Hillbilly Drug Baby: The Story
by Andrea Brunais
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Pub Date Dec 01 2018 | Archive Date Jul 31 2019
Boutique of Quality Book Publishing | WriteLife Publishing
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Description
"Using her considerable journalistic skills, Andrea Brunais tells the brutal truth of what it's like to gamble on the toughest risk in the world of foster care---aged out males. . . But read it for the beauty of the hope." - Lisa Brock, author of Goodbye College, Hello Life
Jesse-Ray Lewis, 19, enters a West Virginia "safe house" with few possessions beyond the kerchiefs that identify him as a gang member. An aged-out foster child, he lands in Bluefield, where a charity gives him food. What follows is the personal, dramatic story of two people who intervene in the life of a homeless, drug-abusing teen with a background of violence and neglect. In their next-door suite called the safe house, they impose three rules: "No alcohol or drugs. You have to work. You have to go to school."
Jesse-Ray expresses gratitude for shelter and a middle-aged couple concerned with his welfare. But what does he want? The couple struggles to determine his true motives, especially after he admits being high on meth at their first meeting.
At night he writes verse reflecting trauma and violence, shame and love, even despair. Author Andrea Brunais sees more than just a street-smart boy who can write. She sees a soul who can be saved from a downward spiral.
But will Jesse-Ray accept the help of strangers, as glimmers of hope expressed in his writings suggest? Will the couple succeed in steering him toward a new life? And how will the ordeal transform everyone?
"Andrea lets the reader decide what's true and what's not, but that's what makes Hillbilly Drug Baby: The Story such a page turner." Keith, verified reviewer.
"This is a valuable book, discussing in human terms a complicated problem which persists in Appalachia and other rural areas of our country, and has no signs of being resolved anytime soon." - Lucy Adkins author of Writing in Community and The Fire Inside
"Brunais' fast-paced narrative will keep you turning the pages and certainly thinking about the book long after you close the cover." - Nora, verified reviewer
"The author's writing style is brilliant and even in the Preface she made me want to know how the young man's story ended, and her years of experience as a journalist came through in her ability to lay out facts while weighing them with emotion." - Catherine, Goodreads review
A Note From the Publisher
This book is available in print #9781608082032 - $16.95; eBook #9781608082049 - $5.99 and will be available in audiobook in early 2019.
Advance Praise
“Andrea Brunais has won prestigious journalism and fiction prizes for a good reason: She represents the cream of the reporting/writing crop. Hillbilly Drug Baby: The Story emphasizes not only her (and her husband’s) humanity, but also her professionalism. Andrea’s prose is clear, crisp, descriptive, and often heartbreaking in this tale of a talented kid whose life was littered with broken promises and dreams before they met. A fine and revealing read.” —Dan Smith, author of CLOG! and Virginia Communications Hall of Fame journalist
“Simply said, I could not stop reading Hillbilly Drug Baby: The Story. I was put through the wringer with its emotional real-life drama of hope and despair, tenderness and violence. The Quixotelike storyline will have any adult holding their breath as they cheer for the young man from Appalachia and the all-in effort of those trying to save him from his troubling past. I would challenge anyone not to become fiercely involved from page one.” —Mike Houtz, author of Dark Spiral Down
“Using her considerable journalistic skills, Andrea Brunais tells the brutal truth of what it’s like to gamble on the toughest risk in the world of foster care—aged-out males. Honest, humane, frustrating, and patient, Andrea and Hal Gibson recount the details of what it is like to begin a pursuit of good intentions with a realistic expectation that it won’t be easy. The first-person realization of the barriers of a stubborn will, learned helplessness, and the effects of poverty and ignorance is all soon realized, but that’s just the beginning of the story. This is a compelling tale of a messy life and how it intersects with a couple who hope to bring reasoned order. The discovery of talent is a fortunate win but that alone is no promise of success. Not by a long shot. But read it for the beauty of the hope.” —Lisa Brock, author of Goodbye College, Hello Life!
Marketing Plan
Marketing and Promotion Campaign
• Pursue media interest and interviews
• Connect with groups, conferences, and conventions associated with addiction, including teen-oriented entities
• Seek out feature author opportunities at book festivals
• Create and distribute chapter videos
• Write op-ed pieces for print publications
• Enter award programs
• Zero in on either vlogging, blogging, or podcasting
• Strong social media campaign
• Regional book tour in Virginia, West Virginia, and surrounding areas
• Early ARC giveaways to Bookstores and Consumers
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781608082032 |
| PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 250 |
Links
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