Dear Country Bookshelf Book Clubs,

Please let me introduce myself: I am Shana Mahaffey author of the debut novel, Sounds Like Crazy. I write this note to the sound of a rushing stream, chirping birds, and peace one is hard pressed to find in San Francisco, CA—my home town. And now I’d like to invite you to consider spending some time in New York City with Holly Miller, the narrator of Sounds Like Crazy.

Holly is an Emmy Award winning voiceover artist with co-conscious multiple personality disorder. Some call the book a darkly comic, ultimately healing journey of self discovery. For me, it is a tale about the world one woman created to cope with a world she couldn’t face. All of this is told with as much humor a lapsed Irish Catholic can muster.

I’ve included a longer book description and my author bio below. And it goes without saying that I’d be honored and thrilled if your book club chose Sounds Like Crazy for one of your reads. It also goes without saying that there is nothing I enjoy more than talking to readers. Since logistics may make a personal appearance at your book club meeting, I am also available via telephone or Skype. And, now that I’ve fallen in love with Montana, I am sure another trip here will happen sooner or later… should you want to wait. Either way, to arrange an appearance—personal, phone, whatever—please drop me an email.

In the meantime, you can find the book club discussion guide on my website or in the back of the book.

I hope you enjoy Sounds Like Crazy and I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Shana Mahaffey

Who am I?

Shana  Mahaffey lives in San Francisco, California, in part of an Edwardian compound that she shares with an informal cooperative of family, friends, and five cats.  She’s a survivor of catechism and cat scratch fever, and is a member of the Sanchez Grotto Annex, a writers’ co-op.  Her novel, Sounds Like Crazy was named a notable book for Fall 2009 by the San Francisco Chronicle; and her work has appeared in publications such as Sunset Magazine, SoMa Literary Review, Spectrum Literary Journal, Reflections Literary Journal, and assorted literary blogs. In addition to writing fiction, Shana has contributed articles, white papers, and product reviews to various technology publications. She welcomes all visitors to her website and is happy to meet with book groups in-person or in cyberspace (phone/webcam/the works). Her cat blogs for her at www.shanamahaffey.com.

Sounds Like Crazy—what’s it all about?

   Sounds Like Crazy is as a darkly comic and ultimately healing story about Holly Miller, an Emmy Award winning cartoon voiceover performer who has actual voices in her head, multiple personalities who make her career a huge success, and shield her from a terrible secret in her past.

   “I couldn’t tell her that even when you decide you’ve paid-in-full, if what you’ve paid for has become part of the framework of your life, you can’t let it go that easily. But if Sarah had forgiven herself, maybe it was time for me to try.” 

   It’s Holly Miller’s thirtieth birthday. Her older sister Sarah has flown across the country to encourage her to forgive herself and try to have more than a barely there boyfriend and two cats. The question is, can she? Holly has a secret she’s kept most of her life. She has a Committee of five people living inside her head. One of them called Ruffles is so large her bulk makes Holly’s head tilt permanently to the left. Another one, Betty Jane, is a mean modern day Scarlett O’Hara who makes her carry Charmin toilet paper everywhere because she refuses to use anything else. To keep the Committee under wraps, Holly moved from California to New York City when she turned eighteen. Her mother didn’t ask why, she just started sending Holly’s Christmas gifts in October to make sure she stayed put. Holly’s estranged father covers her expenses, but she hasn’t seen or spoken to him since she left home. Then Holly is offered the chance to become a voiceover artist for an animated television show. Sarah tells her this is like asking Sybil to play the part of Lisa Simpson because the job requires ceding control to Betty Jane. But Holly wants a better life so she takes the job anyway and in doing so, she discovers that the Committee is not her deepest secret after all.

Book Trailer

Here is a book trailer German filmmaker, Ma Raab, created for Sounds Like Crazy. It has gotten a lot of attention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXg9ruqzNAM&feature=player_embedded