PROD IV - Love and Lattes

I know that love, though a many splendored thing, can be tricky.  I get a LOT of press releases about relationship books.  This one was particularly awesome...mostly because this woman seems to have married a REALLY unfortunate guy....or a DAMN unfortunate guy, as this seems to be her favorite word.  I would run this by Awesome Coworker, but she is somewhere in the wilds of Europe, eating fabulous food and drinking fabulous wine... so this has to be an entirely one-sided PROD, with no one to stand up for the men... or, as PROD puts it the "TV-addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-So-Handymen."....Well, at least she got a book deal out of him:

Dear Colleague,

Berkley is proud to announce the publication of author Jenna McCarthy’s hilarious new book, IF IT WAS EASY, THEY’D CALL THE WHOLE DAMN THING A HONEYMOON:Living with and Loving the TV-Addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-So-Handy Man You Married (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; October 4, 2011; $15; ISBN: 978-0-425-24302-2). You can watch Jenna (author of The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties and Cheers to the New Mom/Cheers to the New Dad) and her husband in this great book trailer by clicking here. I’d love to know if you are interested in scheduling an interview with Jenna this October.

What first started as a blog post quickly transformed into an entire book. After posting the question, “What does your husband—whom you still love—do that drives you nuts?” on her Facebook page, Twitter feed, blog, and online newsletter, McCarthy received an overwhelming (and highly entertaining) response. Gripes ranged from mere annoyances to the absolutely absurd and she noticed how infinitely better she immediately felt about her own relationship with her husband. As she notes, there’s “nothing like peeking over the neighbors’ fence and catching a glimpse of their withered, pathetic excuse for a lawn to remind us all that the grass isn’t always greener.”

In IF IT WAS EASY, THEY’D CALL THE WHOLE DAMN THING A HONEYMOON, McCarthy presents a candid and entertaining peek behind the curtains of matrimony and highlights many of the amusing “At Least You’re Not Married to Him” comments she has received from her followers. With ballsy wit and bawdy humor, McCarthy explores everything from male domestic idiocy to the frustrating misfires in spousal communication. Some of the other many topics McCarthy covers include:

• Can We Talk? Obviously Not: A three-step process for successful marital communication which combines the art of shutting up for five lousy minutes, spending more time with your friends and dropping the expectation that your husband has to be a chick.

• What’s Cooking? (I’m Going to Go Out on a Limb and Say Me): Orchestrating meals just might be the number one killer of spirits. Jenna teaches how couples can walk the line of culinary duties at home.

• It’s Only Money, Honey: The joining of two lives often means the joining of two bank accounts. One might think that means saying goodbye to those manicures and designer jeans but what it really means is becoming aware of how a couple spends its money as a whole.

Part in-your-face guide, part brutal confession, IF IT WAS EASY, THEY’D CALL THE WHOLE DAMN THING A HONEYMOON is a must-read manifesto for anyone trying to survive marriage in an age when everyone seems to live forever and getting a divorce is as easy as ordering a latte.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts! I’d be happy to send a copy of the book for further consideration, just let me know. Visit: www.jennamccarthy.com

My best,

Heidi Richter

Senior Publicist

Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

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This PROD has many fabulous attributes, but my favorite line would have to be this one:

 IF IT WAS EASY, THEY’D CALL THE WHOLE DAMN THING A HONEYMOON is a must-read manifesto for anyone trying to survive marriage in an age when everyone seems to live forever and getting a divorce is as easy as ordering a latte.

 First of all, I love that longevity is put forth as a problem.  Like, marriage was a lot simpler during the Dark Ages, when everyone dropped dead at 28.  But now it just seems to take irritating spouses FOREVER to die.  Like, TAKE YOUR TIME!  It's not like I'm just sitting here waiting for the insurance payout and total control of the TiVo or anything.  Really, just KEEP ON LIVING.  That's super.  


Also, divorce is as easy as ordering a latte?

Ordering a latte is not actually that easy.  Has this woman BEEN to Starbucks?  You can have a full on Hamlet style meltdown looking at that menu.  Not to mention, we are now getting into the holiday season, when all kinds of new and complicated items show up at Starbucks...and they are constantly pelting you with free samples and new flavors and shiny packaging.

Also, I'm not entirely sure this woman should stay married.  Granted, I have not read her book, but the title alone just makes it seem like maybe divorce isn't the worst idea this woman ever had:

IF IT WAS EASY, THEY’D CALL THE WHOLE DAMN THING A HONEYMOON:Living with and Loving the TV-Addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-So-Handy Man You Married 

Can you IMAGINE if you spouse wrote a book with this title?  I feel like the TITLE OF THIS BOOK ALONE might be grounds for divorce.  It's just a good thing for her that Starbucks now makes liquor because someone is probably going to need a little somethin' extra in her latte.