Say "I do" to five surprising stories of women grappling with love and marriage and whether to walk down the aisle or run away.
In Elise Juska's "Perfect Weather for Driving," Megan and Joel's sunset fender-bender makes for a great drunken story at his friend's wedding, but the reality is hardly romantic. Stuck in a New England hotel waiting for the verdict on their Volvo, the two are forced to take stock of their own damaged relationship -- and whether it's too late to fix it.
In Tara McCarthy's "Losing California," engaged surfer Alison is convinced that Michael Madsen -- a member of her favorite band -- is her soul mate. Unfortunately, he's not her fiancé. So Alison flies to Nova Scotia, where Michael lives, because she's either right or she's wrong -- and she better find out before the wedding.
The bride-to-be in Pamela Ribon's "Sara King Goes Bad" has always done the right thing but decides it's important to know what it feels like to be reckless for once. And so two weeks before her wedding, she indulges in an unforgettable night of sex, drugs, and petty crime.
In Heather Swain's "The Happiest Day of Your Life," Annie and Ben plan a simple ceremony at an apple orchard. But when Annie loses perspective -- and everything that can go wrong does -- she's forced to rethink why she wanted a wedding in the first place.
The "Emily & Jules" of Lisa Tucker's story are two lonely people who meet on an online bulletin board for agoraphobics. But when Emily is invited to her estranged brother's wedding -- and it's clear across the country -- both she and Jules may be forced to change their ways.
Will any of these heroines get to the church on time? Cozy up with Cold Feet and find out.
Juska, Elise: - Elise Juska's short stories have appeared in many magazines, including The Hudson Review, Harvard Review, Salmagundi, Black Warrior Review, Calyx, and The Seattle Review. She teaches fiction writing at The New School in New York City and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Her first novel, Getting Over Jack Wagner, is available from Downtown Press.
Visit the author's website: www.elisejuska.com.
McCarthy, Tara: - Tara McCarthy is the author of Been There, Haven't Done That: A Virgin's Memoir. Her work has appeared in Seventeen, Mademoiselle, Glamour, and Good Housekeeping, and in the Downtown Press anthology Cold Feet. Tara lives with her husband in Astoria, New York. Love Will Tear Us Apart is her first novel.
McCarthy, Tara: - Tara McCarthy is the author of "Been There, Haven't Done That: A Virgin's Memoir." Her work has appeared in "Seventeen, Mademoiselle, Glamour, " and "Good Housekeeping, " and in the Downtown Press anthology "Cold Feet." Tara lives with her husband in Astoria, New York. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is her first novel.
Ribon, Pamela: - Pamela Ribon is a bestselling author, television writer and performer. A pioneer in the blogging world, her first novel, Why Girls Are Weird, was loosely based on her extremely successful website pamie.com. The site has been nominated for a Bloggie in Lifetime Achievement, which makes her feel old. Ribon created the cult sensation and tabloid tidbit Call Us Crazy: The Anne Heche Monologues, a satire of fame, fandom and Fresno. Her two-woman show, Letters Never Sent (created with four-time Emmy winner and Jay Leno Show favorite Liz Feldman) was showcased at the 2005 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. She has been writing in television for the past seven years, in both cable and network, including on the Emmy-award winning Samantha Who? starring Christina Applegate. Using her loyal Internet fan base, Ribon sponsors book drives for libraries in need. Over the years, pamie.com has sent thousands of books and materials to Oakland and San Diego, sponsored a Tsunami-ravaged village of schoolchildren, and helped restock the shelves of a post-Katrina Harrison County, Mississippi. Ribon's book drive can now be found at DeweyDonationSystem.org, which has sponsored libraries from the Negril School in Jamaica to the Children's Institute in Los Angeles.
Swain, Heather: - Heather Swain lives with the loves of her life -- her husband, her new daughter, and her dog -- in a crooked house in Brooklyn, New York. Her fiction, nonfiction, and personal essays have appeared in books, magazines, literary journals, and online. Luscious Lemon is her second novel. Her first, Eliot's Banana, is also available from Downtown Press.
You can visit Heather anytime at HeatherSwain.com
Tucker, Lisa: - Lisa Tucker is the bestselling author of The Promised World, The Cure for Modern Life, Once Upon a Day, Shout Down the Moon and The Song Reader. Her short work has appeared in Seventeen, Pages and The Oxford American. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.
