About the Book

Book: Hot Mess Express: A Humorous and Practical Survival Guide for Menopause

Author: Sally Friscea

Genre: Health & Wellness / Aging

Release Date: April 22, 2025

Discover Your Menopause Survival Kit: Laugh, Learn, and Thrive!

You may have involuntarily found yourself on the Hot Mess Express, but you can take control of your journey and enjoy the ride. Or at least, survive the roller-coaster known as menopause with laughter. Unlike our grandmothers and moms, who never talked about this natural process, Sally takes us on a dive into the humorous yet practical journey of menopause.

Learn about symptoms, treatments, and self-care strategies—from diet and exercise to beauty tips—all enriched with real-life stories that inform and entertain. Empower yourself to discuss health concerns confidently—Is hormone replacement therapy right for me? Would it tame these mood swings? And, why is it so hot in here? Whether you’re in your forties or approaching sixty or beyond, this comprehensive guide offers relief and clarity in navigating the ups and downs of menopause. Embrace The Change with a smile and practical solutions that make a difference—from head to toe.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Sally Friscea writes with humor to give hope to the longing heart. As a former member of the US Army, she found herself on an ISIS kill list but is now trying to live a quieter life after marrying for the first time at the age of fifty.

She weaves hope and humor into nearly every story. She is a multi-genre and award-winning writer. She has completed two children’s picture books and an adult murder-suspense novel based around the Kennedy Space Center awaiting publication. She also enjoys shorter works of fiction and articles.

Currently, Sally is working on subsequent novels for the murder-suspense series, a speculative dystopian novel about the aftermath of a second civil war, and other projects that reflect her diverse background.

She’s the Social Director of the Florida Christian Writers Conference and the president of Word Weavers International’s Brevard Chapter. When she’s not bookkeeping, budget counseling, or writing, Sally enjoys spending time with family and friends, scrapbooking, and doing crafts, some of which she sells on Etsy.

More from Sally

I didn’t know it was hot flashes for the first five years. I thought the air-conditioning was broken everywhere I went, because it was. At my house in Florida, my bedroom at the end of the line sizzled. At the office, the unit that fed my room was down; I relied on the trickle of AC from the main room. And my car fritzed often enough, so I didn’t notice it was hot flashes until a friend’s husband mentioned her “crazy pills” at their house one night. She explained they were for hormones and how awful she’d been before taking them.

When she mentioned hot flashes, the light bulb went off. My mother never said anything about suffering from menopause, and the only person I’d ever known to talk about any of it used to break out an oriental fan when the flashes happened, but she was in her fifties, therefore, I didn’t connect the dots in my early forties. All the older ladies at scrapbooking said my sleep issues were menopause, but again, I was too young for that. Then I learned it’s happening about a decade earlier than in previous generations.

When I complained to a friend at the Florida Christian Writers Conference about my perimenopausal symptoms and my great ignorance, she told me I should write a book and put all my humor into it. I spent the next few months taking notes and decided that I indeed had enough material for a book. My dystopian book in progress got pushed aside, and I started down the rabbit hole of finding answers for myself and compiling a useful tool for others walking blindly on the path of menopause.

I found some existing books using humorous personal stories and others addressing symptoms by using medical speak, but nothing with both, so I married the two and tried to dumb it down in a way that even I would understand. I threw in the humor to make the reader know they are not alone. I addressed those pesky symptoms using pharmaceutical, holistic, and over-the-counter treatments where available to appease all the ladies.

As I wrote the book, I kept finding that how we live our forties determines our fifties, our fifties determine our sixties, and so on, subsequently addressing food and other obstacles to longevity. I wrote this book because most women don’t want to talk about this topic, and most doctors aren’t trained in the field of aging women.

I found that even women who don’t suffer greatly will still submit to the effects down the road with osteoporosis and heart disease, because of the diminishing hormones. I attempted to cast as wide a net as possible by writing it in a way to entertain as well as inform so the reader can advocate for herself with her doctors and learn how to avoid spiraling out of physical independence in the latter years. This book is the sugar coating on a hard topic not being talked about enough. I wrote it so you won’t have to talk about it outside your physician’s office.

Author Interview

• What is your favorite genre of books? Why?

