BookSparks PR Presents: I Am Lucky Bird




 

Title:   I Am Lucky Bird
Author:  Fleur Philips
Format:  Print
Length:  273 pages
Publishers:  New Dawn Publishers
Rating:  5 stars

I Am Lucky BirdWhen her mother mysteriously vanishes from the small town of Plains, Montana, 12-year-old Lucky Bird’s childhood comes to an abrupt end. Left to defend herself against her suddenly abusive grandmother, Marian, and forced to endure the twisted predatory games played out by Marian’s lover, Lucky soon finds herself trapped in a nightmare.

Even when she manages to escape, the outside world can’t take away the brutal images of her past. Still haunted by her mother’s disappearance and the trauma that followed, Lucky is easily led down a path of self-destruction—a path that only the intervention of a young stranger and his family can guide her away from. But first, Lucky will have to confront her demons, and the dark truths kept hidden.  -Goodreads


My Thoughts
"I  Am Lucky Bird" is the beautifully rendered tale of young Miss Lucky Bird.  Found as a baby behind a local bar, Lucky is adopted by the hard living Marian Bird and her young daughter, AnnMarie.  
When AnnMarie disappears, Lucky must defend herself from the predatory abuses of her aunt's lover.
This was a very hard book to read because of all of the abuse and injustice that Lucky has to endure at such an early age.
Facing obstacles that would have cowed most adults and powering through the tragedies that seem to plague her at every turn, Lucky defies the odds, and escapes the horrors of her past only to be confronted with more, this time brought about by her own poor choices.
Just when you think that it's time to throw the book across the room,  Lucky meets her prince charming and its through him that she starts her journey toward better things.

After weathering so many storms, it's nice to see her get her pot of gold at the end of her rainbow.

This is a well written story that will capture the hearts and minds of readers.  It is a very hard read at times, but very worth it.

About Fleur Philips




Fleur PhilipsI was born in Pasadena, California in 1973. Thankfully, my parents had the great sense to get our family (I have three brothers) out of Los Angeles. In 1976, we moved to Missoula, Montana, but I spent the majority of my life on the shores of Flathead Lake in the small town of Polson—less than 5,000 people. I couldn’t have asked for a more incredible place to be a kid. I was in 3rd grade when I won my first literary prize! My children’s book, Misty’s Adventure, won the all-school writing contest and was placed in the library for all of the student body to enjoy.
In 1992, I graduated from Polson High School. I attended the University of Oregon in Eugene for three years where I was both president and personnel chair of the Psi Alpha Chapter of the Chi Omega Sorority. In 1994, I was awarded placement in the Kidd Tutorial Creative Writing Program at U of O, directed by Mr. Chang Rae-Lee (my second literary prize!). Of the 90 applicants who submitted short stories, only 30 of us were accepted. In 1995, I left Eugene and returned to Missoula where I attended the University of Montana. In 1998, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. In a Native American Studies class that year, the professor (acclaimed Montana novelist, Debra Magpie Earling) assigned us the task of writing a short story, highlighting one memorable life event. I wrote about the burning of my house when I was in 8th grade. Ms. Earling picked three of the stories (from a class of nearly 100 students) to read out loud. Mine was one of the three chosen (my third literary prize!).
All I wanted to do was be a writer, but I was encouraged by a career counselor to return to school to obtain a teaching credential as a “fall back” to my writing. So, I did, and in 2001 (after moving back to Southern California with my then husband and our son) I was hired to teach language arts and drama at a junior high school in Upland. I was there for approximately four months before I quit and never returned to a classroom. I realized my counselor was wrong—if you want to teach, teach. If you want to write, don’t teach. I decided, since I lived so close to Hollywood, that I would try my hand at acting. I booked a handful of background casting jobs and, after being a “featured extra” on Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, I joined the Screen Actors Guild. It was a short-lived adventure, and I eventually “fell” into sales and marketing full-time. But between working and being a mom, I managed to complete three manuscripts—two of which remain stuffed in a box in my office. My third manuscript, I Am Lucky Bird, was picked up by a small publishing company in London and was released on October 1, 2011. It was a general fiction finalist for the 2011 Book of the Year Award from ForeWord Reviews (my fourth literary prize!).
After an interesting 10-year career in marketing—including one year as Dr. Arnold William Klein’s Communications Director (Michael Jackson’s famed dermatologist)—I am today working independently as a communications consultant. I am also a graduate student at Antioch University in Los Angeles, pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing. But, most importantly, I am working on my fourth novel with hopes of earning my fifth literary prize!


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1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review I Am Lucky Bird (and for sharing the book trailer with your followers)! I so greatly appreciate it! Fleur

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