Press Release – New Debutantes Take Over for 2021
“The Debutante Ball has introduced us to some of the best contemporary authors.”
-WeHeartWriting.com
For Immediate Release:
August 31, 2020– Founded in 2006, The Debutante Ball celebrates the journey of five female debut authors on their paths to publication. Through discussions that range from craft and creativity to copy edits and cover designs—plus weekly guest posts by published authors—The Debutante Ball offers guidance and a supportive community for aspiring and published writers, as well as for readers curious about the behind the scenes of book publishing. Now in its fifteenth year, the collaborative blog has helped launch the careers of over 60 authors, including New York Times bestselling authors Eleanor Brown (The Weird Sisters), and Tiffany Baker (The Little Giant of Aberdeen County), and acclaimed authors Natalia Sylvester (Everyone Knows You Go Home), Amy E. Reichert (The Coincidence of Coconut Cake), Aya de Leon (Uptown Thief), and Karma Brown (Come Away With Me).
This year, the 2021 Debutante Class includes five talented debut novelists whose books span a wide variety of genres, eras, and audiences. Their biographies and novels are as follows:
Ehsaneh Sadr
Ehsaneh Sadr is an Iranian-American novelist and activist with a PhD in International Relations. She has worked, in various capacities, on campaigns related to Palestinian human rights, Iranian sanctions, access to credit for rural villagers, and safe spaces for children in crisis. She currently works with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to create the cultural and infrastructure changes needed to support a shift away from carbon-based modes of transportation. Ehsaneh currently lives in Northern California with her husband and two children but also considers Washington DC, Salt Lake City, and Tehran to be home
A DOOR BETWEEN US is about three very different people trying to navigate their way through a politically tumultuous time. It’s set in 2009 Iran in the aftermath of the massive political protests that followed an election that many felt were rigged to ensure the re-election of the regime-favored candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
A DOOR BETWEEN US is out on September 1st!
Lyn Liao Butler
Born in Taiwan, Lyn Liao Butler has had many careers: concert pianist, professional ballet and modern dancer, business owner, personal trainer, fitness and yoga instructor, purse designer and now author. Lyn’s mother was not a Tiger Mom; Lyn came about her overachieving all on her own.
In THE TIGER MOM’S TALE, a Taiwanese-American woman must confront the scars of her past in order to embrace her true identity, or turn her back on her Taiwanese heritage forever.
Elizabeth Gonzalez James:
Elizabeth Gonzalez James’ stories and essays have appeared in Ploughshares Blog, The Rumpus, The Idaho Review, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. Her debut novel, MONA AT SEA, was a finalist in the 2019 SFWP Literary Awards judged by Carmen Maria Machado, and is forthcoming, Summer 2021, from Santa Fe Writers Project. Originally from South Texas, she now lives with her family in Oakland, California.
MONA AT SEA is a sharp, witty novel that introduces us to Mona Mireles, a young woman grappling with long term unemployment during the Great Recession. Despite her potential, and her top-of-her-class college degree, Mona finds herself adrift in life and love, searching for something to give her life meaning. And once she finds it, will she have the courage to pursue it?
Greta Kelly
Greta Kelly is (probably) not a witch, death or otherwise, but she can still be summoned with offerings of too-beautiful-to-use journals and Butterfingers candy. Though she has travelled across the world, including brief stints living in Germany and Japan, life always kept bringing her back home to the Midwest. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her husband EJ, daughter Lorelei and a cat who may, or may not, control the weather. Her debut novel, THE FROZEN CROWN, will be released on January 12, 2021 Harper Voyager.
In THE FROZEN CROWN, Askia, a princess-turned general must leave her defeated armies behind and sail to a foreign court to beg its emperor for aid. But a different sort of war awaits her at court, where one wrong word could mean the end of her people. And her life. THE FROZEN CROWN is the first part in a duology (both books to be published in 2021) packed with heroism, treachery, magic, and war.
Denny S. Bryce
Denny S. Bryce is an award-winning author and three-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, including twice for WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES, her debut historical fiction novel coming on March 30, 2021. She also writes book reviews for NPR Books, feature articles for FROLIC Media, and conducts debut author interviews for A Mighty Blaze. A former professional dancer and ‘bad’ actress, she spent over two decades running her marketing and event management firm. A fan of genre-TV, she is currently obsessed with The CW’s The Flash, which is in line with past obsessions, which fed her love of writing fanfiction. Her fandoms included Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, the BBC’s Being Human, and of course, Outlander_Starz. A frequent speaker at author events, she recently relocated from Northern Virginia to Savannah, GA. You can find her on Twitter @dennysbryce.
Jazz-age Chicago comes to vibrant life in WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES, Denny S. Bryce’s evocative novel that links the stories of an ambitious chorus girl and a modern-day film student, both coming to grips with loss, forgiveness, and the limitations—and surprises—of love.
