Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot (the eBook!)

Five years ago Relevant Book published my book, Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot. I’ve recently updated the book and made it available as an ebook through Amazon. For the bride looking to plan her dream day on a budget, this book has everything she needs. Buy it or recommend it to a friend today!

Friends who already have copies, would you be so kind as to leave a review on the product page so others will know what a great find it is? Thanks!

 

15 Ways I’m Just Like Tina Fey

I just finished Tina Fey’s Bossypants at the recommendation of a friend, who said I remind him of her in some ways. Flattered, I knew I had to read it immediately and find every possible correlation in our lives. Henceforth, here are 15 ways I am just like Tina Fey.

• We are women.

• We are writers.

• We are married to a man named Jeff from Pennsylvania. (I do not believe it is the same one.)

• Both of our first names have four letters. (Our husband, Jeff, pointed this out.)

• We are producers. (Except in my field it’s called an editor.)

• We have each published a book.

• We both gave birth to female babies during the years 2005-2007.

• We are between 9-11 years younger than our husband. (I’m just assuming at this point it’s the same guy.)

• We share similar philosophies and experiences when it comes to cruising. (Except mine didn’t involve a fire and evacuation.)

• We share similar philosophies and experiences when it comes to breastfeeding.

• We both have facial scars. (Everyone asks about hers. No one asks about mine. No, it’s okay, really. You don’t have to ask next time you see me. I’ll just write a blog post about it. It’ll be fine.)

• We have experienced gender prejudice in the workplace.

• We have both agonized and tortured ourselves over whether or not to have a second child.

• We like to tell jokes. (She gets paid to do it. I get advised in private to think twice before I tweet.)

• We wear glasses and sometimes contacts.

Okay, so some of this is a stretch, and we really don’t have that much in common.

But the appeal of women like Tina Fey, Ree Drummond and other strong women in the media that I look up to is that they’re transparent with their life experiences, and their struggles are universal. Women like me can relate with them — even if our lives are drastically different. (i.e. If I could ever produce a body of work for public consumption, and consequently a girl writes a blog post on the 10 ways she’s just like me, I’ll know I’ve succeeded.)

The point of all this is that Tina Fey has a great book (as long as you don’t mind some of the most creative forms of cursing I’ve seen this side of “The Sopranos”) and that you should go buy it or borrow it immediately — right after you buy my book, of course, which has significantly fewer cuss words (and is $3 cheaper).

***

At the release of her book last month it was announced that Tina is pregnant with their second child. This is clearly the work of genius of two levels:

• First it’s marketing gold. You simply cannot buy publicity like that. Ask Lindsay Lohan.

• Secondly, on a personal level, the news and birth of your second child will never match the level of excitement that comes with your first. It’s like a second marriage – “Oh, they’re trying this kid thing again. Let’s see if they can get this one right.” So she’s a genius for being able to muster interest on a national scale for the biological function of her uterus.

And since I’m clearly trying to pattern my life after hers, I will now immediately run out and get pregnant as well and try to time the news to coincide with the release of my upcoming e-book. The news is sure to make The Drudge Report, don’t you think?

 

Cake Wrecks Book Signing Tuesday

This Tuesday marks the first stop of a Cake Wrecks book signing tour by one Orlando’s own. Jen Yates will be signing copies of her new book, Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong, which releases Oct. 1. Cake Wrecks is one of my favorite blogs of all time. Jen is a wonderfully gifted humor writer, and she’s found a unique niche pointing out the hilarious in professional cakes gone awry. She’ll be at Borders in Winter Park starting at 5 p.m. I’ll be there (until 6:30 p.m.), and would love it if someone I knew was there too!

 

Ghostwriting for Dummies

I just entered a contract to ghostwrite a book for some pretty great fellas. I’m excited about the project and although I won’t be divulging too much info about it, I will give you a sneak peek into my process from time to time.

