Spotlight: Celebrating Naked by Lindsey Issow Averill
/How do you break a deathbed promise to your best friend?
When Sissy came to visit Liz and Cliff Gordon, they weren't expecting her to stay. But she was pregnant and newly widowed, and more importantly, the Gordons loved her. Together, they and their children formed a family—non-traditional, but extraordinary.
Eighteen years later, cancer takes Sissy, and she leaves behind a legacy so vibrant the family’s grief threatens to break them.
Liz makes a promise: she'll celebrate Sissy, not mourn her. She won't let her sorrow show. But her husband, Cliff clings to a secret that brings him both joy and pain. Their son, Michael is lost in his guilt. Their daughter, Clara grapples with coming-of-age without her “second mother.” And Sissy's son, Artie discovers a love that could cause him to lose everything. They've all celebrated Sissy's life... but can they go on without accepting her death?
Told from six perspectives and set in sun-drenched Santa Fe, New Mexico, Celebrating Naked explores motherly love, romantic love and the love of true friendship. This tale of a family’s heartbreak—reminds us that grief is a byproduct of love.
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About the Author
Growing up in both conservative, Greenwich, CT and whimsical, Santa Fe, NM, Lindsey is the daughter of a gypsy Queen and a gynecologist. Her childhood was filled with rainbows and cotton candy and she believes that if all children had parents like hers then world peace would be right around the corner.
A woman of many hearts, Lindsey is a filmmaker, an academic, a writer, an activist, a novelist, a sake and sushi lover, a notorious trashy television watcher, an odd beauty secret keeper, an amazing dancer... really, the list is endless. She’s married to a dreamer who calls her pumpkin poop and makes her feel like burping hearts, and she has a son who she fondly calls potato.
In her spare time, Lindsey writes stuff for lots of cool media outlets, like CNN, xojane, Time.com, The Huffington Post, Alternet, Refinery29, and Bustle.
Connect with Lindsay: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads