They All Fall in Love at the End by Haili Blassingame: Blog Tour & Giveaway

Monday, June 22, 2026
 
They All Fall in Love at the End by Haili Blassingame

Fans of Raven Leilani, Lily King, and Xochitl Gonzalez won't want to miss our latest blog tour. Haili Blassingame joins us to celebrate the launch of her book, They All Fall in Love at the End. Join us as we interview the author about her incredible novel and give you a chance to win a copy for yourself.

Before we get to that, here's more about the book:

Cat St. Clair is ready for her messy love triangle era now that she’s in an open relationship. But she didn’t foresee a forbidden love triangle with the only two people who are off-limits: her boyfriend’s best friend and his girlfriend. Being a twenty-something writer who lives for plot, she falls for them anyway, with deliciously disastrous consequences, in this electric literary debut for fans of Xochitl Gonzalez, Coco Mellors, Lily King, and Raven Leilani.

It’s the fall of 2024, and twenty-four-year-old Cat isn’t asking for too much: all she wants is three boyfriends, to write her little novels, and to survive another chaotic presidential election. She’s in an open relationship with her college sweetheart Jay, but nonmonogamy isn’t just a hot trend she’s trying. It’s her sliver of freedom in a world eager to wrestle it from her for being a Black woman going after what she wants with reckless abandon.

While political tensions roil the campus where Cat is slowly earning her creative writing degree, she finds herself drawn to Jay’s best friend, Tristan, who’s smart, super hot, and…in a monogamous relationship. And then she meets Tristan’s girlfriend, Nia, a captivating art student with her own gravitational pull.

Friends and family urge her to just be happy with Jay, but Cat is determined to have it all—or blow up her life trying. As she falls for all the wrong people, racking up lies, betrayals, and terrible drafts of her novel, she tries to write her way to a happy ending. But in art, politics, and love, true liberation may take more than rewriting the old scripts. It may mean inventing something entirely new.

Publisher: Scribner
ISBN-13: 9781668204122
ASIN: B0D9DP6GDY
Print length: 384 pages

Purchase a copy of They All Fall in Love at the End on Amazon and Bookshop.org. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads reading list too.

About the Author, Haili Blassingame

Haili Blassingame

Haili Blassingame is a producer for the show 1A from WAMU and NPR. She writes literary fiction about love, desire, and the decisions that feel impossible to make starring plucky, loud-mouth female protagonists of color. Her debut novel is called THEY ALL FALL IN LOVE AT THE END. It has a hot-pink cover. She's also written a New York Times Modern Love essay about breaking up with her boyfriend and a piece in The New Republic about Kamala Harris and Gretchen Whitmer. She’s also been a guest on the Modern Love podcast, NPR’s Life Kit, and NPR’s 1A. She previously worked on NPR’s Code Switch and Weekend Edition. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her 10,000 books and no bookshelf.

Find her online at:

Instagram: @hailiwroteabook
TikTok: @shutuphaili

-- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: Congrats on your book, They All Fall in Love at the End. What pulls you towards writing romantic fiction?

Haili: I LOVE love! I don’t know if I know how to write about anything else—or I should say, I write about many things, but romantic love often is the center of gravity of it. I’m also someone who grew up bingeing RomComs, so that genre and its quirks lives deep inside of me.

WOW: I think loving your genre is so important. How did your book change from the first draft to the final draft?

Haili: It changed DRAMATICALLY. There was an iteration of the book where the heroine’s main love interests, Jay and Tristan, were not childhood best friends. There was also a version where Cat and Tristan’s girlfriend, Nia, were just friends and there was no romantic complication there. All the tension was drained from the narrative in those drafts, it was like, Who cares!!? We wouldn’t even be talking about it right now if I hadn’t rewritten the whole thing; it wouldn’t have sold.
 
WOW: The changes you made ended up being so successful. What an experience to be published with a major publisher! What has that experience been like for you? Any insights or lessons you can share?

