sounds like crazy
by Shana Mahaffey
Alone Together
Love, Grief, and Comfort During
the Time of COVID-19
Anthology by Writers Responding to the Pandemic, with the essay “Don't Stop Believin'" by Shana Mahaffey
Central Avenue Publishing, September 2020
A collection of essays, poems, and interviews to serve as a lifeline for negotiating how to connect and thrive during this stressful time of isolation as well as a historical perspective that will remain relevant for years to come. Net profits donated to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization that coordinates charitable programs to strengthen the bookselling community.
Praise for Alone Together
★ Starred Review
“Among the first anthologies of its kind, this thoughtful and engaging compilation is recommended for readers seeking understanding and connection and a more empathetic and less materialistic post–COVID-19 world."
Library Journal
“compulsively readable...what good writing always does, giving us the sharp relief of recognition. But they also inform, with dramatic power."
The Washington Post
“A testament to the power of story in times of hardship and crisis."
Library Journal
“Anyone who has weathered the past few months will find something in here that speaks to them."
Publishers Weekly
“A heartening gathering of writers joining forces for community support."
Kirkus Reviews
“Alone Together connects writers, readers, and booksellers in a wonderfully imaginative way. It's a really good book for a really good cause."
Bestselling author James Patterson
“Alone Together showcases the human desire to grieve, explore, comfort, connect, and simply sit with the world as it weathers the pandemic."
Ann Patchett, Bestselling author
THE BOOK
sounds like crazy
Though she doesn’t remember the trauma that caused it, Holly Miller has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Her personality has fractured into five different identities, together known as The Committee. And as much as they make Holly’s life hell, she can’t live without them.
Then one of those identities, the flirtatious, southern Betty Jane, lands Holly a voiceover job. Betty Jane wants nothing more than to be in the spotlight. The rest of The Committee wants Betty Jane to shut up. Holly’s therapist wants to get to the bottom of her broken psyche. And Holly? She’s just along for the ride…
IN THE PRESS
“
At turns both funny and poignant, "Sounds Like Crazy" celebrates resilience as an essential element of the human condition…. Though Holly has been in twice-a-week therapy for six years, she is just now nearing the ultimate goal of DID treatment - that of integrating her disparate personalities into a core identity. Her veteran psychologist, Milton, is portrayed as a skilled therapist - direct, flexible, interactive and pragmatic.
“
Sounds Like Crazy is a wonderfully creative novel, bringing to life a colorful cast of characters in a memorable story. This is Shana Mahaffey‘s first novel, and it is an incredible debut. The premise of the novel alone is fascinating, engaging the reader from the start. It was nominated by the San Francisco Chronicle as a notable book for fall.
HARRIET KLAUSNER,
CHEFDRUK BOOK REVIEW
“
Wow! This book makes you laugh, think and feel! Once you get into the meat of this novel, you feel compelled to see it to the end.
Shana Mahaffey has done her homework and presents Dissociative Identity Disorder in a way that you not only feel for the character(s) but also learn about how someone lives with a condition like this.
HEATHER,
ACTING BALANCED BOOK REVIEWS
PAUL LINDE,
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
BIO
Shana Mahaffey is the author of Sounds Like Crazy (NAL/Penguin), a San Francisco Chronicle notable book for Fall 2009. She is a survivor of catechism and cat scratch fever and is a co-founder of the Castro Writers' Cooperative. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including ALONE TOGETHER: Love, Grief, and Comfort During the Time of COVID-19, Sunset Magazine, SoMa Literary Review, Spectrum Literary Journal, Reflections Literary Journal, and assorted literary blogs. Shana lives in San Francisco with her husband and two tuxedo cats that require reverence and worship akin to the level proffered by the ancient Egyptians.
If you want to know when Shana's next book will come out, please fill out the contact form to receive an email when she has her next release.