PRESS RELEASE
From Egret Lake Books
Seattle, WA—May 1, 2024
Summer Reading: Fiction Book “Learning to Swim” Contains Laughs for the Sandwich Generation
Three generations of women are featured in Learning to Swim, a new summer beach read from author Shayla Dugan.
Middle-aged Gabrielle is sandwiched between caring for a teenage daughter and her aging mother. Three generations of women living under one roof provide ample opportunity for comedy, their story adeptly written by Dugan who also writes a humorous blog about experiences from her own life.
While most of the book has a light tone, deeper conversations about end-of-life conflict resolution and passing down generational knowledge are prominent in the storytelling. Grandmother Ida is a former Olympian swimmer whose longtime smoking habit now requires surgery. Always tough on her daughter, she must learn to soften before it is too late. Gabrielle deals with her difficult mother as best she can while navigating a divorce, caring for a teenage daughter, and corresponding with her ne’er-do-well brother.
Author Dugan is a former hospice social worker and grief counselor who helped families cope with loss. “Often, adult children and their parents would seek my help in solving life-long family issues during the last few months on earth together. That professional experience of helping families reconcile their differences was incredibly meaningful,” says Dugan. “The idea for Learning to Swim came to me one day when I was discussing with friends the difficulty of caring for aging parents and children at the same time.”
This is Dugan’s debut in the women’s fiction and humor genres. A grandmother herself, Dugan holds dual master’s degrees in English and Social Work. When asked about her book she says, “I feel like this book will connect with women on many levels because of the multiple viewpoints… women will think, ‘I’ve been there’ or ‘I’m going to be there some day.’”
Learning to Swim: A Novel by Shayla Dugan will be published through Egret Lake Books, a new micropress focused on women’s fiction, romance, and poetry.
Book Title: Learning to Swim: A Novel
Author: Shayla Dugan
Publisher: Egret Lake Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Humor
Format: Paperback and eBook
ISBN: 978-1-956498-06-6
Book Product Page: https://egretlakebooks.com/learning-to-swim/
Book Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/40BuJHw (Also sold wherever books are sold.)
For more information about the author visit: https://shayladugan.com/
Tess Jones
Egret Lake Books
Email: tess.jones at egretlakebooks.com
About Egret Lake Books: http://egretlakebooks.com/about/
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