Haili: I’m lucky in that my experience at Scribner was seamless. I had a FANTASTIC editor that I adore, a deeply committed publicity and marketing team, so much support, I mean, Scribner hasn’t been around for nearly two centuries for no reason. They are the home of Fitzgerald, Wharton, Vonnegut, Wolfe, Hemingway (a fact I offer unprompted to anyone who cares, I’m just Scribner-maxxing right now). And so the lesson here is this: you can’t always choose your imprint. I sold in a pre-empt, so my editor and I chose each other. But the imprint does matter. Each one has its own identity, culture, logic, resources, vision and that’s hard to understand when you’re just starting out, you just want anyone, someone, to take your book. But just look at FSG, they launched the f*ck out of Madeline Cash. Scribner was the absolute right imprint to launch my debut, I’m certain of it. As a fire sign, I am proud to have the imprint’s flame on the spine of my novel. It’s also electric green which is very hot.

WOW: It sounds kismet! Okay so I have to ask: 10,000 books and NO BOOK SHELF? I love it! But I wonder: where do you put them all? And can we see photos? :)

Haili: I own a bookshelf, I just haven’t put it together and never will! This is my nightstand:


WOW: I love it! Where do you like to write? 

Haili: I write in my bed! But my mattress is sinking in on one side, so I won’t show you a picture. Sometimes, when I’m feeling adventurous, I write on the sofa in my living room, which is an absolute mess.


WOW: Sometimes the messiest places are the best places. What are you working on now that you can tell us about?

Haili: I’m working on way too many things because I’m neurotic. I just finished a literary time travel novel that’s part domestic drama, part second-chance romance. Basically a loose 17 Again retelling (pray it gets published!!!). I’m also working on a friends-to-lovers campus Rom-Com, like Deep Cuts but with movies. And I just started a queer celebrity fan fiction featuring a narrator loosely based on myself and the hottest nonbinary actor on Earth. I want it to be a slender summer novel–but we’ll see what happens there.

WOW: I can't wait! Thank you so much for sharing more about your writing journey and your latest projects. Enjoy the blog tour!

They All Fall in Love at the End Blog Tour

-- Blog Tour Calendar

June 22 @ The Muffin
Join us at WOW as we celebrate the start of Haili Blassingame's blog tour for They All Fall in Love at the End. You'll also have a chance to win a copy of the book.

June 23 @ Just Katherine
Visit Katherine's blog to read an excerpt from the book. She also responds to our tour-themed prompt about why she loves reading romantic stories.

June 25 @ Sarandipity's 
Stop by Sara's blog for a spotlight of They All Fall in Love at the End.

June 27 @ Chapter Break
Stop by Julie's blog for an interview with Haili Blassingame about her book They All Fall in Love at the End.

June 27 @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Join Linda's blog for an interview with Haili Blassingame.

July 1 @ Writer Advice
B. Lynn Goodwin interviews Haili Blassingame about her book, They All Fall in Love at the End.

July 4 @ Brandy's Substack
Stop by Brandy's Substack for a review of They All Fall in Love at the End. She also shares her response to our open blog tour-themed prompt.

July 7 @ Caitrin C. King's blog
Join Caitrin for an interview with Haili Blassingame.

July 10 @ StoreyBook Reviews
Join Leslie's blog for an excerpt from They All Fall in Love at the End. 

July 11 @ 30 Days By the Sea
Join Amy for a review of They All Fall in Love at the End.

July 15 @ Hook of a Book
Visit Erin's blog for a review of They All Fall in Love at the End.

July 17 @ Afro Reads
Join Lynelle for her review of They All Fall in Love at the End. You can also check out an excerpt of the book.

July 20 @ A Wonderful World of Words
Stop by Joy's blog for an excerpt from They All Fall in Love at the End.

July 25 @ A Sip, A Shout, and A Sentence
Join Elle for her review of They All Fall in Love at the End.

July 26 @ Nikki's Book and Movie Reviews
Visit Nikki's blog for her review of They All Fall in Love at the End.

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

Enter to win a print copy of They All Fall in Love at the End by Haili Blassingame. Fill out the form below for a chance to win! The giveaway ends on July 6th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!

They All Fall in Love at the End Giveaway
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Do You Consider Yourself an Adolescent Author? Interview with Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Friday, June 19, 2026

 Interview with Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Answering this question and oh so much more!

“Do You Consider Yourself an Adolescent Author?"


Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is a delightful author I have had the pleasure of working with many times. I was working on a class project and had to write about an adolescent author and fired off the following question to Elizabeth: " Do you consider yourself an adolescent author? I need to find an adolescent author for a class project." She replied with: "Hi!!! Sure, you can use me for the project. The Fourth Wall is definitely YA, and so are a lot of my short stories."


