Hi! I am Lisa F. Rosenberg, author of FINE, I’M A TERRIBLE PERSON. I’m thrilled to be here to tell you about my debut novel!
73-year-old, worn out, former beauty, Aurora Feldenburg, a hapless, broke, divorcee living in the wealthy enclave of Marin County, learns that her father's widow has died. She decides to drive to Los Angeles to see if there is any money in it for her. Aurora is always ready for the next get rich scheme
Aurora's high-strung daughter, 43-year-old Leyla, is a hypersensitive, insecure, perfectionist, insomniac, damaged from her father's lifelong abuse and rejection. She is married to a wealthy prince charming, investment banker who specializes in the legal Cannabis industry. Leyla spends her days keeping up with the other Marin uber mom's, manically pursuing perfection in herself, her home, and her children. When she overhears a conversation at parent's night at her children's elite private school, and suspects her husband is embarking on an affair, she decides to sneak into a Cannabis business conference he is attending, also in LA, to spy on him. While at the conference she accidentally ingests 40 mg of THC packed granola bite samples.
Aurora and Leyla's separate quests intersect and enmesh in Los Angeles over the course of a weekend, where they both end up staying with quirky, endearing, relatives. When Aurora's meager inheritance is stolen by a trusted cousin, she drags Leyla into a ludicrous chase. Unable to resist the pull of the trauma bond she shares with her infuriating mother; Leyla fails to adhere to her boundaries, even after years of therapy. She risks losing everything to another one of Aurora's harebrained schemes. Will their entangled journeys and the chaotic, catastrophic outcome be the last straw to free Leyla from her mother's toxic dependency and destructive attachment? Will Aurora achieve her lifelong goal of financial security, as always, at Leyla's expense?
F is for Funny. This adult mother daughter store is tender and funny.
I is for Imaginative. The main character Aurora is imaginative in her schemes and strategies for getting through life.
N is for Narcissistic. Aurora was and is a selfish narcissistic mother.
E is for Eccentric. Aurora has an eccentric fashion sense and never likes to be without a little sparkle.
I is for Idiosyncratic. Aurora and Leyla’s cousins in Los Angeles are idiosyncratic. They speak in mostly proverbs and cook prodigious quantities of delicacies from the old country.
M is for Manipulative. Aurora constantly attempts to manipulate her daughter Leyla for money.
A is for Absurd. Aurora’s schemes for making money are absurd.
T is for temperamental. Aurora’s daughter Leyla gets temperamental when she can never get a straight answer from her mother.
E is for enchanting. Leyla has an accidentally enchanting experience at the Cannabis business conference.
R is for resilient. Both Leyla and Aurora learned resilience after being abandoned by Aurora’s husband and Leyla’s father.
R is for resourceful. Aurora is magically resourceful in getting others to do things for her.
I is for insomnia. Leyla is a chronic, acute insomniac and tries every known strategy for achieving sleep.
B is for bossy. Leyla has always been bossy, even as a little girl.
L is for laugh. This story will make you laugh and maybe cry a little.
E is for embittered. Leyla is embittered by being neglected as a child.
P is for Perfectionist. Leyla learns that being a perfectionist is hurting rather than helping her life.
E is for Elated. Leyla is elated after her experience at the Cannabis conference
R is for Relaxed. Leyla learns to relax as a result of her unintended adventure.
S is for Significant. Leyla experiences significant transformation.
O is for Oblivious. Aurora is oblivious to how much she has harmed her daughter.
N is for Neglected. Leyla was neglected as a child by both her mother and father.
A Novel
This funny mother-daughter caper story stars 73-year-old, overweight former beauty, Aurora Hmans Feldenburg, who is a hapless, perpetually broke, eccentric divorcee living in the wealthy enclave of Marin County in Northern California. Aurora is wakened by a phone call informing her that her father’s widow has died. Possibly her last chance at solvency, she decides to drive to Los Angeles to see if there is a will and how she might benefit.
Enter Aurora’s high-strung daughter, 43-year-old Leyla Feldenburg Rothstein, who spends her days keeping up with the other Marin Uber mom’s, manically pursuing perfection in herself, her home, and her children. When she overhears a conversation at parent’s night at her children's elite private school, and suspects her husband, an investment banker in the cannabis industry, is embarking on an affair, she decides to sneak into a Cannabis business conference he is attending, also in LA, to spy on him.
Women's Fiction [Sibylline Digital First, On Sale: January 24, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781960573674 / ]
Lisa F. Rosenberg has a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in Art History, a M.A. in Graduate Humanities and a MFA in Creative Writing from Dominican University of California. Her early professional career was in the blue-chip retail art world as a Gallerist for several prominent San Francisco art dealers including Crown Point Press and John Berggruen Gallery.
She was most recently a public guide at SFMOMA and Museum Educator on staff at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
Her writing up until now has been in her professional life, primarily non-fiction, essays for exhibition catalogs, art criticism, tours, and public talks. Her short story, Family Footnotes, was recently featured in the summer 2024 edition of Amaranth: a journal of food writing, art and design, and she was a quarterfinalist in the Driftwood Press in house short story contest for the Spring of 2024.
Fine, I’m a Terrible Person is her debut novel. Her family heritage is Rhodeslis, Ladino speaking Sephardic Jews from the island of Rhodes. Her deep affection for her cultural legacy is reflected in the novel’s historical accuracy of language, cultural authenticity, and descriptions of mouthwatering cuisine.
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