11-21-24: The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL "Mormon" Wives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives — The Eye-Opening New Book from Cedar Fort Publishing & Media — Is Now Available for Purchase, Just in Time for Christmas

Published less than 70 days after the launch of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (the Hulu/Disney reality show), The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives is a first-person book from Cedar Fort that features eight co-authors, each happily married women and mothers who are self-proclaimed devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, each successful businesswomen and contributors to society in their own right. As such, The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives has been published by Cedar Fort as a counterpoint to the portrayals of women in the unscripted Hulu/Disney series that have been held-up to the world as examples of Latter-day Saint women, as well as other recent misrepresentations of Latter-day Saints in the media, a book designed to support women, wives, and mothers of faith everywhere and to affirm the reality that no one needs to “Hide their light under a bushel.*”

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Nov. 21, 2024 — Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, an independent publishing house focused on Christian, Latter-day Saint, and family-friendly titles, today announced the launch and general availability of its newest book: The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives.

The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives 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 docudrama showcases self-proclaimed “Mormon” wives in often salacious settings not in harmony with the well-known tenets and commandments followed by devout members of the Christian faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Conversely, The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives features first-person accounts of eight self-proclaimed, devout Latter-day Saint wives/mothers, each successful businesswomen and contributors to society in their own right, and each sharing their own story in their own voices in this new book, including their testimonies of Jesus Christ.

The Eight Co-Authors of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives

For example, Fernanda Böhme (a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native), is one of the eight co-authors of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives. She’s also a co-founder of the eponymously named Böhme, a fashion-forward women’s clothing brand with 14 retail outlets and an online store.

In her 18-page contribution to The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives, Böhme writes, in part:

“The most influential person on the planet never had a successful money-making business. He was poor in worldly standards and didn’t have much at all. His name was Jesus of Nazareth, and in fact, He did have a business! It was the business of his Father who sent Him to earth to redeem us. He died on the cross and perhaps thought at the time that He had an unsuccessful mission, but His earthly mission was by far the most remarkable of anyone.”

Shown below in alphabetical order by last name is a list of the seven other co-authors of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives, specifically:

• Ganel-Lyn Condie (a mental health educator, popular motivational speaker, lupus warrior, and mother of two children)
• Kimberly DowDell (a well-known YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok influencer, Down Syndrome advocate, a top Zumba instructor, and mother of four children)
• Shayla Egan (a passionate marathon runner, a temporal and spiritual preparedness leader, and a mother of four children)
• Esther Jackson-Stowell (a Nigeria princess [literally] and convert to the LDS Church, a realtor and real estate professional, a mother of three children and a frequent foster parent)
• Caroline Melazzo (a native of Brazil, a Portuguese- and English-language podcaster, a real estate agent, and a mother of three children)
• 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)
• 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)

“As much as I wish that the mainstream media would provide a more accurate portrayal of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’m also honest enough with myself to recognize that portraying the bad side of ‘Mormons,’ other Christians, and faith-based people is often better for the bottom line,” said Emily Clark, Developmental Editor of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives. “But rather than complain to friends and family members about this new reality show from Hulu/Disney, we wondered if perhaps it might actually be an opportunity to provide a counterpunch to such programming, a point-counterpoint, if you will.

“To be clear, we don’t have a ‘holier than thou’ attitude or think the world is all ‘rainbows and butterflies,’ that Latter-day Saints and other faith-led people have amazing marriages and families and lives without difficulties or challenges, because that’s not the case. Nevertheless, not everything that is portrayed on TV, cable, the internet or published in the media is accurate, especially when it comes to people of faith. And given what Cedar Fort is all about, we felt it was necessary to step forward — with these wonderful women — and say, ‘We are not afraid to speak up for the women in the church who feel marginalized by popular media misrepresentations, to show the world how most women in the church really live their lives.’”

Why Use the Word “Mormon” and “REAL” in the Book Title?

When initial visibility about the forthcoming publication of The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives hit the Cedar Fort social media accounts, the company found that there was some strong pushback from different constituents — primarily among some Latter-day Saint women (whether married or not) — questioning why the company chose to use the words “Mormon” and “REAL” in the book title.

To address these questions, CEO Bryce Mortimer issued the following statement:

“So there is no question about it, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official name of the church to which I belong and not the ‘Mormon Church,’ a term that has often been used in the past in a derogatory fashion to defame the church, such as by certain executives and decisionmakers at Hulu and The Walt Disney Company. However, we also acknowledge, that there are many people who use the word ‘Mormon’ because it’s the only word they have to identify us with and do not use the word with any form of malice. Those individuals are our audience—those who hold no malice, are curious, and want to know more about us and our theology. So from a marketing standpoint, we felt the best way to do this was to use the term ‘Mormon’ in the title of this book to help draw the most possible attention to it.

“Also, the positioning of certain cast members of this Hulu/Disney reality show as so-called ‘real’ Latter-day Saint wives, individuals who allegedly follow the teachings of the Church (especially one guided by modern-day prophets), led us to realize that we were best positioned to provide an alternate storyline to what was being shared with the world as being true or real.

“To this end, our inclusion of the word ‘REAL’ in the title of the book, The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives, was used to highlight individuals who are trying to follow Jesus, to become like Him by striving to keep His commandments, in spite of their weaknesses and shortcomings. And to be pointedly specific, our intent was to provide the eight co-authors of this book as examples of covenant-making and covenant-keeping Latter-day Saint women, whether or not the women in the reality show identify as such. Simply put, all we are trying to do is to bring people to Christ.”

NOTE No. 1: After Hulu published its official trailer on August 14, 2024, about its forthcoming show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released an official statement on August 16, 2024. In part, it read:
“We understand the fascination some in the media have with the Church, but regret that portrayals often rely on sensationalism and inaccuracies that do not fairly and fully reflect the lives of our Church members or the sacred beliefs that they hold dear.”

NOTE No. 2: In October 2018, Russell M. Nelson, the individual recognized as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and its President), gave a talk in the worldwide conference of the Church reaffirming its official name: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .

Additional Details about the Book

Cedar Fort’s book, The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives, is designed as a first-person account of eight Latter-day Saint wives and mothers, women doing their best to stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ.

This more than 280-page book is available for purchase today at a suggested retail price of $21.99 on the Cedar Fort website, with free shipping for individuals who purchase the book before Tuesday, December 3, 2024 (the day after Cyber Monday).

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.

Additionally, 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.

* — The reference comes from Matthew 5:15 in the Holy Bible where Jesus is quoted as saying, “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”

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 content. Please visit www.CedarFort.com to learn more.

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