Passing the Torch

A Year of Support, Love, and Memories

It’s challenging to know where to begin when writing about the end. But endings and beginnings in stories and in life connect in surprising ways.

At the end of 2023, (doesn’t that seem like a distant century?) four authors met through a Zoom call: Eileen Vorbach Collins, Christine Gunderson, Kristin Owens, and Sharon Wishnow. We were the small and soon to be the mighty 2024 Debutante Ball cohort. Four women who had signed up to share their debut year journey with each other and the world.

Our debut year was the ending to a long series of beginnings. The beginnings of ideas, drafts, revisions, rejections, doubts, successes, all on rinse and repeat.

Wrapping it up with a Bow

Eileen’s non-fiction book, Love in the Archives is our group’s most emotional book. This collection of essays was born in the crucible of loss, grief, dark humor, honesty, and startling and raw prose. It has gone on to win several prestigious awards and a coveted review in the Los Angeles Review of Books. This is a book about suicide loss, not a happy go-lucky beach read as Eileen would remind us. Her story journey is one that we do not share but oh, how we celebrated each award, each stunning review. Eileen’s voice is remarkable in its depth and ability to connect with readers. This book’s success has spurred Eileen to continue writing and for that the reading public is thankful.

Sharon Wishnow’s book, The Pelican Tide was our first novel. Sharon’s story takes place in 2010 at the site of the Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill and its devastating effects on the community of Grand Isle, Louisiana. We meet chef Josie Babineaux, the spice queen of the bayou who is doing her best to keep her family restaurant and her family financially and emotionally afloat. The family includes a brown pelican named Gumbo who readers say pulls at their heartstrings and steals the show. Sharon's debut bucket list goals were met when she spoke at George Mason University’s Fall for the Book Festival ( her MFA alma mater) and was invited to speak at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge. She’s completed what she hopes to be her sophomore novel.

Christine Gunderson’s Friends With Secrets is our certified best-seller with 24 thousand Amazon reviews and counting. Christine introduces us to Ainsley and Nikki, two mom’s living wholly different lives but who bond over an earth-shattering secret. Christine wanted the title to be Sex, Lies, and Minivans but her editor at Lake Union had other ideas. Friends With Secrets was selected as an Amazon First Reads in July where it topped the political fiction chart and still holds the #6 spot. This funny, heartwarming, and page-turning story is a love letter to motherhood, women’s friendship, and explodes the myth of the perfect mother. Christine is just getting started and will have news to share soon about her writing career.

Kristen Owen’s Elizabeth Sails rounded out our debut year in October. Kristen is truly the only person who could have written this feel good, funny, scavenger hunt of a book about Beth Schiff a play-it-safe ghostwriter who through a twist of family fate lands on the world’s most luxurious cruise ship the Queen Elizabeth. Readers travel with Elizabeth and cheer her on as she conquers her fears all while seeking clues in different port of calls. Owen’s deep knowledge and love of cruising and travel puts readers on deck. Kristin landed a Writer’s Digest review and she too has big news to share in the coming year.

Thank You 2024 Debs

In addition to our own books, we welcomed other debut authors from the larger class of 2024 and we encourage you to visit the Debutante Ball archives and learn about them and their novels. We guarantee there is a book or three for everyone to enjoy.

Lessons Learned

Each of us has learned that it’s been much easier and way more fun to share this life’s journey together. We’ve discussed websites, social media, festivals, book release parties, promotions, reviews, and the in the trenches hard work of editing, cover design, expectations, disappointments ( yup there have been a few), and our hopes and desires for what comes next. As our year ends, our friendship is one that isn’t. We are beginning our next projects stronger, wiser, and connected in a way that we weren’t in 2023.

We invite you to follow us on social media, ask that if you’ve read our stories to leave honest reviews, ask your local libraries to carry our books, and if you have physical copies of our books to share them.

We’ve already passed the torch to the Debutante Ball 2025 cohort. We know that you will love them and their stories. They have so much to share with the world and we invite you to follow their journey as you have followed ours.

Happy Reading. Much love and thank you for the incredible support.

Eileen, Sharon, Christine, Kristin