About the Book
Outing the Mermaid takes you on a journey into the 1960s and 70s world of civil rights, feminism, Vietnam, gurus, Mafiosi, the Pill, the Beatles, class distinctions, astrology, and the eternal mystery of what’s going on between men and women.
Subtitled A novel of love, fear & misogyny, Ann Medlock’s roman å clef is a journey into the life of Lee Palmer, a smart woman making some bad choices as she tries to find her place in that Mad Men world. Divorced, a mom, and working “outside the home” in a time when that was odd, Lee pioneers a path she finds repeatedly blocked by misogyny—and by her own unrealized programming for submissiveness.
Early readers, in these “lean-in” times, have reported shouting No, don’t do that! when Lee makes a wrong move. They’ve also fist-pumped in triumph when she gets something right. It’s a deeply engaging story, to say the least.
Published by Blooming Twig Books, Outing the Mermaid is available now on Amazon
“‘Outing the Mermaid’ is Jane Austen with sex.” — Goody Cable, Proprietor of the Sylvia Beach Hotel (Home to the Jane Austen Room)
“The prose is poetry, yet completely unselfconscious, and that ain’t easy.” — Robert Page Jones, Screenwriter & Novelist
“I started Outing the Mermaid last night in m favorite reading venue … the bathtub. All the water ran out and I was still sitting there reading. It’s that good. Brilliant.” — Wynne Crombie, Writer & Educator
“Medlock’s ripping yarn will be on my shelf next to Amy Tan, Thomas McGuane, Wallace Stegner and Barbara Kingsolver.” — Peter Tavernise, Artist & Foundation Leader
“I had to shake myself mentally when I was done with Outing the Mermaid, to force myself to emerge from the world the book created. It was a very intense experience.” — Joan Brunwasser, Editor, OpEdNews
“Medlock’s protagonist is a female, modern-day, Odysseus. Tested time and time again, her complex and varied adventures are not about conquering kingdoms or blinding Cyclops–they are about learning how to live one’s own life with the utmost authenticity and integrity. Such riches as these are beyond measure.” — Susan S. Scott, Jungian Psychotherapist & Writer
Outing the Mermaid is an Amazon Bestseller and has received an Honorable Mention at the Paris Book Festival.
Please note, Outing the Mermaid is no longer available to purchase, and is out of print with Blooming Twig.
