Media Kit: The Unbalanced Ledger by Teresa Maza
BOOK OVERVIEW
Title: The Unbalanced Ledger: Budgets, Barks, and Beautifully Imperfect Living
Tagline: The anti-guilt memoir that proves you can build financial sanity without giving up your humor or your weekly takeout routine.
Core Concept: A witty and honest memoir/guide where a professional Finance Manager admits that real life—full of unexpected dog expenses, chaotic family budgets, and corporate absurdity—is anything but a balanced spreadsheet. It’s a book about finding financial health by embracing the mess.
Key Angles for Coverage & Audience Value:
- Shame-Free Financial Fitness: A witty memoir/guide written by a professional Finance Manager that demystifies personal finance. It focuses on mental and financial sanity, proving you can achieve financial sanity without having to perfectly balance your messy life ledger.
- Women-Owned & Minority-Owned Voice: Authored by Teresa Maza, a Filipina-American professional who offers a unique, empathetic perspective on work-life balance and finance in the DC Metro area.
- Rescue Dog Narrative & Support: Features the author’s rescue dog, Sansa (the mischievous mutt on the cover). Teresa champions animal adoption by supporting Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (LDAR), the organization that facilitated the adoptions of Sansa and her late sister, Sophie.
- Affordable, Actionable Resource: Priced affordably at $18.99 (Paperback) as a humorous, entertaining, and highly actionable guide that successfully blends memoir with money management survival tactics. Its December launch makes it especially timely for New Year’s Resolutions and media planning self-improvement coverage.
Endorsements:
“Teresa Maza’s The Unbalanced Ledger successfully blends two genres we rarely see together: the hilarious, self-aware memoir and the transactional, actionable guide to money management.” — Miriam R., ARC Reader
“A book is great and is worth reading if the author peels back the curtain on themselves and shows us who they really are and if you learn something… Both of these criteria are met beautifully in this book.” — Gary K., Reader
“Fun and entertaining! Teresa’s humor makes financial management a riot.” — Mirlyne E., Reader
LOGISTICS & AVAILABILITY
| Detail | Specification |
| LOGISTICS & TIMING | |
| Official Launch Date | December 15, 2025 |
| Timeliness | Perfect for Holiday Gifting and New Year’s Resolutions! Launches mid-gifting season, setting readers up for success in the January financial wellness rush. |
| AVAILABILITY | |
| Pre-Order Status | LIVE NOW (Pre-Order Start Date: October 15, 2025) |
| Retail Price (Paperback) | $18.99 (An affordable gift under $20) |
| Ebook Price | $8.99 |
| DISTRIBUTION & ISBNs | |
| Primary Channels | Amazon (KDP) and Major Retailers (via IngramSpark) |
| Paperback ISBN | 979-8-9931122-0-6 |
| Ebook ISBN | 979-8-9931122-1-3 |
🚨 ARC Copies (Professional Review): For librarians, traditional reviewers, and booksellers, the book is available via NetGalley.
🚨 ARC Copies (Instant Download): For journalists, bloggers, and podcast hosts seeking immediate access, download your file directly via BookFunnel.
READ EXCERPT PREVIEW: “Sansa’s Budget Bootcamp”
Picture me, the self-crowned queen of budgeting trainwrecks, starring in a Black Mirror horror flick where my bank account—down to $22.13 before rent—was a ghost town with pennies skittering like roaches. As a finance manager, I slay spreadsheets by day, but off the clock, I was a hot mess. I planned a $5 coffee run that spiraled into a $20 latte spree and a $150 ‘vintage’ lamp I swore would ‘spark fiscal balance’. It flickered ominously while Sansa’s roo-roos, my personal zen bell, mocked my receipt shredding woes. My husband muttered, “That lamp’s our new roommate.”
I’ve finally dodged the Eat What’s Left diet and clawed my way to financial homeostasis. You can too! Grab some tap water (it’s free, and coins are for hoarding!), and let’s turn your wallet’s disaster flick into a Pitch Perfect triumph…
(This 970-word chapter includes actionable steps for conquering the “Cash Void”.)
FULL AUTHOR BIO: TERESA MAZA
Teresa is a dedicated Finance Manager in Fairfax County’s Human Resources Department, navigating budgets and spreadsheets with precision and heart. Beyond the numbers, she’s Laughs by Teresa, a frugal humorist who celebrates the glorious, uncalculated mess of real life.
Hailing from the Philippines, Teresa brings a unique perspective to finance. She taught ESL to adult learners for over a decade while working full-time as an accountant, proving that learning—whether it be language or finance—shouldn’t feel like punishment. An introvert who mastered English as her second language, she now transforms adulting’s chaos, from tricky budgets to her dog Sansa’s chicken-stealing escapades, into witty, heartfelt stories.
She shares her Northern Virginia home with her saintly husband Albert, Sansa (the mischievous mutt on the cover), and the cherished memory of their late Sophie, both adopted from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (LDAR). Through her blog, LaughsByTeresa, she demystifies finance, celebrates human moments, and invites readers to laugh, relate, and feel less alone in life’s ledger
SHORT BIO
Teresa Maza is a Finance Manager in Fairfax County and the Filipina-American author of the debut memoir/guide, The Unbalanced Ledger. She is a frugal humorist who blends her professional spreadsheets with the chaos of her rescue dog, Sansa, to offer shame-free, actionable financial survival tactics.
VISUAL ASSETS
CONTACT
- Email: laughsbyteresa@outlook.com
- Website: LaughsbyTeresa.com
- Social: @laughsbyteresa