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.

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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.

Interview with the Author

Why do you think the topic of your book is important?

Women of the past didn’t share a lot of information about menopause, and some bad studies scared off a lot of women and doctors from addressing menopause properly. Most women have symptoms, but not a lot of doctors can identify them, so they get dismissed or misdiagnosed. Plus, it’s starting almost a decade earlier than in previous generations, so they say, “You’re too young for menopause.” There’s a lot of one-size-fits-all thinking in the medical community when we are all different and not simply FEMALE. Even the women who don’t have overt symptoms still run the risks of osteoporosis, heart disease, etc., without intervention. My book, Hot Mess Express, helps women live independent lives of worth with longevity.

Of the years in medical school and residency, doctors receive only a few hours of women’s health. Most studies are geared toward men, and it’s showing. Even OB/GYN doctors received training in reproduction, birthing, and babies, but little to nothing for peri/menopause. We need to educate ourselves so we can be our own best advocate. It’s a long, hard road and an uphill battle just trying to find a practitioner who will act on your behalf. Most doctors lack the training, so they’re missing the mark. Those who do know about menopause taught themselves or sat at the feet of the few who’ve figured it out. Medical Schools are starting to offer training, but it will take years, maybe decades, before qualified practitioners are abundant.

What is your favorite hymn and why?

How Great Thou Art, because He is! I think it’s perfection in how we are lowered and He is raised, but as you sing to Him, you feel His love so deeply. I marvel at the universe and love the creation scriptures in Genesis. One of my first projects I made for my Etsy store, Friscea Faire, was a series of six collages for the six days of creation. “When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed. THEN SINGS MY SOUL” … You bet it does! I tear up just thinking about how an awesome God cares about me enough to send His son to pay my ransom. This hymn has a beginning, a middle, and an end—creation, redemption, and return. Perfection. He really is GREAT.

What is your favorite verse and why?

I love the scripture “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good” from Psalm 34:8. I like food—I out ate the football team guys at a high school Super Bowl party with my five sloppy joes—but food has been a real obstacle since my mid-thirties when everything started changing, starting with my metabolism. I went from a svelte 5’2” at 115 pounds to 125 seemingly overnight. It went up from there even though I still worked out. But that scripture has always reminded me of God’s goodness during trials. Even as the stupid scale taunted me, I knew God never would. I turn to Him and eat from His goodness, and He shows me the path to take.

What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?

I, too, am surprised even today that I ended up on the 2016 ISIS Kill List. A Brevard County detective, sworn in by the FBI, was tasked with informing me at the behest of journalists who said they’d let us know if the government didn’t. Motivation. The detective said they couldn’t be sure of what was hacked or where, but that ISIS had my name and current address. I have since married and moved.

I later heard the list comprised over 8,000 people from the US, Canada, and Australia, with over 600 residing in Florida. That’s a pretty small club. Most I hear of are prior military from decades ago or current law enforcement and federal workers. I imagine we are all prior military, and therefore, it was the Department of Defense or Veterans Administration that leaked our info.

My heightened awareness eventually faded into normal situational awareness. I suppose I’m safe until I start hearing of others on the list being murdered, then it’s back to heightened awareness. I had a friend ask how one gets off a kill list. I started telling her that I sent a letter requesting removal, but quickly realized she believed me, instead of assuming sarcasm, so I told her there is only one way off a kill list. She didn’t like that answer. Yeah, me neither.

If you could sit down with someone for five minutes, what would you say to them?

How you live this decade determines how you’ll live the next decade. Get to the gym and build back the muscle you’ve been losing since your thirties. Lift heavy weights or use resistance bands; you won’t look like a bodybuilder in 30 minutes, three times a week. Stretch. Eat the outer sections of the grocery store (whole foods). Most women are eligible for hormone replacement (HRT/BHRT), so get tested and find a trained provider willing to get you back to being you. You are not alone. You are not going crazy. You are hormone-deficient. Replace those hormones to live your best life independent of hospitals and nursing homes. Laugh and get hugs from friends and family. Community is bigger than we think. Go early to church and linger afterward, making Christian friends and building your community. Yes, that means you, too, introverts.