Contemporary Authors

• Our Love Could Light the World She Writes Press (Berkeley, CA), 2013
• What Is Found, What Is Lost She Writes Press (Berkeley, CA), 2014
• The Amendment Unsolicited Press (Portland, OR), 2018

1. The amendment : a novel LCCN 2017958797 Type of material Book Personal name Parrish, Anne Leigh, author. Main title The amendment : a novel / Anne Leigh Parrish. Published/Produced [Portland, Oregon] : Unsolicited Press, [2018] Description 356 pages ; 23 cm ISBN 9781947021099 (softcover) 1947021095 (softcover) CALL NUMBER PS3616.A76834 A83 2018 Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms 2. What is found, what is lost : a novel LCCN 2014938015 Type of material Book Personal name Parrish, Anne Leigh, author. Main title What is found, what is lost : a novel / Anne Leigh Parrish. Published/Produced Berkeley, CA : She Writes Press, 2014. Description 257 pages ; 22 cm ISBN 9781938314957 (pbk.) 1938314956 (pbk.) Shelf Location FLS2016 002318 CALL NUMBER PS3616.A76834 W47 2014 OVERFLOWJ34 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms (FLS2) 3. Our love could light the world : stories LCCN 2013932194 Type of material Book Personal name Parrish, Anne Leigh, author. Uniform title Short stories. Selections Main title Our love could light the world : stories / by Anne Leigh Parrish. Published/Produced Berkeley, CA : She Writes Press, 2013. Description 192 pages ; 22 cm ISBN 9781938314445 (pbk.) CALL NUMBER PS3616.A76834 A6 2013 CABIN BRANCH Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE

• Anne Leigh Parish - https://anneleighparrish.com/about-anne-leigh-parrish/

  About Anne Leigh Parrish
  Since 1982, Anne Leigh Parrish has called the Pacific Northwest Home. A native of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Anne spent her high school years in Princeton, New Jersey, and then made her way west.

  Anne graduated from the University of Colorado, then moved once more to Seattle to attend graduate school at the University of Washington. After earning her MBA, Anne realized her first and only love was writing, which she has pursued relentlessly for many years.

  Her first publication appeared in the Autumn 1995 issue of The Virginia Quarterly Review. That story, “A Painful Shade of Blue,” served as the basis for more fiction describing the divorce of her parents when she was still quite young. Her later stories focused on women struggling to find identity and voice in a world that was often hostile to the female experience.

  In 2002, Anne won first place in a small contest sponsored by Clark County Community College in Vancouver, Washington. In 2003 she won the Willamette Award from Clackamas Community College in Oregon; in 2007 she took first place in highly esteemed American Short Fiction annual prize; and in 2008 she again won first place in the annual contest held by the literary review, The Pinch.

  The story appearing in American Short Fiction, “All The Roads that Lead From Home” became the title story in her debut collection, published in 2011 by Press 53. The book won a coveted Silver Medal in the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Two years later, a collection of linked stories about the Dugan family in Upstate New York, Our Love Could Light The World, was published by She Writes Press.

  Her debut novel, What Is Found, What Is Lost appeared in 2014. This multi-generational tale speculates on the nature of religious faith and family ties, and was inspired by her own grandparents who emigrated to the United States in 1920.

  A third collection of short stories appeared in 2017 from Unsolicited Press. By The Wayside uses magical realism and ordinary home life to portray women in absurd, difficult situations.

  Women Within, her second novel, was published in September 2017 by Black Rose Writing. Another multi-generational story, it weaves together three lives at the Lindell Retirement home, using themes of care-giving, women’s rights, and female identity.

  Her third novel, The Amendment, was released in June 2018 by Unsolicited Press. Lavinia Dugan Starkhurst, who first appeared in Our Love Could Light The World, is suddenly widowed and takes herself on a cross-country road trip in search of something to give her new life meaning.

  Anne has been married for many years to her fine, wise, and witty husband John Christiansen. They have two adult children in their twenties, John Jr., and Lauren.