It was a joy to catch up with Elizabeth and I just know our WOW! readers will enjoy our conversation. If you haven't heard of Elizabeth before, let me start with a brief introduction: Some of her books have a bit of a dark side to them so they may not necessarily appeal to all young readers, but those who like murder mysteries will delight in her writing. 



I met Elizabeth with the launch of her first novel, The Fourth Wall, and for the purpose of today’s chat, I’ll tell you more about it! The Fourth Wall is a fabulously written first novel. When Marin was little and monsters chased her through nightmares, she learned to weave her own dreams. Her mother called the lucid dreaming a gift, and when an accident takes her mother and leaves her baby brother an empty shell, Marin uses this gift to spin a new reality for herself. One without time or sorrow. A world without memory. 


But just when Marin thinks she’s safe in her make-believe fantasy world, the monsters come back and her dream turns to a nightmare. Something in the dream doesn’t want Marin to wake up. In order to heal herself and her family, Marin must face the truth she’s forgotten and conquer what lies behind the fourth wall. 


Paperback: 235 pages 

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction 

Publisher: WiDo Publishing (June 10, 2014) 

ISBN-10: 193717851X ISBN-13: 978-1-937178-51-2 


At the launch of this book in 2014, Elizabeth and I had a candid interview (https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2014/07/elizabeth-maria-naranjo-launches-her.html). Be sure to check out her answer to the last question in that original interview - especially if you know a young aspiring author!


Since our initial time together, Elizabeth has gone on to write several more books and short stories, has won multiple writing contests, and I’ve worked with her multiple times through the years with her many publications. 



Her current bio looks like this: Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth Wall, The House on Linden Way, and the Sweet Dreams series. Her work has been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, Reservoir Road, Fractured Lit, Literary Mama, Hospital Drive, The Portland Review, and a few other places. Her stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essay, and Best of the Net, and her short story "Windows" was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. 


I caught up with Elizabeth over coffee this morning (virtually of course) and she said it was fine for me to share our conversation: 


Crystal: It’s so nice to catch up with you; thanks as always for the trust you place in me. I can’t wait to share your work with readers. Elizabeth, what are you working on now? Readers can't wait to get their hands on another book - tell us where we should be looking! 


 Elizabeth: Absolutely! Right now I’m working on the third book in my young adult cozy mystery series, Sweet Dreams Mysteries. I dreamed up this series while searching for young adult novels that were short, light-hearted, and fun. Not only was there a shortage of those at the time, I also realized there were no young adult cozy mysteries. I decided to write one, and then one became two, and so on. The first two books in the series, Murder by Milkshake and Pralines and Creamed, can be found on Amazon. The third, Double-Dip Demise, will be published mid-July. If you like quirky characters, amateur sleuths, small-town charm, and lots of descriptions of sugary treats, Sweet Dreams is for you! 


 Crystal: Who doesn’t love small-town charm and sugary treats? I mean really! What advice do you have about writing YA novels? 


 Elizabeth: My advice to anyone writing a YA novel is to not only know your audience but to respect them. Kids and adolescents are smart, and they know when they’re being talked down to. A YA novel told from the point of view of a seventeen-year-old girl should be in the voice of a seventeen-year-old girl, not her teacher or her mother; her unique struggles and joys and challenges and triumphs and anxieties should be relatable to other teens. 


 Crystal: I love that you pointed that out – young people hear enough of those authoritative voices and it deepens the connection for the story to be told in their voice. It makes sense, but I guess I hadn’t thought about that before. Thank you! What would you like to say to students and teachers when it comes to writing and reading for adolescents? What do you wish you knew when you were in middle school? 


 Elizabeth: One of the most important and powerful ways to teach others is by modeling, so to teachers I would say make sure you’re setting the example: read books, talk about books, get to know the books your students love. Encourage your students to read outside their comfort zone without judging the books within it. To students I would say keep reading! There’s nothing like the magic of a good story. And if you’re interested in writing stories, that’s another kind of magic altogether. All you need is something to write with and your imagination. 


Crystal: Thanks again for your time and this candid conversation! I’m sure we will be working together soon! 


