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STANDBY is Now Available

Author and former TV crime reporter Beth McDonough opens up about her memoir Standby — a raw and unfiltered story of her very public downfall and powerful comeback.

 

After thirty years on television, Beth’s life unraveled in the harshest spotlight: two DUIs, a public firing, and national headlines. What the world saw was her mugshot. What they didn’t see was the fight to get sober, the years of shame and silence, and the strength it took to rebuild her life.

 

Standby takes readers behind the headlines and into the heart of resilience, sobriety, and redemption. In this video, Beth shares why she wrote the book, what readers can expect, and how her journey can inspire anyone who feels too far gone to start over.

The Memoir That Isn't Just Read...  It's Felt!

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STANDBY

BUCKLE UP! This memoir drops me into the same chaos I used to cover.  I chased the story until I became the headline.

This is not my best look, but it's a brutally honest reminder of who I was as an alcoholic. It's what I looked like at my bottom. My mugshot from being arrested.

 

Without this picture though, the one that captured me at my worst, it has brought out the best of who I am now and why my new forthcoming book STANDBY exists.

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As I put it in the PROLOGUE I’ve spent my entire adult life telling the stories of other people’s lives. This book describes mine, and it’s incredibly hard to share.

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BUCKLE UP! This isn’t just a breaking news story, it’s my breakdown. It’s real, it’s rough, and it’s the truth I am finally ready to share.​​​

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Meet Beth McDonough

Beth McDonough is a storyteller forged in fire. An investigative reporter with a heart tuned to humanity. From breaking news to battling a silent illness, she's lived chapters worthy of memoirs and now is writing them.  Whether it’s chasing leads or chasing healing, she's driven to connect stories to souls.
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In her memoir, STANDBY, McDonough takes you inside her journey from wreckage to redemption, one episode at a time.  With decades in television news and a talent for cutting through noise, her work has informed many across the country. But it’s her own story that hits hardest.  Off camera, McDonough was unraveling with an addiction to alcohol, two DUI's, a complete career collapse and public exile.  
 
McDonough recounts her rise through top news markets. From Missouri to Texas to the anchor desk in Houston, and later Philadelphia and Minneapolis. Covering some of the nation’s most defining moments, including 9/11, the I-35W bridge collapse, the nationwide search for kidnapped teen Jayme Closs, the confession from Jacob Wetterling's killer and the murder of George Floyd along with the riots afterward.
 
Today, McDonough is more than a journalist. She’s a survivor, a spokeswoman, a memoirist, and a lifestyle model who brings courage, finesse and an undeniable presence to everything she does. Featured in Lifetime’s Smart Justice with Elizabeth Smart, she turns personal pain into prose, using her experiences to light the way for others fighting to rise. 
 
Beth is a desert soul and a rescue dog devotee. She's proof that the truth, when owned and told boldly, can set you free.

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