Author Ruth F. Stevens is our guest today. WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR is hosting Ruth and her brand new novel, My Year of Casual Acquaintances.
And Choices is very pleased to share Ruth’s essay about how important our casual relationships are to our lives. We hope it will encourage you to read the entire book:
How casual acquaintances play an important role in our lives
By Ruth F. Stevens
I doubt anyone would question that our close friends and relatives are the people we hold most dear in the world. But the casual acquaintances we encounter in our daily lives can also enrich us, filling needs that are different from those met by our family members and besties.
Casual acquaintances can take many forms. Maybe she’s the co-worker you enjoy chatting with over coffee in the breakroom. Or the man who’s been styling your hair for the past ten years. Or the cheerful retiree who volunteers at the hospital the same afternoon as you. Sometimes, the conversations may be trivial and lighthearted. But other times, you might unburden yourself, revealing confidences or feelings you’ve been reluctant to discuss with the people closest to you.
In my experience, the local gym is the ideal setting for casual relationships. What accounts for our willingness to bare our souls—along with our backsides—in the locker room of the health club? I think it has to do with the near-anonymous nature of our gym encounters. We seldom know the last names of the people we’re talking to. Sometimes, we don’t even know one another’s first names. As a result, our fitness buddies make perfect confidantes. Our secrets are safe with them.
So, when I decided to write a funny-sad novel about a woman who’s bitter over her divorce and determined to reinvent herself after a long marriage, a health club seemed like the ideal setting. Margaret Meyer, the protagonist of my novel who now goes by “Mar” as part of her do-over, is ready for new adventures—as long as they are commitment-free. She joins Seaside Fitness, a gym where she doesn’t know anyone from her former life. And in this club and its nearby environs, with each passing month she goes from one acquaintance to the next.
The casual acquaintances in our world don’t judge us or make demands. They offer camaraderie without commitment, interaction without interference. Our time with them can be satisfying, undemanding, even therapeutic. However, these encounters are not a substitute for meaningful interactions and deep connection. During her year-long episodic journey, Mar discovers that to lead a truly fulfilling life, people need both types of relationships. Will she find a way to achieve this balance?
I hope you’ll read My Year of Casual Acquaintances to find out.
***
Book Summary
When Mar Meyer’s husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it’s not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures – as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant, a kindly older gentleman . . . and Charlie, a handsome best-selling novelist who wants more from Mar than she’s able to give. She learns something new from each encounter. But can she change enough to open herself up to happiness and true connection?
Surrounded by an ensemble of quirky, endearing characters, Mar follows a tortuous and unpredictable path as she navigates the first year of her reinvented life. My Year of Casual Acquaintances is packed with laugh-out-loud moments mingled with scenes of loneliness and self-doubt that will put a lump in your throat.
Publisher: Black Rose Writing (September 26, 2024)
ISBN-10: 168513484X
ISBN-13: 978-1685134846
ASIN: B0D43GW5XZ
Print Length: 322 pages
Purchase a copy of My Year of Casual Acquaintances on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. Add to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
Ruth F. Stevens likes to create stories that will make readers laugh and cry. A former public relations executive in New York and Los Angeles, she is a produced playwright and author of a previous novel, Stage Seven, which was a featured selection of national online book club and Alzheimer’s awareness organizations. Ruth is a proud member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Dramatists Guild of America and serves as a volunteer and acquisitions editor for AlzAuthors.
Ruth lives in Torrance, California with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, hiking, hip-hop and fitness classes, yoga, Broadway musicals, wine tasting, leading a book club, and visiting her grandsons in NYC. Visit Ruth at https://ruthfstevens.com and consider signing up for her monthly newsletter to receive publishing updates, book reviews, and special offers.
Website: https://ruthfstevens.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthfstevensauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rfsauthor
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ruth-f-stevens
Thank you so much for featuring these excerpts from my book. I hope your readers enjoyed it. -Ruth F. Stevens, Author
Thank you so much for publishing my guest blog and introducing your readers to My Year of Casual Acquaintances!