Fil-Am author writes about love amid 9/11 tragedy

A Filipino-American author is breaking into the publishing world in the United States, with a "tale of love and rediscovery" set against the 9/11 tragedy. Liz R. Newman, whose mother hails from Quezon City, has recently signed with e-book and print-by-demand publishing outfit Gypsy Shadows to sell the rights of her debut novel, "An Affinity for Shadows." The book, which was featured in the Huffington Post, will be available in print and e-book formats for several countries this November. In line with the novel's launch, Newman will have a book-signing event at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in San Jose, California on November 10 to help out a nursing student who is also raising a two-year-old daughter on her own. "It is my duty and honor to help assist someone who will dedicate the rest of [her] life to caring for people," Newman wrote on her website. Story of love and suffering Newman's 318-page novel is about a broadcast journalist named Kate Theodore, who braves the 9/11 tragedy in search of "the perfect story." But instead of adding another badge of honor to her name, she would carry the burden of her cameraman's death. Desperate to reclaim her self, Kate would bump into a dashing Italian "whose heart is shrouded in secrets." Transported from chaotic Manhattan to the outskirts of Rome, the protagonist will piece herself back together and find herself open to love. A form of healing In Huffington Post's collective feature titled "The Artists of 9/11: Finding Talent in Tragedy," Newman said she put her thoughts of the tragedy on paper because "art is a form of healing." "It brings us to a higher state of consciousness than a textbook ever could," the freelance writer said. Newman, who holds a master's degree in Clinical Psychology, has been featured in US magazines, journals, and anthologies like "The Sacramento News and Review" and the "San Francisco Socialite." She is also a former intern at the KTVU Broadcasting Station in Oakland, California. - VVP/HS, GMA News