Today it is my pleasure to welcome Jacelyn Cane and her memoir, Mom & Dad’s Martinis.

Author’s description

Jacelyn Cane’s mom and dad liked their martinis dry: straight gin on the rocks with a dab of vermouth and a hint of water – and they liked them often. They also liked to party; they danced, socialized, and drank – they were good at all three. Sometimes this behaviour led to humorous situations – antics in the pool, at the club, the cottage or in the car, for example. Other times, however, the experiences were not so funny – family fights and times of neglect, trauma, and abuse. By weaving together a series of episodes that take the reader to light and dark places, author Jacelyn Cane tells a poignant cautionary tale for anyone affected by alcoholism and/or family struggles. The author is using a pseudonym and most of the names in the book have been changed to protect people’s identities. “Mom and Dad’s Martinis: A Memoir” is a great read for anyone who has experienced a childhood mixed with joy as well as sorrow. It is a story of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and hope.

About the Author

Jacelyn Cane was born and raised in Toronto. She lives with her husband, and near her three children and step-daughter. She is a retired elementary school teacher who also worked in social justice education with the United Church of Canada. She has worked in theatre and as a reporter. She was educated in Toronto, earning a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Canadian History from York University. Later, she earned a B. Ed. at the University of Toronto. She is passionately involved in numerous social justice issues such as climate crisis concerns and Indigenous rights. She loves meditating, writing, reading, music, laughing, and being around nature. She is motivated by a deep sense of spirituality. Her number one love, however, is being with family and friends.

Find the Author

Website: http://jacelyncane.com

Buy the Book

Amazon — https://amazon.com/dp/0228805104
Amazon –https://amazon.ca/dp/0228805104
Amazon –https://amazon.com/dp/B07T7Z818H
Indigo — https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/mom-and-dads-martinis-a/9780228805106
BN — https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mom-and-dads-martinis-jacelyn-cane/1132123904
Kobo — https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mom-and-dad-s-martinis
Smashwords — https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/944724
Apple — https://books.apple.com/us/book/mom-and-dads-martinis-a-memoir/id1469160761

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

An Exclusive Excerpt Just For Us

My mom grew up on Tarlton Road in Forest Hill, Toronto. For many years, she lived a charmed childhood. Every day, my mother swallowed her molasses and cod liver oil and strolled to school with her neighbours and lifelong best friends, Mary and Sue. Off they went, down Tarlton West, onto Chaplin Crescent, through the park, over the railroad tracks and on to Forest Hill Jr. School. It was a long walk for little girls – and they came home for lunch every day.

In the evenings, after supper, Mom would bounce outside to play with the neighbourhood kids – hide and seek, cowboys and Indians, and red rover. Along with her girlfriends, my mother tried to master “double Dutch” skipping and threw a rubber ball against the house singing “Ordinary Moving”. On the lawn, the girls muddled through cartwheels, back bends, somersaults, and even some Russian dancing.

On rainy days, Mom and her girlfriends gathered in her basement to dress up in outrageous costumes – hats, high heels, and jewellery. Thanks to my grandmother, everything was packed in an old trunk and a dress up closet. One Sunday night, together in their dresses and high heels, my mother and her girlfriends paraded around to music played on a wind-up Victrola – “String of Pearls,” “Perfidia,” and more. And while they played, smells of my grandmother’s roast beef wafted to the basement.

“Dorothy,” my grandmother called down.

“Yes, Mommy.”

“It’s time for dinner. The girls need to go home now.”

“Already?”

“Yes, dear. You’ll see them after dinner.”

Every Sunday night, they had a scrumptious roast-beef dinner in the dining room with the family, including Aunt Geraldine, my grandmother’s sister.

“This plate is for you, Dorothy,” said Mom’s mother, as she scooped some roasted potatoes onto my mom’s plate. On Sunday nights, they always ate off Grandma Duncan’s good china – made in France with two exquisite blue and green birds sitting on branches. “Hold it carefully, dear.” Mom’s mother loved that china, and so my mom loved it too. They always had wonderful conversations in the dining room and Mom looked forward to those meals. Her mom was a great hostess and my mother became one too.

Soon, my mother and her closest girlfriends – Mary, Sue, and Helen – were labeled “the Tarlton Road Gang.” Eglinton Avenue was just beginning to be a place to hang out – and the soda fountain at Kresge’s discount store was a favourite destination.

“Let’s go to Kresge’s for a cherry Coke,” my mom said one afternoon.

“I’m gonna get a banana split,” Helen added, fixing the large bow in her curly hair. They’re the best in town.”

Thank you!

Jacelyn Cane — we appreciate your sharing your book Mom & Dad’s Martinis with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.