STAYING WET: A SOUTHERN TALE TOLD ONE SIP AT A TIME is Released

"Staying Wet: A Southern Tale Told One Sip at a Time" "is filled with colorful characters in vivid scenes of Southern life," says Anne Kazel-Wilcox, author and travel journalist. "'Staying Wet' is endearing, and whimsical at times, but peppered with appropriate dashes of heart and soul."

There's a toxic landfill in everyone's mind where the unpleasant seeds of life are dumped and where relentless weeds mix with the flowers.

In this modern ode to the Gulf Coast, Caddy McCoy's garden of life has become quite overgrown. Terrified of facing her demons, this strong woman who has suffered so much, finds herself waking to the sound of Bay water lapping against the pier outside her cottage. Hung over and confronted with poignant memories, with her life-long companion at her side, she rehashes the story of her life.

Watch the video at: https://youtu.be/hC6r3MwUXnU

For a taste of the story "Told One Sip at a Time:"

As she sang and dipped her toes in the water, she could smell the hush puppies frying in Odessa's kitchen along with other typical, southern dishes. She once asked Odessa why the little fried balls of sweet cornbread were called hush puppies. Explained Odessa, "when there is extra dough left from the cornbread batter, I like to fry it up and throw it to Crimson who is always jumpin' around in the kitchen growlin' for scraps ... and I tell him, hush-puppy." Then she laughed and said that she sees it the same with white folk. The sweet balls are so good that if she throws a bunch on a plate they all hush up while shoveling them into their mouths.

Caddy's story begins in Alabama, 1955. In an instant, the dreamy, steamy life that she knows is forever altered. Her memory recalls a vivacious five-year-old girl trying to make sense of her father and brother's sudden disappearance; growing up in an adoptive family with a mother who seems to have permanently checked out; and her college life, racial integration, loves lost, accidents and deaths, as well as charming husbands of shadowy backgrounds.

The narrative of the novel is richly comic, embracing girlish dreams, crazy escapades, and rampant sex. It's also a poignant rendering of death and dreams dashed, of unspeakable tragedies, and far too much alcohol stirred into the mix. Now a 60-year-old alcoholic, Cady takes off her rose-colored glasses to reflect back on her life. It is her children who give her reason to hope and her best friend, with whom she can confide all her secrets from the past, even though he knows her indiscretions way too well.

About the Author: While her life spans cultures and continents, Jacqueline Schnitzer was raised on the Gulf Coast of America and has a special gift for telling tales of the region's colorful settings and quirky characters. Though fictionalized, this book is based on true experiences witnessed by the author growing up in the Deep South. She honed her talents at the University of Alabama, where she received a BA in literature, and also earned an associate degree in interior design and architecture from Parsons School of Design, New York. After managing her own international design firm for many years, her career now focuses on writing novels and children's books. Married to a German husband, and mother to four children, she lives in Frankfurt, Germany, and Saint-Tropez, France.

The compelling new book STAYING WET: A SOUTHERN TALE TOLD ONE SIP AT A TIME (ISBN: 978-149607-934-3) is now available for $14.99 and can be ordered through the author's website:
http://www.jacqueline-schnitzer.com/staying_wet.html or at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.

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