~Blog Tour~ Sweet Tea by Wendy Lynn Decker

Sweet Tea
By Author: Wendy Lynn Decker
Published by; Booktrope
Release Date: 10.20.15

Blurb:

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 the decision to have sex 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.

Early Reviewer Thoughts:

“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 certain traits to look for should they face this type of situation.”
–Christine Harris, Co-President – Middlesex County NAMI

“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”
-D. Donovan, Book Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

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, Belmar, NJ

Excerpt 2

p. 30

         The emergency room at Henry Medical Center smelled like cigarette smoke and urine washed over with antiseptic. I’d never been there before, and I didn’t expect to see so many people that resembled those with the symptoms the doctor on the talk show spoke about. Although most needed physical care, many seemed to need mental health care, and this wasn’t a mental hospital.

         Some of the people roamed about like zombies in B-movies. Their vacant stares said, “I’m still here, please come find me.” Many of the patients were pacing, as if they were taking part in some kind of ritual. Some shouted words at random. One woman seemed to be speaking in a language only she could understand. I was afraid to make eye contact with anyone, for fear someone would approach me. But I knew I had to look around the room.

         An old woman with only one-half of her head braided asked me for a cigarette. One already hung from her twisted lips. It felt like we had wandered into a secret society meeting, and we had better find Mama and get out while we could.

         I overheard one of the nurses say to another, “It must be a full moon tonight.”

         “My goodness,” the other nurse responded. “I haven’t seen it like this in quite some time. That strong lunar force is drawing them out like vampires to a blood bank.”

         CeCe and I approached the desk. “Excuse me, ma’am,” CeCe said to the desk clerk. “The police told us a woman that fits our mother’s description has been brought here.”

         “What’s her name?”

         “Cassandra Travis,” I answered, surprised at how faint my voice sounded.

         She thumbed through her roster. “The police brought in a Jane Doe. We’ve been asking her name, but she won’t tell us.” The clerk motioned toward a nurse. “They’re here to see Jane Doe in room twelve.”

         The nurse nodded and said, “Follow me.”

         I thought of Luke and was glad we’d left him at home.

         CeCe and I followed the nurse down a long corridor. Blue curtains covered doorways on each side. We approached the last room on the left, and the nurse pulled a chart from a hook on the wall. She opened the curtain. “This is Jane Doe.”

 

Bio:

Wendy Lynn Decker has lived in thirteen different towns in the state of New Jersey. Now, she lives a bike ride away from the ocean and her favorite restaurant. She is the author of the middle-grade chapter book, THE BEDAZZLING BOWL, which is the first book intended for a series.

Find her here:

www.wendylynndeckerauthor.com

WendyDecker19

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If you would like to review Sweet Tea, I would love to provide you with an e-book in exchange for a review on Amazon/Blogs/GoodReads.
Email me at aimee.brown@booktrope.com