• Writers Bone - http://www.writersbone.com/interviewsarchive/2015/2/24/in-the-business-of-fiction-11-questions-with-author-anne-leigh-parrish

  QUOTE:
  I wrote at a very early age, in elementary school. A fourth grade teacher was impressed with one of my pieces, and had me read it aloud to the class. Some of my progress reports from that time mentioned a gift for storytelling. However, I went in a different direction when I started taking piano lessons.
  Keep at it until it starts coming more easily; be open to feedback but know when the feedback is useful and when it’s not; focus on exactly what you want the reader to take away from your story (or novel); learn to switch sides of the table when you’re editing–become the reader, in other words; try not to get too hung up on how the marketplace is treating you
  February 24, 2015
  In the Business of Fiction: 11 Questions With Author Anne Leigh Parrish

  Anne Leigh Parrish (Photo courtesy of the author)
  By Daniel Ford
  From MBA to short story artist and novelist, Anne Leigh Parrish took an unconventional path to becoming an accomplished storyteller.
  Her work, which has been featured in The Virginia Quarterly Review, New Pop Lit, and Crab Orchard Review, typically features family drama, love, and humor, and has resonated with both readers and literary critics.
  Parrish recently answered some of my questions about her early influences, her writing process, and her debut novel What is Found, What Is Lost.
  Daniel Ford: First things first, since you’re a native of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York, I have to know your favorite winery!
  Anne Leigh Parrish: Well, to be honest, I left that region a very long time ago, although obviously it continues to be a large presence in my fiction. I’ve lived in Washington State for more than 30 years, a place also well-known for its wine. My favorite wineries here are Columbia Crest and Chateau St. Michelle. But let me commend the Oregon and California wineries, too. From Oregon I love Willamette Valley, and from California Grghich Hills tops the list.
  DF: When did you start writing? Was it something that came to you naturally or was it developed over time?
  ALP: I wrote at a very early age, in elementary school. A fourth grade teacher was impressed with one of my pieces, and had me read it aloud to the class. Some of my progress reports from that time mentioned a gift for storytelling. However, I went in a different direction when I started taking piano lessons. My father bought a Baldwin baby grand piano from a store in Syracuse, and played regularly, until he moved out. He was a gifted musician, and I remember thinking that I wanted to be able to sound like him one day. For the next 10 years, my passion was all for classical music and performing, though I did manage to keep the love of writing alive through the books I read. Stressful family issues in high school made pursuing music very difficult, so I walked away from the idea of attending music school and applied to liberal arts colleges instead. I ended up majoring in Economics, a far cry from either creative writing or music, then went on to earn an MBA. By then I’d realized that I needed to get back into writing, which I did at age 27. I’ve been writing ever since.
  DF: Who were some of your early influences?
  ALP: William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf because of how they manipulate language, particular Faulkner. His The Sound and the Fury absolutely fascinated me when I first read it in high school, though I didn’t really understand it fully at the time. I really admired how he time completely fluid in the first section of the book to underscore the feeble mind of Benjy. Virginia Woolf also focused hard on what an actual thought process was like, and tried to capture that in words. After those two would be Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, and Alice Munro. In fact, my linked story collection, Our Love Could Light the World was compared to one of her story collections by Kirkus Review.
  DF: What is your writing process like? Do you listen to music? Outline?
  ALP: No, to both. Sometimes I think I should be more dedicated to outlining, and realize that I do, in fact, outline, but mentally only. Rarely do those thoughts find their way to the page or screen. I always begin with one idea–a revelation someone has, a scene, often between two people, something unusual that I want to expand on. From there it tends to flow easily enough at this point, though not always!
  DF: What’s your approach to character development? How much of yourself and your interactions with your family and friends do you put into your novels?
  ALP: In my early writing years, my characters resembled members of my family very much. My first published short story, “A Painful Shade of Blue” (Autumn 1995 issue of The Virginia Quarterly Review) was based on my parents’ divorce. My mother, father, and sister were all portrayed very realistically. Even my father’s future wife, then his girlfriend, was easy to recognize. After that I wrote a long series of stories featuring a protagonist named Nina, a sort of alter-ego, who had trouble finding a focus in life. But then I moved into wholly new people, unknown to me in life. This I found much easier, because even though they were completely invented, there was no risk whatsoever that anyone would recognize himself on the page.
  DF: We’re huge fans of the short story genre here at Writer’s Bone, and your second published work, Our Love Could Light the World, features 12 short stories featuring a dysfunctional family. What drew you to short stories originally and why did you make the decision to switch to the novel format with What is Found, What Is Lost?
  ALP: I’m not sure why I developed such a fondness for short stories. I guess I read a lot of William Trevor, Louise Erdrich, and, of course, Alice Munro in The New Yorker. Over time, I reached a point where I wanted more room to roam, as it were. The Dugan family, in Our Love Could Light the World, offered me this opportunity. Each story is a stand-alone piece, yet connected by the characters, and events which had taken place before. Writing a novel seemed like a logical next step to first a collection of unrelated stories, followed by a collected of linked stories. Then, frankly, there was also the marketing aspect of a novel itself. I’d long been told–and suspected–that novels sell better than story collections do.
  DF: What inspired you to write your novel? Was it an idea you've been thinking about for a long time?
  ALP: I’ve been bothered by religious extremism for a long time, and this is one of the main tenets I address in the novel. Also, the first idea of the novel came in the form of a short story I wrote called “An Act of Concealment” (Crab Orchard Review). In the story, a newly married couple comes to Huron, S.D., from Constantinople where they met. This is the story of my own grandparents. My grandfather was a professor at Huron College for a brief time. My grandmother, Anna, for whom I’m named was Armenian and raised as a Catholic. My mother inherited a menorah from her, which never made sense to me, given her childhood religion. While my grandfather was Swiss and presumably a Calvinist, his last name was Jacob. I then wondered if the menorah had actually been his, that he was in fact Jewish, and asked Anna to assume that identity. This is where the reality ends and the fiction begins. Both are long dead, as is my mother, so the truth of my suspicions will never be known. But they made for the short story, and later the novel, though the novel spans four generations–Anna, her daughter Lorraine, Lorraine’s daughter’s Freddie and Holly, and. Lastly. Freddie’s daughter Beth.
  DF: How long did it take you to complete What is Found, What Is Lost, and did you have to change anything about your writing process?
  ALP: I’d say it took me about 15 months. It came very easily to me. One thing that did slow me down was completely restructuring the narrative because I was concerned that my reader might have a hard time staying grounded. So I lumped scenes together by time frame. In terms my actual process, I had to work very hard to keep all the many details straight and consistent. That took a great deal of time and intense editing.
  DF: Now that you have your debut novel under your belt, what’s next?
  ALP: Probably another novel. I’ve got two ideas I’m playing with at the moment. One is again multi-generational, though the women aren’t related by blood, only circumstance. The other features one protagonist, Nina, from years past, though she is more interesting now, or so I hope. I also am writing the occasional short story. I just had a new story appear in New Pop Lit called “An Angel Within.”
  DF: What advice do you give to up-and-coming writers?
  ALP: My bullet points would be: Keep at it until it starts coming more easily; be open to feedback but know when the feedback is useful and when it’s not; focus on exactly what you want the reader to take away from your story (or novel); learn to switch sides of the table when you’re editing–become the reader, in other words; try not to get too hung up on how the marketplace is treating you–this is more for writers with a book out in the world; and, lastly, always stay true to yourself as a writer, how you define that.
  DF: Can you please name one random fact about yourself?
  ALP: In between high school and college I went to a local community college in Colorado and learned how to rebuild a car engine.
  To learn more about Anne Leigh Parrish, visit her official website, like her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter @AnneLParrish.

• Booklikes - http://blog.booklikes.com/post/1617218/an-interview-with-anne-leigh-parrish-author-of-women-within-audiobook-giveaway

  QUOTE:
  I always loved stories, made-up characters, and the musical quality of language. Lyrical prose is very important to me, both as a writer and as a reader

  An Interview with Anne Leigh Parrish, Author of Women Within + Audiobook Giveaway
  3:31 pm 21 November 2017

  We're happy to introduce you Anne Leigh Parrish, a short story writer and a novelist.

  Anne's debut novel, What Is Found, What Is Lost appeared in 2014. Women Within, her second novel, was published in September 2017 by Black Rose Writing. Another multi-generational story, it weaves together three lives at the Lindell Retirement home, using themes of care-giving, women’s rights, and female identity. Her next novel, The Amendment, is scheduled to be released in June 2018.

  What inspired you to become a writer? Was it an easy path?

  I always loved stories, made-up characters, and the musical quality of language. Lyrical prose is very important to me, both as a writer and as a reader. And no, becoming a writer was by no means easy. It takes years of trying a new approach, getting feedback, working with that feedback, and most of all, taking chances.

  Your newest novel, Women Within, is a story of three women whose paths cross at the Lindell Retirement Home. Can you tell our readers more about the book and the main characters?

  Constance Maynard, age 94, is a resident at Lindell. She is a retired professor of History who feels that women have always been unfairly treated and valued primarily for their reproductive capability. She adopts a child when a member of her own family cannot care for her properly, and declares that the child is hers, although she in unmarried. This is in the 1950’s, a time when social mores were harsh. She embraces the disdain she is shown, and rises above it all to prove that she is as worthy as any of her male colleagues.

  Her two aides are the other two women in the book, the first of whom, 50’s-something Eunice Fitch, has her own female challenges. For one thing, her mother, a hard-drinking and unsympathetic person, was a poor role model. From an early obsession with silent screen star Lilian Gish, Eunice feels that the best thing to do is to be steadfast and uncomplaining. While these traits make her a great caregiver, it proves disastrous in her serial relationships with men.

  Lastly, we have Sam (short for Samantha) Clark, in her twenties, overweight, whose mother is also difficult. She yearns to be pretty and petite, only to discover that her physical strength and endurance are in fact much more valuable.

  Your book focuses on the female issues and women relationships, you also give a solid insight of the caregiving industry. Why did you choose to talk about these subjects in your novel?

  To be honest, this is very personal territory for me, at least in terms of the relationships women have with other women, particularly famuły members. My mother was difficult. She was highly intelligent, well-education, successful in her career as a professor – and yes, she serves as the inspiration for Constance Maynard in the novel – but she was deeply dissatisfied with just about everything, my father most of all. Though she was unhappy in her marriage, she never accepted his decision to divorce her, and spent the rest of her life blaming him for a situation she in large part created. My only sibling is a sister (six years older than I), and she, too, was difficult. Her hatred of me, and her abuse of me when I was young had an enormously negative influence in my life.

  As to caregiving, I once worked in a retirement home when I was younger, and then much later, spent time visiting my father in one as he declined. I am fascinated by the almost insular nature of that world, and the contrast between those who seldom leave it, and the people who come and go every day.

  What are you working on right now? We know that your third novel is coming next year.

  I’m working on a novel called Maggie’s Ruse. Like The Amendment, the novel appearing in June, it contains characters from my 2013 linked story collection, Our Love Could Light the World. It features a pair of identical twins, overly-privileged Millennials trying to find themselves as individuals by putting some distance between them.

  What writers have an impact on your reading, and of course, writing?

  All “the greats,” but specifically Flannery O’Connor, Virginia Woolf, Eudora Welty, Alice Munro, and Louise Erdrich.

  What are you reading right now, Anne?

  Ann Beattie’s newest story collection, The Accomplished Guest.

  What three titles would you take on a desert island?

  Boy, that’s a tough one. Probably The Round House by Louise Erdrich, Mendocino Fire: Stories by Elizabeth Tallent, and Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

  Paper books or e-books?
  When I have lots of time, and am staying in one place – that is, not on an airplane, or road trip, then paper books. Otherwise, the convenience of an e-book is just too great to ignore.

  Anne, it’s shelfie time! Our readers would love to see your home library.

  Anne Leigh Parrish's home library

  Thank you Anne!

  The Amendment: A Novel coming June 2018 from Unsolicited Press

• Fatima Begum Blog - Fatima Interviews #literary fiction, #novels, Author, Books, Creative Writing, Fiction, Short Story 0 Comments

  February 15, 2018
  Interview with Award Winning Fiction Writer, Anne Leigh Parrish
  Fatima Interviews #literary fiction, #novels, Author, Books, Creative Writing, Fiction, Short Story 0 Comments
  Hey everyone! I have a superb interview today. I know it’s taken a bit of time, but it’s up! I got a chance to interview Anne Leigh Parrish. She has won many awards for her books – her first publication appeared in the August 1995 Virginia Quarterly Review. “All The Roads that Lead From Home” won first place in American Short Fiction. Her main focus, when it comes to writing, is the language and the characters. I think this is one thing that stood out because not all stories need to be led by a plot!
  Anne was kind enough to give up some of her time to answer the questions. I learnt loads from this interview alone, and I hope you do too!
  Enjoy and do leave comments! (I use exclamation marks too much – apologies).
  Why did you become a writer? Was there an event/inspirational figure or ambition that pushed you in that direction?
  I was drawn to writing initially through a love of language, and a sense that language possesses a musical quality. Later I became strongly allied to and fascinated by a story’s arc, and causing a change in understanding, either for the reader herself or in the mind of a central character about her situation and circumstances.
  Why did you choose this genre – what was most appealing about it and most difficult?
  I can’t really take any genre that is not literary fiction seriously. That’s not as arrogant as it sounds, let me be clear about that, if I may. I think historical fiction has merit; so do mysteries; crime novels, even the occasional romance novel, those these tend to be my least favorite. But my passion for literary fiction stems from its reliance on language and character, rather than on plot.
  The challenges are ones of subtlety – how to lead the reader to a point of understanding without being overly blunt or obvious.
  What is your goal when you begin writing a story? The sort of emotions you want to the reader to feel when reading your book?
  I think of a novel as a long drawn out conversation, a chance to spend time in another sensibility, a way to acquaint the reader with issues and experiences they may not have been in contact with in their personal lives. I want readers to see the value in the integrity of the people I write about, to underscore that every human being is a work of art and worthy of respect and consideration.
  When do you find the best time/place to write?
  When I’m not traveling, I always write in my home office. Morning is often the best time. When I’m on the road, I find a comfortable spot on my laptop.
  If you were to choose a favourite book you have written, which would it be?
  Of course, I love them all, but I have to say my second book, a collection of linked stories about the Dugan family in upstate New York, Our Love Could Light The World, is my favorite. In fact, my forthcoming novel, The Amendment, which appears this June, features the mother from that collection, Lavinia.
  What is your favourite book you have read and do you have a favourite author?
  I have no one favorite book or author, but I’ve got a pretty select list of those at the top: Rachel Cusk; Louise Erdrich; Elizabeth Tallent; and Alice Munro.
  Your advice to prospective/new writers trying to break into this field?
  Be persistent; hone your craft; get good feedback – commentary that teaches you something about how you are approaching a story and how you might do it differently; don’t let years of rejection deter you, no matter what.
  Oh, and of course, my smaller questions…
  Favourite colour: Purple
  Favourite flower: Iris
  Favourite food: Chocolate
  Favourite day: Friday
  If you were to create your own Fantasy World, how would you describe it? One where all I had to do was write, paint, play my piano, read, wander around galleries, and hit the gym
  What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
  Connecting with the souls of my characters
  Do you have a personal motto? Never give up, never give in
  Thank you!
  Anne’s new novel, The Amendment, will be out this June 2018, so keep a lookout for that!
  To find out more about Anne Leigh Parrish, you can visit her website at www.anneleighparrish.com and do follow her on Twitter – @AnneParrish

  I hope you all enjoyed the interview! Don’t forget to Like, Share and Subscribe Check out past interviews, and prepare for more to come.
  Spread the love

QUOTE:

readers are rewarded with further study of Lavinia and her past lives, drawing the
emotionally distant widow into sharper focus.
A meandering tale made enjoyable by the author's rich renderings of characters and their quirks.
Print Marked Items
Parrish, Anne Leigh: THE
AMENDMENT
Kirkus Reviews.
(June 1, 2018):
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Parrish, Anne Leigh THE AMENDMENT Unsolicited Press (Indie Fiction) $None 6, 26 ISBN: 978-1-
947021-09-9
In this novel about an emotionally stunted widow, Parrish (Women Within, 2017, etc.) offers a quiet,
fractured study of mourning.
When Lavinia Starkhurst hears that her wealthy husband, Chip, has died in a freak accident, she initially
thinks it's a joke: "I'm just standing here waiting for the punch line," she tells her husband's best friend, the
bearer of bad news. It's a fitting start to this inscrutable novel, which examines the emotional confusion of
losing a loved one. Lavinia, in denial about her grief, becomes prone to tears, off-putting jokes, and having
one drink too many on an empty stomach. Parrish is an exacting writer who drops keen observations ("She
felt haunted, not by Chip's ghost, but by her own cruelty") that make Lavinia's sudden bouts of weeping
especially startling. Chip was Lavinia's second husband, and his death leaves her struggling with feelings for
her alcoholic ex, Potter. On a whim, she decides to take a cross-country trip from her home in upstate New
York to California, much to the concern of her friends and family. Parrish writes about roadside motels and
dime-a-dozen diners with a warmth that contrasts sharply with Lavinia's sterile home life. Readers will
almost feel the wind in the protagonist's hair as she sets off for adventure. On the road, she meets a
somewhat expected array of characters down on their luck, and she's quick to come to their monetary aid.
The most effective moments come when she's vulnerable with strangers, as when she spends time in
Montana reconnecting with Potter's sister, Patty. At one point, Lavinia endures a last-minute invitation to a
funeral, where she's confused for someone else, revealing just how precarious her identity is. Lavinia's trip
is marked by impulsive decisions and dropped plotlines, making the whole affair feel like a woozy fever
dream. However, readers are rewarded with further study of Lavinia and her past lives, drawing the
emotionally distant widow into sharper focus.
A meandering tale made enjoyable by the author's rich renderings of characters and their quirks.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Parrish, Anne Leigh: THE AMENDMENT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2018. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A540723312/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8abb073a.

QUOTE:
Parrish weaves linked, darkly humorous tales of aging, death, love and alcoholism using the gothic tropes of
Southern literary fiction
this collection will speak to readers who are interested in its butterfly effect of family
bonds and interactions. A successful collage of linked stories set in a rich, dysfunctional world.
Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A540723312
Parrish, Anne Leigh: Our Love Could
Light The World
Kirkus Reviews.
(July 15, 2013):
COPYRIGHT 2013 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Parrish, Anne Leigh OUR LOVE COULD LIGHT THE WORLD She Writes Press (Indie Fiction) 6, 3
Parrish weaves linked, darkly humorous tales of aging, death, love and alcoholism using the gothic tropes of
Southern literary fiction. In the story "And To the Ones Left Behind," a woman named Patty sets out on a
mission to win her brother's wife back for him. Patty believes she can find and deliver Lavinia by giving her
a newfound sense of gratitude for the relationship. This misconception proves comical, however, as Patty
faces her own vulnerabilities; she thought she knew her brother inside and out, but once she sees her
brother's shambling house and excessive drinking habits, she quickly realizes that Lavinia may have been
right to leave. However, at the story's heart, Patty recognizes the bond of siblinghood that overlooks such
flaws in favor of the good. Other stories in the collection similarly offer glimpses of desolation, only to point
out the light in the darkness. As Parrish cleverly links her stories, creating a rich world of haphazard
relationships and beautiful messes, characters appear as heroes in some tales and struggle in others. Some
stories feel more like portraits than plots, as she paints scenes and develops characters' desires through
summary and brush stroke rather than through actions or events, while bringing a sense of light to the
ending of each story. However, the collection often relies on summary to cover too much ground; at times,
readers may hunger for more intense moments of dialogue or close-up examinations of images and
experiences. That said, this collection will speak to readers who are interested in its butterfly effect of family
bonds and interactions. A successful collage of linked stories set in a rich, dysfunctional world.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Parrish, Anne Leigh: Our Love Could Light The World." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2013. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A336585599/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=ba2ed2a0.
Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A336585599

"Parrish, Anne Leigh: THE AMENDMENT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A540723312/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018. "Parrish, Anne Leigh: Our Love Could Light The World." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2013. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A336585599/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.

• Camilla Stein Review
  https://camillasteinreview.wordpress.com/category/book-reviews/our-love-could-light-the-world/
  Word count: 474

  QUOTE:
  you won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve followed through to the very last letter. And you can definitely expect light in the end.

  June 19, 2013, Our Love Could Light the World
  by Anne Leigh Parrish
  A wonderful opportunity to read an amazingly touching book presented itself a little while ago.
  Our Love Could Light the World by Anne Leigh Parrish is by no means an ordinary novel. In fact, it’s a novel in stories, and as such is a trendy phenomenon in the book world. Each story tells about practically same events with a little personal twist, sometimes going a bit into the past, sometimes fast forwarding into the future. Stories read well, read quickly, and fascinate with their seeming simplicity – simple they are only on the surface. You can expect a breathtaking ride into the human heart.
  The actuality of the theme is ever so apparent – the novel revolves around a dysfunctional family that is falling apart over a mother’s career and a father’s depression, and children who need constant care and attention. These are people whose struggles many of us can recognize and relate to. Anne Leigh Parrish made it her task to explore human relationships during an unfolding crisis. We’ve been there, or we know someone who’s been there, and that’s what makes this book such a slice. It’s like reading the story about people next door. But do we really know our neighbors? And do we actually love them, humanely, sincerely, supportively, or do we want to look away when they are in trouble because we don’t want to get our hands dirty?
  See, this is what Our Love Could Light the World is about – the village, the community, the relationships between the people in the community, their interaction. And then Anne Leigh digs deeper. She wants to show us people’s motives, people’s inner dialogue, people’s dreams and what comes out of those dreams, a road to maturity, a road to sanity, a road to personal freedom, if such a thing exists….
  If you think this is all too gloomy, think again. Anne Leigh Parrish dares you to think with her, on every page, speculating as to what kind of an ending this book will have. Heck, living and sympathizing with the characters. And thinking. Because, it could be anyone. And perhaps even yourself.
  Not wanting to raise a spoiler alert, I’d refrain from details of the plot any further, but suffices to say you won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve followed through to the very last letter. And you can definitely expect light in the end.
  Copyright Camilla Stein ©2013. All rights reserved.

