Local Author Launches First Novel

Friends, family and fans were at Room at the Beach in Malibu Country Mart on Saturday to celebrate the release of Here, Home, Hope, the debut novel of local author Kaira Rouda. The book was officially released the next day.

Here, Home, Hope is about “midlife crisis and reinvention,” Rouda said. The main character, Kelly Mills Johnson, lives a good life with her husband and two children in the fictional suburb of Grandville, Ohio, a place Rouda said “could be anywhere.” But Johnson is restless. 

Rouda, who has 20 years of professional experience in marketing and various publishing fields, signed copies of her book and read a passage from it. A raffle took place for various items, with the proceeds going to Human Rights Watch.

For more on Rouda and her novel, go to www.kairarouda.com.