''The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL 'Mormon' Wives'' - the Untold Backstory That Led Eight Latter-Day Saint Wives to Co-Author an Uplifting and Unexpected Page-Turner

Challenges like infertility, mental health, chronic illness, cultural adaptation, sibling suicide, raising a special needs child, and other real-life difficulties face mothers (and parents) all over the world. And yet, good luck looking for a resource, a compendium (if you will), that addresses such issues in a straightforward, non-biased manner by the "Mainstream Media" - especially when it comes to sharing stories about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was this reality that led eight, uniquely diverse Latter-day Saint strangers to accept "the call" from Cedar Fort Publishing & Media to write their own stories as "wives of faith," tales that laid bare their very real struggles (and successes) in facing challenges that millions of other wives, mothers, and women have faced as well.

SPRINGVILLE, UTAH / ACCESSWIRE / January 8, 2025 / Why would eight professionally and personally successful women-of-faith willingly break-out of their day-to-day routines to lay bare some of the most challenging and painful aspects of their lives for anyone to read, let alone within the pages of a book designed to address head-on the actions of two of the most powerful media companies on the planet?

According to Bryce Mortimer, President and CEO of Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, that is the actual underlying question surrounding the book recently published by his firm: The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives.

"Anyone paying attention is aware that Hulu (and its parent firm, The Walt Disney Company), released an unscripted reality series this past September titled The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," Mortimer said. "Naturally, this show took the approach made famous over 40 years ago when MTV launched its inaugural reality series, The Real World. Simply put that's bringing together individuals likely to create unexpected conflict and drama to attract more viewers. And if possible, to do so by recruiting some of the most outlandish characters for their shows.

"As a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and as a publisher focused on supporting LDS teachings and practices, I was concerned that some viewers of this new reality show might mistakenly believe that Latter-day Saints approve of sexual immorality or other ethically and/or morally questionable approaches to life, especially by those who are married. This is not the case, whatsoever.

"And so, we set out to identify devout, married Latter-day Saint women who were each successful in their own rights yet were willing to stand and be counted as counterbalancing witnesses for their own faith and their own lives as so-called ‘REAL Mormon Wives,' contrary to that which had been broadcast on-screen. And in my opinion, it's clear that our eight co-authors have each lived transformative lives as they've faced the varied challenges of life. That's why I believe their stories have the ability to bring clarity and hope to those who read what they've shared in this book."

Introducing the Eight Co-Authors of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives

Shown below in alphabetical order (by first name) is a list of the eight co-authors of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives, specifically:

Allison Hong Merrill (a Taiwan native and convert to the LDS Church, a Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author of both Chinese- and English-language books and articles, and a mother of three children, with one grandchild);

Caroline Melazzo (a native of Brazil, a Portuguese- and English-language podcaster, a real estate agent, and a mother of three children);

Esther Jackson-Stowell (a native of Nigeria and convert to the LDS Church, a realtor and real estate professional, a mother of three children and a frequent foster parent);

Fernanda Böhme (a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native and a co-founder of the eponymously named Böhme, a fashion-forward women's clothing brand with 15 retail outlets and an online store);

Ganel-Lyn Condie (a Mental Health Educator, author, popular motivational speaker, lupus warrior, and mother of two children);

Kerry Owen (a native of England, a poverty and food insecurity advocate, founder of Feed the Need in New Zealand and the Utah-based nonprofit, Reach Out Today, awarded the Member of the New England Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II, and a mother of five children);

Kimberly DowDell (a well-known YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok influencer, Down Syndrome advocate, a top Zumba instructor, and mother of four children); and

Shayla Egan (a passionate marathon runner, a temporal and spiritual preparedness leader, and a mother of four children).

The eight co-authors recently recorded some of their thoughts about why they agreed to publicly share their stories (and their hearts) in a book like The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives, recordings published on YouTube.

Below are excerpts taken from each video clip. {NOTE: Clicking on each co-author name will take readers to the full recording on YouTube.}

Allison Hong Merrill - "If there's only one thing the world can remember me by, only one thing the world needs to know about me, it's that I love God."

Caroline Melazzo - "For me, it was a great opportunity to share my story and share how the gospel has blessed my life, especially after my parents' passing."

Esther Jackson-Stowell - "I understand that everyone has their truths, and that's fine. But I wanted to be able to share my truth, our truth, with the world as well. … When it comes to taking care of our Heavenly Father's business on this earth, I think it's very important for us to stand firm and be fierce about His business on this earth."

Fernanda Böhme - "I'm not embarrassed to share my faith. I'm not embarrassed to talk about it and some of these struggles I've had because it's something that we all have in common. We all have battles that we have to fight, so let's fight them together."

Ganel-Lyn Condie - "In telling my story of my parents' divorce to my sister's suicide to my own chronic illness journey, I hope that the readers will come away feeling inspired, that they will also find ways to ‘find rest' in a relationship with God."

Kerry Owen - "The reason I accepted the invite to be part of this book was that I saw it as a great opportunity for me to advocate for those I serve … ‘the least of these my brethren' (as shared by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:40)."

Kimberly DowDell - "I said I would love to collaborate on this book because now I can share my message with a wider audience and let people know that their future is bright. If they have just received a ‘Special Needs' or a Down Syndrome diagnosis, (hopefully they know) that Heavenly Father is aware of them, He loves them, that He knows what they're experiencing, and that I can give them hope and inspiration."

Shayla Egan - In recalling God's counsel found in Isaiah 41:10, Shayla said, "It made me realize that my ‘Why' the whole time was to share His Light, share His Truth, share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ."

The co-authors of the book "The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL 'Mormon' Wives" - (in the back row, L to R) Kerry Owen, Fernanda Böhme, Ganel-Lyn Condie, and Allison Hong Merrill, and (in the front row, L to R) Kimberly DowDell, Shayla Egan, Esther Jackson-Stowell, and Caroline Melazzo.

Additional Details about the Book, The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives

Designed as a first-person account of eight Latter-day Saint wives and mothers (each successful businesswomen and contributors to society), Cedar Fort's book, The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives, is centered around women doing their best to stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ.

The book was conceived, researched, written, edited and published less than 70 days after Hulu / Disney released the eight episodes of Season 1 of their unscripted reality show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on September 6, 2024.

This more than 280-page book is available for purchase at a suggested retail price of $21.99 on the Cedar Fort website. The book is also available for purchase on Amazon.com in both printed form and in e-book form.

The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives is also available via Ingram for bookstores and retailers interested in ordering the book for resale. Interested booksellers should contact sales@cedarfort.com for more information.

Information for Journalists, Media Outlets, Book Reviewers, Podcasters, and Influencers

Professional journalists interested in coordinating a media interview with one or more of the co-authors of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives should contact David Politis, publicist for Cedar Fort and this book via email at me@davidpolitis.com or via mobile phone at +1-801-556-8184. {NOTE: If David does not answer the phone, please leave a voicemail message with your relevant contact information.}

Legitimate book reviewers interested in obtaining a review copy of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives should also contact David via email at the address listed above.

A Frequently Asked Questions document about The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives can be found on the Cedar Fort website here.

Additionally, media assets for The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives (such as photos and logos) can be found in Cedar Fort's online newsroom here.

About Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Formed over 35 years ago, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media is headquartered in Springville, Utah as an independent company dedicated to supporting individuals and families interested in faith-based, Christian, and Latter-day Saint books and media. Please visit www.CedarFort.com to learn more.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

David Politis, me@davidpolitis.com, C: +1-801-556-8184

SOURCE: Cedar Fort Publishing & Media