Elizabeth can be found at http://www.elizabethmarianaranjo.com/. You can also connect with Elizabeth on her social networks: 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/elizabethmarianaranjo 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.m.naranjo 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emarianaranjo 



Today's interview was penned by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Crystal Casavant writes. 

Everything. 

If you follow her blog you have likely laid eyes on every thought she has ever had. 

Her debut novel, It Was Never About Me, Was It? is still a work in progress and shall be fully worthy sometime in her lifetime as she switched gears and is seven chapters in on a psychological thriller that has captured her heart. She has written for WOW! Women on Writing, Bring on Lemons, and has been featured in several magazines and ezines relating to credit and collections as well as religious collections for confessional Lutherans. 


She runs a busy household (from her parent’s basement) full of intelligent, recalcitrant, and delightful humans who give her breath and keep her heart beating day after day. 


Crystal wears many hats (and not just the one in this photo) including college student, mom, musician, singer, administrator, writer, teacher, and friend. She fully believes in being in the moment and doing everything she can to improve the lives of those around her! She recently moved into her parent’s basement and is enjoying the challenge, recently posting some delicious meals titled: Culinary Adventures in My Parent’s Basement. 


The world may never know her name, but she prays that because of her, someone may smile a little brighter. She prides herself on doing nice things - yes, even for strangers. She is always up for a challenge whether it’s living in the basement, living on a boat, or buying a dairy farm! You never know where she’ll turn up next or what she’ll be doing, but it’s guaranteed she’ll be having fun! 



 Check out the latest Contests: 


 www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php 




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The Author Life: A Choose Your Own Adventure

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Recently I was reading a post about the importance of revising. The author emphasized that we never get things right on the first try. Our first drafts are simply the starting place. And I get that. I’m working on five short pieces of nonfiction for Highlights High Five. Writing for preschoolers is not my sweet spot so revision has been essential as I shape each piece and select the right words. 

But at least one of my writer friends has taken a class on fast drafting. They have a set time to write an essay. Then they send it out. They don’t spend weeks or even days revising. Out it goes. Hey, I see you! Yes, you! The one shaking your head. This isn’t a gimmick. They make sales. And I've had one or two pieces that came together on the first try.  It is an amazing feeling.   

Writing isn’t a single path. It is more like a choose your own adventure. There are so many things that you can select to do. 

I realized how true this was when I was at a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference in LA. I had dozens of sales but not a single one was a book sale. While no one said anything to me specifically, it was clear. “We are book writers.” At that time, I had chosen another path.

One writer who emphasized this need for each of us to make our own writing journey was Jane Yolen (1939 – 2026). Even when she spoke to new writers, she let them know that this was what had worked for her. They would need to find what worked for them. 

When do we need to apply that independence? It starts with our writing habits. Do you write daily? For some writers it is a must. Other people work better if they set aside a large block of time once a week.

Where do you write? There are café writers and quiet writers. I simply cannot focus in a café or coffee shop. 

What do you write? Some people specialize. There are essayists and poets who write only essays or poetry. Then there are people who write a bit of this and a bit of that. I’ve written how-tos, book reviews, articles, and books. 

Who do you write for? Some people write only for young readers. Then there are the ones who write for adults. Although I write for both, most of my writing is for young readers or my fellow writers. 

Do you write in only one genre? There are people who write only mysteries or fantasy. But there are other writers who follow a story wherever it leads. They might craft a thriller and next write historical fiction. 

Traditional publishing or independent publishing? Outliner or pantser? Paid developmental editors? In person or online critique group? Word or Scrivener? Mac or PC? The possibilities are endless. 

The point that I hope you are getting is that your path as a writer is just that. It is your path. It might be similar to mine for a time and then be more like Renee Roberson’s or Angela Mackintosh’s. 

You need to write what only you can create and follow wherever it may lead you. 


To get a free copy of Sue’s book, What to Do When Your Book Is Banned, subscribe to her newsletter, One Writer’s Journey, here.

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 80 books for young readers.  

She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:
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Interview with Deborah Thompson: Fall 2025 Flash Fiction Runner-Up

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

 

Deborah’s Bio:

Deborah Thompson is a short/flash story writer, Pilates teacher and Graphic designer. Her writing has appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine, Fairfield Scribes, The Remington Review and the To Hull and Back Anthology,and recently won an Off Topic short story competition.

