#GIVEAWAY - Review - In the Middle + Interview with author Carin Shulusky

As you all know I love interviewing and promoting authors well today I have a real treat as I'm presenting a local author I was introduced to a while ago who is just about to release her second novel. Today I'm reviewing her debut novel based on her real life situation while dealing with her mother's declining health, plus I have an exclusive interview and if that's not enough Carin is graciously offering a #Giveaway. (details below)
Enjoy!!

ASIN: B08Z76BCLQ
Publisher: Fossil Creek Press
Release Date: 01-18-2021
Length: 189pp
Source: Author for review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N / IndieBound

Overview:

Carrie Young had it all. She was a successful account executive for a small advertising agency and still managed to be a loving wife and dutiful mother until her mother fell suddenly ill. As the middle child, Carrie was never that close to her mother, but now she was needed to help with the overwhelming task of taking care of her seriously ill mother. The demands of hospitalization, doctors' appointments and daily care throw her once prefect life in near chaos. Disagreements with her siblings, her boss and her mother make her resentful of this new responsibility. The one bright spot is the chance to know her mother's stories of the depression and post war struggle as she never had before. Even as her once perfect life falls apart, she finds a purpose in it all.

GIVEAWAY Is
1 Autographed copy of 
In The Middle
US Only
Please use Rafflecopter form below to enter
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My Interview with Carin:

Interview with Carin Shulusky
In The Middle

Carin hi, welcome to The Reading Frenzy.

I really enjoyed your novel In The Middle, and I know it’s based on your real life situation dealing with your mother’s declining health issues.
How much does your protagonist Carrie’s life mirror or parallel your own?

Many of the things that happened to Carrie also happened to be but not exactly the same or in the same timeline. I made the book fiction and not a memoir so I could be creative with the details and timing. Although much of my mother’s story parallels Carrie’s mom’s story.

As I’ve told you I am a fulltime caregiver to my disabled husband and found myself right with Carrie and her siblings as they dealt with their ailing mother.
Was your reasoning behind writing this novel more informational, more of a memoir or something entirely different?

When I started this book, I think I was trying to just put some perspective to my experience which affected me profoundly. But as I worked on it, I became more aware that my experience was not unique. The more people I met who were caregivers, not just for a parent, but for spouses, like you and others, I hoped the booked would somehow help them with their journeys. 

Your book is set in St. Louis Missouri (your and my hometown) in 2000 and your dealings with hospitals and other care facilities was not always flattering. My personal experiences with the local hospital I deal with presently is much more positive.
Are your descriptions based on the care your mom received or were they more for creative purposes?

Many were based on my actual experiences with my mother, and others. However, in the last 20 years, especially since Covid, I think that has changed drastically. My view of health care workers in my new book, Finding Light in a Lost Year is entirely different. I even dedicate that book to health care workers and first responders. 

Based on your personal experiences when would you encourage adult children to talk to their aging parents about healthcare in their decline?

I think it’s a critical conversation that should never be put off. Just like Carrie, I found myself caring for an aging uncle not long after my mother passed. I had all these conversations very early with him. He was very forthcoming with me and by the time he needed me to step in and make decisions, I was confident that I knew exactly what he wanted at every step, even when he no longer knew who I was. 

Carrie’s mother-in-law took the bull by the horns and made her own choices about her long-term healthcare yet the reactions of her children when she presented her decisions were not all positive.
Why did you include this?

This is a bit like my experience with my own mother-in-law. I included this because I wanted to address a different perspective in elder care. While my own mother was determined to stick with her house at all cost, I’ve seen others make the decision early on to relay on a care facility. But, that decision itself can cause sibling conflict. There is not perfect solution for all families, I just wanted to present another perspective.

Carin you’re no stranger to writing but this was your first work of fiction.
Knowing what you know now about novel writing, if you could go back before you started this what advice would you give yourself?

I’ve asked myself this question many times, sometimes in the middle of the night. I think my experience somewhat mirrors Louisa May Alcott. My earlier forays into fiction were children’s stories and fantastical tales. I was trying to find something I could earn money with.  I think I didn’t find my “voice” until I started writing from my heart, more personal stories. When I first wrote In the Middle, I wasn’t sure I wanted to publish it.  I’ve always had these personal stories in the back of my mind, but maybe it just wasn’t the right time.

 

Carin thank you for answering my questions.

My Review:

 In The Middle

Carin Fahr Shulusky

 

In The Middle is an inspirational and informational novel based on the author’s real struggles dealing with her mother’s declining health and is something every adult child will at one time or another deal with in-regards to their own parents.  Using well placed humor to lessen some really dark circumstances Carin will have readers sympathizing, empathizing and cheering Carrie and her siblings on as they rely on tenacity and strong faith to help them maneuver through the puzzling maze of elder-healthcare to end of life care. Fans of realistic fiction, inspirational fiction, family dramas, women’s fiction and strong female protagonists will love this little gem of a book.

Carrie Young was busy juggling work and family when her mother’s health takes a unexpected turn for the worse and suddenly this middle child finds herself in uncharted waters. Soon she along with her younger brother and older sister find themselves in the role of her mother’s caregivers either arguing over medical decisions or dealing with doctor appointments and hospital stays for a mother who once sacrificed everything for her children and is now forced to rely on them for everything. As Carrie navigates this new normal she also realizes she doesn’t know much about her mother’s early life and makes it her mission to learn everything she can before it’s too late.

 

About Carin:
Carin Fahr Shulusky was born and raised in west St. Louis County with her siblings, Mary, Linda and Larry. For nearly 10 years she was a middle child. Her parents owned a small greenhouse business providing cut flowers to local florists. She was always interested in writing. She won a poetry competition in 8th grade and was editor of her high school (Lafayette High) newspaper. Carin attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she received a B.J (Bachelor of Journalism ‘73). After college she worked in advertising for GE Plastics where she was the first professional woman in that division and them for Monsanto’s Agricultural Division where she was the first professional woman in their corporate headquarters.

After 25 years in Marketing, she created her own firm, Marketing Alliance. She was president of Marketing Alliance, from 2002 – 2014. She is a past-president of the Business Marketing Association of St. Louis and has received their Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a member of the National Association of Press Women. Carin serves on the board of the Special Education. She is a volunteer for Springboard to Learning as a coach with their WiseWrite program.

 

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