Lauren Takes Leave Gerstenblatt, Julie (classic literature list txt) 📖

above, these peopleshould be aware of the fact that I know them.) They include, but are certainlynot limited to, Helen Breitwieser, Lauren Fabiano, Erica Faulkner, Anne George,Ursula Guise, Abby Hoffman, Kiki Hoffman, Howard Neuthaler, Serena Perlman,Susie Quill, Ray Sabini, Amy Song, and John Talbot. In particular, I raise myarms over my head with a boom box in hand—à la John Cusack in Say Anything—toshout out my love to Annabel Monaghan, Julie Seifer, Gabrielle Tullman, andJeannine Votruba, because you guys are the best. Of course you read the book,perhaps in various stages of its development. But more than that, you spoil mewith the truest kind of friendship. In grand moments like these, when wordsfail me, I turn to musical theater. To quote Broadway’s Wicked, “And nowwhatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being myfriend.”

Thanks to my family, especially my grandmother, Rose Katz,my mother, Ronnee Segal, my father, Norman Medow, my brother, Greg Medow, andmy aunt JaJa. For as long as I can remember, you have provided me with theperfect environment for a (young/growing/now middle-aged) writer, one filledwith unconditional love and an endless stream of entertaining stories.

Corny but true: Thanks to SoulCycle, who helped me spin mytale.

This self-published novel is not really “self” published.Team Lauren was assembled in the eleventh hour, and is made up of an incrediblegroup of creative, insightful, and—perhaps most impressively—fast-workingartists. These are the people who said yes to me, which is the best word tohear after so much no, and so much silence. Thanks to my editor, CaitlinAlexander, who made my novel better by trimming the fat and keeping the funny.To Gary Tooth, graphic designer extraordinaire, and to Liz Starin, an incredibleillustrator, for taking my vision of the book’s cover and bringing it to lifewith whimsy and artistry. To Sarah Silverton, a gifted photographer who alwaysmakes me smile, even when not in possession of her camera. And to my publicist,Amy Rosen, who, with sheer force of enthusiasm, will help bring Lauren TakesLeave to audiences far and wide.

And to my life’s creative director, my husband, BrettGerstenblatt, who really listened, understood, and supported me when I saidthat I needed to quit my teaching job and become a writer. Brett read dailychunks of the novel as I was working on it, and then sketched the original ideafor the cover using only our daughter’s art supplies. Thanks for believing inme and for helping me make Lauren look so good.

To Brett and our children, Andrew and Zoe: whenever Ireturn from my imaginary world, there’s no place I’d rather be than in the realand beautiful world we have created together. I love you.

About the Author

Julie Gerstenblatt is a former middle school Englishteacher who realized that it was time to leave the classroom when a lengthystint on jury duty felt like the highlight of her career. As a comedy andculture writer for the Huffington Post and a humor columnist for the ScarsdaleInquirer and Scarsdale10583.com, Julie writes with candor about her life,her friends and family, and the particular demands of motherhood and wifedom inmodern-day suburbia. She and her husband live with their two children inScarsdale, New York. Although she would love to live in the city, suburbia isthe inspiration for most of her funny ideas, and so she will remain inWestchester until her neighbors kick her out. Lauren Takes Leave is herfirst novel.

www.juliegerstenblatt.com