Fish Heads and Duck Skin: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

On the advice of a five-dollar psychic, Tina Martin, a zany, overworked mother of two, quits her high-powered job and moves her family to Shanghai. Tina yearns for this new setting to bring her the zen-like inner peace shes always heard about on infomercials. Instead, she becomes a totally exasperated fish out of water, doing wacky things like stealing the shoes of a shifty delivery man, spraying local women with a bidet hose, and contemplating the murder of her new pet cricket.

It takes the friendship of an elderly tai chi instructor, a hot Mandarin tutor, and several mah-jongg-tile-slinging expats to bring Tina closer to a culture she doesnt understand, the dream job she never knew existed, and the self she has always sought. Fish Heads and Duck Skin will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered who they are, why they were put here, and how they ever lived before eating pan-fried pork buns.

Reviews

2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Chick Lit (Fiction) A darkly funny diatribe and celebration of self-discovery in a foreign land. Reedsy This book hits every notehighs, lows, and snorty laughter through tears. Tinas search for self is one we all recognize in our own internal hunt, and Shanghai is the perfect setting for her to rise to the challenge while gnawing on a dumpling. Marni Freedman, cofounder of the San Diego Writers Festival and author of 7 Essential Writing Tools and Permission to Roar From the outside, Tina Martins life looks perfect. But in reality, the young American wife, mother, and highly paid medical device salesperson feels dissatisfied and restless. Acting on advice from a fortune teller at a party, Tina persuades her husband to relocate the family to Shanghai, China. There, while living as an expat, Tina discovers not only a new culture but also her true self and lifes purpose. This poignant, humorous, beautifully written book is not only Tinas story, its every womans story. Donna Brown Agins, author of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Legendary First Lady and NAACP Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work for Maya Angelou: Diversity Makes for a Rich Tapestry Motherhood and family life can be a wild and crazy journey all on its own, but plop a workaholic American mom with her family in China Now that is a must-read story, and that must-read story is Fish Heads and Duck Skin. Full of hilarity and heart, this book makes for a great escape. I highly recommend you add it to your cart now. Lisa Belcher, award-winning writer and director of Guest of Honor and Javelina Run, voted Female Filmmaker of the Year at the Austin Revolution Film Festival

Author Bio

Lindsey Salatka is an author, ghost-writer, and editor. Her writing has been featured at BlogHer and in Shanghai Family Magazine, Urbanatomy: Shanghai, and Volumes 3 and 4 of Shaking the Tree: Brazen. Short. Memoir. She is on the advisory board of the San Diego Writers Festival and serves as Director of the KidsWrite! Childrens Writing Contest. You can find Lindsey at www.lindseysalatka.com, on Instagram @mywhatlovelygillsyouhave, on Facebook @fishheadsandduckskin, and on Twitter @lindseysalatka.