Growing up a headstrong Irish Catholic girl in a notoriously tough housing estate in Northern England, Moya has just one goal—to live a rich creative life in America. 

Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Publisher: Elboro Press
ISBN: 978-1-7379274-7-1
Perfect Bound Paperback, 282 pages
Dimensions: 5” x 8”
Retail Price: $17.95

Shoulder tells the story of the riotous and hilarious path from her boisterous but warm family back home to her education in London and her escape to New York in the 1980s where she finds everything she's looking for—exciting jobs in the fashion industry and later at MTV—but where she also meets the man of her dreams, only to lose him to cancer following the birth of their son.

Told in a voice that is equal parts Alan Bennett and Frank McCourt, this is a story about the thrill of taking chances and the unbearable pain of loss, as well as a profound meditation on what it takes to survive and what it means to care for others.

"A moving story of love and loss by a gifted writer."

"…anecdote after anecdote; some are very funny, others are heartbreaking, and still others are infuriating, but all are infused with a sense of defiance… Through it all, the author never lost sight of her own talents or the fact that she was loved by good people who helped her survive. " —Kirkus Reviews

Moya Hession-Aiken studied art at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester University) and the Central School of Art and Design (now Central St. Martins), graduating with a first class honors degree in textile design before moving to New York to work in the garment industry. However, before too long she was working for MTV earning an Emmy Award for her work as a paintbox artist. At MTV she met her future husband, producer Bill Aiken. They had a son, Liam, in 1990, a few years before Bill's tragic death. She lives in Connecticut and pursues her work as a fine artist, exhibiting frequently.