My second collection of short stories, That Very Place, was officially released by Unsolicited Press on September 9. For me, having a book released is a little like sending your child off to his first day of Kindergarten or his first year of college. You’ve done your best to get him ready to meet the world, but you worry about how the world will receive him.
I’m happy to say the world is receiving That Very Place with open arms. Here’s what readers are saying:
“What makes these stories so powerful is McGuigan’s ability to say so much between the lines. And through it all shines her love for her characters, even the most damaged and hopeless.” —F. Hawthorne
“A virtuoso collection. McGuigan shows just how much depth, anguish and gimlet-eyed humor lie behind the everyday facades of working-class life.” —M. McAdoo
“That Very Place is an exceptional piece of writing… The author peers into the characters’ secrets with deep understanding, compassion, and honesty … and creates superb emotional cliffhangers.” —D. Greenhut
“Whether it’s a former lover, an infant given up for adoption, or an elderly family member in the throes of dementia, we know these people—their cycles of pain spawned by secrets. McGuigan draws back the curtain and we witness the suffering we didn’t want to see. In the end, her stories might lead readers to that very place that brings understanding and healing.” —R. Gannon
“McGuigan shares stories that come from a place of wisdom, written with compassion for and a keen understanding of the lives she’s created.” —B. Hawley
I hope you’ll want to meet the characters in That Very Place, and I hope you’ll write to me and let me know what you think of them.
Available now in bookstores—real and virtual.
