Publishers Marketplace: Tish Cohen

INSIDE OUT GIRL U.S. cover

RECENT NEWS:

“Tish Cohen has created an endearing portrait of a type-A single mom in Inside Out Girl, but what you’ll really love is watching Rachel Berman’s transformation after becoming the guardian of learning disabled Olivia. As the pair’s relationship grows, Rachel finally comes to realize that being perfect has almost nothing to do with being truly happy.” -- Parenting Magazine

“It’s too soon to tell whether Inside Out Girl will be coming soon to a theatre or plasma screen near you, but the odds seem pretty good . . . Cohen uses wry humor and genuine emotion to bring about a bittersweet close. That empathetic quality, regardless of Hollywood’s persistent calls, is what marks Cohen as one of Canada’s strongest new talents.” --MACLEAN'S magazine (Canada)

CHICAGO TRIBUNE picked Inside Out Girl as a "hot summer read" June 2008

“What makes a perfect parent? What makes a parent perfect for a particular child? And how do we go on when everything in our lives is as far from perfect as it can possibly get? Those are some of the questions that run through Inside Out Girl, a new novel that uses the extreme behaviors of a child with Nonverbal Learning Disabilities as something of a metaphor for the obsessions and idiosyncrasies and misunderstandings that can cause chaos in any family . . . Author Tish Cohen has gathered together in this fast-moving novel a lot of painful touchstones for parents of children with special needs.” -- About.com

“Inside Out Girl is a book for adults about children that takes a sympathetic and sensitive look at the hidden lives of youngsters, sees what they see and tells us how they feel—about bullying, pop culture and even being gay.” --Bookreporter.com

-Target Stores have been wonderful in supporting my novel, so please forgive my shameless plug. Inside Out Girl came out yesterday (August 10) in Target stores across the US so please look for it (while you're back-to-school shopping) in the Breakout Book section. Actually, from what I'm hearing from my current perch in Muskoka, Ontario, Target's back-to-school prives are so good many Torontonians are planning to cross the border and shop at Target in Buffalo.

-Look for my interview with Chateleine magazine in the September issue, in stores now.

-Non-verbal learning disorder is at the heart of my new novel, Inside Out Girl. If you aren't familiar with the disorder, it stems from a malfunction in the white matter of the brain and closely resembles Asperger's Syndrome in that it renders one unable to pick up any sort of social cue that is not verbal. The reason it touched me enough to write about it is that most kids with NLD, unlike many kids with Asperger's, desperately want to be accepted by other children but very seldom are. In fact, very often they fall victim to incessant bullying. Imagine the pain the parents of such a child would face. A family therapist friend of mine has a saying that really sums it up: You're only as happy as your saddest child.

"The book has wonderful little gems of humor, especially when Olivia gives another dissertation on her favorite topic, the defecating habit of rats. Children with NLD (sic) can obsess about one topic into infinity, which can grate on the calmest of nerves, and the author shows how humor can be a good coping mechanism for parents and others dealing with these children.There are also some sharp, deft descriptions that make one pause and read them again just to relish the creative use of words to paint a picture. In describing the scene at a cemetery on a rainy day the author writes, “A sea of black umbrellas burst into somber bloom as funeral attendees stepped out of cars, shivering while they waited for pall bearers to lead the way.” --BloggerNews

"I don't know quite how to describe the story of Rachel Berman -- whose family life is rocked by her love for Leonard Bean and his beautiful, bullied, obsessive and mentally disabled daughter -- except to say that there is not one single wrong note in this story of crisis and courage. It drives home the truth we ignore to survive: Each of us is a secret, especially to ourselves."

Jacquelyn Mitchard, NYT bestselling author of The Deep End of The Ocean and Cage of Stars

"In Inside Out Girl, we meet Olivia, a ten-year-old with 'neurological differences.' Compassionate, sweet, and even heroic - you'll be glad you met her." -- John Elder Robison, NYT bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye, My Life with Asperger's

"INSIDE OUT GIRL is a wise, witty gem, populated with characters who will live with each of us long after the last page has been turned. Olivia Bean has taken her place alongside my favorite literary heroes." --Michael Palmer, NYT bestselling author of THE FIRST PATIENT and THE FIFTH VIAL

"INSIDE OUT GIRL had me from the very first page. I was absorbed into the lives of Olivia, Len, and Rachel and closed the book with a sigh of regret when I finished. Each character is richly drawn and the story poignant and tender. Olivia is a memorable character who will stay in my heart for a long, long time." --Patricia Wood, author of LOTTERY, shortlisted for the 2008 Orange Prize

"Like its most endearing character, Olivia Bean, INSIDE OUT GIRL is brimming with heart, spirit, and most of all, hope. Tish Cohen has written a life-affirming novel about the families we choose, those that are chosen for us, and the possibility of second chances. You'll find yourself cheering for Olivia Bean from the first page to the last." --Michelle Richmond, NYT bestselling author of THE YEAR OF FOG

"A spirited, fast-paced novel, INSIDE OUT GIRL is rich in character and heart." --Marti Leimbach, author of DANIEL ISN'T TALKING

TOWN HOUSE director John Carney (ONCE) discusses keeping the film "un-Hollywood" in USA Today

TOWN HOUSE shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writer's Prize "Best First Book" award (Canada & the Caribbean)

My 16-year-old son, Max, entered the 2008 Humorous Short Story competition offered by the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour - meant to promote "the finest in Canadian Literary Humour."

Anyway, he placed 2nd with his story, I Don't Like Mondays. He actually has his first reading at a soiree in June at the Leacock House, in front of a fairly illustrious crowd. Like a true writer, he's terrified!