From The Things I Wish I’d Said:
“I know it’s happened to you . . . You find yourself in a situation that takes you by surprise. A confrontation, perhaps, and you’re expected to respond. You say what immediately comes to mind or something simple, maybe even inane and walk away. Seconds later the perfect comeback line pops into your brain and you wish in vain for the opportunity to push an imaginary rewind button to recite the enlightened script inside your head.”
The book was inspired by the death of her mother, and when Michele discovered an album her mother had kept of all her former newspaper columns. This former professional disc golfer (Frisbee golf) and Deadhead (Grateful Dead groupie) with Midwestern roots, explores light topics from baby showers, kids’ birthday parties and being an A-list volunteer, to home improvement and gardening, bad haircuts and blossoming out of an awkward youth. She also digs deep and shares intimate feelings about sexual harassment, the Disastrous First Marriage, and grief over the deaths of her mother and young niece, who suffered a fatal heart attack after taking the herb ephedra. After her niece’s death, the author donated proceeds from her book sales to the cause of herb awareness. Spreading information at a grassroots level, the organization HerBeware (“Just because it’s all natural, it doesn’t mean it’s safe”) applauds the FDA’s decision to ban ephedra. Michele VanOrt Cozzens is a talented writer with a broad range. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want to read more.