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"Shadows and Ghosts," prose winner of the 2011 Fairleigh Dickinson University/Serving House Books First Book Contest.

(Chicago, IL) Shadows and Ghosts tells the story of Ida Mae Glick, a critically acclaimed Jewish filmmaker who suffers a near fatal heart attack as the result of trying to live on the same meager rations as a group of homeless people she is filming. When she winds up in the hospital, she finds herself facing a neurotic psychiatrist who believes she's unstable, an identical twin sister who is intent on having her committed, and a ghostly Jewish mother who's come back from the grave to settle old gripes.

While Froman's novel "...lures readers into [a] satiric tale of smothering mothers, neurotic daughters and intense sibling rivalry through famous cinematic images and Borscht Belt humor," it also "moves them through keenly observed characters and their emotional journey toward selfhood," says author Susan Applebaum. The development of complex women's characters and realistic women's relationships was important to Froman, as she wanted readers to identify with the challenges they face on her literary screen.

Shadows and Ghosts, a trade paperback published by Serving House Books, is available from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble for $11.95.

Barbara Froman received degrees in music composition from Ithaca College and Northwestern University, was the Director of Mundelein College's Creative Writing Program, taught Literature and Creative Writing at National-Louis University, and acted as a consultant to National's graduate program in Written Communication. She is the author of published essays and poetry, has placed in screenwriting competitions. She is presently at work on a collection of short stories and a novella.

Resources:

www.barbarafroman.com