Book Launch: Skin Hunger

Please join Ottawa author Frances Boyle and Calgary-based Susan Carpenter for an evening of readings and cross-genre discussions. They will present their debut novels: Susan's Bad Advice published in April by Now Or Never Publishing, and Frances's Skin Hunger, which is just out from Guernica Editions

About the Book
When passionate young animal lover Rowan Shea falls in with a group of radical animal liberationists, she must navigate fine lines between activism and extremism, and between sex and intimacy to learn where true connection can be found. Rowan’s estranged mother Evie struggles with mental health challenges and a conviction that her essence will harm her child, yet yearns to be re-united with Rowan. Skin Hunger deftly intertwines themes of motherhood and psychosis, human-animal relations, and the essential need for physical touch while exploring complicated friendships and infighting in a cast of well-meaning activists. A story for our own age of activism and mental health awareness, Frances Boyle’s sensitively nuanced novel breathes life into community and connection.

About the Authors
Frances Boyle (she/her) is the author of Seeking Shade, an award-winning short story collection, Tower, a Rapunzel-channeling novella, and three poetry collections, most recently Openwork and Limestone from Alberta's own Frontenac House. Her stories, poems and reviews are widely published, and her work has won and been shortlisted for numerous awards and prizes. Her volunteering includes Arc Poetry Magazine, The League of Canadian Poets, and Ottawa’s VERSeFest poetry festival. Born in Red Deer and raised in Regina, Frances has long lived in Ottawa on unceded unsurrendered Algonquin Anishinaabe land. Skin Hunger is her first novel. For more, visit www.francesboyle.com