To: a True Story in Letters
By: Carolyn Online and Darcy from Post Picket Fence
TO: A TRUE STORY IN LETTERS is a gonzo compilation of blog essays and barely edited emails between two strangers-become-friends that offers a voyeuristic look at the intensely real and often hilarious dramas of everyday life: motherhood, marriage, ill-fitting jeans, ill-fitting in-laws, booze, and the ever persistent, nagging question – what now?
Carolyn Dingman of Carolyn…Online and Darcy Mayers of Post Picket Fence reinvent the coffee klatch with WiFi and create a portrait of 21st century womanhood, were weeds creep through walkways, children and their parents misbehave, and cheap beer and grape juice is spilled on the carpets. An unconventional if not unlikely story of modern pen-palship, TO: is an unapologetic comedy of errors and a BYOB virtual house party rolled into one mix-tape for the eyeballs.
The authors don’t have a vendetta against the standards of conventional book formatting, nor do they have a blood feud with spell check, but yeah, they do things a little differently. Like write five bajillion emails and never once pick up the phone. And decide to um…publish them?
C’mon. Be our guest. Snoop around. We’re totally letting you. Yo.
Praise for TO: A True Story In Letters
I am very loathe to write an email to you after reading your book because I am definitely not worthy of clever writing! I have been at a meeting all day and am going back to another one all day tomorrow but I wanted you to know, as predicted, I stayed up late last night and finished your book. It was wonderful! I laughed, cried, cringed and was truly touched by your letters to Darcy (and hers to you). As you said, no one could truly understand your friendship until they read the book and that was true. How wonderful that two such brilliant writers and people found each other. It is sort of like the old timey love letters when people wrote instead of being on the phone. I loved that you had never even talked before meeting each other… I would have loved this book even if I didn’t know you but knowing you and a lot of the events made it even more poignant.
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So… my wife is about halfway through your book right now, and I felt compelled to tell you that she LOVES it. She said she’s actually found herself on the verge of tears several times this past week on the commuter rail heading into Boston because of what you guys wrote, and cannot wait to put the kids to bed each night so she can get back to reading more.
LOVES IT.
Anyhow. Just thought you should know.
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Love the blog posts, some are deep, some are funny, some are raw….they help the reader relate to the emails which are a freaking howl…
For me, I know when I’m completely “into” a book when I picture the characters in my head and as I read through the blog posts in this book, I had images in my head, for example…I could picture Bubba at the dinner table with the chinette and Paul outside trying to figure out where the poop was coming from and you chasing Bridget up the stairs yelling at her and Carolyn “tooth fairy” sneaking into her daughters’ bedroom five times and almost every scene from every blog post played out in my head clear as day. Now, whether that’s cause I know you and know “about” Carolyn, I don’t know, but the writing is remarkable!
Can I relate, yes! I think there is a rawness and honesty that most moms/wives don’t ever admit too and that’s real, which is what makes the book so freaking great!
I wish I didn’t finish it.
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So I am sitting here on my third drink, which is very bad because I am supposed to pick my husband up at Logan in three hours–no, two–and I am almost finished with the book. It’s great. It makes me want to have about ten cocktails and start a blog. (Partway toward that goal–yippee.)
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Page 264 that’s where I am…kids playing outside with neighbor kids all day and I sat in my chair outside while they played and read…almost done…in one day, will be finished tonight. A fabulous concept…..love it you guys are awesome….more please.
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Congrats to you and Carolyn and I will absolutely DVR your Oprah hour.
