Her entry begins:
Right now I’m reading an advance copy of James Ziskin’s Turn to Stone, and relishing a return to Italy (I taught a writing workshop there this summer) in the company of Ellie Stone, one of my favorite protagonists. I’m also enjoying Michelle Obama’s Becoming, a real palate cleanser between mystery novels. It's so life-affirming and these difficult times. And then, back to crime novels with...[read on]About Careful What You Wish For, from the publisher:
Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she’s married to man who can’t drive past a yard sale without stopping. He’s filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds.Learn more about the book and author at Hallie Ephron's website.
Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples’ lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily’s own marriage together these past few years. She’d love nothing better than to toss out all her husband’s crap. He says he’s a collector. Emilyknows better—he’s a hoarder. The larger his “collection” becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married.
Luckily, Emily’s got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn’t know existed, and a young wife whose husband won’t allow her stuff into their house. Emily’s initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses.
But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says ... now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage . . . and possibly her life.
See Ephron's ten mysteries that harness unreliable narrators, top ten books for a good laugh, and ten best books for a good cry.
The Page 69 Test: Never Tell A Lie.
My Book, The Movie: There Was an Old Woman.
My Book, The Movie: You'll Never Know, Dear.
Writers Read: Hallie Ephron.
--Marshal Zeringue
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