My Books
The myth of Helios, but he’s Helen, and it’s now.
What happens when you're not ready for the power you desire? Revisit the Greek myth of the sun god, Helios, and his son Phaeton -- only this time Helios is Helen, the fiery-haired chief executive of Aethon Power & Light in Chicago and Phaeton is Parker, her hot-headed son and only heir.
The Birthright of Parker Cleaves Playlist
Chapter 1: Phaeton - Castleheads
Chapter 2: When You Were Young - The Killers
Chapter 3: Sit Next to Me - Foster the People
Chapter 4: Royals - Lorde
Chapter 5: Rooms on Fire - Stevie Nicks
Chapter 6: Holding Out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler
Chapter 7: Jump in the Fire - Metallica
Chapter 8: Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
Chapter 9: High Hopes - Panic! At the Disco
Chapter 10: The Pretender - Foo Fighters
Chapter 11: Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys
Chapter 12: Vroom, Vroom - Charlie xcx
Chapter 13: Supremacy - Muse
Chapter 14: Untouchable Face - Ani DiFranco
Chapter 15: Apartment Party - Jameson May
Chapter 16: mirrorball - Taylor Swift
Chapter 17: You Don’t Own Me - Lesley Gore
Chapter 18: What the WAter Gave Me - Florence + The Machine
Chapter 19: So Long - The Lumineers
Chapter 20: Come Sail Away - Styx
For anyone who can’t understand how someone could starve herself.
Fifteen-year-old Diana Keller accidentally begins teaching The Obvious Game to new kid Jesse on his sixteenth birthday. As she buries her shock about her mother's fresh cancer diagnosis in cookbooks, peach schnapps and Buns of Steel workouts, Diana both seduces athlete Jesse and shoves him away under the guise of her carefully constructed sentences. As their relationship deepens, Diana avoids Jesse's past with her own secrets -- which she'll protect at any cost. Will Diana and Jesse's love survive his wrestling obsession and the Keller family's chaos, or will all their important details stay buried beneath a game?
The Obvious Game was a Self-E selection from Library Journal.
The Obvious Game Playlist on Spotify
Chapter 1: Pride by White Lion (1987) – When the Children Cry
Chapter 2: Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses (1987) – Welcome to the Jungle
Chapter 3: Scarecrow by John Mellencamp (1985) – Small Town
Chapter 4: True Colors by Cyndi Lauper (1986) – True Colors
Chapter 5: Can’t Hold Back by Eddie Money (1986) – Take Me Home Tonight
Chapter 6: Hysteria by Def Leppard (1987) – Hysteria
Chapter 7: Nothing’s Shocking by Jane’s Addiction (1988) – Jane Says
Chapter 8: Just Like the First Time by Freddie Jackson (1986) – Have You Ever Loved Somebody
Chapter 9: Use Your Illusion by Guns N’Roses (1991) – November Rain
Chapter 10: Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf (1977) – Bat Out of Hell
Chapter 11: Head Games by Foreigner (1979) – Dirty White Boy
Chapter 12: Faith by George Michael (1987) – Monkey
Chapter 13: Cuts Like a Knife by Bryan Adams (1983) – Straight From the Heart
Chapter 14: Double Vision by Foreigner (1978) – Hot Blooded
Chapter 15: Disintegration by The Cure (1989) – Fascination Street
Chapter 16: Poison by Bell Biv DeVoe (1990) – Poison
Chapter 17: Achtung Baby by U2 (1991) -- Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?
Chapter 18: Nevermind by Nirvana (1991) – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Chapter 19: Listen Without Prejudice by George Michael (1990) – Something to Save
Chapter 20: Out of Time by R.E.M. (1991) – Losing My Religion
Chapter 21: The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby (1986) – Mandolin Rain
Chapter 22: Infected by The The (1986) – Out of the Blue (Into the Fire)
Chapter 23: Strange Fire by Indigo Girls (1989) – Strange Fire
Chapter 24: Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos (1992) -- China
Live from the heydey of mommyblogging.
I edited what was one of the first blogging anthologies, and it was published by Chicago Review Press in 2008. Sleep Is for the Weak won a 2009 gold National Parenting Publications (NAPPA) award and won an honorable mention in the 2012 New York Book Festival.
It has no playlist. I think it was before Spotify.
"A lively compilation of honest, funny, real-life writing. Parents will find reassurance, heart, and a lot of humor in this collection. A very entertaining read!" — Christie Mellor, author, The Three-Martini Playdate, The Three-Martini Family Vacation, and Were You Raised by Wolves? Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood
"From the foreword to the final essay, this is a collection of some of the best writing out there on the topic of modern motherhood." — Amy Keroes, founder & CEO, mommytrackd.com
"Don't spend another night awake without these intelligent and funny-as-hell moms by your side." — Devra Renner and Aviva Pflock, authors, Mommy Guilt
"This treasure . . . is a real page turner, delighting readers with honest re-tellings of motherhood's most joyous (and sometimes terrifying) moments."
"A perfect read for the mom with little time and a great sense of humor." — Pregnancy & Newborn