The Back Seat

One of the main characters in The Cusp of Everything is a 1967 Oldsmobile 98 Luxury Sedan the main character, Karen Walsh, purchased with babysitting money. Its backseat gets quite a workout!

A Time of Change

The Cusp of Everything is a two-pronged metaphor. In the classic coming-of-age sense, it means turning 18, feeling like your real life is about to start. In this book, it also refers to the massive changes occurring during the 1970s: taboos lifted on premarital sex, birth control, abortion, divorce, homosexuality, interracial relationships. The 1970s are when the upheavals of the 1960s hit the mainstream and everything changed.

Getting Ready for Publication

Self-publishing means a massive "to do" list and a constant state of panic. Formatting the book, both print and electronic versions. Coming up with a cover. And a blurb. And an author bio. Hiring a publicist and working with her to develop a target list. Starting to tweet. Getting the website together. Not to mention feeling like the book is actually, finally, completely finished: no more tweaking. No more asking for advice.

Letting go is the hardest part. The rest is just logistics.

May 15, 2012 is the date. Watch for it!

What's It All About?

The Cusp of Everything is the first novel with a soundtrack, a time-travel back to Westchester County, New York on the eve of America’s Bicentennial. More than 200 songs run through the text, setting the tone for the era and the action. From “classic rock” before it was classic and “Old School” when it was still new, to Top 40 and the early days of disco, with a special helping of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Cusp’s music runs the gamut of what was in the air at the time. Listen along at the companion website: cuspofeverything.com.

Cusp is about being on the threshold of adulthood, hoping for “real life” to start, fervently anticipating growing up and moving on. The term also refers to the massive societal shifts of the 1970s, when taboos were lifted on premarital sex, birth control, abortion, divorce, homosexuality and interracial relationships.

Karen Walsh dreams that moving to the big city and finding love will solve all her problems. After a failed summer romance, commuting to classes feels like a lonely extension of high school, but without the familiar faces. Only her deepening friendship with Mark Cassone provides a bright spot. Together they plan their escape from the suburbs, aching for a new and rewarding life in Manhattan.