2 Broads Abroad Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

When sisters, Deborah & Nancy, discovered that motherhood was a temp job they decided to run away from home. After packing up that last kid for college, and facing the sad stillness of their suddenly quiet homes, they decided to leave the country. 2 BROADS ABROAD: MOMS FLY THE COOP is a funny, irreverent, occasionally poignant travel tale of their impulsive road trip around Ireland.

In this witty warm-hearted adventure, they experienced some of Ireland’s quirkier history while sharing universally relatable stories of maniacal school coaches, neurotic neighbors, and tiger moms. Having kicked that empty nest into their rearview mirror, the sisters took off careening down the wrong side of the road, making questionable choices, getting trapped in a medieval tower, sneaking Chinese take-out into a famous cooking school, drinking way too much, and gaining a changed perspective on their lives ahead.

Excerpt:

When we thought about the phases of our lives at each juncture of change: our own departure from home, our first real job, our marriages, the birth of our children, all of the big phases of change held out something new for us.  This change was shaping up very differently.  This change was loss – complete dissolution of the fundamental family structure forever and that was all.  We had to plan.  We needed to be proactive.  The alternative was to be left standing frozen in time, in a life that had moved on without us, and to become observers and visitors in our kids' lives. Not acceptable. So, we set our imaginations loose.

We considered our location. Now that we knew we were leaving – where could we go? 

“Angkor Wat,”  I said.

“Wat what?” Nancy asked.

“It’s the largest temple in the world, built in 1125.”

“Where is it?”

 “Cambodia.”

“Uh, huh. Deborah, I was thinking more along the lines of a bucolic vineyard in Tuscany.  You know, stroll along the hills, sample the fruit of the vine, nectar of the gods?”

“Oh.  Okay, how would you feel about a camel trek in Morocco?”

“Probably sore, smelly, and hot.  And I understand camels are mean and they spit.  They spit, Deborah. What about a civilized boat ride down the Rhine River in Germany?  They have castles and I know how you like castles.”

“I do like castles, but don’t you think we should go more exotic?”

“This is our first trip together.  I’d like to steer clear of nations at war, places we’d need to wear a burka, or can’t speak the language, or ride on an angry animal.  Surely we can agree on somewhere.”

“I’ve always wanted to see where grandma’s family came from.”

“Me, too!”

“With a little research and a rental car we can see the entire island in a couple of weeks.”

“Perfect. Ireland it is!”

Any weird things you do when you’re alone?

When I’m alone I get a good book, a glass of Chardonnay, and read in a hot bath; although I don’t know if that is weird? I think it should be standard operating procedure for moms everywhere.

What is your favorite quote and why?

My favorite quote is from the cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead:  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever had.”

This quote has always fascinated me because it works for good and evil. How one first reads and understands this quote tells you a great deal about how their brain works. Think about it.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Oh, my, what genre? Such a tough question. All writers are big readers. I suppose I would say currently and certainly not conclusively:

History – Thomas Cahill

Essays – David Foster Wallace

Fiction – Charles Dickens (is there anyone else ever?). I also enjoy Barbara Kingsolver, Ann Patchet, Toni Morrison, Lawrence Durrell, and the list goes on and on…

Biography – Stacy Schiff

Science – P.S. Churchland

Humor – Nora Ephron, Bill Bryson

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

A clear clever engaging voice that reaches out from the page immediately and draws you in, and an ever-growing vocbularly.

Where did you get the idea for this book?

After our kids moved on, my sister and I took this crazy road trip around Ireland.  It was an impulsive trip, which made it so much more colorful than if we’d done our due diligence.  If we’d planned better we might have missed the ghost, the bugs, the wild driving, the pink sheep, the drunken pub crawls, or getting trapped in that medieval tower. Along the way we learned a few things about how to perceive our future and we decided to put our journey to words and share.

   

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Author Bio and Links:

Deborah Serra has been a sought-after screenwriter for twenty-five years having written for NBC, CBS, Sony, Lifetime, Fox, and others. She was a recipient of the 2012 Hawthornden Literary Fellowship. Her first novel was a semi-finalist for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Award given by the Faulkner Society in New Orleans, LA.

Nancy is a graduate of San Diego State University. She worked in medical sales before stepping away to raise her two children, at which point she became: Team Mom, Snack Mom, PTA member, Assistance League Volunteer, and the list is never-ending. Nancy was the editor and publisher of the Buffalo Hills Echo newsletter with a circulation of 1400. She also designed and managed her community website.

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