Kristen McGuiness is the author of Live Through This, her debut novel coming October 10, 2023, and the bestselling memoir 51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life, which was optioned by Original Films/CBS Cable with Alison Brie attached to star. She has over twenty years of experience in book publishing, as an author, editor, and book publisher, with such houses as St. Martin’s Press, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins.

Kristen is also the co-founder of Row House Publishing, along with President and Publisher Rebekah Borucki, and currently runs the book coaching company, Rise Writers, which provides book coaching and management for emerging and established authors. In addition, she is the publisher of Rise Books, launching in 2023, which publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry of radical inspiration. Kristen has appeared on the “TODAY Show,” in USA Today, and in Marie Claire, and has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, Shondaland, Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Psychology Today, Salon, and The Fix. She lives in Ojai, CA, with her husband, two children, and a dog named Peter.

LIVE THROUGH THIS is a modern-day Western about love and heartbreak, set in 2016 at the edge of our turbulent times.

Jane Ambrose is a woman trying to reconcile the joyous mediocrity of middle-aged life until one night out ends in the ultimate tragedy. Negotiating between advocacy and exploitation, Jane must face her complicated past but also her complicated marriage, as she decides if she is willing to fight for the dream she left behind, and against the systems that destroyed it.

Kirkus Reviews describes the book as “a testament to the horrific damage that gun violence exacts on society. McGuiness’ novel shows off her skills as a terrific storyteller; the work sends her resilient protagonist through the highs and lows of life as a single mom who joins a complicated fight to safeguard the public and finds new purpose. An engrossing, epiphanic story of second chances, anchored by a relevant message.”

Related Episodes