Becoming friends with Annie Cathryn...plus a book giveaway

Introduction by Melissa Amster

I am thrilled to introduce you to Annie Cathryn, who is celebrating the publication of her debut novel, The Friendship Breakup. I met Annie through my book publicity job, as she responded to some pitches I had sent her. I then saw that she was releasing her own book and it sounded like the perfect fit for CLC. She and I have the same taste in books and I've enjoyed getting to know her over the past year. She's absolutely lovely and I'm excited for you to meet her! 

The Friendship Breakup is fantastic and I read the entire novel in one day. It was extremely relatable, as I had also been ghosted by a friend in the past. Check out my review. Thanks to Annie, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

Annie Cathryn has always dreamed of becoming an author and lives by the motto, “Creating is Living.” The Friendship Breakup is her debut book baby, born out of love. 

When not writing or reading, she’s organizing her personal library collection by color and discovering delectable chocolate.

She earned a journalism degree and a master’s in communications from Marquette University, and lives in Chicagoland with her husband, daughter, and two fur babies. (Bio courtesy of Amazon.)

Visit Annie online:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:

Fallon Monroe, mother of one, self-help book junkie, and budding chocolatier, has always relied on her mom friends in the Chicago suburbs to get her through the trials of adulthood. So when her bestie Beatrice inexplicably starts ghosting her and takes all their mutual friends with her, Fallon’s left wondering how everything went so wrong. Pushing down a lifetime of insecurities, Fallon doubles down and decides to win them back. First, she hosts an epic Mexican fiesta that goes epically wrong. Then she joins a friendship app but discovers a disturbing secret about one of her new friends.

Just when she’s about to throw in the towel on the whole friendship mess, Fallon reads a recently unearthed letter she’d refused to deal with decades earlier—and reading it forces her to finally face the deep-seated fears she’d desperately tried to bury. Now, looking at her friendships through fresh eyes, she must decide between hanging on and letting go.

Fallon is an instantly likeable heroine—as vulnerable as she is determined—and she’ll have readers eagerly turning the pages as they join her on an emotional journey into the hopes and fears of adulthood. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“At once heartwarming and humorous, The Friendship Breakup is smart, layered, and captures the all-too-familiar nuances of being a friend, staying a friend, and learning when to let go. Written with emotional depth while capturing our most profound vulnerabilities, Cathryn is an author to watch. A novel with a big heart that will captivate readers.”

—Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author of When We Let Go

“In this warm and witty story, Annie Cathryn paints a portrait of a woman who must let go of her preconceived notions of what her life should be like in order to find out who she really is—and become her own best friend.”

—Camille Pagán, national bestselling author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You

"Perfect to read by the beach or pool with your favorite iced coffee (or in those stolen moments in the carpool line), The Friendship Breakup will have you both laughing and savoring the journey like it was one of Fallon’s chocolates. Sharp, witty, and relevant to everyone who has ever outgrown a friend.” 

—Sara Goodman Confino, Amazon bestselling author of She's Up to No Good

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
The road to publishing was a long, twisty, sometimes bumpy road that led to a beautiful destination. 

How is Fallon similar to or different from you?
Fallon, like me, is a married mother of one who loves chocolate and self-help books.

If The Friendship Breakup were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?
That’s a fun question. There are several songs referenced in the book that would make for an incredible soundtrack including:

•  “I’m Every Woman” Whitney Houston
•  “Watermelon Sugar” Harry Styles 
• “Best of My Love” The Emotions 
• “My Way” Frank Sinatra 
• “Livin’ la Vida Loca” Ricky Martin 
• “Sugar” Maroon 5
• “Ironic” Alanis Morissette 
• “Let it Go” Idina Menzel
• “Roar” Katy Perry

What is the last book you read that you would recommend? 

The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev follows three generations of strong women who are at different stages in their lives dealing with their exes and on the dating scene. Multiple points of view and alternating chapters devoted to each character makes it a fast, fun read. It’s captivating, heartwarming and hilarious. 

Tell us more about the Soulful Series and how that came about.
I reviewed I Am a Girl From Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro on Instagram and she saw it and asked me if I would interview her on Insta Live. After I interviewed her, I realized how much I enjoyed it, so I started Soulful Series to interview other authors who’ve written a memoir or non-fiction motivational book. It’s been a fantastic two years chatting with fascinating and incredible authors. 

Tell us about your longest and/or closest friendship.

That’s definitely my college roommate, Jenn. People often mistake us for sisters, as we look a lot alike. We were roommates second semester of freshman year and sophomore year. Although we didn’t room together junior and senior year, we remained friends and stayed close after graduation. She lives in North Carolina, but we manage to see each other at least twice a year around the holidays. Jenn is the first person I turn to for advice, and we have a similar sense of humor, which always makes for a fun time. 

Thanks to Annie for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends February 12th at midnight EST.

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