4/22/07 Book of the Week: THIS IS CHICK-LIT, with Deanna Carlyle

This excerpt, from “Dead Men Don’t Eat Quiche”, is by Deanna Carlyle, and anthologized in THIS IS CHICK-LIT.

When my mother announced that she and my dad were planning to visit me in Paris for their second honeymoon, I did not exactly jump for joie. Nor did I do le danse Snoopy when she mentioned they’d be staying for two weeks. My mother, you see, is the bestselling author of Machiavelli in Heels. Maybe you’ve seen her on TV or heard her on her AM talk radio show, berating women like me to shuck their wimpitude and to wangle their way to the top. Yep, that’s my mom.

I have to admit I’ve missed her in a “Stockholm Syndrome” sort of way. When I left California I figured I wouldn’t see my parents again for at least another five years, especially as they’re strapped for cash. Ever since my mother’s second book made like the Titanic and tanked, she’s been straining to stage her comeback and regain her position as the family breadwinner. And as for my dad, well, he hasn't worked since the Carter administration.

Yet for their thirtieth wedding anniversary, they intended to break open the piggy bank and celebrate à la mode.

“You only live in this incarnation once,” my mom reminded me when she called to announce their visit. “Besides, I miss my Becky.”

“I go by Becca now, Mom.”

“To me you’ll always be Becky. That’s the name we gave you and that’s the name we--”

“So when are you arriving again?”

And so it was decided. My parents would visit me in a month. Almost enough time for me to clean my attic room and get a job. . . .
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To read more about THIS IS CHICK-LIT or order the book, check out http://www.thisischicklit.com

Buy THIS IS CHICK-LIT here, from  Amazon

Click here to read the Author Q&A with Deanna Carlyle

Click here to go to Deanna Carlyle's website.

You can also read an excerpt of Josie Brown's IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE-TIED here . . .