“An enjoyably irreverent depiction of political alarmism. Satirically sharp… edifying, entertaining, and often very funny.”
Kirkus Reviews
TIME
The near future
PLACE
New York City
As activists drive climate change anxiety to further their agenda for societal change, New York suffers through rolling brownouts. Therapists hang shingles to treat unhinged young people fearing the world is coming to an end. A climate countdown clock is erected in Times Square to alert the populace to the coming doomsday.
It’s no wonder Missy has a twitch, a tic that becomes the talk of the town.
Heiress to an energy fortune built off fossil fuels, Missy Mayburn Crowe is stricken with overwhelming anxiety over what she believes is a looming “climate apocalypse.” Wracked with guilt over her family’s possible contributions to climate change, Missy develops an involuntary twitch, diagnosed by a famed TV shrink as climatosis. Exposure on television and in social media propels climatosis into a worldwide social contagion. That makes Missy a celebrity ripe for exploitation by politicians, media, and business opportunists as “proof” that the apocalypse is now.
Told with humor, insight, and brisk pacing, Missy’s Twitch offers an entertaining twist on conventional wisdom about one of the most controversial issues of our time.
JON PEPPER is a novelist, entrepreneur, and business consultant based in New York City. Missy’s Twitch is the fourth novel in his series, Fossil Feuds. Previous books were recommended by Kirkus Reviews (Green Goddess is “a rollicking ride” and Heirs on Fire is “wickedly funny”) and the New York Post (Heirs on Fire is “a clever corporate satire”).
TIME
The near future
PLACE
New York City
As activists drive climate change anxiety to further their agenda for societal change, New York suffers through rolling brownouts. Therapists hang shingles to treat unhinged young people fearing the world is coming to an end. A climate countdown clock is erected in Times Square to alert the populace to the coming doomsday.
It’s no wonder Missy has a twitch, a tic that becomes the talk of the town.
Heiress to an energy fortune built off fossil fuels, Missy Mayburn Crowe is stricken with overwhelming anxiety over what she believes is a looming “climate apocalypse.” Wracked with guilt over her family’s possible contributions to climate change, Missy develops an involuntary twitch, diagnosed by a famed TV shrink as climatosis. Exposure on television and in social media propels climatosis into a worldwide social contagion. That makes Missy a celebrity ripe for exploitation by politicians, media, and business opportunists as “proof” that the apocalypse is now.
Told with humor, insight, and brisk pacing, Missy’s Twitch offers an entertaining twist on conventional wisdom about one of the most controversial issues of our time.
JON PEPPER is a novelist, entrepreneur, and business consultant based in New York City. Missy’s Twitch is the fourth novel in his series, Fossil Feuds. Previous books were recommended by Kirkus Reviews (Green Goddess is “a rollicking ride” and Heirs on Fire is “wickedly funny”) and the New York Post (Heirs on Fire is “a clever corporate satire”).
FACTS ABOUT THE FICTION:
Date of publication: Oct. 10, 2023
Publisher: North Cove Press LLC
Distributor: IngramSpark
Paperback: $14.95, 220 pages/Hardcover $24.95/eBook $9.95
Categories: Literary fiction, satire
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Praise for Missy’s Twitch
Fossil Feuds
The Fossil Feuds series centers around the founding family behind the century-old Crowe Power Company as they fight to maintain control of the firm.
A Turn in Fortune
Crowe Power Company chairman Robbie Crowe attempts to oust his CEO to grab credit for the company’s success and impress his critics. (2018)
Heirs on Fire
Everything in Robbie Crowe’s life is teetering toward disaster: his company, his marriage, and his reputation. His big fix could make matters worse. (2020)
Green Goddess
The first female leader in the company’s long history struggles to transition the firm from fossil fuels to green energy. (2022)
Welcome!
A chapter in Missy’s Twitch has Missy and her friends playing a drinking game as they watch the news on TV. It calls for them to guzzle a shot of tequila followed by a hard seltzer chaser every time reporters mention “climate change,” “climate emergency,” “climate catastrophe,” or “climate apocalypse.” Given the frequency with which climate is mentioned in news coverage, it was a recipe for getting hammered.
Whether you agree with the most ardent climate activists or not, you must give them credit for creating a cadence of climate alarm that permeates public life and influences the way we live, the cars we drive, the appliances we use. Whether that makes sense or not is questionable. What’s not in question is that it’s effective.
As the young heiress to a fossil fuels fortune, Missy feels the effects of this campaign acutely—even when she’s not downing shots of tequila. She and the family’s century-old business, the Crowe Power Company, are squarely in the middle of one of the great issues of our time. I hope you find reading about their journey both entertaining and illuminating.
Enjoy!
Readers Say…
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