From the Publisher
In this hilarious collection of personal essays, New York
Times bestselling author Merrill Markoe reveals, among other
things, the secret formula for comedy: Start out with a difficult
mother, develop some classic teenage insecurities, add a few
relationships with narcissistic men, toss in an unruly pack of
selfish dogs, finish it off with the kind of crystalline
perspective that only comes from years of navigating a roiling sea
of unpleasant and unappeasable people, and-voilà!-you're
funny!
But in Cool, Calm & Contentious, Markoe also reveals
something more: herself. This is by far her most personal,
affecting collection yet-honest, unapologetic, often painful, but
always shot through with the bracing, wicked sense of humor that
has made her such a beloved and incisive observer of life, both
human and canine. In Cool, Calm & Contentious, she
goes there: from the anal-retentive father who once spent ten
minutes lecturing Markoe's forty-year-old, Ph.D.-wielding brother
on how to fold a napkin, to the eternally aggrieved mother who took
pleasure in being unpleasant to waiters and spent most of her life,
Markoe says, in "varying degrees of pissed off"; from the way she
surrendered her virginity as a freshman in college (to her, it was
"something to be gotten rid of quickly, then never discussed again,
like body odor"), to why, later in life, she ultimately came to
find dogs so much more appealing than humans, Markoe holds nothing
back. It's all here, in all its messy, poignant glory, and told the
way only Merril Markoe knows how-with honesty, wit, and bite.
Cool, Calm & Contentious offers something for
everyone-fans of humorous essays, fans of memoir, fans of great
writing and finely drawn characters, fans of dogs, fans of talking
dogs, and fans of reading about mothers who are so difficult and
demanding they actually make you feel good about your own life. But
most of all, this book is for the many fans of Merrill Markoe, who
will finally get a chance to learn what makes her tick-and what
makes her so funny and wise.
About the Author
Emmy Award-winning writer Merrill Markoe lives in
Los Angeles, California, the garden spot of America, with four dogs
and a man. She has authored three books of humorous essays and the
novels Nose Down, Eyes Up; Walking in Circles Before Lying
Down; and It's My F---ing Birthday and co-authored
(with Andy Prieboy) the novel The Psycho Ex Game. A lot of
additional information about her-including a long bio, goofy
videos, etc.-can be found at merrillmarkoe.com. After great amounts
of hesitation, she is also on Facebook. But since she thinks about
pulling the page down on a daily basis, check fast.
About the Book
Markoe reveals, among other things, the secret formula for comedy. This is by far her most personal, affecting collection yet--honest, unapologetic, often painful--but always shot through with the bracing, wicked sense of humor that has made her such a beloved and incisive observer of life, both human and canine. 288 pp.
