Ballet Dancer-Turned-Author Grier Cooper Announces Release of New Book, "Wish"

Richmond CA, November 7, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Author Grier Cooper has announced the release of WISH, the first book in a contemporary young adult series featuring a teenage ballet dancer who struggles for balance between the elegant and disciplined beauty of ballet and a gritty, often violent home life with an alcoholic mother.

“Readers will appreciate the insider's view of the ballet world,” says Cooper, whose professional dance background adds authenticity to the ballet setting. “It's also a story of self-empowerment. I wrote the story to remind readers that they have the power to change their lives.”

"This is a story of self-empowerment. I wrote it to remind readers that they have the power to change their lives."

Grier Cooper, Author

Former New York City Ballet Soloist Zippora Karz says, “WISH reminds us, that despite our obstacles, we can live the life we dream.” Novelist Paula Yoo calls it “poignant and honest.”

Cooper lost her mother to alcoholism in 1996. Cooper chose December 2nd, her mother's birthday, to release “WISH” in honor of her memory. December is also National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. “ I want to encourage people to be mindful that destructive choices impact others, not just themselves,” says Cooper. She will donate 2% of proceeds from the book to organizations whose efforts promote social awareness about destructive decisions and help people achieve their creative potential.

WISH will be available as an ebook and a paperback. Ms. Cooper, who previously worked as a commercial photographer, took the cover photograph. Her photographs have been featured in NBC's Leap of Faith, and Hemingway & Gellhorn, where she photographed Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen.

About Grier Cooper: Ms. Cooper is a California based writer, photographer, and dancer who has performed worldwide with the San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Publishing credits include Discovery Girls, How to Build a Ballerina Body (Vook) and The Daily Guide to Photography (Walter Foster). In 2013, Ms. Cooper was a winner of the famed National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

For more information or to pre-order WISH, please visit Ms. Cooper's website or contact GRIER COOPER at 415•302•2739 or via email. Ms. Cooper is available for interviews, appearances, and/or book-signings.

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