JD and Orchid's Domain : I got a press release!

For Immediate Release

Date: January 15, 2021

Contact: J.D. Fitzgerald, 336-926-7958, mcneairjonathan@gmail.com

Manhattan Girls: A YA Coming-of-Age Book Series

Promotional Use for Manhattan Girls and A Change Would Do You Good. Books Written by J.D. Fitzgerald.

Lexington, North Carolina-J.D. Fitzgerald is the author of an ongoing book series titled Manhattan Girls. Two Books are now available for release. Manhattan Girls, which is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Kobo, and various online retailers, and Manhattan Girls: A Change Would Do You Good, which is also now available. The series is mainly targeted to the YA audience. It is a contemporary coming-of-age story focusing on a group of friends going through the ups and downs of life at a New York City prep school.

“Life is a journey. Make of that what you will.”

AUTHOR BIO: J. D. Fitzgerald

Born and bred in the Triad of North Carolina, ever since he was a child, Fitzgerald always had a vivid imagination. Drawings on notebooks became ideas in written form. By the age of fifteen, he realized his passion. He wrote his first novel, Christine: The Strawberry Girl, along with two short stories inspired by singers Tori Amos and P.J. Harvey. Christine: The Strawberry Girl, unfortunately, never came into development, but elements of it can be found in Manhattan Girls, his very first fully developed novel during his sophomore year. Through the end of high school and his adult years, Manhattan Girls had gone through plenty of revisions to become the novel that is now. Not only does Fitzgerald focuses his time on novel writing, he also has two screenplays in development. His other hobbies include studying film and television, learning the basics of astrology, and practicing the graceful movements of interpretive dancing. He is an avid fan of late-night ’80s primetime soaps such as Knots Landing and character-driven teen dramas such as My So-Called Life, which is an inspiration for Manhattan Girls. Currently, he is taking classes at The Los Angeles Film School to learn more about the organic flow of storytelling in film and television. You can check out his blog here: https://thestoriesofjdandivy.blogspot.com/

Synopses

Manhattan Girls:

WELCOME TO HAMILTON ACADEMY, THE FINEST OF THE FINEST OF PREP SCHOOLS FROM ALL AROUND, WHERE OPULENCE DWELLS AND SECRETS ABOUND…

Fifteen-year-old Gwen Stevenson gets a chance of a lifetime. Escaping from the depths of small-town boredom, she finally sets her sights of embellishing the wonders of New York City. While entering the halls of the prestigious Hamilton Academy, she meets reserved bookworm Kyle, aspiring filmmaker Vera, Valley girl Shawnie, and gets an unexpected reunion from her two childhood friends, Maxine, a southern belle who plans to take over the popularity food chain, and Mona, a reclusive rebel who dreams of becoming a rock star.

Gwen soon realizes that she is no friend of honor society president Bianca Walworth, who doesn’t appreciate her longtime boyfriend, Chace, making flirty eyes with Gwen.

Having a new life in the city has never been so complicated but in the end…

Will there ever be solace in the city?

A Change Would Do You Good:

A NEW DAWN AND A NEW DAY BESETS THE CONCRETE STONES OF HAMILTON ACADEMY

It is the eve of September and a new student has arrived at Hamilton. Anita Deveraux, an aspiring singer-songwriter from Louisiana, has set foot in New York City. Trying to find her place in the world, she joins in with Gwen Stevenson and her friends. They soon become enraptured by her natural vocal abilities and wistful tales of her hometown down south. Meanwhile, Gwen is still having an identity crisis. Worst yet, it’s only a few weeks until her sixteenth birthday. She soon realizes that life is about taking risks, so she decides to finally fulfill her transformation by gaining a new sense of style. Gwen’s childhood friends have other plans. Maxine is organizing a party to impress popular senior Rain Bosworth while setting her sights on the newly single Chace Fairbanks. Mona Margulies and her new gal pal suddenly break the barriers of the friend zone, which brings back what she lost in the past. Kyle Durmsdale is enjoying the perks of being a newly ordained honor society secretary by wooing the new president Jared Milton, but, unbeknownst to her, there is a certain someone who wants to take Bianca Walworth’s empty nest. Upon getting prepared for the Annual Short Film Contest, Vera Hudgens is confident with her finished project and her new beau but Vera’s new boyfriend may not be as honest as he seems, and when the truth comes out, it goes into a suspension of disbelief. Maxine’s new BFF Shawnie Jenkins faces a dilemma in her love life. Being duped by who she thought was her Prince Charming, Shawnie vows to take revenge upon Blake Kingston…by making him jealous, of course. But as she rekindles with an old flame, those familiar feelings makes the lessons of the past come back to the present…

For the girls at Hamilton Academy, change is a one-way street …

A Review from Chick Lit Café:

“Manhattan Girls by J. D. Fitzgerald is a story about growing up, adjusting to change, and the strength of true friendships. The story starts with Gwen, a teenager growing up in North Carolina. Her home life is troubled with an alcoholic father, so when her mother gets a job opportunity in New York City working for the New York Times, Gwen and her mother move to the big city and a new life. Gwen enrolls at Hamilton Academy and is nervous about making new friends, having left her two best friends back in North Carolina, but she needn’t have worried as there is a grand reunion, and making friends is not as difficult as she anticipated. Soon there are five firm friends, all with different characters and life stories, but the girls blend together well as their lives unfold and they evolve and adapt to city life.

The author, J. D. Fitzgerald, has crafted a great coming of age story, where the characters and the situations of the girls help them to cope with their changing roles. Take Gwen, for example, a shy girl embarrassed by her braces and dull clothes, who blossoms into her true self with the help of her friends. Each of them realizes their dreams as life takes them on their journey. The author has done an excellent job molding the individual styles, home life, experiences and characters of the girls to turn the story into a mix of Grease meets Friends in a novel that will excite and empower every young adult reader.

J. D. Fitzgerald has skillfully written the transition from country girl to city girl and painted a vivid and candid picture of life at a city academy, with all the stresses of growing up and relationships, to style and personal achievements. With a little touch of humor and personalities that will excite and frustrate, this true to life story will have you engaged from the beginning and satisfied at the conclusion. There is no doubt that many readers will be able to relate to the situations the girls find themselves in, from the makeovers to the stirring of attractions to finding one’s true identity, this book has it all. Get ready to immerse yourself in life at Hamilton Academy and New York City and marvel at the resilience of the girls as they set out on life’s journey. Manhattan Girls is a great read and hopefully, the author will have more tales to tell of the intrepid five as they continue their adventures.” –Jewel Hart, chicklitcafe.com

A word from J.D. Fitzgerald:

Let me be honest with you. My chosen path of self-publishing has not been an easy one. It’s been like two years since I’ve published my first novel and the marketing of it was a very hard task, indeed. I’ve put my heart, my soul, every bit of my hard-working money into this project. I’ve scoped out reviewers, promoters, and websites just to get my work known. It was exhausting. So, I decided to put more of my time into writing my next novel, which again took me about a good year to get finished. I haven’t been putting my time into marketing like I should have, but hopefully, I’ll get back in the game. Like I said in my opening quote, “Life is a journey. Make of that what you will.” And boy, is it a journey. I’ve dealt with a lot while focusing on my writing, but I don’t want to get too personal. It wasn’t all bad, though. I found it exciting, putting my words into text. Creating stories from my imagination for the world to share. I met a lot of amazing people during my writing journey and I have no regrets. Right now, I feel like I’m on the right path. I am getting the resources that I needed for so, so long and I’m finally looking at the bright side of things. It’s never too late. I’ve always realized my passion and now I’m looking forward to making it happen. Just like the characters in my books, my life is going through a metamorphosis. I have good moments and I have bad moments, but there is always a balance to things. And I think I found my balance. My life is only just beginning.

My first book, Manhattan Girls is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, and other online retailers[vv1] .

https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Girls-J-D-Fitzgerald-ebook/dp/B07FR7FDBF

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/manhattan-girls-jd-fitzgerald/1129217282?ean=9781723506529

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/manhattan-girls-4

My Second Manhattan Girls book, A Change Would Do You Good, is available on Amazon now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R5P9ZDQ

Here’s where you can contact me:

https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.mcneair.1/

https://www.pinterest.com/mcneairjonathan

https://twitter.com/jd_fitzgearld

https://www.instagram.com/jdfitzgerald22/

I also host a blog titled J.D. and Ivy’s Domain where I mostly write TV and Movie reviews: