Odyssey In A Teacup (Book 1, Ruth Roth Series)

by Paula Houseman

Overview

"This is a MUST Read! Written by a masterful storyteller!"
A tut-tutting, big-breasted, modern-day gorgon; a humourless schoolmarm with an unfortunate name and freakishly long, yellow incisors (yeesh)—these are the kinds of people Ruth Roth regularly encounters. Add in daily dealings with an acerbic mother who squawks like a harpy, a father with a dodgy moral compass and a God complex, a bitchy mirror, and Ruth’s existence feels like a Greek tragicomedy.
The idiocy of daily life makes sense to Ruth when she develops a fascination with ancient mythology. She learns that the deviant gods and spectacular monsters of bygone myths are alive and well in the backwoods of our psyche; that there’s always one who escapes suppression and can have the whip hand in our lives. Ruth’s is one of the most unwelcome societal presences—the goddess of obscenity. And talk about ugly!
Ruth can relate to this immortal. Not in looks; Ruth is quite comely. But she feels unwelcome in her own family (she gatecrashed her mother’s womb only two months after her brother vacated it). Despite being labelled the ‘black sheep’, or maybe because of it, Ruth takes on her nemeses, bravely and brazenly (her dirty goddess doesn’t give a rat’s about social niceties). But our heroine is war-weary. And the yearning to fit in somewhere—anywhere—eventually undoes her. We must look on helplessly as Ruth loses her soul.
She wants it back, though!
Just as well the mad characters in her mind and experiences won’t quit. Just as well Ruth never loses her wry wit. And where her nearest and dearest attempt to keep her shrunken into a wholesome package of conformity, Ruth’s two closest girlfriends simply won’t allow it. And then there’s Ralph Brill.
Ruth’s hot-looking, eccentric cousin and best friend, Ralph is her staunchest ally. Also a misfit in his family, he has his share of problems including a st-t-t-tuttering brutish father, and an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder—Ralph needs to do everything twice, twice.
Ruth relies on his repeated encouragement and the support of her girlfriends as she embarks on an odyssey. A good homoeopathic dose of ancient mythology helps her find her way back through the sludgy shame and irrational fears choking her spirit. Then just when all seems well, Ruth faces an apocalypse …

“Paula Houseman’s keen understanding of the ancient, universal forces at work in the very roots of humanity, and magnificently bawdy humor make Odyssey in a Teacup an epically defiant, bold, painful, hilarious, soul-fortifying must-read for anyone who has ever dared (or hoped) to look at themselves in the mirror and ask the question, How in the hell have I survived?
Crazy-brilliant!”
—Stephanie L Harper, author

Product Details

BN ID:	2940153063157
Publisher:	Paula Houseman
Publication date:	06/06/2016
Series:	Ruth Roth
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

I grew up in an episode of South Park on an endless loop.

Or so it seemed.

What felt like hard yakka at the time is now a fabulous cache of raw twaddle to draw on.

When I first realised that my early, quasi-fictional home environment had distorted my understanding of selfhood, I became curious about the concept of identity. As a graphic designer, I’d already been creating business ones for others through imagery.

But scratching the surface wasn’t enough for someone who asked a lot of questions. So, I went to university and, majoring in linguistics and sociology, I learned about the power of word usage to shape our identities and realities.

Still not enough, though.

I dug deep into the substratum until it felt like I was schlepping through a filthy ancient myth. Or an episode of South Park. It was like a homecoming.

Not a bad thing because I uncovered my muse, the butt-ugly, goddess of obscenity.

She, who embodies a holy kind of dirty, shows me the absurdity of the human condition, reminds me about the value of laughter, and is responsible for my dirty bazoo and the bawdiness in my books. My three Amazon #1 bestsellers (British satire and humour category) are part of the Ruth Roth series, but all are standalones. Book 1, a Readers’ Favorite Award winner, is the coming-of-age chick lit, Odyssey in a Teacup; Book 2, 2019 New Apple eBook Awards Humor Official Selection, is the romantic comedy Cupid F*cks Up (formerly known as Apoca[hot]lips); and Book 3, My Troyboy is a Twat, is also a romantic comedy. Book 4 is just around the corner.