She has an MA in Creative Writing from Kingston University, lives in London UK with husband and two adopted children. and spends far too much playing online Bridge with robots.

If you haven't read her story, "Big Eye," take a moment to do so and then come back here to learn more about her writing process.

WOW: What was the inspiration for “Big Eye”?

Deborah: I sometimes use competitions to kickstart a story. This story was originally inspired by a Globe Soup flash competition, with a list of paranormal subjects to write about. When I saw the word ‘Kraken’, an image floated into my mind of two young things playing together, human and non-human. A Kraken in popular folklore is a giant, octopus-like creature, and when I did some research into octopi, their intelligence, their reproductive cycles, I wondered what the friendship between two such different species would look like as they grew. Would it even be possible? That’s when my imagination fired up!

WOW:  And that imagination comes through loud and clear in this story!  How did “Big Eye” change during the revision process?

Deborah: The story and its themes were pretty much there in the first draft. I enjoyed subverting the idea of the Kraken as a terrible, man-eating male, turning her into a creature who, like any powerful female, is both misunderstood and feared (by men). This particular story seemed to write itself – the non-verbal bond, the simple fun they had as children, their separation through the undeniable fact of growing up, the understanding that females endure, and sometimes sacrifice, for their children—a powerful bond which replaces the simple one of their childhood. In subsequent revisions, I tightened the writing, choosing words that reinforced the themes of connection, loss, and grief, and the final reconciliation of these three things. Final lines are important in short stories, and I tried various words and sentence structures, opting in the end for simplicity to try to suggest joy, endurance and love.

WOW: There are so many details that are left out of flash fiction. How do you decide what to include and what to omit?  

Deborah: As a writer, I need to be clear what the story is really about – what it is I’m trying to say, what the themes are, and then choose words that most effectively illustrate this. Evocation is key – what words will evoke, or infer, rather than explain? Generally, I look at a paragraph I’ve written, and then ask myself how I can say (or infer) exactly the same thing, only with fewer, more evocative words.

WOW:  That's an excellent way to do it, and a great lesson for us all.  You identify yourself as a flash/short story writer.  What do our readers need to understand before attempting to write flash?

Deborah: With flash, you don’t have time for lengthy descriptions, backstories, explanations. It’s very possible for a flash story to roam through time, as "Big Eye" does, but generally it’s best to stay in one moment of time and write about what is happening as vividly, and viscerally, as possible. Replace explanation with inference, and use descriptions and backstories sparingly, trusting the reader to read between the lines, to fill in the blank spaces with their own imagination and experiences. It’s quite an interactive process between writer and reader. I love writing short fiction for that reason. Hemingway’s famous 6-word story—‘For sale: Baby shoes, never worn’—is a perfect example of this interaction.

WOW: Keeping the reader in mind as an interactive partner works so well for you.  How has your MA in Creative Writing helped you compose flash fiction?

Deborah: In the MA, I learned about the 3- (and 4- and 5-) act structure, about the classic story arc which consists of establishing a status quo quickly followed by some sort of conflict that changes the status quo, then the quest by the protagonist to find a way to return to the status quo, and the final resolution and/or epiphany that leads to a different, (better or wiser) status quo. The MA gave me a chance to play around with this, in both flash and with longer short stories, and to have lots of feedback from tutors and fellow students. The poetry module was particularly valuable. I’d never written poetry before, and found the practice of using simile and metaphor very useful when it came to writing flash stories.

The MA was great fun, and I enjoyed every minute of it, but really, it was a springboard. I’ve learned so much more since graduating, through reading other’s stories, writing in as many different genres (and story lengths) as possible, attending online courses, entering competitions as well as sending stories to online magazines, using rejections as a stimulus to rewrite stories (rather than curl up in a ditch, which I sometimes want to do.)

Above all, I can’t recommend enough belonging to a writers’ group. Mine is a small one, made up of people from the MA, and there’s nothing better than having them critique my stories, and me theirs, to help me improve my writing.
 
WOW: Thank you for sharing so much of what you have learned and how it shapes your writing.  And, most of all, good luck with your current projects.

