Ogden, UT -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/05/2014 -- A mother of a dead girl, having an affair with the father of the girl who survived their suicide pact. A Mormon in the White House. Abortion. Intimate relationships with plastic blow-up dolls. Grief. Pole dancing Grandmothers.

All of this set in suburban Utah? Author and poet JA Carter-Winward says an emphatic “yes” to all of the above and more. Unapologetic, brash and brave, Carter-Winward’s writing is as stunning as it is fierce, and she is on a mission to prove that regional writers offer just as much creativity as their citified counterparts.

In her three new releases, ‘The Rub: A Novel’, ‘Shorts: A Collection’ and ‘No Apologies’, Carter-Winward employs her signature style as she plumbs to the very depths of the human experience. No topic is off limits and no stone is left unturned – for fans of her work, she’s been described as “what would happen if you crossed Charles Bukowski with a Mormon woman” and the description certainly fits the author.

“It’s never been my goal to be a ‘safe’ writer, especially as I become increasingly immersed in my surroundings and the culture of my area,” says Carter-Winward. “In Utah, the conflicts of a religious society are present in unique ways. Much of my work centers on the conflicts of religion and sexuality, or society and sexuality.”

Vibrant, emotional, sensual and achingly honest, Carter-Winward’s work is the breath of life to a literary world that has become choked with staleness. Her poems and stories speak to the very heart of what it means to be human, sexual and alive.

Synopses:

The Rub: A Novel
Two teenage girls enter into a suicide pact, one lives and one dies. Four years later, everyone's lives unravel as the mother of the living girl has an affair with the father of the dead girl.

Shorts: A Collection
A Mormon in the White House and intimate relationships with plastic blow-up dolls show the breadth of Carter-Winward's short story telling. So get ready for a pole dancing grandmother and football played using a nativity scene. The stories may be short, but the images and emotions will stay with you.

No Apologies
No Apologies is the inappropriate joke at dinner; the drunk uncle in the room shouting obscenities; the ugly truth no one talks about in polite company. Part poetry, part fiction, part memoir, all honesty, No Apologies is a compelling slice of human experience in all of its crass, hopeful, sincere and tender glory. And it says it…with no apologies.

Since she began writing, Carter-Winward has attracted glowing reviews for her work on Amazon.

“I haven't read very many books of poetry, but this one grabbed me from very early on... deliciously reminiscent of Charles Bukowski's writing, and as I read more, I felt myself sinking into the poet's mind and life-molding moments. No cheesy sales pitches, but this is a book of very real, tangible and visceral poems and experiences, a book worth a serious read,” wrote Jonathan W. Crowell.

“It was nice to read something so meaty, disturbing, bleak, and substantial. I've been reading too many books lately that don't have any bite to them. This book was a breath of fresh air. At the same time, it cut deep. It's a story about suicide, adultery, grieving, and the harder parts of being human… Sex, like food, is just an instinct, and yes, it can do a lot, but when it comes down to it, in American society where romantic love is our nation’s religion, sex is just a panacea. Engrossing and meaningful, I'm better for having experienced THE RUB,” wrote Aaron M. Ritchey.

Calling Carter-Winward “the female Bukowski”, Kurt Rasmussen wrote: “These poems are accessible, hilarious, sad, scary as hell, pathetic, horny, loving, angry... everything. No pretensions, no holding back. This is nothing but edges, but it's edges with real heart.”

Purchase Links:

‘The Rub: A Novel’: http://amzn.to/1qzT222
‘Shorts: A Collection’: http://amzn.to/1gnKarU
‘No Apologies’: http://amzn.to/1kn1vSs

About JA Carter-Winward
JA Carter-Winward is the author of Falling Back to Earth, TDTM, The Rub and No Apologies. Now available by the author: Shorts: The Collection. Coming in 2014, Grind: a Novel. Carter-Winward lives and writes in the mountains of Northern Utah.