DEEP GAP, N.C., Feb. 16, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Being part of a community in a small town has its wonders. Not only do people make new friends but they also contribute to the growth and progress of the community and even promote goodwill. In the new book The Mahjong Group, author Maria Jamell presents to readers a touching story about different people handling their respective lives and searching for meaning while being part of the community.
Set in a suburb of Chicago, four women meet at a train station where commuters visit a morning "cocktail hour" for coffee before trekking to the city. A love triangle forms between two of the friends and a handsome vet who rides into town on a motorcycle with a schnauzer in his backpack. As two friends fall for the vet, this love in the air causes the third to test her marriage. The fourth observes the mishaps of love while teaching her friends to play mahjong.
The Mahjong Group is unique as it depicts the essence of small towns across America with characters that readers will find familiar to relate with. While most love stories feature people that live exciting lives and fall in love in exotic places, Jamell's book is uniquely set in the small town of Riverdale where people live, work and love through the year with such festivities like the Fourth of July parades, winter fests and spring garden walks. Readers will undoubtedly feel the sense of community in the story and will eventually remember the wonders and happiness of small towns. Aside from that, the book's themes present a realistic portrayal of life that mature men and women can easily relate to.
The Mahjong Group is available for your reading pleasures online at Xlibris.com and at major bookstores and libraries around the country. Be sure to get a copy of this wonderful book and capture the small town magic!
About the Author
Maria Jamell lived for 20 years in the suburbs of Chicago in a village much like her fictitious Riverdale. This setting was the inspiration for the comedic study of human behavior as played out in The Mahjong Group. Maria worked as a freelance writer for The Education Center and published units for use by educators in The Mailbox Magazine in the following issues: Oct/Nov 2002, Feb/Mar 2003 and another in 2003. The author was also published in The Mailbox Bookbag magazine's Aug/Sept 2002 issue. Today, Maria works as a teacher in the mountains of North Carolina while pursuing her passion for writing. Maria and her husband live in Deep Gap with their four dogs.
The Mahjong Group by Maria Jamell
Trade Paperback; $15.00; 234 pages; 1-4257-0061-6
Cloth Hardback; $32.99; 234 pages; 1-4257-0062-4
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 472. Tearsheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x.876.
Xlibris books can be purchased in any major bookstore, or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders or Xlibris. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.