• All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
  https://www.allroadsleadtothe.kitchen/2014/01/Our-Love-Could-Light-the-World-BookTour.html
  Word count: 537

  QUOTE:
  Each character is relatable, but none is necessary loveable. Their faults are highlighted, as well as their good points. This book doesn't bite its tongue.
  Groundbreaking? No. A quick and easy read with well-developed characters and story lines? Yes.
  Our Love Could Light the World + Onion and Black Olive Naan Pizza {book tour}

  Our Love Could Light the World
  author: Anne Leigh Parrish
  publisher: She Writes Press
  source: TLC Book Tours
  paperback: 192 pages

  "foodie" elements: Though I wouldn't consider this a foodie novel, food references run rampant throughout the book. While some authors tend to overlook the amount of food in everyday life, Parrish represents it well.

  And as I'm wont to do, I'll list some of the food (and drink) that pops up in the book: spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, tuna casserole, beef stew, chili and beer, soup with a slice of buttered bread, steak 'n potatoes, key lime pie, green salads with goat cheese and roasted red peppers, pot roast, hard-boiled eggs and sandwiches, cookies and milk, whiskey, chicken soup, Chinese food, cold pizza, homemade tomato sauce, pear & brie tartlets, roasted vegetables with tomato basil dipping sauce, lamb sliders with caramelized onions, and leg of lamb.

  See? Foodie elements.

  random excerpt: The girl gave Lavinia her receipt. Lavinia noticed that she'd written down the wrong telephone number. She asked her to correct it. The girl crossed it out, which left no room on the form to fill in the right one, so she had to start the paperwork all over again. Lavinia waited, awash in the scent of fresh flowers, something that used to bring her joy and now only made her sad. (p.174)

  teaser (from the back cover): You know the Dugans. They’re that scrappy family down the street. Their five children run free, they never clean up after their dog, and the husband hasn’t earned a cent in years. You wouldn’t want them for neighbors, but from a distance, they’re quite entertaining.

  my thoughts/review or things you might want to know, that I want to share about this book: It's a collection of stories, but since they all center on the same family, they read like a story. A story with gaps, but a story nonetheless.

  Each character is relatable, but none is necessary loveable. Their faults are highlighted, as well as their good points. This book doesn't bite its tongue.

  No rose-colored glasses, instead more like the cheap gas station pair with slightly distorted vision and a harsh yellow tint. You know, the kind that makes your head hurt if you wear them for too long.

  Groundbreaking? No. A quick and easy read with well-developed characters and story lines? Yes.

  about the author: Anne Leigh Parrish’s debut novel, What is Found, What is Lost, is forthcoming in late 2014 from She Writes Press. Her first story collection, All The Roads That Lead From Home, (Press 53, 2011) won a silver medal in the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

  further info on Anne Leigh Parrish: website | twitter

• Publishers Weekly Online
  https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/76852-anne-leigh-parrish-the-redemption-of-the-road.html
  Word count: 637

  QUOTE:
  powerful road novel, explores the pain of a spouse's sudden death and the unexpected freedom that follows

  Anne Leigh Parrish: The Redemption of the Road
  'The Amendment,' a powerful road novel, explores the pain of a spouse's sudden death and the unexpected freedom that follows
  May 11, 2018

  The Amendment (ISBN 978-1-947021-09-9), Anne Leigh Parrish's third novel, and sixth book of fiction, opens with Lavinia Starkhurst standing alone in her Upstate New York home when the phone rings. The caller informs Lavinia that her golfer husband has just been killed by a lightning strike. An empty nester in her early 50s, Lavinia is devastated by her sudden widowhood. But she also feels a surprising freedom, even as she is freighted with grief and guilt.
  This grief inspires Lavinia to change her scenery. She embarks on a road trip toward her sister-in-law's Montana home. "She has to get out," Parrish says. "Not just out of the large house she never really liked but the town she's lived in all her life. She wants to be away from her children, whose worry over her in her ‘time of need' becomes cloying."
  Lavinia's ensuing transformation is at the heart of this novel about self-understanding and new possibilities. "When she sets out, she carries with her a nagging doubt about her fundamental ability to love and forgive," Parrish says. "She knows she's a hard soul, impatient with the foibles of others. She also knows that she made both of her husbands unhappy, in different ways. She discovers that she married two men who were afraid of her."
  As the landscape changes from Eastern and Midwestern greenery to Western prairies and mountains, Lavinia changes, too. A spirit of generosity starts to take hold. She begins to leave profusely generous tips. She helps a stranger whose husband has stranded her at a Laundromat.
  Parrish surprised herself while writing Lavinia's encounters with the people she meets on the road. In one of Parrish's favorite and most unexpected scenes, Lavinia is mistaken for a recently deceased woman's long-lost companion. She even attends the woman's funeral.
  Another powerful sequence is Lavinia's encounter with a transgender teen named Chuck, who introduces Lavinia to his friends. "Because they're young and unorganized," Parrish says, "Lavinia feels right at home in bossing them into action and taking care of the home they all live in."

