KELSEYVILLE RIVIERA— In October 2017, Jordan O’Halloran walked into Foods Etc. in Clearlake and walked down the produce aisle. “As I went past the apples, I wondered what they would look like with blood on them. That was when the idea for ‘Clean up on Aisle Three’ first sparked in my brain.”
The blurb on the back of the book reads: “When teenager Lucy McBride discovers a dead body at the grocery store where she works, it’s not just any body. It’s her boss, who also happens to be her stepdad’s father.”
“Shortly after my walk through Foods Etc., I went to the Middletown Art Center for a writing class,” O’Halloran said, “and I started writing. Some voice came into my head that wanted to be heard, and three years later I finished the manuscript.”
O’Halloran, now 32, told how she writes longhand in her journal rather than typing on a computer. “My ideas come out faster and I’m more genuine when I write longhand. A computer is distracting because I’ll want to do other things than write.”
The back cover blurb continues, “After witnessing the death on aisle three, Lucy’s life is changed forever. She begins to question herself, her mental state and the people surrounding her. As she struggles to find her place in the world, she reconnects with a long-lost aunt, finds comfort in a loving boyfriend and surrounds herself with friends. But will her support team be enough to help her navigate adolescence and keep her from spiraling into the depths of mental anguish?”
“The more I started writing, the more I started putting myself in the novel. My main character, Lucy McBride, 17, is similar to me in certain ways; she has bipolar disorder, a troubled family dynamic and stable relationships with friends. A lot of my life, I felt like I was stuck with stuff from my past and writing this book helped me heal. A big reason I wrote this is to show people that they aren’t alone in what they’re going through. Sometimes when we struggle, we isolate and don’t think anyone will ever understand.”
When asked how “Clean Up on Aisle Three” is considered fiction, O’Halloran said, “I’ve never seen a dead body, in or out of a grocery store.” She stopped telling the difference as she didn’t want to give away too much of the story.
During the summer of 2018, O’Halloran attended the Santa Barbara Writers’ Conference and was the winner of their fiction competition. After sending out her finished manuscript to literary agents, with no takers, she then decided to self-publish via Kindle Direct Publishing.
The Riviera Common Grounds Coffee in Kelseyville Riviera held their January book club in which O’Halloran’s book was the choice of the month. “One woman thought that I had written the book about her,” O’Halloran said, “because there were so many correlations between the main character’s life and hers. Others said that the book changed their lives and that they couldn’t put it down. One lady read it in one sitting,” she said, quite shyly, but obviously very proud. “I never thought the book would be such a success.”
Jeanne Kosten, 66, a retired Lake County school teacher, was in the book club at Common Grounds. She spoke about O’Halloran’s book, “Jordan has made us feel that we can overcome our circumstances, even providing some tools to do so, and reminded us that we are not alone and that we are accepted as we are, through the genuineness and honestly of her brave characters and by her thoughtful focus on many universal themes in this important first book of hers!”
Kosten lost her home in the 2015 Valley Fire. “On page 144 of O’Halloran’s book when Lucy states, ‘I’m happy to know that I didn’t have to add the house burning down to the list of tragedies in my life.’ This line really resonated me. The book helped me…and I believe it will help others.”
Mary Jo McNulty, co-owner of Riviera Common Grounds Coffee said, “We are a local coffee shop and celebrate our local community anyway we can. Jordan O’Halloran’s book was well received. The book elicited responses that were varied in nature, as it touched on the several aspects of the human condition in a way that spoke to areas that many have been effected by.”
O’Halloran works full-time at North Coast Opportunities in Lake County and her goal is to one day write full-time. She’s working on her next book and is currently offering writing workshops.
Linda Kelly, a member of the board of directors for Lake County Arts Council (LCAC), said, “Jordan is the instructor for two workshops at MAC. These writing workshops are from a grant with Lake County Behavior Health and facilitated by LCAC. The premise of the classes are based on writing down emotions, which can benefit those suffering depression or other emotional distress.”
“Clean up on Aisle Three” is available at Watershed Books in Lakeport, in Lakeside Art and Gifts in Lucerne, at Riviera Common Grounds Coffee and on Amazon.
The writing workshops at MAC will be held February 19 and on February 26 from 1 to 3 PM at MAC (21456 Hwy 175, Middletown). No charge and no pre-registration necessary.
If interested in one-on-one writing classes, email O’Halloran at jordanoh19@gmail.com
