FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Fairfield, Connecticut, January 20, 2023.] Award-winning British-born writer Gabi Coatsworth recently signed with Atmosphere Press, in Austin, Texas, who previously published her memoir, Love’s Journey Home–in May 2022 to publish her debut novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over on April 23, 2023.
“I was inspired to write this novel because after I was widowed, my friends kept asking me when I would start dating again. I decided that my heroine, who’s still communicating with her late husband in her head, would finally see him, and he’d offer to help her find a replacement – one not as good as him.”
The novel takes place in a bookstore, in an imaginary small town in Connecticut, not far from New Haven. “I enjoyed visiting small towns all over the state, and putting together locations to create a new town,” says Coatsworth, who has lived in Fairfield since 1983.
The memoir, which tells the story of how a lost romance that was almost destroyed by alcoholism was finally redeemed by a terminal cancer diagnosis and the author’s decision to return home to care for her husband – when she fell in love with him again.
Coatsworth credits Connecticut’s writing community with supporting her writing.
“Connecticut is rich in resources for writers, including classes, workshops and supportive groups. I couldn’t have written this book without their help,” she says. “It’s taken me several years, but the effort was worth it.”
Brief synopsis
It’s time for widow Molly Stevenson to stand on her own two feet. With blind dates, a needy ghost, and her small‑town bookstore in trouble, she’s going to need all her inner strength to prevent another unhappy ending.
Fifty‑something Molly can’t bear to remove her wedding band. Still grieving the death of her beloved husband, the last thing she needs is her sleazy landlord raising the rent to drive her bookshop out of business.
And she doesn’t need a new man, either, no matter what her friends say.
Now, this mild‑mannered indie bookstore owner must find the inner strength to turn the page to a brand‑new chapter.
So she’s relieved when the ghost of her husband arrives claiming he’s there to help. But is he? Seems he has some issues of his own.
With a little nudge from beyond the grave, the mild‑mannered bibliophile hatches a plan to revitalize her boutique and keep the doors open. But with everyone, including her spectral spouse, insisting she start dating again, Molly isn’t sure what’s worse—the dates she meets online or the love of her life trying to find her a new man—who’s not quite as good as him.
How will Molly find the courage to fight for herself?
The book will be available through major retailers as well as online in eBook, paper, and audiobook formats.
The book launch will be supported with in-person and virtual appearances in Connecticut and beyond. For further information, or to book interviews, please contact the author at the email above/below.
Author Bio: Gabi Coatsworth is an award-winning British-born writer and blogger, who has spent half her life living in the United States. A member of several national writing associations, she’s active in the Connecticut writing community and runs several groups for writers. In 2018, she worked on the inaugural Saugatuck StoryFest, a literary festival in Westport, CT.
Her memoir, Love’s Journey Home, was published by Atmosphere Press in May, 2022. They will also publish her debut novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over, on April 23, 2023.
Contact information
Gabi@GabiCoatsworth.com