Monday, February 15, 2016

2 Broads Abroad: Moms Fly the Coop by Deborah Serra and Nancy Serra Greene Excerpt & Giveaway


2 Broads Abroad: Moms Fly the Coop
by Deborah Serra and Nancy Serra Greene

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GENRE: Nonfiction, Motherhood, Travel Memoir

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BLURB:

When sisters, Deborah & Nancy, discovered that motherhood was a temp job they decided to run away from home. After packing up that last kid for college, and facing the sad stillness of their suddenly quiet homes, they decided to leave the country. 2 BROADS ABROAD: MOMS FLY THE COOP is a funny, irreverent, occasionally poignant travel tale of their impulsive road trip around Ireland.

In this witty warm-hearted adventure, they experienced some of Ireland’s quirkier history while sharing universally relatable stories of maniacal school coaches, neurotic neighbors, and tiger moms. Having kicked that empty nest into their rearview mirror, the sisters took off careening down the wrong side of the road, making questionable choices, getting trapped in a medieval tower, sneaking Chinese take-out into a famous cooking school, drinking way too much, and gaining a changed perspective on their lives ahead.

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Excerpt

“Your youngest is leaving for college? Aw, empty nest?”  Then, sappy eyes followed by a plaintive grin and, “What will you do?”

Before my sister and I decided to run away from home we were bothered by that question.  There was something minimizing about it, minimizing and not completely untrue. Motherhood had been so deceptive, the greatest paradox in life: every single bleary-eyed day felt a month long, and the years went by in an instant. They flashed by like lightning and left a desiccated scorch mark wearing my clothes.  It was disagreeable to imagine what life would be like childless:  there would be the family tree, and there would be the mom who’s the center of the family tree, standing leafless, bare (and it has been a while since I looked good bare). There was some solace as I glanced around me to see my younger sister, Nancy, would be standing there bare as well.  We were embarking on this progeny-shedding calamity simultaneously as both of our youngest daughters, Nicole and Olivia, were leaving for college the same week.

I knew that Nancy hadn’t really focused on it yet.  And then, we met at Fashion Island in Newport Beach near her home to get a birthday gift for our mom. We ran into two of Nancy’s neighbors, Vicki and Susan.

“Nancy,” Vicki asked, “doesn’t Nicole graduate from Corona Del Mar High School this June?”

“Yes,” Nancy said.  “She’s going to the University of Washington.”

“Oh,” Susan lifted her eyebrows, “you must be devastated.”

“What?”  Nancy looked confused.  “No, actually I was happy for her.  She worked really hard. It was her first choice school.”

“But so far away!” Susan added in that annoying singsong tone.

Nancy shifted her feet, a move I knew well as her sister.  It was something she always did when she was being told something she did not like to hear.

“It’s not that far.” Nancy said.

“It’s a plane ride. You need an airplane to see your daughter.” Susan said loudly.

“Yeah.”  Nancy turned to me in an effort to change the subject. “You remember my sister, Deborah?”

“Of course.” Vicki smiled.  And we exchanged hellos.  Vicki seemed normal, but I had an inkling that I might have to slap Susan.

Susan continued on with her one thought. “With your son gone already, and soon Nicole, well, Nancy, I guess you’re all alone now.”

Nancy shifted her feet again. “I’m still married, Susan.”

“Sure.  Sure.  Right.  So that’s better than nothing, huh?”

Nancy and I both froze.  Did she just say that?

“You know,” Vicki tried to cut off Susan, “when Terrie’s youngest left she bought a Chihuahua puppy.  Cutest thing you’ve ever seen.  And the Walkers gave a room to an exchange student from Sweden,” she explained happily.

Nancy nodded. “That sounds like a good plan.”

Susan opened her mouth to speak again and I wasn’t sure whether I should just smack her now and be done with it, or let her continue.  I made the wrong choice.

“Remember Pam Winthrop?” Susan leaned in. “When her son left she started eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every day until she put on 60 pounds. Sad, really, tragic. Even her kneecaps were fat.” Then Susan turned to me, “So, Deborah, isn’t your youngest graduating, too?”

“I’m leaving the country,” I said.

Susan cocked her head. “What?”

“I’m leaving the country,” I repeated matter-of-factly.

“So am I,” Nancy said. I looked at her.  I saw the decision in her eyes. “I’m going with Deborah.  We’re taking a long trip together – a sisters trip.”

“You are?” Susan sounded a little thwarted, which Nancy found gratifying.

“Yup, in the planning stages.” Nancy smiled at Susan who was clearly disappointed that we were not miserable as anticipated.  “Nice to see you though, Susan, Vicki.  Got to go. In the middle of booking flights and stuff. So much to do!”

We turned away and strode with purpose toward the door.

I whispered, “Susan’s a real gem.”

“She did me a favor.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been so busy I just wasn’t thinking about it.”

