MONTAG PRESS
COLLECTIVE
B O O K S W O R T H B U R N I N G
Lee Rozelle
Ballad of Jasmine Wills
Jasmine Wills doesn’t know it, but every moment of her heretofore humdrum life is being televised on a reality TV show called Diet Extreme. And America is mesmerized. Wait till she finds out! Preston Price, the improbable impresario, is a man bent at a 45-degree angle. Or is he? Nothing is as it seems in this propulsive and slightly terrifying novel. Lee Rozelle has staked claim on a wild new territory of obsession, loss, betrayal, and unspeakable secrets. There is a surprise on every page in this breathtaking comic romp. Enjoy the ride, but hold onto your hat—the road’s a little bumpy up ahead.
— JOHN DUFRESNE, author of I Don’t Like Where This Is Going
Ballad of Jasmine Wills is a fast, furious ride and I loved every twist. Jasmine is the antihero the world needs right now—smart, resourceful, and full-bodied. A totally dark and enjoyable read.
— DANA SCHWARTZ, author of Early Birds
A zany twist on the Southern Gothic, Ballad of Jasmine Wills is a wild and heartfelt tale of abduction and revenge, body shaming and media fame. Lee Rozelle’s debut novel is the story of overweight banker Jasmine and her kidnapper, the enigmatic reality TV mastermind Preston Price. Trapped inside an egg-shaped studio in the secluded backwoods, Jasmine is tortured with haute cuisine, brainwashed with self-help videos, and badgered with cardio exercise routines for her growing mass of livestream fans. Filled with flashbacks of adolescent nuttiness and ennui in the 1980s, Ballad of Jasmine Wills goes bizarro to explore links between reality TV and the real, intervention and exploitation.