Book Description

My son looked at me and my accoutrements with skepticism through narrowed eyes. This would be the son with the tattoo between his shoulder blades, the hand-rolled cigarette, the assortment of earrings, and the riot of curls that-at the right length-give him a jaunty, Viva la Revolucion Che Guevara vibe. He's a hard one to impress when it comes to unorthodoxy. "Mom, you look like you're ready to break into a chemical plant." From out of the mouths of babes... As though adjusting to courtrooms, spike heels and a chainsaw after forty weren't enough... Following in the high-heeled footsteps of Mary T. Wagner's two earlier inspiring and award-winning essay collections, "Fabulous in Flats" starts with the author's hair-raising introduction to running a chop saw, an endeavor lending itself more to flat shoes and safety goggles than stilettos. Whether decked out in a rhinestone tiara and a recycled mink at a Viennese Ball, embracing her inner "mother tiger" at her son's hospital bed, or reflecting on how nice it could be to channel Nancy Drew's fictional life for just a day, Wagner once again shares her wry and insightful style in essays sure to resonate. WHAT OTHER AUTHORS HAVE TO SAY... "I can't remember the last time I've laughed as hard as I laughed while reading Mary T. Wagner's wonderful memoir Fabulous in Flats." --Ann Hite, author "Ghost on Black Mountain" "A pleasure to read. I'm convinced Mary T. Wagner is the reincarnation of Erma Bombeck...in sexier shoes." --JOHN DeDAKIS, CNN Senior Copy Editor, "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer"author of "Fast Track" and "Bluff" "Stilettos, heels, even flats - I couldn't possibly walk in any women's shoes, but if I could without severely pulling a hamstring, I would want to walk in Mary Wagner's. Her personal stories are warm, funny, engaging, and fit perfectly - even on the feet of a man. These wonderful stories are not just observations about women, they're about all of us." --DAVID W. BERNER, author, Accidental Lessons: A Memoir of a Rookie Teacher and a Life Renewed "Mary Wagner is a brilliant essayist who combines wit with poignancy, bravado with humility, and can write her way out of the boxes in which most mere mortals place themselves. The hilarity of real life situations in court, at home and with shoes and power tools made me laugh out loud. Ms.Wagner's work is like the best, most compelling sweet treat... you just want to keep consuming until it is gone." --RICHARD McGINNIS, editor and publisher "Mindful Metropolis" Magazine "Mary's writing is honest, which is the best thing I think writing can be. Her humor, sincerity and attention to detail make her a writer for anyone in need of a good story. Heartfelt and witty, her pieces move to the beat of a woman-who-knows marching in stilettos. Brilliant " --ALYSON LYON, co-founder Chicago's "Essay Fiesta" "Mary Wagner has an artist's eye for detail, a keen sense of what is meaningful in life, and an unerring ability to capture it all in wonderfully readable prose. No woman who loves or works or dreams or simply lives in the world today will fail to find something with which to connect. Wagner's slice-of-life essays offer both a mirror into our own lives and a connection with a remarkable woman who, after a few paragraphs, feels like an old friend." --CYNTHIA CLAMPITT, author, Waltzing Australia