Kirjahaku

Take the true story of a small, brown, pesky but lovable mutt whose funny, frustrating and downright annoying exploits make other canine characters seem seem positively saintly. Add to the mix a "factional" account of the near-demise of a marriage seen, not through the dog's eyes exactly, but through the shifting, changing parallels between this dog's five-year life and the story of a woman's relationship to her husband. Season with the clash of cultures between this woman's English origins and the traditions of her American spouse. Stir the ingredients together in the aromatic pot that is bubbling, up-and-coming Portland, Oregon, and you begin to get the flavor of OF MUTTS AND MEN.

MIRANDA AND HER DAUGHTERS turns the Cinderella story on its head. Stepmothers traditionally get a terrible rap. Fathers and mothers--even mothers-in-law--may be good or bad, but stepmothers are always "wicked." But now that blended families are almost the norm, we need to challenge the stereotype. MIRANDA addresses the issue head-on in a way that is quirky, sexy, playful and, at times,serious. It takes the storyline from the Brothers Grimm, but brings it up to date, gives it a distinctly adult flavor, and sets it between London, England, and Portland, Oregon. The tale will appeal to women--and men--who take on the difficult job of raising other people's children, as well as their own. More, it provides the missing 'back story': how Cinderella's father met his second wife, or why the new wife's two daughters had a problem with shoes. Above all, it shows that the protagonists in most cobbled-together marriages are well-meaning, if only human.