Anthony J. Mohr
Sherman Oaks, CA (Los Angeles)
Superior Court Judge, Author of Every Other Weekend
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: February 2023
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Koehler Books
Page Count: 282
Format: Hardcover; Paperback; eBook
ISBN: 978-1646639021, hardcover; 978-1646639007, paperback; B0BRNXJYXL, ebook
Price: $26.61, hardcover; $20.95, paperback; $7.49, e-book
Awards:
- Firebird Book Awards, 1st Quarter 2023 Nonfiction Winner
- Firebird Book Awards, 2023 Winner, Coming of Age Memoir
- Firebird Book Awards, 2023 Winner, Divorce
ABOUT THE BOOK
In Every Other Weekend: Coming of Age with Two Different Dads, Anthony Mohr describes living in the shadow of two larger-than-life men in an age where divorce and blended families weren’t the norm. Anthony’s father, Gerald Mohr, was a popular radio actor and onscreen villain in classic westerns who struggled to replicate his success onscreen during the advent of television. Good-looking, fun-loving, and passionate, Gerald Mohr was a man who lived large and loved large; regaled young Anthony with stories of Hollywood parties and beautiful women; and ultimately, left Anthony and his mother for another woman. And in a time not unlike the present, where political affiliations ran deep, Gerald was an enthusiastic Democrat. He worked for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign and was in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel when RFK was shot.
Gerald Mohr stands in stark contrast to Anthony’s stepdad, Stanley Dashew – an innovative entrepreneur whose contributions to the credit card industry earned him a mention in You Only Have to Get Rich Once and, when he died, a Milestone in Time Magazine. A staunch Republican, Stanley was part of a group of businessmen who recruited Gerald Ford to run for Senate and was offered a position in Richard Nixon’s administration (he declined).
As Stanley’s star rises, Gerald’s falters. Anthony describes spending weekends on his stepfather’s catamaran only to visit his father’s home and have his stepmother announce that they are poor. With stunning compassion and empathy, Every Other Weekend offers a portrait of two very different men and the pivotal role they played in shaping Anthony into the man and the Superior Court Judge he later became.
TALKING POINTS
- What does it really mean for children of divorced parents to live their lives “Every Other Weekend?”
- The realities of growing up in the shadow of a famous father and powerful and influential stepfather: Entertainment vs. Business.
- How to navigate family relationships when dealing with opposing political views or disparate economic status.
- Growing up in Beverly Hills during the Golden Age of Hollywood and the advent of television.
- What parents should keep in mind if they’re planning a divorce.
- How can parents (on both sides) support kids' dreams and aspirations no matter the arena they choose to pursue.
- When and when not to urge your children to go into your line of work.
TIMELY TIE-INS
June
- Global Day of Parents - 1
- Step Parents’ Week - 1-7
- National Gerald Day (Anthony’s father was named Gerald) - 17
- Fathers Day - 18
July
- Global Forgiveness Day - 7
- Tell The Truth Day - 7
- New Conversation Day - 12
- National Parenting Gifted Children Week - 16-22
- Perfect Family Day - 18
- National Parents’ Day - 23
August
- Respect for Parents Day - 1
- Women’s and Family Day - 13
- World Greatness Day - 15
September
- National Stepfamily Day - 16
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Memoir / Christian Inspirational
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1647429003
Price: $15.99
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the age of social media, what does it mean to connect through a hand-written letter?
True Story: When Amy Daughters reconnected with her former friend from camp decades ago, Dana, via Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Through social media, Amy learned Dana’s son Parker was at St. Jude battling cancer–devastating news, but what else do you do besides comment an “I’m so sorry,” nowadays?
But more than a comment happened, Amy woke up in the middle of the night and felt called in a way she couldn’t fully explain to write handwritten letters to Dana–someone who through time and distance, had become nothing more than several hundred other faces on her Facebook account.
When Parker died, Amy, not knowing what else to do, continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before. The richness of the experience left Amy wondering something: If my life could be so changed by someone I considered “just a Facebook friend,” what would happen if I wrote all my Facebook friends a letter?
A staggering 580 handwritten letters later Amy’s life would never be the same. As it turned out, there were actual individuals living very real lives behind each social media profile, and she was beautifully connected to each of those extraordinary, very real people.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native Houstonian and a graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer for more than a decade — mostly covering college football and sometimes talking about her feelings. Her debut novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened (She Writes Press, 2019), was selected as the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards. An amateur historian, hack golfer, charlatan fashion model, and regular on the ribbon dancing circuit, Amy — a proud former resident of Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio currently lives in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. She is married to a foxy computer person, Willie, and is the lucky mother of two amazing sons, Will and Matthew.
TALKING POINTS
- Lost Art of Letter Writing – The deliberateness of a letter, honest, believable and genuine, more than Social Media could ever be. Bringing back the beautiful connection of a hand-written letter.
- How can we teach our younger generation to value a pen & stationery?
- The stages of grief and how to remain a constant and connected friend experiencing the grieving process.
- The power of prayer and finding purpose.
- The evolution of friendships and connections due to social media.
- Work from home and the disconnect it creates–how letter writing can bring back more meaningful relationships.
- Women in Sports – Amy is a decades long sportswriter–a position with its own trials and tribulations as a woman in a male-dominated field.
TIMELY TIE-INS
December
- Read a New Book Month
- National Letter Writing Day – December 7
- National Christmas Card Day – December 9
January
- Self-Love Month
- Universal Letter Writing Week – Jan 8-14
- Hunt for Happiness Week – Jan 15-21
February
- International Boost Self Esteem Month – February
April
- Month of Hope; Day of Hope – April 5
- World Health Day – April 7
- Tell a Story – April 27
- Trauma Awareness Month – May
PRAISE FOR DEAR DANA
“Dear Dana is an inspirational memoir about caring for friends near and far by reviving a lost art.” — Foreword Reviews
“. . . a captivating study regarding writing letters to friends and rethinking how people successfully bond in the modern world. An intriguing and inspiring exploration of different forms of communication.”— Kirkus Reviews
“This is a book for anyone who wonders about the differences between a Facebook friend and a Real-Life friend and who yearns to see a person’s real life behind their Facebook image. It is also about the power of prayer and the abundance of kindness in our world. But ultimately, it’s about connection and how we are all connected when we come from love.” — Rivvy Neshama, author of Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles
“Captivating . . . I laughed and I cried as I followed the pleasures of real mail, and the lesson hit home: Whether written or spoken, our words matter. They have the power to illuminate someone’s darkest day.” — Laurie Buchanan, PhD, author of Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth and The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace