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In 1990, Anne O’Connell began managing the communications needs for corporate and non-profit organizations, beginning her career with the international PR firm of Burson-Marsteller. Subsequently, she held communications positions in the fields of higher education; health and wellness; agency PR; and the print and broadcast media. A move to Dubai in 2007 triggered a shift to freelance writing. O’Connell took her 17 years of writing in a variety of styles and genres and created a portable career that she has since taken to Thailand. She continues to provide services as a freelance writer/editor and PR/social media consultant, while simultaneously writing books and mentoring fellow authors. She conducts workshops in writing (fiction and non-fiction), corporate communications, media relations and social media strategy.
A multi-genre author, O’Connell’s first book, published by Summertime Publishing, was @Home in Dubai…Getting Connected Online and on the Ground. She then explored the world of self-publishing and launched a Kindle eBook called 10 Steps to a Successful PR Campaign – A Do-it-Yourself Guide for Authors; followed by the launch in 2013 of Mental Pause, her debut novel, which won a 2013 Independent Publishers Book award in the Best Adult Fiction eBook category. She was also the recipient of two Publisher’s Choice Awards for short stories published on the Fiction Writers Platform. O’Connell’s full profile can be viewed at www.linkedin.com/in/anneoconnell
Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite
Abbie Slocum is middle-aged, married and suffering the consequences of menopause. As she goes through this phase of her life, hormone-addled and teetering between sanity and a place of no return, she hangs on to her life by sharing her difficulties with her best friend Rachel, and a rather mysterious new friend named Joan. Together they escape the troubles of menopause through wild nights until a rather mysterious circumstance catches up on Abbie, where she becomes the primary suspect in a murder case. To top it all, her increasingly bizarre behavior confuses Abbie’s husband Conrad, a cop, and her two sons. Eventually, she finds herself in a jail cell, coming face to face with herself and her regrets. How will she get herself through it all? Will she even make it?
Menopause is a confusing time for women, what with extreme changes happening to the body, but this novel tells a woman’s story with such exciting sequences – at times nerve-wracking, at others humorous – that give us a clear picture of exactly how crazy a woman’s journey can become. Anne O’Connor develops her characters solidly in a story that flows smoothly. It is likely that a reader may initially conclude it as a book for older women, but it is not just for them – although it tells their story – nor is it your simple chic-lit fare. With courtroom drama and a murder case rolled into one, "Mental Pause" is a highly engaging, funny yet enlightening read, worth every minute of your time.
