We are thrilled to be revealing the cover for Joy Lanzendorfer’s debut novel Right Back Where We Started From! Releasing on May 4th 2021 from Blackstone Publishing, the novel is a sweeping, multigenerational work of fiction that explores the lust for ambition that entered into the American consciousness during the Gold Rush and how it affected our nation’s ideas of success, failure, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a meticulously layered saga—at once historically rich, romantic, and suspenseful—about three determined and completely unforgettable women.
Read on to discover the cover, learn more about Right Back Where We Started From, and read an excerpt from Chapter 2!
Synopsis
If misfortune hadn’t gotten in the way, Sandra Sanborn would be right where she belongs—among the rich and the privileged instead of standing outside a Hollywood studio wearing a sandwich board in hopes of someone discovering her. It’s tough breaking into acting during the Great Depression, but Sandra knows that she is destined for greatness. After all, her grandmother Vira crossed the country during the Gold Rush and established the Sanborns as one of San Francisco’s most prominent families, and her mother Mabel grew up in a lavish mansion and married a wealthy rancher. Success, Sandra feels, is in her blood. All she needs is a chance to prove it.
In between failed auditions, Sandra receives a letter from a man claiming to be her real father, which calls into question everything she believes about her family history—and herself. As she tries to climb the social ladder, family secrets lurk in the background, pulling her back down. Until Sandra confronts the truth about how Vira and Mabel gained and lost their fortunes, she will always end up right back where she started from.
About The Author
Joy Lanzendorfer’s fiction and nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR, Ploughshares, Raritan, Poetry Foundation, and many others. She was included in The Best Small Fictions anthology and was a notable in The Best American Essays 2019. Other honors include grants and residencies from the Discovered Awards for Emerging Literary Artists, Wildacres Residency Program, and the Speculative Literature Foundation.
Excerpt
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