Book Giveaway: Screaming Divas

In June and July, we’re featuring the work of our Literary Mama editors. This week, Fiction Editor Suzanne Kamata is giving away one copy of Screaming Divas and one copy of How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia.

Deadline:  July 30

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Fiction Editor Suzanne Kamata is offering two books: one she wrote and one she contributed to. P1ease specify which book you’re interested in — or write “Both Books,” if you want your name included in both drawings.

In Screaming Divas, Suzanne introduces us to Trudy Baxter, who, at sixteen, is tired of her debutante mom, her deadbeat dad, and her standing reservation at the juvenile detention center. Changing her name to Trudy Sin, she cranks up her major chops as a singer and starts a band, gathering around three other girls ill at ease in their own lives, including Cassie Haywood, a would-have-been beauty queen, was scarred in an accident in which her alcoholic mom was killed; former child prodigy Harumi Yokoyama; and Esther Shealy, who joins in order to be close to Cassie–the long-time object of her unrequited love–and Harumi, her estranged childhood friend. Together, they are Screaming Divas, and they’re quickly swept up as a local sensation. Then, just as they are about to achieve their rock-girl dreams, a tragedy strikes.

Read an excerpt published at Hunger Mountain.

In How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit?, 26 women reveal the truth about expatriate life in modern East Asia through original works of memoir and creative non-fiction. Their experiences are varied and unique, demonstrating that expat women’s lives go far beyond the stereotypical. The writers hail from a dozen different countries and walks of life. Some are well-known; others are fresh voices adding nuance to the expat conversation. Through deeply personal accounts, they explore what they have learned about themselves and the world through their lives abroad. Together, they create a portrait of the modern expatriate experience and offer insight about how to be respectful of new cultures and whether—and when—to assimilate, to accommodate, or be independent. Available in either print or as a Kindle e-book.

To enter the drawing, leave a comment below or email lmblogcontact (at) literarymama (dot) com. Please specify which book you’re interested in or write “Both Books” if you want your name included in both drawings. Deadline to enter: July 31

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Suzanne’s short stories, essays, articles and book reviews have appeared in over 100 publications including Real Simple, Brain, Child, Cicada, and The Japan Times. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times, and received a Special Mention in 2006. She is also a two-time winner of the All Nippon Airways/Wingspan Fiction Contest, winner of the Paris Book Festival, and winner of a SCBWI Magazine Merit Award. She was born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan. She is most recently from Lexington, South Carolina, and now lives in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan with her husband and two children.