Today's Special Guest Author is
Dee Ernst
Dee is here to tell you all about herself and this fantastic book in the video below!
I'm also hosting a Better Off Without Him Book Discussion that will be running simultaneously with this blog through February 23rd. Dee and I look forward to seeing you at the discussion. That's right! You can have a discussion with the author herself, ask her questions about her book or characters. It's going to be a lot of fun! There's still plenty of time to read the book and join us.
Here's a little about Dee Ernst. The following information was taken directly from her website:
"Dee Ernst was born Elizabeth Diane Ascoli in Newark, NJ. Her family moved to Morristown, NJ when she was still a toddler. She started writing stories on a battered Royal typewriter when she was about ten or twelve, and she graduated Morristown High School determined to pursue a career as a writer in some form or another (she considered advertising, but luckily came to her senses). Creative writing majors were hard to find in 1974, so she attended Marshall University as a journalism major. That wasn’t working, so she tried Education, but that didn’t quite work either. Several jobs and years later, staying home with a three-year-old and trying to figure out what to do when she grew up, Joan Hamburg on WOR radio in New York was interviewing someone who said if you wanted to know what to with your life, remember what you were playing when you were ten, and try to turn that into a career. Since Dee was writing stories at ten, she sat down and wrote her first novel. It went nowhere. Her second novel got her a terrific agent and upwards of fifteen rejection letters (She reread them all in preparation of this biography). Her third novel, Better Off Without Him, garnered even more rejection letters from a much higher caliber of editor. Undaunted, she self-published Better Off Without Him in October 2010. She is now waiting patiently for fame and fortune."
Mona is most definitely Better Off Without Him!
I had such fun reading BETTER OFF WITHOUT HIM written by Dee Ernst. The character interaction was imaginatively written and funny. It was so nice reading about a 40-plus woman for a change. I was able to relate to her in more ways the one.
I enjoyed getting to know Mona and her emotional strength in dealing with a husband she's been married to for twenty years but finds she never really knew him in the first place. I also really liked Mona's friends and children. While reading, many times I found myself laughing out loud as well as craving a vodka martini, which I've never had but I'm going to be trying very soon.
Not only do I recommend BETTER OFF WITHOUT HIM, I've gifted it to a very good friend. The only criticism I have regarding this book is that it could use another edit.
Stop by Dee's website to see all purchase links for Better Off Without Him.