The Clothes That Make You - Paperback

by L. S. Kilroy (Author)

It's 1967, the world is changing - and so is a quiet misfit named Sally Fiore.

After the sudden death of her father, Sally turns to comfort in the small things - her beloved books, her new interest in sewing, and her slight infatuation with the handsome, young custodian at school who always has a novel in his back pocket.

But her sheltered life is turned upside down in January of '68 when she makes an unlikely friend in the new girl at school - a feisty civil rights activist named Sam, who dresses like a boy, prefers to date girls, and is defiantly unapologetic about her differences.

As Sally grieves and tries to heal from her loss, she copes with her stoic mother who's struggling to keep their house, a tenacious would-be boyfriend, mean girls at school, and an older brother dead set on enlisting in the army after graduation. With Sam's rebellious influence, Sally blooms against the tumultuous backdrop of a small town trying to cling to its idyllic ways in the face of violence, war, and social unrest, and ends up discovering that tragedy can sometimes knit the spirit's fabric together even stronger than it was before.

Author Biography

L.S. Kilroy is an irreverent sort of person who likes to write about things. Growing up an asthmatic only child in a neighborhood of geriatrics, she made friends with books at a age, both out of necessity and genuine enjoyment. Early exposure to the classics fueled her own writing. When she was fifteen, a man in a bookstore asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, "Writer," without hesitation. Writer is a title that has driven her both personally and professionally. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Merrimack College and a Master of Arts degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College. As a communications professional, she's been a writer, editor, educator, and content strategist whose experience spans the worlds of corporate, nonprofit, and academia. In her personal work, she's eclectic and enjoys writing in many forms from short stories and novels to film treatments. Her debut novel, The Vitruvian Heir, was named a first place category winner in the Cygnus Awards for Science and Speculative Fiction by Chanticleer Book Reviews and Media in 2015, as well as receiving a first place award in the 2016 New England Book Show. L.S. Kilroy lives in a rural community in Massachusetts - not too far from Boston - with her fiance, his son, and two feisty cats. When she's not a content strategist by day or spinning stories by night, she loves being creative in the kitchen, belting out show tunes, traveling, entertaining friends, reading, and scouting out vintage finds at consignment shops. For more information about L.S. Kilroy, please visit www.lskilroy.com.