The Butterfly Groove: A Mother's Mystery, a Daughter's Journey

In 1999, as a twelve-year-old girl in sunny Southern California, Jessica Barraco loses her mother, Dianne, to cancer complications. Not knowing much about Dianne's past, Jessica grows more and more curious about her mother's story each year--especially because her immediate family does not seem to know much more about her mother than the Internet does. A decade after Dianne passes away, now armed with a journalism degree, Jessica unlocks a memory of her mother telling her that she loved her old ballroom dance partner, and she sets out on a two-year quest to find him--along with anyone else who can tell her about Dianne. Part mystery, part coming-of-age story, The Butterfly Groove is a heart-warming exploration of how our pasts tell our truths, and how love survives us all.

"An intimate portrait of the abiding love between a mother and daughter."

—Simon Van Booy, bestselling author of The Illusion of Separateness

• Confirmed early review of book by Examiner.com (Hartford Book Examiner) • Targeting Los Angeles/Orange County/SoCal market, where book takes place • Original book trailer in development (will be included in pitches) • Targeting outreach to authors of similar ilk with large social media audiences (Jeanette Walls, Janet Fitch, James Ellroy) • Confirmed support for book from Mira Bartok, author of The Memory Palace, on social media when book is released • Confirmed assistance with promotion of book from Girls Write Now • Targeting week-by-week Wattpad series about the author's experiences while investigating for the book (with promotional support from Wattpad--speaking to them in early 2015) • References to book in author's bio at Elite Daily, to which she is a frequent contributor • Targeting memoir seminars on Princess Cruises; the cruise line has expressed interest in this • Anticipating attention in Denver Metro Area/Boulder, CO (author's alma mater and journalism school): Boulder Bookstore, The Tattered Cover, etc. • Targeting talks at JCC/YMCA events • Targeting features in/guest articles at Reform Judaism magazine, Parents.com, Psychology Today, iVillage

In an attempt to solve the mystery of her deceased mother's life, Jessica Barraco retraces her mother's steps nearly forty years earlier--and finds herself along the way.

A decade after twelve-year-old Jessica loses her mother, Dianne, to cancer complications, she finds herself curious about Dianne's mysterious youth. Armed with a journalism degree, Jessica sets out on a quest to find two of Dianne's former lovers, an old ballroom dance partner and a Vietnam war hero, along with anyone else who can tell her about Dianne. The Butterfly Groove features Jessica's journalistic approach complemented by reimagined portions of Dianne's life. Part mystery, part coming-of-age story across decades, this memoir is a heartwarming exploration of how our pasts tell our truths, and how love survives us all.

Journalist by heart, marketing professional by day, and writer by moonlight, Jessica Barraco is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She published her first newspaper article at nineteen years old, after which she wrote for Elite Daily, 944 magazine, and The Denver Post. She also spent three years working at HarperCollins Publishers across all of its imprints, working on both nonfiction and fiction books. A member of the Communications Committee of Girls Write Now, a NYC mentorship nonprofit, Barraco lives in New York City.