She’s no June Cleaver. She doesn’t claim to be Carol Brady. But she can sing everything a mother says to her children in a single day to the tune of “The William Tell Overture” in just two minutes and fifty-five seconds. Described as “this generation’s Erma Bombeck,” Good Morning America contributor and YouTube sensation Anita Renfroe has no problem telling it like it is, and she does so in her hilarious new book, DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU: Kids, Carbs, and the Coming Hormonal Apocalypse (Voice; September 29, 2009; Hardcover; $22.99).

In her irreverent collection of essays, this stand-up comedian and mother of three turns her boldly accurate comic eye to female conditions. In chapters with names like “To Regift or Not to Regift (Or, If Only the Wise Men Had Known About Gift Cards)” and “Playing Favorites (Or, As a Matter of Fact, I Do Love Your Brother More),” she dares to speak what other women are thinking—but cannot say out loud. Renfroe offers up her deeply funny and relatable takes on everything from weddings to mammograms to every woman’s never-ending quest for just one good photo of herself.

Renfroe’s mission is to make every woman feel empowered; her motto echoes the phrase “If you’ve got it, flaunt it!” She affirms that you are not alone in navigating trying circumstances that every woman undoubtedly experiences at some point in her life, such as:

· Fear of fat…and love of sweets
· The great sport of grocery-store shopping
· Retail therapy and our need for the perfect purse
· Facing age head-on and embracing your best self

In DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU, Renfroe is a true performer. Well-loved by women’s groups across the country even before YouTube delivered her infectious stand-up routines, her exceptionally sharp wit and boundless creativity have engaged millions of viewers—and there is no doubt that readers will be captivated as well.

All too often, we walk on eggshells. We keep our thoughts to ourselves so as not to offend others. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU reminds us all to take ourselves less seriously. Simultaneously uproarious and honest, this virtuoso performance will establish Renfroe as a comedic voice to be contended with: what she says, goes. So, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

ANITA RENFROE is wife to her hunka burnin’ love, John, and mother to three
(semi-grown) children. When they are not standing at the luggage carousel in various airports looking for their bags so she can put on clean clothes and get to the next comedy concert, they reside in suburban Atlanta, where sweet tea is always on the menu.

Check out http://www.anitarenfroe.com/ to find out more about Anita Renfroe and her new book.

Petal Pusher: Rock and Roll Cinderella Story
by Laurie Lindeen

I met Laurie Lindeen in Austin, Texas at the South by Southwest Trade Show when our career paths (and feet) intersected in front of booth 327. We were two ordinary Midwestern moms, who just happened to have extraordinary all-girl-punk-band memoirs to promote at the conference. Laurie dropped a copy of her book Petal Pushers in my lap as I sat in the “Rockin’ Moms” booth.

“I’m a rockin’ mom,” she said, as she nodded at the pale pink dust cover now resting on my thighs.

“Are you Laurie Lindeen?” I asked in astonishment. To be quite honest, hearing Laurie speak at the SXSW “Rock Memoir” panel was the only thing I had on my “MUST SEE” list even though some of my favorite acts in the world—the Supersuckers, X, Thurston Moore, Clem burke et al—were in town.

“I read your book,” I gushed. “And I loved it.” And I wasn’t just saying it—I was just meaning it.

I checked out Laurie’s book at the Royal Oak Public library the first week it came out. I was in the process of writing my own memoir Rock Star Mommy and I read it for inspiration. I felt like I had discovered a bosom buddy in the cute blonde I never met but had so much in common with. Like me, Laurie grew up in the 1960s. We were both raised in the Catholic faith in Great Lake states (Michigan and Wisconsin). We both lived in Big Ten college towns (Ann Arbor and Madison) and admired the Minnesota music scene of the 1980s—especially a band called The Replacements. (I had a crush on the band’s lead singer Paul, and she ended up marrying him.)  And we both ultimately gave up our big eighties hair and settled down and became mothers. And oh yeah, in the midst of it all, we both started all-girl bands (the Mydols and Zuzu’s Petals) despite being less than stellar guitarists. (By Laurie’s own admission her band sucked for the first couple of years, but she didn’t let a small detail like that distract her from living a Cinderella story—something I can relate to.)

