Humanist Press Publishes First Novel: Kylie’s Heel

On August 15, 2013, Humanist Press is releasing Kylie’s Heel, the first novel for best-selling author Susan K. Perry and the first novel ever published by Humanist Press.

Perry, a social psychologist, is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller, Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity, and maintains the blog Creating in Flow for Psychology Today. She has written over 1,000 items published in outlets that include the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Woman’s World, and has taught at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, among other venues.

Kylie’s Heel tells the story of “A Rational Woman” columnist Kylie Moran after her religious twin sister takes Kylie’s teen son with her to Africa on a medical mission. Kylie’s fears for his safety become justified as the story develops and forces the question of how a rational woman copes with an irrational world. Quirky, funny, and sometimes dark, Kylie’s Heel takes readers on an emotionally compelling journey.

“Women have a stereotyped reputation for being irrational, and much of women’s and literary fiction does little to dispute that,” Perry told Humanist Network News when asked about her motives for writing the book. “Yet I know that we can be deeply caring and rational at the same time. I began taking notes some years ago as I dealt with my own empty nest. Those notes eventually turned into Kylie’s Heel. My hope is that both women and men will enjoy and gain insight from facing Kylie’s worst fears along with her.”

Born in Brooklyn, Perry spent most of her teens in Sacramento and then settled in Los Angeles where she earned a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies at UCLA. She eventually had two kids and went back to school for her Ph.D. at what is now Fielding Graduate University. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the poet Stephen Perry, who has a new book of poetry, Questions About God, to be published by Humanist Press on September 30.

Susan Perry’s effort has been judged successful by many.

“Susan Perry’s far-ranging intelligence illuminates every page of Kylie’s Heel,” wrote Merrill Joan Gerber, author of The Kingdom of Brooklyn.

“In Kylie’s Heel, Susan Perry combines her deep psychological insight with her keen creative writing prowess to produce a compelling story that strikes to the very core of some of humanity’s most profound inner conflicts,” said cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman, co-founder/executive director of The Creativity Post.

“Kylie’s Heel burrows deep into the mind with its pathos and intelligence. Its power slowly builds into a crescendo of insight,” says 2011 Humanist of the Year Rebecca Newberger Goldstein. “This is a novel I will never forget, no more than if I myself had lived it.”

Kylie’s Heel is available through HumanistPress.com and all major online retailers for the ebook. You can follow Susan and Stephen on Twitter at @bunnyape and visit their website at bunnyape.com.