About the Book

Book: Hot Mess Express: A Humorous and Practical Survival Guide for Menopause

Author: Sally Friscea

Genre: Health & Wellness / Aging

Release Date: April 22, 2025

Discover Your Menopause Survival Kit: Laugh, Learn, and Thrive!

You may have involuntarily found yourself on the Hot Mess Express, but you can take control of your journey and enjoy the ride. Or at least, survive the roller-coaster known as menopause with laughter. Unlike our grandmothers and moms, who never talked about this natural process, Sally takes us on a dive into the humorous yet practical journey of menopause.

Learn about symptoms, treatments, and self-care strategies—from diet and exercise to beauty tips—all enriched with real-life stories that inform and entertain. Empower yourself to discuss health concerns confidently—Is hormone replacement therapy right for me? Would it tame these mood swings? And, why is it so hot in here? Whether you’re in your forties or approaching sixty or beyond, this comprehensive guide offers relief and clarity in navigating the ups and downs of menopause. Embrace The Change with a smile and practical solutions that make a difference—from head to toe.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Sally Friscea writes with humor to give hope to the longing heart. As a former member of the US Army, she found herself on an ISIS kill list but is now trying to live a quieter life after marrying for the first time at the age of fifty.

She weaves hope and humor into nearly every story. She is a multi-genre and award-winning writer. She has completed two children’s picture books and an adult murder-suspense novel based around the Kennedy Space Center awaiting publication. She also enjoys shorter works of fiction and articles.

Currently, Sally is working on subsequent novels for the murder-suspense series, a speculative dystopian novel about the aftermath of a second civil war, and other projects that reflect her diverse background.

She’s the Social Director of the Florida Christian Writers Conference and the president of Word Weavers International’s Brevard Chapter. When she’s not bookkeeping, budget counseling, or writing, Sally enjoys spending time with family and friends, scrapbooking, and doing crafts, some of which she sells on Etsy.

More from Sally

I didn’t know it was hot flashes for the first five years. I thought the air-conditioning was broken everywhere I went, because it was. At my house in Florida, my bedroom at the end of the line sizzled. At the office, the unit that fed my room was down; I relied on the trickle of AC from the main room. And my car fritzed often enough, so I didn’t notice it was hot flashes until a friend’s husband mentioned her “crazy pills” at their house one night. She explained they were for hormones and how awful she’d been before taking them.

When she mentioned hot flashes, the light bulb went off. My mother never said anything about suffering from menopause, and the only person I’d ever known to talk about any of it used to break out an oriental fan when the flashes happened, but she was in her fifties, therefore, I didn’t connect the dots in my early forties. All the older ladies at scrapbooking said my sleep issues were menopause, but again, I was too young for that. Then I learned it’s happening about a decade earlier than in previous generations.

When I complained to a friend at the Florida Christian Writers Conference about my perimenopausal symptoms and my great ignorance, she told me I should write a book and put all my humor into it. I spent the next few months taking notes and decided that I indeed had enough material for a book. My dystopian book in progress got pushed aside, and I started down the rabbit hole of finding answers for myself and compiling a useful tool for others walking blindly on the path of menopause.

I found some existing books using humorous personal stories and others addressing symptoms by using medical speak, but nothing with both, so I married the two and tried to dumb it down in a way that even I would understand. I threw in the humor to make the reader know they are not alone. I addressed those pesky symptoms using pharmaceutical, holistic, and over-the-counter treatments where available to appease all the ladies.

As I wrote the book, I kept finding that how we live our forties determines our fifties, our fifties determine our sixties, and so on, subsequently addressing food and other obstacles to longevity. I wrote this book because most women don’t want to talk about this topic, and most doctors aren’t trained in the field of aging women.

I found that even women who don’t suffer greatly will still submit to the effects down the road with osteoporosis and heart disease, because of the diminishing hormones. I attempted to cast as wide a net as possible by writing it in a way to entertain as well as inform so the reader can advocate for herself with her doctors and learn how to avoid spiraling out of physical independence in the latter years. This book is the sugar coating on a hard topic not being talked about enough. I wrote it so you won’t have to talk about it outside your physician’s office.

My Thoughts:

What drew me to Sally Friscea’s nonfiction book was the title—Hot Mess Express. The cover didn’t hurt, either. It’s not true that we don’t judge a book by its cover.

As a woman who has experienced the fun and exciting symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, I figured this guide would be a great reference, eased by a sprinkle of humor.

And it is.

Not everything the author covers in this book is related specifically to menopause—some of these challenges are age-related rather than hormone-related. I had never considered that many of the issues I’m dealing with are just another “blessing” of getting older.

I might suggest that those women who are in their early forties—or even late thirties—should not wait to read this until you’re staring perimenopause in the face. You know the Benjamin Franklin saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Or in the words of that great philosopher, Barney Fife, “Nip it. Nip it in the bud.”

I rarely go to the doctor, and some of the challenges I faced as I got older were not something I was comfortable sharing with my much younger nurse practitioner. This book opened my eyes to issues that could (and still can) be easily remedied.

Admittedly, this book did not grab me from the beginning. It felt like the author went on ad nauseam about her issues with insomnia. I didn’t need to know about every doctor appointment, every nightly ritual, and every frustration. This chapter dragged on so long that I almost gave up on the book.

But I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did. I highly recommend this to women of all ages. You’re never too young or old to have this knowledge at your fingertips.

I received this book for the purposes of reviewing it, but the opinions are my own.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 18

Inspired by Fiction, September 19

Simple Harvest Reads, September 20 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 21

Artistic Nobody, September 22 (Author Interview)

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, September 22

Texas Book-aholic, September 23

The Sacred Line, September 24

Guild Master, September 25 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 26

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 27

Fiction Book Lover, September 28 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, September 28

Pause for Tales, September 29

An Author’s Take, September 30

For the Love of Literature, October 1 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sally is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter.