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New book focuses on magic, love, healing on Seneca Lake

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Cover of book "That Old Lake Magic"

The trilogy about the American-Giroux family is complete with the publication of “That Old Lake Magic: A Search for Love and Healing on Seneca Lake” by G.A. Brandt.

Here’s the plot: “JOA Giroux has devoted nearly a decade to helping unwed mothers and children in Ottawa, Canada, at the Giroux family’s charitable foundation. She is near burnout when she is given a one-year sabbatical from the foundation. JOA wants to travel but first decides to spend a few weeks with her cousins at their winery on Seneca Lake in New York. There she meets the winemaker Thomas Burton, a U.S. Marine and veteran of Vietnam, who carries baggage from his war-time service. Can JOA help Thomas rid himself of his demons from the war? Will the relationship survive if Thomas agrees to help his Marine buddies on a dangerous mission to Rhodesia? Will the Haudenosaunee God of the Lake, Manitou, bring a magical and spiritual peace to them both? Set in the late 1970s, That Old Lake Magic spins a tale of romance, conflict, danger, and surprises for JOA and Thomas.”

Brandt’s previous books about the Giroux family are It That Pleases Them: The Awakening and Redemption of Chaucer Giroux and As Beautiful As This: A Novel of the Reconciliation of War and Peace in an American Family.

Each book focuses on a different member of the Giroux family, and you don’t have to read the previous books to enjoy That Old Lake Magic. All of the books can be purchased by clicking here.

New release by G.A. Brandt

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I’m excited to announce that author G.A. Brandt has a new novel out: It That Pleases Them: The Awakening and Redemption of Chaucer Giroux. Here’s the summary:

Chaucer Giroux’s life in Ottawa, Canada, is ripped apart when he’s 14 and his parents get divorced. Chaucer’s self-centered mother, an aspiring novelist, forces Chaucer and his sister to move with her to Vancouver, separating the children from their loving father. As his resentment of his emotionally distant mother grows over the years, Chaucer’s earnest attempts  to find the right woman to love result in unintended consequences. With his life in a tailspin, Chaucer traverses Europe seeking answers. Can he learn to embrace the forgiveness of God to redeem his life with his new love interest? Can Chaucer forgive his mother and become a loving parent like his father?  Follow the life of Chaucer Giroux as he struggles with his inner self while seeking reconciliation with his past. This is the second novel about the Canadian-American Giroux family set in the 1960s and beyond.

The book is now available on Amazon, but we encourage Rochester, New York, readers to stay tuned for an upcoming book signing and reception where books will be available for purchase. Or if you live outside of Rochester, and you want a signed copy, please shoot me an email at suttercommunications@gmail.com and we can make that happen!

To read more about G.A. Brandt and his first novel, As Beautiful as This, click here.

Dellenna Harper to speak at STAND Against Racism event

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Photo of Dellenna Harper
Dellenna Harper (photo courtesy of Doug Buckley)

Called a “superhero who survived a world of brutal addiction,” Dellenna Harper will share her honest and inspirational story at “A Celebration of Healing and Hope” on March 24, 2022 at Nazareth College in celebration of Women’s History Month and Social Work Month.

Harper, an alumna of Nazareth and Monroe Community College, has written a mesmerizing account of her descent into a deep, dark place, and her challenging climb out to become a dedicated social worker. She is the author of the book God’s Teardrop: My journey of healing from addiction and prostitution. Jane Sutter Brandt, owner of Sutter Communications in Pittsford, is the co-author.

Harper will speak to a live audience at 7 p.m. March 24 at Beston Hall in the Glazer Music Performance Center at Nazareth College. The event is free and will be live-streamed to those who prefer not to attend in person. A question-and-answer session will include Nazareth students in attendance and MCC students viewing remotely.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is the Title Sponsor of the event, with MCC and Nazareth College as sponsors in partnership with the YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County’s annual STAND Against Racism 2022.

The event is free, but registration is requested at go.naz.edu/Harper. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants who want to attend virtually.

Photo of book cover of God's TeardropHarper will tell of her experience living with racism, sexism, bullies, oppression, shame, guilt and addiction. While her story has been described as a “down to the bone account” of the darkness of addiction and prostitution, and the many challenges of recovery, the story is also one of the incredible resilience of the human spirit.

Harper, a Minnesota native and Black woman, was addicted to crack cocaine for about 10 years. After spending time in prison and traveling around the country, she ended up in Rochester, often homeless  and ultimately being arrested for prostitution. She started the road to healing after being released from the Monroe County Jail and entering The Jennifer House, a prison ministry program sponsored by Spiritus Christi Church in Rochester.

From there, she lived at the YWCA in Rochester for almost two years before moving into her own apartment in Irondequoit. While at the YWCA, Dellenna returned to college. She earned an associate’s degree in addictions counseling from MCC, a bachelor’s degree in social work from Nazareth College, and a master’s degree in social work from the Greater Rochester Collaborative of The College at Brockport and Nazareth.

Dellenna stayed connected to The Jennifer House, working there throughout her college studies and eventually becoming its director. In recent years, she returned to her native Minnesota to care for her elderly parents, and now is Director of Hope Harbor and Harvest Hill Programs (housing for the formerly homeless) at The Salvation Army in Minneapolis.  

God’s Teardrop is available in paperback and on Kindle through Amazon, and in paperback and on Nook through Barnes and Noble and at Cerebral Kingdom bookstore in downtown Rochester.

For more information on God’s Teardrop, go to: suttermedia.net/books/godsteardrop.