Tag: MAGA parents

comfortably chatting about uncomfortably numb 2 & louie on the rocks with jon and john

I was fortunate enough to speak with two different hosts about my two latest books, Uncomfortably Numb 2: An Anthology for Newly-Diagnosed MS Patients, and my novel, Louie on the Rocks.

On the week when we mark World MS Day, RealTalk MS host Jon Strum and I chatted about my new anthology of MS patient stories, about the power of advocacy for patients who often feel powerless in the face of their illness, and about trying to come to terms with the uncertainty that is the multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

Meanwhile, The Culture Buzz host John Busbee and I discussed my inadvertently of-the-moment novel, Louie on the Rocks, a vodka-soaked tale about an estranged father-daughter duo on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

I appreciate the spotlight these two folks put on my latest creations.

springfield newspaper features ‘louie’

The Springfield Republican, the newspaper for which I used to work — in its Westfield bureau covering the hill towns as well as Southwick, Massachusetts, and in its Springfield office while covering West Springfield — graced me with a story about Louie on the Rocks which explored the political polarization which stressed and already-fragile father-daughter relationship that was on the edge of complete rupture.

It also gave a shout-out to the March 6, 7 p.m. book event I have slated in western Massachusetts, in South Hadley’s Odyssey Bookshop with one of my beloved former newsroom colleagues: Suzanne Strempek Shea, who’ll be in conversation with me at the event.

If you’re interested in attending the March 6 Odyssey Bookshop event, please RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meredith-obrien-in-person-tickets-1254916221199?aff=oddtdtcreator

week of ‘louie’: events in boston & western mass.

Tuesday, March 4, 7 p.m.: At Porter Square Books, 50 Liberty Drive, Boston, MA

In conversation with author Melanie Brooks

RSVP: https://www.portersquarebooks.com/rsvp-attend-our-event-meredith-obrien

Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m.: At Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College Street, South Hadley, MA

In conversation with author Suzanne Strempek Shea

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meredith-obrien-in-person-tickets-1254916221199?aff=oddtdtcreator

author erin somers, ‘we all know a louie …’

Thank you Erin Somers — author of the darkly humorous Stay Up with Hugo Best (pick it up, you’ll thank me) — for your gracious words about Louie on the Rocks:

“Louie on the Rocks perfectly captures our divisive era. We all know a Louie–someone who has been changed indelibly by the last several years of politics. O’Brien writes him, and his devastated family, with precision, humor, and grace.”

ms. career girl recommends ‘louie’ for liberal adult children with conservative parents

The web site Ms. Career Girl has pulled together a list of recommended reads for 2025 — “a book for every type of reader” — and Louie on the Rocks made their list.

Ms. Career Girl recommended the novel — out Feb. 4 from SparkPress — for liberal adult children “living in their parents’ conservative world.”