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Reader Review Wrap Up and Giveaway for Linda Petrucelli's Mother Tongue

Monday, June 15, 2026
Mother Tongue by Linda Petrucelli

Welcome to the Reader Review Event for Mother Tongue, a memoir that allows us to travel to another country, another time and another culture. Linda Petrucelli's musings on her time as a missionary in Taiwan in the 1980s includes both the joys and the challenges. Learn what our readers had to say and let this book be your first "summer getaway."

Reading Rev. Linda Petrucelli’s Mother Tongue was a deeply personal experience for me. My father, Hsiao Ching-fen, met Linda through his role as Tainan Seminary president early during her journey in 1980s Taiwan, and he even had the honor of giving her the name she would use throughout her mission, Bai Lian-da (“Virtuous Lotus”). 

 

The name was prescient. Linda dedicated herself to mastering the Taiwanese language at a time when learning and speaking it was an act of political defiance, participating in our island’s “quiet revolution” for democratic freedom. Her heartwarming story of embracing our mother tongue and culture is told with humor and grace, and it beautifully captures the resilience of the Taiwanese people and the courageous, grassroots movement that paved our way forward.


Mother Tongue is an engaging testament to the power of cross-cultural empathy and a must-read for all who cherish the hard-won freedoms we enjoy today.


— Bi-khim Hsiao, vice president of the Republic of China (Taiwan)


 About the Book:


Standing by the window, I tried to understand what happened to me to take such an unfathomable leap… What I hadn’t realized was that first, my one and only assignment would be to learn the language.”


In 1984, when Linda Petrucelli arrives in Taiwan with her husband Gary Hoff, she assumes she will learn Mandarin Chinese. Instead, her local church partner, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, assigns her to learn Taiwanese, an eight-toned ancient tongue that few Westerners ever attempt. What began as a daunting assignment turns into a transformative journey of faith, identity, and resilience. Set during the world’s longest period of martial law, Mother Tongue offers candid insight into Taiwan’s nonviolent struggle toward democracy, the political power of language, and the universal search for belonging. In her odyssey to communicate in the island’s mother tongue, Linda learns the political implications of language, insight into her own ethnic identity, and the value of finding humor in her mistakes.


Publisher: Koehler Books

ISBN-13:   979-8897471195

ASIN:   B0GNCKK6QV

Print length: 178 pages

Genre: Memoir


Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan is available in print and as an ebook at Amazon, BooksaMillion and Barnes & Noble. Add it to your Goodreads list.


About the Author, Linda Petrucelli:


Linda Petrucelli's creative nonfiction essays have earned Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations, and her fiction accolades include first place in the Women on Writing Fall 2018 Flash Fiction Contest. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Linda holds degrees from Yale Divinity School and Chicago Theological Seminary. For ten years, she served as a missionary in Taiwan, becoming fluent in the Taiwanese language. Her wide-ranging ministerial service includes work as a humanitarian relief executive in New York City and pastorates in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and on the Big Island of Hawaii. She now resides in Hawi, Hawaii, with her artist husband, Gary Hoff, and writes on the lanai of their tin-roofed rancher overlooking the ʼAlenuihāhā Channel.

Connect with the author


Website: http://lindapetrucelli.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaSPetrucelli/

IG: @linda.petrucelli


Mother Tongue Review Event

Here's what WOW! readers had to say about Mother Tongue by Linda Petrucelli:


Linda says:


Linda Petrucelli in her book, Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan, is a wonderful journey of faith, trust, kinship and awakening. From Iowa to Taiwan, we journey with her as she learns a language and traditions that are polar opposites to hers. The last line of the book says it all!


I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves travel, enjoys learning about new cultures and has deep spirituality. As a teacher of English as a second language, I could see myself communicating with my students. Thank you, Linda, for this amazing sojourn.


5 stars (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8605998484)


Karen says:


What a fascinating and satisfying story! The author and her artist husband were both in their 30s when they began their first of two tours in Taiwan. She perfectly conveys their sense of being fish out of water from the moment they land in Asia, immersed in a culture so different from their own. Many of their experiences are humorous; however, you can clearly feel their loneliness, confusion, frustration, and a sense of being completely off-balance in their early days. The author’s moments of success, even the smallest incidents, became causes for elation. The author perseveres, though, and finds her purpose, working to help and improve the lives of some of the neediest people. At the same time, she learns more about herself, her faith, and how she wants to live her best life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the settings and the people Linda met throughout her time in Taiwan. I loved the connections she made with residents, especially the random encounters that made such a big impression on her and helped her at just the right moments in her journey.