  Lavinia is like an old friend to Parrish. She first appeared in Parrish's second book, Our Love Could Light the World, a linked-story collection, in which we meet Lavinia when she was married to her first husband, Potter. "I wanted to write about her again," Parrish says, "and I thought she should have her own story."
  For Parrish, road trips make for appealing narratives because they're about escape and bridging past and future. "There is the thrill of everything that lies ahead, but there is also the pull of all that is being left behind," she says. "The journey is an agent of change. You become a slightly different person from the one you were at the outset. Any travel alters one's perception, but a road trip, where you're in control of where you go and how quickly you get there, puts you in charge. That can be very exhilarating."
  Parrish hopes readers who accompany Lavinia on her trip in The Amendment discover that grieving is different for everyone. "You can leave home, but it all comes with you," she says. "You must be willing to sort out your feelings no matter how painful or difficult. If you let yourself see other people for who they are and take stock of the kindness they've done you, you're able to eventually be kind to yourself."

• Portland Book Review
  http://portlandbookreview.com/2018/09/the-amendment/
  Word count: 363

  QUOTE:
  This is a splendid tale of a middle age widow trying to find new purpose for her life. This story is written simply, is direct, and quite amusing. The Amendment is unexpectedly funny and has quirky characters with lots of flaws.

  The Amendment by Anne Leigh Parrish
  by L Ruby Hannigan on September 26, 2018
  5????

  Lavinia Starkhurst finds herself thrown into a situation that almost every married woman dreads, the accidental death of her wealthy husband, Chip. Showing little emotion and feeling pretty sure she must do something, Lavinia decides to road trip across country to put her feet into the Pacific Ocean! Throwing her grown family and friends aside, she feels she needs time for herself as she deals with her grief alone. Chip has left Lavinia financially secure, which leaves her able to lavish handsome tips to a few deserving individuals she meets along the road who have their own set of troubles to deal with. Through some of these encounters, she recognizes her past, good or bad, as she examines her two marriages and her roles as wife and mother. She is seeking something that she’s not sure of yet. She is trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life, has a few humorous moments during her trip, and a sheds a few tears too. She is hoping as the weeks go by that she is becoming a better somebody!
  Publisher: Unsolicited Press
  Formats: Paperback, eBook, Kindle
  Purchase: Amazon | iBooks
  This is a splendid tale of a middle age widow trying to find new purpose for her life. This story is written simply, is direct, and quite amusing. The Amendment is unexpectedly funny and has quirky characters with lots of flaws. The main character, Lavinia, has a sharp tongue and witty conversation. This is a follow up story using the same characters at a later time in their lives. However, this reader read it fine as a standalone story, having not read the previous installment. Lavinia becomes a brave and strong character to love and spending time with her is a joy!

• Booklist Online
  https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Amendment-Anne-Leigh-Parrish/pid=9438732?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
  Word count: 236

  QUOTE:
  "More a character study than a tautly paced, plot-driven story, The Amendment is a vibrant, introspective exploration of marriage and motherhood that highlights the power of self-acceptance."
  The Amendment.

  Parrish, Anne Leigh (author).

  June 2018. 370p. Unsolicited, paperback, $16.99 (9781947021099).
  REVIEW. First published May 4, 2018 (Booklist Online).

  When Lavinia Starkhurst’s second husband, Chip, is struck down by lightning in a freak storm on the golf course, it throws her whole world into disarray. Chip and Lavinia’s adult children have their own lives and methods of grieving, while Lavinia’s left without anyone to take care of. She becomes fixated on the idea of a solo road trip, using her time alone in the car to grieve Chip properly and contemplate her now-uncertain future. Headed west without a concrete itinerary or final destination, Lavinia encounters a wide swath of humanity, people with their own struggles and triumphs. Parrish (What Is Found, What Is Lost, 2014) uses Lavinia’s long drive to tease out old memories and give readers a picture of Lavinia’s life before Chip. Fans of Paulette Jiles, Mary Simses, and Frances O’Roark Dowell will enjoy Lavinia’s fierce independence and Parrish’s sharp, clear prose. More a character study than a tautly paced, plot-driven story, The Amendment is a vibrant, introspective exploration of marriage and motherhood that highlights the power of self-acceptance.— Stephanie Turza

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