Touch Me Real and Other Stories Lennon’s short stories are hilarious and heart wrenching. Her writing opens up the depths of human sorrow, despair, and joy, in a broad rainbow of human experiences. With a universal appeal of profound emotional truth, her writings are accessible, fun, quirky, dark, exotic, erotic, and ecstatic. In these compelling stories, Lennon delves into a great diversity of subjects including: *A seven-year-old who struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder. *A college student’s eating disorder and sick relationship with her mother lead to self-destructive choices – and then healing. *A young woman falls in love with her best friend, and witnesses firsthand the shocking onset of paranoid schizophrenia. *A tampon comes to life and has wild and wacky adventures with her unconventional friends. *Plus a section of zany bonus stories. What Reviewers Are Saying: “An extremely powerful opus, an overwhelming piece of prose. Gabrielle Lennon never fails to shock, penetrate, teach and inspire. Lennon has laid her heart on the table for all to see….I’m stunned. The words Lennon writes here pierce not only the heart but the very soul.” – Rey Madueño, author of The Gate Of The Green Sunset “No politeness here. Gabrielle Lennon writes with immense creativity about the rawness of life, love, desire, sexuality, mental illness, violence, and ultimately that essential place called the heart.” – Barry Vissell, MD and Joyce Vissell RN, MS, authors of The Shared Heart, The Heart’s Wisdom, and Meant To Be (SharedHeart.org). "These stories are intensely intimate, as if Lennon has invented an emotional electron microscope to observe the most minute nuances of human feeling." – Jim Gladstone, author of The Big Book of Misunderstanding "Gabrielle Lennon creatively approaches the ordinary as no other. Her vignettes will leave you with a sly smile on your face, as you have secretly shared this unique moment with her." – Laura Alexandria, Theater and Music Critic, “The Muskegon Chronicle” and Department of English, Baker College – “Pure spirit comes from pure living. And with pure spirit comes the ability to express one's purest self. Lennon gives us her essence. She bares her soul, lets us tour around inside, and shows us the many sides of her most loving heart. Read. Laugh. Cry. Cringe. Reach out. And read some more.” – Dr. Doug Graham Author of The 80/10/10 Diet, Nutrition and Athletic Performance, and Grain Damage "Challenging, provocative, heart breaking, there is no doubt Lennon's talent is immense. A stunning achievement." – Christopher Pennock, actor and graphic novelist About the Author Presenting her writings throughout the United States, Gabrielle Lennon has given compassion and encouragement to those in life’s most crucial emotional moments. Her words have helped heal a veteran’s emotional scars from Vietnam, and guided a mother bringing a new life into the world. Gabrielle Lennon graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Performance Studies and the Honors Program in Creative Writing. Her work focused on analysis, interpretation, and performance of prose, poetry, and drama. She has spent years living abroad, and has backpacked around the world twice. In addition to her unique poetry and prose, Lennon writes professionally for magazines, newspapers, newsletters, journals, and the theater.