 5 stars (https://www.amazon.com/review/R3V8V071JJLYUP/)


Amy says:


A spare, assured, quietly radiant debut...Humour keeps the missionary frame honest, from a tongue-twisting greeting offered to a wine-soaked Santa to the night she wins Best Actress in a televised folktale told entirely in Taiwanese, a tiger costume hiding a parable of resistance. The book deepens among fisher families and Indigenous communities, where her bookish faith becomes lived experience.


5 stars (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mother-tongue-linda-petrucelli/1149470836)


Angela says:


Linda's writing style is warm and inviting; it felt like she was having a conversation with a friend as she related her anecdotes. Each chapter relayed a significant moment in her journey, even though they may seem small - from having to communicate with a doctor in Taiwanese while ill to giving a short sermon in the new language. Although this is a short memoir, Linda still manages to pack a lot in, giving the reader her insights into language, culture, gender roles, and politics.


5 stars (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8653514784)



Nicole says:


I've never had the honor of traveling outside of the U.S. And I'm always drawn to travel memoirs. This was a great one! I loved reading about her experiences in Taiwan. Reading about her learning process, understanding the language and the culture, and her experiences being in the area felt so vivid to me. It felt like I was right there with her. I also appreciated reading about her work in ministry. Definitely an interesting memoir I enjoyed reading!


5 stars (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mother-tongue-linda-petrucelli/1149470836)


Jodi says:

We all dream of one time or another of having a grand adventure. Of course, safely in our dream world, everything goes perfectly according to plan during our grand adventure. Linda Petrucelli's memoir Mother Tongue is the tale of a grand adventure...but. We hired you to do this job...but instead do this job. You expected to learn this language...but instead try this language. Practice your conversational skills...but no one wants to talk this language.


This honest memoir shows us the reality behind the grand adventure pastor Linda Petrucelli took with her artist husband Gary Hoff. In addition to the excitement, the new friends, the surprises it also shows us the frustration, the fear, the jealousy, the confusion. Petrucelli paints a detailed picture of Taiwan with small details and snippets of life as she comes to terms with the real purpose of her time as a missionary.


If you wonder what it's like to be thrown into the deep end of the cultural pool, Mother Tongue is the memoir for you.


5 stars (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8587852049)


Mother Tongue Giveaway

*****BOOK GIVEAWAY*****

Enter to win a print copy of Mother Tongue by Linda Petrucelli and a $25 Amazon gift card. Fill out the form below for a chance to win! The giveaway ends on Sunday, June 28 at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!

Mother Tongue Giveaway
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Interview with Sophie Berghouse - WOW! Q2 Creative Nonfiction Essay Runner Up

Sunday, June 14, 2026


With a nod toward any baseball fans, Sophie Berghouse has the distinction of a literary double play in the Q2 Creative Nonfiction Essay contest. She was named a runner-up TWICE in the same contest, for Weeding Your Garden and World's BEST Special-Needs Parent Recipe. Although the essays are very different in style and tone, they are similar in their portrayal of strong emotions – as well as being a little quirky.


Sophie was raised in the Midwest and spent the first three decades of her life there. She attended medical school, completed her residency and fellowship, and felt pleased her life was comfortably mapped out. Then life introduced a plot twist: a permanent move to Germany due to her husband's job. Just as she began to find a new rhythm within the different language and culture, Sophie faced another plot twist she never saw coming: her third child was born with severe disabilities. When Sophie grows up, she wants to write a novel about traveling Europe with a wheelchair and four kids in tow. For now, she will focus on short stories detailing her (mis)adventures in parenting, special needs, and most importantly, living. She hopes her experiences can support and encourage other women and mothers facing unexpected life changes. 


She is not a big fan of socials but grudgingly accepts that they are here to stay. You can find her on Substack: @sophieberghouse, where, in her words, she has a mightily underwhelming number of followers. 


WOW: After several years of WOW Writing contests, we have many writers who have won notice for more than one entry. But you are the first one I know of who received two runner-up places in the same contest. Congratulations! Just curious, how many pieces did you enter in the Q2 2026 Essay contest? And do you have an tips for people who want to enter a writing contest?


