Presentation & Signing: Sweet Tea by Wendy Lynn Decker

Everyone is welcome to join for this amazing event! We are excited to host Wendy Lynn Decker presenting her newest title SWEET TEA.

The $5 event ticket reserves your seat. You will receive a $5 coupon upon arrival at the store that you can use for a purchase that night!

Walk-ins to this event are welcome but space is limited.

To preorder a copy of the book CLICK HERE!

Hope to see you in the shop!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The fourth anniversary of Olivia’s daddy and John Lennon’s death is approaching. Like the shot heard ‘round the world, TV and radio stations keep the frenzy alive and recognize Lennon’s life, while Olivia’s mama remembers Daddy’s death. Instead of healing, Mama’s strange behavior keeps getting worse. After viewing an afternoon talk show, Olivia discovers her mother might have more than a case of eccentricity–she may be mentally ill. When those fears are confirmed, Olivia is faced with more decisions than any sixteen-year-old should have to make. With no adult family members to turn to, she is forced to trust the only people who’ve offered help: one strange man and a friend her mother makes at the mental institution. Facing the intricacies of her mother’s illness one minute and decisions about her relationship with her new boyfriend the next, Olivia finds that through faith and determination, she can conquer it all in this poignant story of love, intuition, compassion, and hope.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Wendy Lynn Decker lives in Long Branch, NJ, and holds an MA in Creative
Writing from Wilkes University. Her book SWEET TEA crossed genres from YA to adult because of its message about a teen girl dealing with a single parent who struggles with a mental illness. She is also, the author of THE BEDAZZLING BOWL, an inspirational middle-grade novel, which was awarded the FaithWriters Seal of Approval. Wendy’s essays have been published in American Writers Review, Cup of Comfort, and Middlesex Literary Journal, where she has taught as an adjunct instructor. She is currently seeking a home for her latest novel, (the title is under construction) which takes place in 1958, in Asbury Park, NJ. Though she tackles serious matters in her writing, her sense of humor makes frequent appearances. When Wendy is not writing, you can find her singing jazz, blues, and soft rock in her kitchen or at local restaurants in New Jersey for food and tips.

BOOK REVIEWS:

"In this day and age, society still finds it difficult to face the challenges families encounter that are living with a mentally ill parent. Ms. Decker's novel brings these issues to light in a realistic manner that engages readers as well as helps them understand…"- Christine Harris, Co-President, Middlesex County, NJ NAMI

"Decker brings to life the chaos, confusion and poignancy of loving and living with a mentally ill mother. I couldn't stop reading, even when my heart was aching and my brain was cringing." - Shari Sanford,Paperback Exchange Bookstore

"Compelling and real. Everyone, teenagers and adults can relate to this story. I cried, laughed and learned!"- Shari Stein, Media Specialist, J. P. Stevens High School

"Wendy Lynn Decker has a very unique and talented gift of writing. I really enjoyed the down home style that assimilates a Tom Sawyer genre and I wouldn't be surprised if this book became recommended reading for contemporary school systems." -Ray Costa, LPC, LCADC, NCC

"Sweet Tea is a fine young adult story...So many titles on mental illness narrow the focus to coping and neglect the overall bigger picture of how home life with mental illness can interact with a wider world outside home's front door...Sweet Tea offers a bittersweet taste of what life's all about, and will immerse young adult and adult readers alike in a life well lived." -D. Donovan, Book Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

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