BLUE STARS

BLUE STARS is a novel about women on the home front today. It tells the story of Ellen, a Midwestern literature professor, who is unwillingly drawn into the Iraq War when her legal ward Michael suddenly enlists as a Marine; and of Lacey, a proud Army wife who struggles to pay the bills and keep things going for her son while her husband is deployed.

Ellen and Lacey cope with the fear and stress of a loved one at war while also confronting day-to-day challenges of motherhood, jobs, and a society that often ignores or misunderstands what war means to women today. Their lives become intertwined in Walter Reed Army Hospital, where each woman must live indefinitely while caring for their wounded soldiers. They form an alliance, and an unlikely friendship, while helping each other survive the dislocated surreal world of Walter Reed. Whether that means fighting for proper care for their men, sharing a six-pack, or coping with irrevocable loss, Ellen and Lacey pool their strengths to make it through. In the end, both women are changed, not only by the war and its fallout, but by having known each other during this time. EMILY GRAY TEDROWE is the author of Commuters (HarperPerennial 2010) which was a Target Break Out Pick and an Indie Next Pick and was featured in Entertainment Weekly's Best New Paperbacks. The book earned rave reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Library Journal. Emily's short fiction has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Crab Orchard Review, Other Voices, Sycamore Review, and Painted Bride Quarterly. Her fiction awards include the George and Anne Borchardt scholarship to the 2008 Sewanee Writer's Conference, a Literary Award from the Illinois Arts Council, and a residency from the Ragdale Foundation. Originally from New York, Emily now lives in Chicago with her husband and two young daughters.