Mary Hutchings Reed

Warming Up: A Novel Mary Hutchings Reed

Approaching forty, unemployed but well-off, talented but unknown, functional but depressed, former musical actress Cecilia Morrison reluctantly seeks therapy. Although she once won leading roles, Cecilia now can't bring herself to audition for parts. In the end it's not therapy, but a runaway teenager who changes her life when he cons her out of sixty bucks. Whether at the apex of one's success or just starting out, Warming Up speaks to anyone who's ever wondered, ""What's it all about?"" or who finds themselves doing something they never thought they'd do. Warming Up was a short list finalist for the 2011 William Faulkner -William Wisdom Prize for the Novel. Ten percent of the author's proceeds are donated to The Night Ministry, which provides temporary housing, transitional living, and parenting services to Chicago's homeless youth.     Reviews & Endorsements ""Reed's charming new novel stars a neurotic singer with mother issues who has been avoiding auditions and attending frustrating therapy sessions instead. When Cecilia meets a homeless boy on the streets, however, her life takes a risky new direction . . . A well-written, endearing book that surprises . . .""  - from Kirkus Reviews ""To read Warming Up is to enter a story that keeps you eager to know what ever-compelling twist is just beyond the next page. Ms. Hutchings Reed tells a warm, wise, well-wrought tale with characters you care about, accompanied by virtual music."" - Lucia Blinn, author of We Called It ""The Country"" ""Only an ingenious writer gifted with imagination, heart, and courage could bring these people together with the result that the reader cannot turn pages fast enough to be rewarded with basic truth: caring for someone else and accepting yourself, even when your own life is forcing harsh truths on you, can break the bonds of fear and allow love to thrive."" - Enid Powell, author of To Tell You The Truth and Other Fictions