I like the murder-suspense genre best for books, the simple whodunnit. I enjoy a good story with FBI or other law enforcement chasing down a bad guy. I don’t want to be in the head of the murderer, but I like to see how they’re caught. I like solving puzzles, so I get the chance to figure it out before the big reveal. I like the same in movies, and before I married my husband, Dean, I had a guy friend constantly trying to get me to watch the RomComs. He said, “You’re not happy unless somebody dies.” He’s not wrong. I don’t want the gory details, just give me the gist of it; that’s enough.

• Are you a one project at a time author or do you have multiple projects going at once?

I have multiple projects in the works. When I get stuck on one, I turn to another, but by process, it’s one at a time. I’m not a multitasker by any means. I have a hard enough time counting reps at the gym. And trying to make dinner without pulling the box out of the trash five times or re-reading the recipe I have printed out and starred, which means I’ve already done this one at least once, if not many times … and still.  No, one thing at a time for me, if I want it done right.

• How has your life experience helped in your writing journey?

This new book, Hot Mess Express, is entirely my life experience for the past decade and a half. But I also use life experiences to flavor my fiction books. They say, “Write what you know.” If I know you, you’re in there. I’ll change you just a bit, but you’re in there, eventually, if I need a character such as you.

I was an Army Brat and active duty myself for four years. I have moved over thirty times. I’ve lived in eight states and Germany (twice). I have visited China, Turkey, Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. If I had the opportunity, I took it. The only life experience I lacked until fifty was marriage. I think because of that, I’m not a great romance writer. I tried it once and was told I should stick to the other genres.

• Who is your favorite author? Why?

I don’t think I have a favorite. I’m a slow reader and only complete about one novel every month or two. I read at bedtime to come down from the day, but it doesn’t last long before my eyes get heavy. I get a kick out of reading books from authors I have spent time with, usually at a writer’s conference. I enjoy the books where law enforcement guys are chasing the bad guy. Early in my writing journey, I got hooked on Steven James’ FBI series, The Patrick Bowers Thrillers, each named after chess pieces. I learned a lot about writing from his books, just seeing how it’s done well. I got to a point in writing my first novel where I thought the book was complete in story and plot, but I was short on word count. Somewhere, I had it stuck in my mind that I had to stick with the main character and her point of view (POV) throughout the entire book. When a publisher said I needed to come up with another twenty thousand words, I pondered how to do that on a finished story.

A short time later, I found myself reading one of Steven’s books and realized how he switches scenes and POV, going back and forth between the good guy and the bad guys. Head-slap moment. All of the movies and television shows I’d watched flashed through my mind. Of course, they switch between good and bad guys, and, unless they’re all fighting each other, they’re in different scenes. It was a rookie mistake. I started at the beginning of my novel and added the murder scene with the bad guys and then sprinkled those bad-guy scenes throughout the rest of the book, easily bringing up my word count. Thanks to Steven’s great storytelling abilities, I created a better story with the different perspectives. Though I don’t kill off any characters in Hot Mess Express, there are still some bad guys and some heroes.

• Do you have extensive outlines when writing or do you write a book as you go?

With my fiction, I’m a total pantser, flying by the seat of my pants and writing as I go. I take the movies playing in my head and turn them into kids’ books and novels. After I finish a chapter, I will add a few words to a spreadsheet with the high points, so if I have questions later about any plot issues, I can quickly find what, who, and where. But that’s all done after a writing session in hindsight.

However, with this nonfiction self-help book, Hot Mess Express, I became a plotter of the n^th degree. Notes were essential to start with for organizing. I purposed to do it in the style of the children’s song Head, shoulders, knees and toes. So, from head to toe and catching all the middle parts, I created a book outline. I needed direction and organization. I also kept a separate document for those annoying citations.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 18

Inspired by Fiction, September 19

Simple Harvest Reads, September 20 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 21

Artistic Nobody, September 22 (Author Interview)

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, September 22

Texas Book-aholic, September 23

The Sacred Line, September 24

Guild Master, September 25 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 26

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 27

Fiction Book Lover, September 28 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, September 28

Pause for Tales, September 29

An Author’s Take, September 30

For the Love of Literature, October 1 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sally is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://sweepwidget.com/c/92407-qjrifne8