The Award-Winning Novel Series: Bronze Medal - IPPY Awards Fiction Category Finalist - Eric Hoffer Awards Finalist - Beverly Hills Book Award "Unreservedly recommended" Midwest Book Review "An inspiring and fun take on women in business" Foreword Reviews One of Bustle's "9 Fall Debut Books By Women Authors You'll Want To Read Immediately" There's a secret society of professional women called the Ceiling Smashers. The Closer follows main character Vivien Lee, a founder of the Ceiling Smashers society, on her quest for business success. Vivien is an Asian American woman who dreams of becoming a CEO. Vivien has spent her entire consulting career helping CEOs look good, so when she finally has the chance to go after her dream of running a business, she grabs it. A lifelong athlete, Vivien arrives at the Smart Sports campus in Portland, Oregon and is introduced as the first female president. It’s one of the highest-profile jobs in an industry inhospitable to women. Principled but slightly naïve, Vivien believes her male peers will give her a fair shot. Stumbling early, Vivien makes a series of rookie mistakes. With guidance from the Ceiling Smashers, Vivien learns to navigate the treacherous business terrain. A tight-knit group of male sports executives is determined to show that an industry outsider cannot prevail. The challenge is all too clear: will Vivien triumph in the sports industry against impossible odds? You’ll want to stay up all night reading this page-turner to find out what happens to Vivien. The Closer is a fresh, riveting tale about a strong woman endeavoring to succeed with smarts, scruples, and style. And it delivers the kind of heroine we're all searching for. The Closer is a slam-dunk as your next book club recommendation! The quintessential novel for the #MeToo and Time's Up era. Midwest Book Review: Small PressBookwatch, January 2018 Critique: An original and compellingnovel about a woman who must compete in what has traditionally been a 'man'sworld', "The Closer" reveals author Shaz Kahng as an impressivelyskilled storyteller who is able to entertainingly engage her readers from coverto cover. While unreservedly recommended, especially for both community andacademic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading liststhat "The Closer" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,$9.99). 2017 Beverly Hills Book Award Finalist Selected as one of Bustle's "9 Fall Book Debuts By Women You're Going to Want to Read Immediately" Foreword Reviews The Closer is an inspiring and funtake on women in business, with plenty of ceiling smashing along the way. ShazKahng's fast-paced, sports-focused The Closer is timely and refreshing, a novelthat exposes the difficulties that women face in industries that are dominatedby men. Vivien Lee is a thoroughly likable lead...even faced with manipulationand outright lies, Vivien typically picks the higher road, following her dad'sadvice: Be great and be good. Still, she isn't a saint; she occasionally losesher temper, plays into the game, or even takes revenge. The story takes someinspiring turns, including Vivien's participation in a Wharton-founded secretclub, the Ceiling Smashers, which functions as a place to maintain allianceswith other women in business. Anecdotes about women's experiences at thosemeetings read as realistic and give credence to the bonds of sisterhoodhighlighted throughout. Sports analogies, jargon, and quotes are usedthroughout, giving the story a unique, entertaining quality. Women' Running Magazine, Meghan Roos "From the first page of TheCloser , readers are thrown into Vivien's world and given basic detailsabout her and the significant people in her life. Shaz writes with a lot offorward movement, providing just enough detail as any given scenerequires. She develops her characters much in the way humans develop theirunderstanding of the people with whom they interact: with time and patience,but it's worth the investment. There's no extra fluff--just the essentialsto keep the product marching forward...We really don't see many femalecharacters like Vivien. It's not until you read Vivien's story that you beginto feel inspired by the type of female role modelshe is: a strongbusinesswoman who side steps any "stereotypes" placed on women inpositions of power...When personal tragedies befall Vivien after her first yearat Smart Sports, she finds that the qualities most important to success inbusiness are the same that help her rebuild her life outside of work. In themoments when a reader might expect Vivien to break down, she shows strength.Shaz's creation of Vivien as a strong character capable of weathering brutalsituations speaks volumes--not just about the person she's loosely basedon, but also about the deeply ingrained stereotypes that persist today, both infictional constructs of female characters and real women." Conversations Live! with Cyrus Webb, WMPR 90.1FM "I think this [book] is so