ROCKLAND — Former beauty editor E.K. Sathue, a pseudonym for the author Erin Mayer, will launch her horror debut youthjuice, “an outrageous, surreal, and satirical send-up of NYC It-girl culture,” Saturday, June 1, at 6:30 p.m., at hello hello books and Rock City Cafe, 316 Main Street in Rockland.

Sathue will read from youthjuice and then join a discussion with author Benjamin Perry. 

Described in a news release as "If The Picture of Dorian Grey were set at Goop” (Publishers Weekly) and “American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada” (publisher), youthjuice follows young copywriter Sophia Bannion’s career on the storytelling team at HEBE, a luxury skincare/wellness company in New York’s trendy SoHo. In thrall to HEBE’s charismatic founder, Tree Whitestone, and addicted to the fatty, soothing moisturizer youthjuice, Sophia learns that beauty is possible — at a terrible cost and with a gruesome secret ingredient. 

Erin Mayer’s work has appeared in a variety of online publications including Bustle, Travel + Leisure, Better Homes & Gardens, Literary Hub, CrimeReads, Business Insider, and Man Repeller. She lives in Maine with her partner, Benjamin Perry, and their beloved haunted doll, Persephone.

Benjamin Perry is the author of Cry, Baby: Why Our Tears Matter. An award-winning writer, their work has appeared in outlets like Slate, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, Sojourners, Bustle, and The Atlantic. 

The reading is free to the public, and doors open at 6 p.m. No reservations are required. Drinks and light refreshments will be available.

For more information, contact hello hello books at staff@hellohellobooks.com or 207-593-7780.