I found Petal Pushers was familiar to my own life, but with one itty bitty difference. Laurie was a legitimate rocker who ultimately became a mom—and I, on the other hand, tried motherhood first and then attempted the rock star thing (and have had about one tenth of her fanfare or success.) Okay, maybe that’s a BIG difference. Still, we have enough in common that it surprises me that it took 48 years for us to be standing face to face, and in the author phases of our lives. I should have defiantly bumped into her in a mosh pit at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor about 25 years ago, instead of meeting her on a day when our maternal instincts led us to be at the Rockin’ Moms booth. All the same, I found her adorable.

The day after meeting her, I attended her “Rock Memoir” panel discussion and I was not disappointed. I began re-reading Petal Pushers (my autographed copy!) on my plane ride home to Detroit. Like so many things in life, it was even better the second time around.

Petal Pushers is Laurie’s story of launching Zuzu’s Petals in Minnesota’s red hot music scene in the eighties, and her journey through the indie rock landscape—with tours across America and Europe. Throughout the narrative she details her relationships with her band mates, management, boyfriends and fans with such loving honesty that it is hard to put the book down. (I read it in a day.) Laurie also chronicles her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis—a secret she hid from her friends—and how it fueled her determination to make it big in the rock world.

But the real pleasure of reading the book for me—someone in a band who has always wanted to hit the gravel but can’t because motherhood tends to be a huge loving anchor—is the intimate picture she paints of life on the road. She dishes out the dirt on touring, with all its ups and downs—including a stint with Mr. “Goodie Two Shoes” Adam Ant. Thanks to Laurie, I no longer feel like I have to (or want to) do it myself. I lived it through the pages of her book and it’s a trip I’ll never forget—like my trip to Austin. I can’t stop thinking about hanging out with Laurie for a few minutes and the thrill of meeting such a beautiful woman and equally beautiful writer.

Petal Pushers: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story (Atria) $24

Reviewed by Judy Davids, guitarist for the all-mom rock band the Mydols and the author of Rock Star Mommy: My Life as a Rocker Mom (Citadel Press) $12.95.

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing, and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly

David Meerman Scott

This isn’t the same old marketing and PR you've tried before: You don’t obsess about being “on message.”

You don’t break the bank with expensive advertising.

You don’t beg mainstream media to write about you.

Instead, you tell your story directly to an interested market!

POPULAR MOM BLOGGERS PEN NEW HUMOR BOOK ABOUT MODERN MOTHERHOOD, HIT THE ROAD TO MEET REAL MOMS

Catch Up with “See Mom Run” During 10 City Nationwide

Book Tour Presented by Swiffer 

White Plains, NY– (November 5, 2009) Plain White Press today announced the release of “See Mom Run: Sidesplitting Essays by the World's Most Harried Moms” ($12.95); available at book retailers nationwide and online, a collection of comical essays that captures all the harried moments of a busy mom’s life with candor, wit and wisdom.  The non-fiction book, co-written and edited by Beth Feldman, a veteran mom blogger and the founder of RoleMommy.com - an online community and events company that empowers women to pursue their passion while raising family - is bound to make you laugh out loud.

“With See Mom Run, we wanted to create a solution to brighten up parents’ overtaxed days and sleepless nights,” says Beth Feldman.  “Whether you’re a mother who has just given birth, or is raising a teen who has officially declared you an uncool mom, every mom has a side-splitting story within HER that’s bursting to come out.”

With the help of the nation’s most talented bloggers, authors, magazine writers, television producers, a gaggle of grandmothers and even a retired senator, this book details some of the most jaw-dropping, relatable and bittersweet moments in the lives of modern moms, all rolled into one fast-paced, entertaining read.  The launch of See Mom Run will reach moms nationwide via a cross-country road trip presented by Procter & Gamble’s Swiffer WetJet. 

On the tour, moms across the country will be treated to an exclusive reading and book signing and will get the chance to win exclusive Swiffer prize packs including the Swiffer Wet-Jet, an all-in-one power mop.  “Swiffer is a great partner for this book – no matter what sticky situations we get into as moms or how harried our lives may be, at least we have peace of mind knowing our floors are clean,” says Feldman.

Beginning this November, the See Mom Run tour will kick off with a cross country road-trip - traveling by trains, planes and automobiles hitting the cities where each of the contributors reside.  From there, the writers will host readings in unconventional locations - from spas, to comedy clubs, convention halls, play groups and gyms, the mission is to meet other real moms and share humorous tales of modern motherhood.  Check the See Mom Run website for tour dates and locations.  For further information on See Mom Run: Sidesplitting Essays by the World's Most Harried Moms, or to receive a Net Galley of the book, please contact Crystal@BookSparksPR.com