Today's guest: Pamela Ribon
Why we love her: She's hilarious- not just in her novels, but on her blog.
Her latest: You take it From Here
The scoop: Just because you’d give your best friend everything doesn’t mean she has to take it.
On the heels of a divorce, all Danielle Meyers wants is her annual vacation with sassy, life-long best friend, Smidge—complete with umbrella cocktails by an infinity pool—but instead she’s hit with the curveball of a lifetime. Smidge takes Danielle to the middle of nowhere to reveal a diagnosis of terminal cancer, followed by an unusual request: “After I’m gone, I want you to finish the job. Marry my husband. Raise my daughter. I’m gonna teach you to how to be Smidge 2.0.”
As Danielle wrestles with this major life decision, she finds herself torn between being true to her best friend’s wishes and being honest with herself. Parenting issues aside, Smidge’s small-town Louisiana world is exactly the one Danielle made sure to escape. Danielle isn’t one for playing the social butterfly, or being the center of attention. And when your best friend tries to set you up on a date night with her husband, it might be time to become the bossy one for a change.
In the spirit of Beaches and Steel Magnolias, You Take It from Here is an honest, hilarious, and heartbreaking novel that ultimately asks: How much should we sacrifice for the ones we love the most?
Our thoughts: We love Beaches (c'mon, the ultimate BFF movie!) and Steel Magnolias and her novel definitely has a flavor of both. It's the perfect blend of humor and heart. PS: We love the cover & for that matter, love all of her book covers.
Fun Fact: She's a TV writer too. She wrote for one of Lisa's favorite shows, Samantha Who?
Giveaway: 5 copies of You Take it From Here. Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, July 8 after 6PM PST.
Where you can read more about Pamela (Pamie): Facebook, Twitter and her website.
2. Stop with the boxer shorts. I don’t know where you saw a girl wearing boxers underneath her baggy jeans, but you obviously found it sexy and I need to tell you right now that you don’t look like whatever model you saw in Rolling Stone or maybe it was a TLC video or something, but listen: just go put on some girl underwear. I remember one pair of those boxer shorts had glow-in-the-dark polka dots and I don’t think those chemicals should be near your very new ladyparts.
3. If he’s got a girlfriend, you need to stop trying to be so great of a best friend to him.This isn’t a romantic comedy; this isn’t how you’re going to find a soul mate. This is a recipe for disaster. Either you are going to fall in (what you think is) love and waste months upon months waiting for this guy to feel the same way about you, or he is going to keep using you as his girlfriend Fairy Godmother, who keeps making him a better boyfriend by telling him how you wish he felt about you. Also, his actual girlfriend? Hates you so much right now. Not to mention, all that time she’s got on her hands because you’re off with her boyfriend? Right now she’s using it to make everyone else hate you just as much as she does. Go find some nice girls to hang out with until you find a cute, single boy who wants to play video games with you and only you.
4. Make your dad teach you how to cook like he does. I know he’s not very friendly in the kitchen, but the man knows how to cook, and one day he’ll be gone and it’ll be too late and you’ll be craving his steak and Caesar salad and there will be nothing you can do and nobody will ever make this meal as good as he did for the rest of your life and it will be one of your biggest regrets.
5. Don’t tell everyone your secrets. Listen, I get it. You’re just looking for someone who will rage against the world with you, but not everyone is worthy of your deepest confessions. Some people won’t understand their currency, and will be so careless with your heart. Don’t always be the first to yearn for the strong connection, don’t always be the first to hand over a mix tape. Yes, every single human is special and wonderful, but they’re not all going to be special and wonderful back at you. Quit setting yourself up for a heart-smash. I know it’s hard to comprehend, but not everybody is thinking about you nearly as much as you are.
(PS: IT’LL ALL BE OKAY ONCE IT’S OVER. JUST HANG ON, TEEN ME. AND MAYBE TURN OFF THE SINEAD O’ CONNOR FOR A SECOND.)
Thanks, Pamela! xoxo, Liz & Lisa