“Muscular prose…A sometimes-heartbreaking novel about what it means to be a mother and a daughter.”

“Schwartz develops characters that draw the reader into their lives. We recognize parts of us in them. I’d like to spend more time with these people and their friends, high praise for fictional characters.”

“I love the emphasis on women and their lives without the need for men, the shifting dynamics between the characters, and the descriptions that draw in the reader and capture their imagination. I also commend the author’s realistic and respectful descriptions of anxiety attacks and disorders.”

“I would recommend this book to those interested in reading stories involving LGBTQ+, anxiety-prone, and/or adopted protagonists; Canada; and families. The novel is out now, so go get it!”

“…one part magical romance and two parts unflinching account of a queer woman’s messy journey.”

“What moved me most was how theory met reality. [The authors] aren’t just parenting—they’re reflecting on their relationship to power, authority, to feminism, to patriarchy.”

“There are ways of being masculine that are positive for people of all genders; sometimes we need aggression, for example. The qualities in and of themselves aren’t problematic. It’s what we do with them.”

“If boys are not offered a version of masculinity that feels balanced and affirming, they may embrace harmful extremes. Being bad is better than being invisible."

“Almost all of the moms spoke of their sons' need to wrestle and to be physical. At the same time, the moms were trying not to assume that a stereotypical trait was necessarily because of their child's gender.”

“A lot of the setting is from my experience living in Vermont and in Montreal. But Audrey, my protagonist, is not me.”

“When I first began ‘translating’ the essays into a novel, wrangling all the pieces into a cohesive plot and structure was a huge challenge. I’d never tackled a project with so much length and complexity before.”

“Chosen family was my salvation. Not only did I find people who loved me for myself, but those same people helped teach me new and healthier ways of being in relationship.”

“I want readers to know that even ‘successful’ people who publish books can be a mess. I want them to walk away with hope that these struggles don’t have to mean failure, that hard stuff can be woven into the meaning and work of their lives.”

Seven Days Magazine; page 32 of Falling Through the Night

“Falling Through the Night, an autobiographically-inspired novel by Vermont resident Gail Marlene Schwartz, has been selected as this year’s National Indie Excellence Award winner in the LGBTQ fiction category.”

Article on winning Teaching Excellence Award at the Community College of Vermont

Article about co-authoring Clementine in Quarantine