DAME Authors

The fruits of our labor: DAME writers share their books

By The DAME Librarians
Published: Dec 01, 2007

deliverthis Marisa Cohen
Deliver This!: Make the Childbirth Choice That's Right for You—No Matter What Everyone Else Thinks
Publisher: Seal Press (12/2006)
Synopsis: A personable survey of the diverse childbirth options available to women today.

“I interviewed 100 moms about their birth experiences: women who caught their own babies, delivered in bathtubs, had elective C-sections, you name it. I wanted to find out why each of these choices made sense for that particular mom. All that childbirth talk must have caught on — my three best friends became pregnant just as the book came out.” —Marisa Cohen

Tali Edut and Ophira Edut
Astrostyle: Star-Studded Advice for Love, Life, and Looking Good
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (10/2003)
Synopsis: This glamorous approach to astrology reveals all the stars’ secrets about what to wear, who to date, and where to hang out.

“Will a Leo-Scorpio match spawn a royal rumble or a sweet success? Why do some Tauruses seem more in love with their reflections than with you? Which clothes will maximize your sign's mojo and which will prompt the fashion police to put you under house arrest? Dishing the hottest advice under the stars, we guide you through the wild world of relationships, personal style and everyday life — with glamour and a pinch of stardust.” —Tali & Ophi

Laura Meyer and Robyn Roth
Remodel This! A Woman’s Guide to Planning and Surviving the Madness of Home Renovation
Publisher: Penguin US (03/2007)
Synopsis: How should a woman approach renovation? This book lays out the best ways of dealing with every aspect of the experience.

“It’s rare that you ever hear of a remodel going smoothly. To keep things from spiraling out of control, women need help and my book is just that. Remodel This! was born out of both professional and personal experience and provides readers with the expertise of seasoned professionals along with empathy and humor from women who’ve made it through the hell and lived to tell. From hiring the right people for the job (including contractors, architects and designers) and getting a handle on her budget, to keeping her relationships intact and preserving her sanity, Remodel This! helps a woman navigate every aspect of her renovation.” —Laura Meyer

Renee Rosen
Every Crooked Pot: A Novel
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (06/2007)
Synopsis: A realistic, yet nuanced portrayal of a young teenager named Nina who must face the horrors of high-school with a strawberry birthmark over her eye.

“Writing Every Crooked Pot has been a labor of love. I began working on the novel back in 1990 after attending a writing workshop in Santa Monica where I was given an exercise on childhood memories. Up until that time, it had never occurred to me to write about my own experience growing up with a birthmark over my eye. So yes, Every Crooked Pot is considered an autobiographical novel, but it is still a work of fiction. Nina is as different from me as the Goldmans are from the Rosen clan.” —Renee Rosen

so fly Giselle Zado Wasfie
So Fly
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (6/2005)
Synopsis: Sophie, a recent college grad, tries to break into the male-dominated, New York City hip-hop scene in this hysterical, often heart-breaking novel.

"So Fly took me four years to write. It's been a journey and my life has changed along the way. To me, it's historical fiction, marking a personal moment in my history and in New York City's hip-hop music world. Publishing it felt like splitting one part of me into thousands of exact copies and whenever a reader seeks me out, I feel as if I shared an intimate part of my life with a total stranger and somehow we connected. That's an amazing feeling!" —Giselle Zado Wasfie

Caroline Leavitt
Girls In Trouble
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (1/2004)
Synopsis: After putting her baby up for adoption, 16-year-old Sara must learn to negotiate with her own maternal needs, eventually leading her to kidnap her own baby.

“Girls in Trouble is about the effects of an open adoption (where the birth mother chooses the adoptive parent) on all the parties involved. Before the book was even published, I was getting letters from birth mothers begging me not to make them out as bad people (I didn't! My birth mother is a heroine!) and from adoption agencies telling me how glad they were that I was writing about it. After publication, the birth mothers made me their official heroine, but the adoption agencies were livid that I had 'dared' to show any problems with adoption." —Caroline Leavitt

Jeannie Long and Michele Alexander
How to Get Over a Guy in 10 Days
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (2/2007)
Synopsis: If you're looking to dump your no-good guy, this book, by the authors of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, will give you the step by step approach on how to get out and get over it before he even knows what hit him.

"Rather than crying our way through our recent bad break-ups, my writing partner and I grabbed some beers and wrote How to Get Over a Guy in 10 Days. It was way more therapeutic than my usual relationship mourning practice of feeling sorry for myself and picturing everything he was doing without me. The best was when the book came out and my ex found out he was thanked in the book!" —Jeannie Long