Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Odyssey in a Teacup: Fantastically fun women's satire by Paula Houseman

Fantastically fun women’s satire
“A great read.”

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Only 99 cents!
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A tut-tutting, big-breasted, modern-day gorgon; a humorless schoolmarm with an unfortunate name and freakishly long, yellow incisors (yeesh)—these are the kinds of people Ruth Roth regularly encounters. Add in daily dealings with an acerbic mother who squawks like a harpy, a father with a dodgy moral compass and a God complex, a bitchy mirror, and Ruth’s existence feels like a Greek tragicomedy.

The idiocy of daily life makes sense to Ruth when she develops a fascination with ancient mythology. She learns that the deviant gods and spectacular monsters of bygone myths are alive and well in the backwoods of our psyche; that there’s always one who escapes suppression and can have the whip hand in our lives. Ruth’s is one of the most unwelcome societal presences—the goddess of obscenity. And talk about ugly!

Ruth can relate to this immortal. Not in looks; Ruth is quite comely. But she feels unwelcome in her own family (she gatecrashed her mother’s womb only two months after her brother vacated it). Despite being labelled the ‘black sheep’, or maybe because of it, Ruth takes on her nemeses, bravely and brazenly (her dirty goddess doesn’t give a rat’s about social niceties). But our heroine is war-weary. And the yearning to fit in somewhere—anywhere—eventually undoes her. We must look on helplessly as Ruth loses her soul.

She wants it back, though!

Just as well the mad characters in her mind and experiences won’t quit. Just as well Ruth never loses her wry wit. And where her nearest and dearest attempt to keep her shrunken into a wholesome package of conformity, Ruth’s two closest girlfriends simply won’t allow it. And then there’s Ralph Brill.
Ruth’s hot-looking, eccentric cousin and best friend, Ralph is her staunchest ally. Also a misfit in his family, he has his share of problems including a st-t-t-tuttering brutish father, and an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder—Ralph needs to do everything twice, twice.

Ruth relies on his repeated encouragement and the support of her girlfriends as she embarks on an odyssey. A good homoeopathic dose of ancient mythology helps her find her way back through the sludgy shame and irrational fears choking her spirit. Then just when all seems well, Ruth faces an apocalypse …

Fantastically fun women’s satire
“A great read.”
Special Promotion - Only 99 cents!
Available in Paperback and eBook


Review
By TFLReader  on September 16, 2015
I haven't read any good satire in a really long time. As an American and Floridian, I used to follow writers like Dave Barry and Carl Hiassen with abandon but there is something to be said for international writers and I simply adored author Paula Houseman's new novel, "Odyssey in a Teacup". A story written around one central character, Ruth, and her trials and tribulations in her world of family, friends, occupation and the like. Ruth's encounters are nearly all quite hilarious and I loved her sharp wit, that often had me wishing I was as quick with the tongue. The secondary characters in this one are equally as quirky and delightful. A great read.

Read more reviews here…

Fantastically fun women’s satire
“A great read.”
Special Promotion - Only 99 cents!
Available in Paperback and eBook

Biography
Paula Houseman thought her life was, well ... meh. Until she started fiction writing. What gushed forth onto the page made her realize her existence had not been mundane after all; it had been ridiculous! 

Sure, she has a serious side. The concept of 'identity' had fascinated her for some time, and she exercised it as a graphic designer creating them for others through imagery. Then, at university (majoring in linguistics and sociology), she explored how word usage constructs our identities and realities. Paula applied her findings to an essay on women's subjectivity, even won the 2007 UNSW United Association of Women Prize. And her honors thesis examined the archetypal significances in the words that shape our collectively authored cancer story.

But while she was digging around in ancient mythology where the archetypes live, Paula developed a kinship with a butt-ugly, potty-mouthed goddess, one who embodied a holy kind of dirty, showed her the absurdity of the human condition, taught her about the value of laughter, and is responsible for the bawdiness in her book, Odyssey in a Teacup.

Fantastically fun women’s satire
“A great read.”
Special Promotion - Only 99 cents!
Available in Paperback and eBook

Connect with Paula…

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