Georgia, A New York Story is a character-driven novel that takes the reader on a stimulating, suspenseful, journey filled with humor, sadness, friendship and affirmation. Its engaging stories and quirky characters come together to form an arresting emotional mosaic of survival. Georgia, a sixty-year-old professor of Musical theatre and Drama therapy, heads a colorful but complicated extended family in New York City during the latter half of 2001. Her Chelsea home is a haven for her ever-growing eclectic family of straight and gay friends, students, and neighbors who come and go at will. Even-keeled, John, Georgia's younger husband, and Val, their twenty-one year old aspiring videographer daughter, support Georgia's need to create a safe space with rules and standards where there is never an abandoned soul. The newest arrivals to this loving household include: forty-year old Horace, a hapless poet desperate to gain acceptance from his dysfunctional family and achieve marriage with an unknown foreign girl he corresponds with via the Internet; nephew Nick, the eight-year-old son of her imperceptive brother and his deceitful, alcoholic wife; and Kasey, an intelligent, kind-hearted, terrified teenage runaway, whose dark secret threatens to destroy any chance for future happiness. Musical theatre and New York historical references are sprinkled throughout this first novel that covers a variety of themes in serious, humorous and visual ways. The story and its characters are psychologically complex and the author addresses the importance of family systems, therapy and creative expression. Georgia, a New York Story is the perfect choice for book clubs as the characters are multi-generational. Topics for discussion are unlimited and may include: surviving emotional and physical abuse; co dependency; relationships; enabling; coming out; confronting your attacker, and surviving life with humor and love. REVIEWS "Not since Armistead Maupin has a novelist written so poignantly about the importance of a person's logical family and the challenges of one's bio-logical family. As an Expressive Arts Therapist and former Drama therapy Teacher, it is refreshing to see a Drama Therapist as a three dimensional main character in a book that is psychologically complex and addresses the importance of family systems, therapy, and creative expression. In Carol Lucha-Burns' moving first novel, Georgia, A New York Story, we are invited into the lives of an eclectic multigenerational group of people all looking to find their way in post 9-11 New York City." - Dr. Deah Schwartz, Co-author of Leftovers: An Expressive Arts Therapy Resource for Eating Disorders and Body Image and author of the syndicated blog, Dr. Deah's Tasty Morsels. You can visit her at http: //www.drdeah.com. "I loved the character of Georgia, in Georgia, A New York Story. She is a fun, adventurous, witty, wise and feisty role model for people of all ages. This lady should have her own talk show. We could learn much from her." - Sharon Stevens, Author of Bitch Lifestyle the Manual. http: //www.BitchLifestyle.com. "Georgia, a New York Story reads (aloud) very well and takes you right in. The character driven plotting has good suspense and keeps us wanting to find out what happens to the characters in their fixes, like in Dick Francis stories." - Scott Buxton, Actor, Audio Books.
About the Author: Carol Lucha-Burns is an award-winning author, playwright, performer, director, actress, singer and teacher who has been involved in over 200 works of artistic creation. As a Professor Emeritus of Theatre at the University of New Hampshire, she developed programs in Musical Theatre, Educational Theatre, Storytelling and Puppetry. Although much of her work is centered in New England, where she won the NH Theatre Conference Lifetime Achievement Award and the New England Theatre Conference award for Excellence in Theatre Education, she has also taught, written, performed and directed in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Utah, New York City, Tokyo, Syracuse and Vietnam. Georgia, A New York Story draws on her knowledge of human behavior and a strong belief in the ability of people's ability to endure, expand and change, despite any obstacle. Like the eclectic family in her first work of fiction, she believes honesty, tough love, and humor are the most essential tools of survival. Her award-winning reference book, Musical Notes, is a valuable resource for those with an interest in musical theatre. "This volume is both broadening and professionally focused. As such it is an essential resource for secondary school, college, university, and public libraries." - Choice. "It would be difficult to imagine a more thorough or more useful guide to mounting a musical production: This volume ensures that the shows will go on." - The Year's Work in English Studies Further Educational Texts: Storytelling, Story and Involvement Theatre, Education Through Dramatization, Puppets-Made Simple for the Class & Teacher, Acting & Directing for the Musical Community Oriented Drama Programs Children's Theatre for Education and Enjoyment Creative Drama Carol considers her greatest achievement to be the sheer numbers of audiences and readers she has touched, either through works of her own or through those of her "Eclectic Family."