For example, I typed 51,692 words in two-and-a-half days of interviews with my clients. That’s the equivalent of a 200 or so page book. So you’d think my work was almost over, right? Hardly. But I have a feeling this is going to come together nicely.

Here are some books I picked up at the library today as research:

• Ghosting by Jennie Erdal
• The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel
• The Historical Jesus for Dummies
• Fodor’s Israel
• The Everything Guide to Grammar and Style
• The Chicago Manual of Style

Sound intriguing? I hope so.

If these don’t keep me on track, I don’t know what will.

 

N.T. Wright on Colbert

I read this book earlier this year and just found this clip of N.T. Wright on Colbert. Good food for though …

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bishop N.T. Wright
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor First 100 Days

 

Review: “Angry Conversations With God”

Angry Conversations With God
Susan E. Isaacs
(Faith Words)
March 12, 2009

Susan Isaacs is not your average Christian comedian. She’s not even your average Christian. So don’t think for a second that Angry Conversations With God is your average Christian spiritual memoir. It’s anything but.

Exploring this “middle-class white girl’s dark night of the soul,” Isaac unpacks her warped, twisted ideas about God’s will, sex, sin and salvation in fictional accounts of actual therapy sessions where she took God to marriage counseling. To call this memoir creative would be the understatement of the year. Creative and original, yes, but it’s also chock-full of saucy language (i.e., profanity), bitterly painful memories and shockingly angry tirades at God.

While this book may not be every Christian’s cup of tea, those who have been chewed up and spit out by this world and still long for a real relationship with Jesus will identify with Isaac’s story. Isaacs’ bares all in this colorful, saucy, dysfunctional Christian version of Eat, Pray, Love, and proves that the naked truth is the only kind worth believing.

 

Review: ‘As We Forgive’

As We Forgive: Stories of Reconciliation from Rwanda
By Catherine Claire Larson (Zondervan, Feb. 1, 2009)

It’s said that reality is stranger than fiction. In the case of Rwanda’s people, it’s also more gruesome. Catherine Claire Larson, a writer and editor with Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship, sets out to add to the litany of works about Rwanda’s genocide with As We Forgive.

Inspired by a documentary by the same name, Larson retells seven stories about the genocide and its aftermath (some of which are in the film). What’s even more amazing is the miraculous way some victims are working toward reconciliation by forgiving their perpetrators — many of whom have been released from prison and are even helping victims rebuild their homes and lives.

It’s a portrait of grace of divine proportions, but it’s still difficult to read. Students of psychology and those passionate about social justice will find this to be a practical companion to the film. The book also includes practical features like a map of Rwanda, a timeline of the events, organization listings and steps toward reconciliation on a personal level.

–Cara Davis

 

More Reviews

Here are some additional reviews I gladly wrote for Advance magazine, a publication of The Foursquare Church:

Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God

Trusting in the Names of God: Drawing Strength From Knowing Who He is

Nine Months to a Miracle: Spiritual Preparation for Mom-to-Be

Parenting by the Book: Biblical Wisdom for Raising Your Child

 

Red Leather Diary

This is a unique new book: http://www.redleatherdiary.com/

A New York Times journalist found a discarded diary recording the life and thoughts of a 1930s New York woman. The reporter located the writer — and discovered she was still alive. She interviewed her and put together this unique biography.

 

Book Review: ‘Lost & Found’

Lost & Found: A Memoir
by Kathryn Slattery
[GuidepostsBooks, $17.99]
release date: March 2008

Lost & Found is a book Kathryn Slattery needed to write. Unfortunately, it’s not one that everyone will enjoy reading. It’s a painful story. The memoir recounts a sad childhood in a dysfunctional family, then a young adult life spent trying to make sense of it. Thankfully the story’s tone begins to change when Slattery encounters Jesus’ grace in her adult life and then makes peace with her childhood as she cares for her ailing elderly mother. While some readers will enjoy the flawless writing and even identify with the struggles of the writer (an alcoholic father, eating disorder, chronic anxiety), one can’t help but feel weary of the memoir format.