I don’t know if y’all have any amazing friends who also happen to be famous but I am happy, honored, privileged and very proud to share with you that I do! My dearest friend Beth’s debut novel came out earlier this year and it’s a gorgeous book with heart and soul and beauty. Just like the author. (She’s amazing!)

I was lucky enough to attend Beth’s book launch party at the Red Balloon Bookshop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. To read Beth’s book is one thing. To hear her speak about it is another. It was magical.

Here she is at the Red Balloon. It was truly a night to remember and I am so glad I was able to be a part of it.

And here she is signing books…

I’d like to share my review with you here and I strongly encourage you to get your hands on your very own copy of Waiting for Unicorns. Many local bookstores are carrying this, especially in Minnesota. You can also order online here and here. Here is my review:

Waiting for Unicorns explores the fragile world of twelve-year-old Talia as she navigates through a journey of grief, hope, and grace. Talia has lost her mother to cancer and travels to the arctic with her father who is a whale researcher. She must adapt to an entirely new place, physically and emotionally. With wishes we can relate to and struggles we can sympathize with, Hautala writes with straightforward elegance as she shares Talia’s tale. Hautala delicately weaves the wisdom and words of Talia’s mother into the narrative and delivers clarity to Talia in her mother’s absence. A wise Inuit woman named Sura guides Talia to a place where she can begin to heal and find hope, and find her footing with her father. Hautala’s debut novel is rich with vibrant imagery and tidbits of wisdom that are relevant at any age. Waiting for Unicorns introduces readers to the unicorn of the sea, the narwhal and to Churchill, Manitoba, where they will discover their emotions intertwine with Talia’s and the grace that connects us all.

One of my favorite excerpts (and there are many) was from page 43, “…sometimes you just need something bigger than yourself to feel whole. To keep all the pieces of yourself from falling apart.”

Beth writes while also wrangling a household of four darling children and owning and operating a stellar advertising agency, Red House Media, with her husband Aaron. Mother’s Day seems an appropriate day to pay her tribute. Congratulations to you my sweet friend on your debut novel, and more to follow! You are an inspiration to moms and writers and women everywhere. You can learn more about Beth on her website.