Author Interview: Falling Apart, Falling for You by Chris Posti

About the Book

Book: Falling Apart, Falling for You

Author: Chris Posti

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction with Elements of Romance

Release date: April 29, 2022

With their lives in a free fall, three women gather for their 40^th high school reunion. At 57, is it too late to make a fresh start?

Suzanne – After spending most of her adult life working as a traveling trainer for an airline, untethered and mildly content, Suzanne feels a stirring in her heart for a seemingly perfect guy. But when she abruptly loses her job, she lands in surprising new territory.

Rachel – Seeking distraction in the wake of her husband’s sudden passing, Rachel helps organize her class’s first reunion in 40 years. Stunned by an old friend’s shocking secrets, she struggles to learn forgiveness as she tiptoes into her new-found freedom.

Marla – After selling her thriving business, Marla revisits high school friendships and her mysterious past. Seeking family and a renewed purpose, she adds her marketing expertise to the group’s strategy for revitalizing the blue-collar town that brought them back together.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Chris Posti’s writing experience comes in a variety pack: novelist, nonfiction author, newspaper columnist, blogger, freelancer, and business writer. She was self-employed for 30 years as a career and executive coach. She once lived in a tiny town similar to the Western Pennsylvania setting of “Falling Apart, Falling for You.” Her latest book, “Before You Write your Novel: What to Know from the Get-Go” was launched on July 25, 2022.

More from Chris Posti

If you’re over the age of 50, you’ve probably noticed the female protagonists in most novels are younger than you. Yet the lives of older women are filled with challenges, changes, growth, fun, and even romance. They want to read about characters they can relate to. That’s precisely why I wrote “Falling Apart, Falling for You.”

All women, but particularly women 50+, will identify with three women whose lives are in a free fall when they reunite for the first time since high school graduation. The story is fun, clean, and wholesome, with plenty of reality and just a little bit of wine and a few beers.

Suzanne, who is divorced and dating the seemingly perfect guy, abruptly loses her job as a traveling trainer for an airline. She’s convinced it’s due to age discrimination, and even her normally disagreeable daughter concurs.

Rachel loves her rosary, cooking, and daily routines, but when she suddenly becomes widowed she must learn to support herself by running the family gas station. Her son Pete is eager to help, and so is her widowed neighbor Frank.

Marla has been known to have a fling, but in fact, it’s her business she’s in love with. After an offer to sell makes her an instant multi-millionaire, she celebrates too hard and lands in a hospital. Now, she needs to find a new purpose in life.

This is the first book in a series of three.

Author Interview With Chris Posti:

What is your favorite book that you have written, and why?

I love my debut novel, “Falling Apart, Falling for You.” Don’t get me wrong—I also love the three nonfiction books and the workbook I’ve written (we put a piece of ourselves into everything we write, don’t we?)—but I love my debut novel the best.

I wrote it because during the pandemic I was looking to read some clean women’s fiction about women over the age of 50, and I couldn’t find anything like that. Now that my novel has been published, it’s rewarding to hear from readers who appreciate a book about older women and the challenges they face—and overcome. I describe it as “Steel Magnolias” without the southern accents.

How do you pick your characters’ personalities or looks?

“Falling Apart, Falling for You” features three 57-year-old women who get together for the first time in 40 years for their high school reunion. The setting is a small town south of Pittsburgh. Not quite rural, but isolated and provincial. The women are all white, and I gave them each a different hair color. Suzanne’s was reddish-brown and wavy, Rachel had long dirty blond hair, and Marla had long, nearly black, luxurious straight hair.

My publisher requires her graphic designer to use artwork from a specific site. We could find only one photo that looked like three women somewhere in their 50s, and they all had blond hair! The graphic designer attempted to change their hair color, but it looked horrible.

So, I went back to my manuscript and rewrote every mention of their hair to conform to what is on the cover today.

Do I need to add, the second and third books in this series will not feature any faces on the front cover?

What inspires you the most?

Anytime I’m looking for inspiration, I pick up a few books in my personal library and read a few chapters. Sometimes just a paragraph or two is enough to turn on my creative juices.

What are your hobbies other than writing?

I’m a lousy cook, only so-so at golf, and I don’t particularly enjoy cleaning. Since I used to live in Switzerland and traveled a lot, I no longer have the itch to see the world. Naturally, I read a lot, and I enjoy being in nature, but the truth is, people are my biggest hobby. Whether it’s spending time with my daughter and her family, organizing a high school reunion, or hosting a party at my house, I’m all in.

What is one thing in your life that you would say has had the greatest impact on your writing? Or in your life in general?

Words that others have said to me. They have power.

Whether the words came from a college professor, a newspaper editor, a corporate executive, a preacher, a friend, or a family member, their words have changed the course of my life.

Knowing that, I try my best to incorporate messages to my readers in everything I write. After all, if our writing has no impact, why bother?

Lastly, what was your favorite book growing up?

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson had a powerful effect on my thinking, though it took me years to realize its outsized influence on my life.

Harold uses his crayon to create his reality. He never fears the unknown or what lies ahead, he just moves forward with a solution that he makes up as he goes. I have always strived to do the same.

May I also mention that I adored every single Trixie Beldon book and read them multiple times? In my heart, I knew I was much more like Trixie but I so wanted to be more like Honey!

#Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Chris is giving away the grand prize package of $50 Amazon gift card, a signed copy of the book, and a matching bookmark!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/22eca/falling-apart-falling-for-you-celebration-tour-giveaway

Visit other stops on Chris Posti’s tour!

Guild Master, December 6 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 7

Texas Book-aholic, December 8

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, December 9 (Author Interview)

An Author’s Take, December 10

Inklings and notions, December 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, December 12

Artistic Nobody, December 13 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, December 13

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, December 14

For the Love of Literature, December 15 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, December 15

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, December 16

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 17

Vicky Sluiter, December 18 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 19