Mary McDonough’s New Release

My son has been so fortunate to work with an incredible acting and life coach, Mary McDonough.  She’s a wonderful woman and so very talented and I’m delighted to have her as a guest on my blog as we celebrate the launch of her new book, One Year.

If you loved Mary McDonough on the Waltons, and have followed her career since, you’ll want to pick up her newest release.

The Fitzgibbons–especially the women–have long been the backbone of Oliver’s Well, Virginia. Matriarch Mary Bernadette is still striking and tireless at seventy-five, with a generous heart that belies her sometimes sharp tongue. Her husband, Paddy, owns the local landscaping business, daughter Grace is a nun, and son Pat and his wife Megan are successful lawyers. Her grandson, PJ, and his new wife, Alexis, live in a charming cottage behind the main house. Church, family, tradition, and the local historical society–everything Mary Bernadette cherishes is in Oliver’s Well. But below the surface, there are fractures.

Megan sees the strained relationship between her husband and Mary Bernadette, who has never quite recovered from the painful loss of her first-born son. Megan too is torn between gaining her mother-in-law’s approval and living life on her own terms. Alexis loves PJ deeply yet chafes against his grandmother’s influence in their marriage. Then a looming scandal brings unexpected tragedy, compelling the Fitzgibbons to determine the depth of their loyalty, find their strength–and repair the bonds that have held a town, and a family, together for so long.

With warmth and an abundance of insight, Mary McDonough artfully captures the shifting dynamics of family life–and the revelations they may bear just in time.

Mary McDonough is a born and raised “Valley girl.” Born into an Irish Catholic family, she attended Catholic school until she was cast as Erin on the award winning television series, The Waltons.
Lessons From the Mountain is Mary’s first book. In this strikingly honest book, McDonough shares the story of her overnight transformation from a normal kid in a working class family, to a Hollywood child star. She reveals intimate memories of life in and around that idyllic Virginia farmhouse. Touching, funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and always illuminating, Lessons from the Mountain is the story of everything Mary McDonough learned on her journey over–and beyond–that famous mountain.
A sought-after speaker and workshop leader she guides women and teens toward improving their body image through healthy lifestyle choices. Her workshops help individuals create personal change, life balance, and return to a sense of self. Mary’s workshop: BODY BRANDING, GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH THE SKIN YOU’RE IN explores how we choose to “Brand” ourselves and then project that personal branding to the world. “BODY BRANDING” examines how we can undo the negativity about ourselves and change the picture you offer of yourself to the world. Mary also teaches acting as a method of raising confidence and improving communication skills.
Mary left the “Valley” when she got engaged and moved to the OC. She lives there with Don and their blended family, including her lap dog Runtie who was instrumental in the writing of her book. For more on Mary visit MARYMCDONOUGH.COM