Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

By S.M. Stevens

After suffering harassment and abuse at the hands of others, two women fight to reclaim their careers, romances, and lives.

“Any sexual abuse, no matter the form or degree, impacts the victim. Stevens portrays this beautifully in this exploration of a young woman's coming to terms with her past. And the parallel story of a woman grappling with workplace sexual harassment underscores the similarities in how society treats both types of victim.” --Laura Davis, co-author of The Courage to Heal

“…engages the reader in a series of situations that are honest, strongly and carefully drawn and painfully current. [Touches] on what is most difficult in the lives of survivors of abuse while spotlighting the kindness and support of those who sustain them.” --Susan Roney-O’Brien, author of Legacy of the Last World and Bone Circle

Fragile but practical Shelby Stewart and ambitious, confident Astrid Ericcson just want to start their PR careers in 1980s Boston and maybe find a nice guy to hang out with. But long-buried memories of incest at the hands of her local hero stepfather keep interrupting Shelby’s plans, affecting her health one way after another. And when will she actually date someone her friends think is good enough for her?

Astrid thinks she wrote the book on How to Get Ahead by Flirting but is forced to re-visit her career advancement strategy when her boss Brad takes the innuendos to a whole new, scary level, threatening her job and her safety.

Suddenly, instead of taking charge of their lives, both women find themselves spinning out of control.

In this fast-paced story for the #metoo generation, the women reach new highs and lows in life, work and romance, while struggling to make sense of the abusive relationships that haunt them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TouchPoint Press
• Release date: Sep 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781946920713

S.M. Stevens

S.M. Stevens began writing fiction during back-to-back health crises: a shattered pelvis and ovarian cancer. Her focus is contemporary adult novels that make you laugh, cry and think, but she also dabbles in short stories, script-writing, essays, and novels for Young Adults and Middle Graders. Follow her at www.AuthorSMStevens.com.