“And I haven’t been able to think about anything else,” I said.  “When I’m awake in the middle of the night it runs over and over in my mind.”

Nancy said, “When I heard that crap Susan was dealing, all of a sudden I realized, there’s no way am I plodding into that sunset with fat kneecaps carrying a Chihuahua.”



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Deborah Serra has been a sought-after screenwriter for twenty-five years having written for NBC, CBS, Sony, Lifetime, Fox, and others. She was a recipient of the 2012 Hawthornden Literary Fellowship. Her first novel was a semi-finalist for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Award given by the Faulkner Society in New Orleans, LA.

Nancy is a graduate of San Diego State University. She worked in medical sales before stepping away to raise her two children, at which point she became: Team Mom, Snack Mom, PTA member, Assistance League Volunteer, and the list is never-ending. Nancy was the editor and publisher of the Buffalo Hills Echo newsletter with a circulation of 1400. She also designed and managed her community website.


Buy Link:






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GIVEAWAY

Deborah Serra and Nancy Serra Greene will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

42 comments:

  1. Enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a wonderful read, thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Eva, Thanks for following the tour!
      Deborah & Nancy

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  2. Thank you for the excerpt. I always enjoy your blog.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Hope, thanks for taking a look at our excerpt.
      Deborah & Nancy

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  3. Oh this sounds like such a hilarious read! I can just picture my sister and I doing something like this! Oh would love to read!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Laura, Yes! Do take a crazy trip with your sister. We really didn't ever plan to do this, it was impulsive, but a treasured funny wild time. We hope both you and your sister read and then are encouraged to take off together! Deborah & Nancy

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  4. Great post! Thanks for sharing the excerpt :)

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    1. Thanks for coming along on our tour,Victoria
      Deborah & Nancy

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  5. This sounds like such an entertaining read. Thank you for sharing.

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  6. Replies
    1. Rita, please read and have a laugh on us.
      Deborah & Nancy

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  7. I enjoyed reading your post. I only regret the fact that I don't have a sister!

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    1. NO! Linda, don't regret - grab your best friend, or even some woman you barely like - and hit the road. The experience is well worth it and you'll be amazed by what you learn. Read along and you'll see. Go! Just go.
      Deborah & Nancy

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  8. Replies
    1. Deborah & Nancy want to thank Goddess Fish for organizing this tour and Deal Sharing Aunt for such a great group and attractive place for us to stop this week!

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  9. What is a good joke that you heard recently? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

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  10. Just love this story and loved the excerpt.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, MomJane, thank you for reading - please let us know when you finish the book what you thought. We'd love to see you on our Goodreads or Amazon page!

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  11. If the rest of the book is as funny as the excerpt, it will be a fun read. (and yeah, I wanted to slap Susan too!)

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  12. Looks like a really great book would love to win and read this Thanks for the chance

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  13. Deborah Serra's Goodreads link on the rafflecopter doesn't work but I found her through the book https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14968488.Deborah_Serra

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  14. Tweeted Today Thanks
    https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/700182393198657536

    ReplyDelete
  15. I Shared on Facebook today Thanks for the giveaway
    https://www.facebook.com/linda.buzardmoffitt/posts/1089305174433438

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  16. Great excerpt. You usually hear about the kids going on a trip after high school. I love that the moms did it in this instance.

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  17. Looks really good shared on twitter today https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/700930231872442368

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great Excerpt I Shared on Facebook Today Thanks for the giveaway https://www.facebook.com/linda.buzardmoffitt/posts/1090678467629442

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tweeted also
      https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/701294641904271360

      Delete
  19. I just love the excerpt and I would love to read this book, it's sounds like a great read. ty.

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  20. Great excerpt! This book sounds like such a fun, exciting, and interesting read! Totally can't wait to read this book!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Looks like a funny really great book I shared on G+ Today Thanks
    https://plus.google.com/+LindaMoffitt02/posts/h7ZSmdxAkqv

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks I shared on FB today https://www.facebook.com/linda.buzardmoffitt/posts/1092372397460049

    ReplyDelete
  23. I tweeted today to share the post
    https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/702702800447389696

    ReplyDelete
  24. Shared on Facebook Today Thank You
    https://www.facebook.com/linda.buzardmoffitt/posts/1093603647336924

    ReplyDelete
  25. Shared on Twitter Today Thanks
    https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/703448982085836800

    ReplyDelete
  26. Shared on Google+ Today Thanks https://plus.google.com/+LindaMoffitt02/posts/NSFwz83K41B

    ReplyDelete
  27. Shared your blog post on Twitter today Thanks
    https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/704944523227615233

    ReplyDelete
  28. Shared on Facebook Today Thanks https://www.facebook.com/linda.buzardmoffitt/posts/1097286146968674

    ReplyDelete
  29. Shared on Twitter Today Thanks https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/707831839625498625

    ReplyDelete