I received a newsletter the other day containing advice on how to write blogs everyone will click on. Among the “tips” were such suggestions as offering bullet-point information in list format; making readers anxious with scare tactics; and drawing them in with negative, gloom-and-doom predictions.

So here goes. What follows are my five compelling reasons why you must pick up a copy of Stage Daughter today:

 1.   So you don’t become a victim of “Adolescent Meltdown”! Are you familiar with the “Choking Game”? How about Emos and cutting? Slayer? Deicide? Meet twelve-year-old Razia Schoenberg—depressed, defiant, and determined. Stage Daughter demystifies the language of that mysterious creature known as the “pre-teen.” If you are cohabiting with one—or know someone who is, Stage Daughter will expose a few of their more baffling habits and translate some of their confounding utterings.

 2.   Because your next-door-neighbor might be a Terrorist! Tell the truth: Have you “bought into” the hysteria and media hype against Muslims as a result of 9-11? Do you actually know any Muslims personally? Then allow me to introduce Aziz Qureshi: Yoga guru; doting dad; cheating husband—and devout Muslim. Whether you love or hate him, Aziz and his family will disavow you of a few preconceived notions about this much-maligned group.

 3.   Because Homosexuals are Taking Over! Seriously, they’re everywhere! In the supermarket, the PTA, and our very own families! Maybe there’s even one lurking in your subconscious! What if you went through your entire life believing you were “straight,” and then discovered in midlife that maybe—just maybe—you weren’t? Meet Sonya Schoenberg: Frustrated actress; hopeless helicopter mom; and beautiful, bisexual seductress. (You might just relate to the stirrings she feels when she meets chic and perky fellow middle-school parent, Nannette.)

4.   Because the people you think are your friends might not be. Like many of us, Sonya tried and failed to get her parents and brother to love her in the way she craved most. An adopted child herself, her family's rejection especially stung when she became the single mom of an illegitimate daughter. Families often aren’t the wellspring of support we need them to be in difficult times. Your family and friends might let you down and even hold you back, whereas your so-called enemy might wind up helping you in your time of need. Stage Daughter shows why it’s a bad idea to judge others based on our own neuroses. Stay on the lookout for true friendships in unlikely places; the world needs more people who live life with an open mind toward others who are “different.”

5.   And speaking of the World—It’s Coming to an End! No kidding, it really is. On the domestic front, our government has been overtaken by liars and thieves; our economy is in the tank with few genuine signs of resurrection; and guns and gratuitous violence are out of control.  On the global front, Mother Earth is running a high fever while battling human cancer, and we are doing little—if anything—to help her heal. On the spiritual front, greed and dishonesty are rampant, sanctioned, and even admired. Eventually, it’s all got to end somehow, and whether that happens in 100 or 100 billion years’ time, there isn’t a whole lot we can do about it.

 So in the meantime, enjoy your life, send positive energy out into the Universe, and pick up a great book! Stage Daughter is available at http://stagedaughter.com.