Sophie: That’s great! I didn’t know that. There was a phrase we used in pathology: “The eyes perceive what the mind sees.” And all I had noticed was that I wasn’t in the top three. I should have had gratitude about placing at all (there have been plenty of times that hasn’t happened). Thank you for the new perspective. I entered two pieces in that Q2 2026 Essay contest.

As for tips, it’s worthwhile to get an editor which is just another way of saying ‘experienced beta-reader’. Although saying 'editor' sounds like you have a million-dollar, multiple book deal with a NY publishing house, you can hire one at any level. It is particularly helpful if you didn't get an MFA or are otherwise new to the writing world. I found an editor here at WOW (shout out to Chelsey Clammer!) 

WOW: You are new to the writing world. What does your family think about your transformation from doctor/parent to doctor/parent/writer?

Sophie: My husband is my biggest supporter. And the kids, I think they barely noticed. Except for my teenage daughter who asks me whether she can have my prize money—apparently there is a shade of eyeliner she doesn’t own yet.

WOW: Ah, the teenage search for the perfect eyeliner - there might be an essay in that. You have a very busy life. Do you find time to write daily?

Sophie: I wish. But I have a day job of parenting four children. I know it’s not part of the question,
but I’m going to steal the mic here for a quick PSA second: parenting is a career even if society considers it a side-gig. And because it doesn't get remunerated, it carries even less status. But I like to think of myself as the head of a small organization with feisty and rebellious employees, who—and this is important—cannot be fired. So the next time someone asks what I do, I am going to reply “I’m a stay-at-home-CEO.” That should give it the appropriate weight. Ok, here’s the mic back.

WOW: So tell us a little about writing while parenting. Are there any advantages?

Sophie: The adventures and disasters I observe in our microcosm give me a lot of fodder for writing, so it’s a good symbiosis. And as my kids get older, I have more free gaps where I can sit down and get some thoughts on the page. But it's never a daily opportunity. On the other hand, I try to read daily—even if it’s just a quick essay. Depending on how widely one defines writing, then maybe I do feed my writing life daily.   

WOW: What do you do when you aren't writing?

Sophie: Mostly, parenting in all its nuances. I have two teenagers and two grade-schoolers, one of
whom has severe cognitive and physical disabilities. They each have different needs and I have to meet each one where they are. I am slowly finding my way out of the daily survival that parenting young children entails and am now faced with metamorphosing into a new me. I am not quite sure who that is yet, but I know it will have something to do with writing.

WOW: Since your family is living in Germany was it difficult to find a writing community, especially as a newbie?

Sophie: You’re never far away if you have internet, I found. With the plethora of online classes, I
don’t feel disadvantaged for being abroad—maybe a few instances if online presence is necessary and it corresponds to 2 a.m. here. I did that once, and then I realized that I am way past college age where I could absorb getting up in the middle of the night with no cost. But now I just sign up for asynchronous classes or video classes—with a link so I can watch later.

WOW was recommended by a friend. I was tied into a different writing organization, but I felt their classes were prohibitively expensive. Sometimes I marvel about the universe, how pieces fall into place just when they are meant to. And WOW was exactly the community that I was looking for. I love the diversity of classes offered, the articles about timely writing subjects, and, of course, the contests. And no, I am not getting a kick-back for saying all of this. It’s genuine.

WOW: And we are genuinely happy that you found WOW. What is one of your writing challenges?

Sophie: Just one? (Laughs) The paralyzing doubts, the voices that whisper that no one cares about your writing, there are enough writers out there--you have nothing to add. And that was before you got a rejection from a lit mag. But luckily, I have learned that it happens to everyone--even experienced, known writers. I try to step back from the emotions and observe. And if I really feel down in the dumps, I grab a copy of any craft book (Anne Lammott's first chapter of Bird by Bird as an example) and that gives me back some motivation.  

WOW: What’s up next for your writing life?

Sophie: I still want to write a memoir about parenting a child with disability. I feel that advocacy and community are crucial—sharing our story is my contribution. But I also want to write a story that is interesting to a broader readership. I still haven’t figured out how to do that yet. Until then, I will continue to find my voice and style by writing shorter essays.

WOW: Then we will continue to enjoy your writing, who knows, maybe next time you will be in the top three.

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