Valley graduate set to release debut novel, 'Gridiron Girl'

Keen-eyed readers will notice local landmarks and other A-K Valley name-drops in the debut novel by Tamara Girardi, a Lower Burrell resident.

“Gridiron Girl” is the first in a six-book set aimed at young adults. It launches March 3, published by Wise Wolf Books.

“Locals will see a lot of things they recognize,” said Girardi, who grew up in New Kensington and graduated from Valley High School. “The names are changed, but it won’t be too difficult to figure out.”

The main character, Jules Medina, has her heart set on capturing the role of starting quarterback for Iron Valley High School.

She quits her championship volleyball team to follow her true passion for tossing the pigskin, only to battle stereotypes by coaches, players and members of the community.

“But there’s no stopping her from pursuing her dream,” Girardi said.

The author’s inspiration stems from many, many hours discussing, watching and living with footballers, she said.

Her husband, Dom, was the Vikings quarterback when they met in high school.

“His younger brothers played and his father was a coach,” Girardi said. “I spent a lot of time watching them throw the ball around in the backyard. When we were dating, he would mark X’s and O’s on Eat’n Park place mats and quiz me about routes.

“We would go to Memorial Park and practice how to correctly throw the football.”

The writer got to thinking: “I wonder what would’ve happened if they had a little sister. Would she have wanted to play?”

The thought paved the way for “Gridiron Girl,” in which the pages are filled with high school drama, teenage romance, friendships and lessons of self-worth.

Girardi said she drew from today’s women-in-sports movements that have empowered young girls.

To celebrate the book’s release, Girardi will host a book signing at 7 p.m. March 3 at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont. Tickets cost $14.95 and include a copy of the book.

That event will be followed by an Afternoon Coffee and Tea with Girardi at the newly opened 1833 Coffee and Tea Co. in Freeport. It will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. March 6.

“We are so happy to be hosting this event,” co-owner Virginia Lindsay said. “We feel like it is good for our community to support one another and showcase our local talent.”

A third event will be 7:30 p.m. March 16 at Riverstone Books in McCandless.

After graduating in 2000 from Valley, Girardi attended Jacksonville University in Florida and then traveled to Scotland to earn a master’s degree from the University of St. Andrews.

She returned home and lived with her family in Harrison for more than a decade before settling in Lower Burrell. During that time, she earned a Ph.D. in English from IUP and began teaching at Westmoreland County Community College.

Her football-enthusiast husband is now the high school coach at Highlands, and Girardi is an associate English professor at Harrisburg Area Community College.

After signing the six-book sports series with Wise Wolf, a new publisher of YA fiction based in Las Vegas, Girardi has kept a frantic writing pace since last year.

The second book, “Disorder on the Court,” is set for release in June. She is currently writing book No. 3, which will release in September.

In May, she’ll release an illustrated children’s board book titled “Why Daddy Why?” through a separate publisher, before setting out to write sports story No. 4, set to release in December.

“They have an innovative business model where they publish authors more frequently,” she said. “It’s been fun to be a part of that.”

After spending more than 15 years jotting stories in a notebook, the irony isn’t lost on Girardi that she’ll have five books on shelves this year.

“There are interesting stories in these sports stories and threads to develop,” she said. “I was able to write this series not just because of my husband but I thought back to my closest friends in high school and envisioned the situations. High school is impactful, and I want to relay stories of our wonderful community.”