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A Tight Grip

A Novel about Golf, Love Affairs, and Women of a Certain Age

Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Some people might that, at age forty-six, Jane “Par” Parker is too old to win golf tournaments; too old to fear her mother; and too old, after twenty years, to still feel such heavy grief over the murder of her father. But Par has an obsessively tight grip on the past, and no one can tell her to live her life otherwise—not even her three best friends: Pinky, a petite, bossy 911 dispatcher, Carmen, a pot-smoking, dessert-loving masseuse-in-training, and Gail, a business professor, wife of a prison guard, and unlikely romantic. Par is busy preparing for an upcoming tournament, and things are looking good for her—right up until she has to spend a night in jail for a bogus DUI charge and ends up on the front page of her local newspaper as a result. As the week unfolds and Par comes up against one challenge after another, she’s forced to decide: either continue to cling to her memories, or seize the opportunity to evolve and let go of the past once and for all.

About The Author

Kay developed her writing skills by earning certificates in fiction and non-fiction writing from the University of Washington, being part of a writing group, and taking classes at the Hugo House in Seattle. Kay has a BA in marketing from Michigan State University, and a MBA in management from Golden Gate University. Much of the golf action in this novel was taken from Kay’s competitive golf experiences. When she’s not writing, or working on the business of writing, Kay loves to swim, travel, and promote literacy by working as a tutor.

Product Details

  • Publisher: She Writes Press (June 10, 2014)
  • Length: 176 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781938314773

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Raves and Reviews

“A must read for any woman who plays golf, values long-term friendships, or relates to the ups and downs of middle age. Tee it up with 46-year old Par Parker as she obsesses about winning a match-play golf tournament while dealing with distractions she could never have predicted. Kay Rae Chomic has written an entertaining novel set in my hometown of Jackson, Michigan. The story has humor, relatable characters, and high drama—on and off the course. I recommend reading this book on the beach, on vacation, as an escape, or just to spend time with characters you might like as friends.”
—Elaine Crosby, LPGA and Legends Tour Member

“Par is a golf champion, unhappy wife, bereaved lover, bereft empty-nester, jealous sister, and a good friend. This 'pack' of women friends, three plus Par, is what saves her life and what makes "A Tight Grip" a different sort of novel. A great read with an unexpected and very gratifying happy ending.”
—Priscilla Long, author of The Writer's Portable Mentor and other works.

“Chockablock with all the perils and passions of competition in both life and golf, Chomic's A TIGHT GRIP is a winner. Fans of golf and women's fiction will gobble it up.”
—Roberta Isleib (Lucy Burdette), author of Murder with Ganache

“[This] new novel will appeal to ‘women of a certain age’ . . . Even at 46, [Par Parker] carried a 4-handicap.... [O]bsessed with winning yet another match-play championship, she finds herself confronting hazards far more daunting than golf course ponds and woods (love affairs . . . family crises . . .). Many women readers will relate to, or perhaps envy, Parker’s relationship with her three friends. . .”
—Dennis McCann, Wisconsin Golfer magazine

A Tight Grip [is] a hilarious, high-drama novel with a delightful angle of approach to the inner workings of women in golf, family, and the positives and negatives of middle age.”

—Books, Inc., The West's Oldest Independent Bookseller

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