, and she's saddled with the kid Leann had when she was a teenager. Meanwhile, Leann is initially thrilled: she's escaped destitution, she looks like a model, and people treat her completely differently.
But as the days pass, it becomes clear that life isn't clear-cut for either woman. Carin finds herself attaching to Trevor, Leann's precocious son, and developing feelings for Jimmy, a fellow employee who treats her with the respect few others bother to give her because of her appearance. At the same time, Leann is living a life she's always wanted in a body she's always dreamed about, but that doesn't mean that all of her problems have gone away...and a new one is emerging with Carin's sometimes-boyfriend.
Both women are facing unknowable futures that neither could have imagined. Are they destined to live this way forever? And if so, where will it all lead?
A brilliant, nuanced, and surprising tale about the way the world sees us and the courses we are on, I'M NOT HER is a remarkably assured first novel that introduces a profound new storyteller.
The Author
Cara Sue Achterberg is a freelance writer and blogger who lives on a hillside in South Central, Pennsylvania with her three remarkable children, three horses, a dog with compromised impulse control (but a sunny outlook), a frequently changing number of chickens, three perfect kitties, and a husband who can build, fix, or tolerate just about anything.
Her novel, I'm Not Her, will be published in August 2015 by Story Plant. A momentary twitch in the fabric of reality leads Carin, a beautiful, self-absorbed, underemployed college graduate, to swap lives with Leann, an uneducated, perennially poor, obese check-out clerk who is bagging her groceries when a Valentine’s display falls on Carin’s head.
Cara's essays and articles have been published in numerous anthologies, national magazines, websites, and blogs, in addition to local media. She enjoys teaching hands-on workshops on the Intentional Life and will happily address nearly any group on the subject. She has also led women’s retreats, facilitated book discussions, and taught classes on healthy cooking.
Cara grew up in Hockessin, Delaware (and still considers Delaware the best state of all). She graduated from Averett University with a degree in music before setting it aside to follow her passion of training horses and teaching riding. She later returned to school and earned a degree in Youth Ministry from Eastern College, spending many years hanging out with teenagers, leading Habitat for Humanity work weeks, and eating a lot of pizza.
After moving from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to York County, Pennsylvania. Cara switched careers again, reinventing herself as a writer mom.
It wasn’t until her youngest son developed the autoimmune disorder alopecia areata that she began a quest for a healthier lifestyle. Cara wishes she hadn’t come so late in life to the joys of cooking, gardening, and chicken-keeping, but counts herself lucky.
Cara is passionate about organic food, clean air, productive gardens, uncluttered lives, and real relationships. She also loves Belgium chocolate, Greek olive oil, and almost any cheese.
Cara writes the blog Kid Friendly Organic Life which explores every angle of intentional living and served as the testing ground for her book Live Intentionally: 65 Challenges for a Healthier, Happier Life. She also writes the blog, Another Good Dog which chronicles her adventures as a dog foster mom.
She is currently working on projects which include writing two more novels for Story Plant, finding a publishing home for her young adult novel which explores the aftermath of a teenage life after a texting and driving accident, and a memoir about her experience breaking a difficult horse while raising her (not-quite-as-difficult-but-certainly-not-easy) children.
When not writing or weeding (which can sometimes be one and the same), Cara enjoys running, hiking, reading, visiting Virginia wineries, and trying not to fall off her favorite horse, True.
You can keep up with Cara on facebook (Cara Sue Achterberg, writer) or twitter (@CaraAchterberg). You can find links to her blogs and inspiration for teen writers on her website CaraWrites.com.
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