For readers of Anne Lamott, Abigail Thomas, and Ayelet Waldman, a "lusty, kickass*" post-divorce memoir, one woman's story of starting over at 60—in youth-obsessed, beauty-obsessed Hollywood.After the death of her best friend, the loss of her life's savings, and the collapse of her once-happy marriage, Meredith Maran—whom Anne Lamott calls "insightful, funny, and human"—leaves her San Francisco freelance writer's life for a 9-to-5 job in Los Angeles. Determined to rebuild not only her savings but herself while relishing the joys of life in La-La land, Maran writes "a poignant story, a funny story, a moving story, and above all an American story of what it means to be a woman of a certain age in our time" (Christina Baker Kline, number-one New York Times–bestselling author of Orphan Train).ADVANCE PRAISE for THE NEW OLD ME:"High time we had a book that celebrates becoming an elder! Meredith Maran writes of the...

“Any woman who has fought the odds to make a happy, healthy family will relate to Alison Rose, whose redemption is at stake in this inventive, addictive novel. A Theory Of Small Earthquakes teaches us something new about love and sex, jealousy and loyalty, and, most importantly, motherhood.”-Ayelet Waldman, author of Bad Mother and Red Hook RoadIn her ten previous nonfiction books, Meredith Maran has trained her journalistic eye on the subtle dance between the political and the personal. Now Maran brings her provocative gaze to her debut novel – a family story spanning two decades, set against the social, political, and geological upheavals of the Bay Area. Eager to escape her damaging past and chart her own future, Alison Rose is drawn to Zoe, a free-spirited artist who offers emotional stability and a love outside the norm. After many happy years together, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake deepens fissures in the two women’s...

Twenty of America's bestselling authors share tricks, tips, and secrets of the successful writing life. Anyone who's ever sat down to write a novel or even a story knows how exhilarating and heartbreaking writing can be. So what makes writers stick with it? In Why We Write, twenty well-known authors candidly share what keeps them going and what they love most?"and least?"about their vocation. Contributing authors include: Isabel Allende David Baldacci Jennifer Egan James Frey Sue Grafton Sara Gruen Kathryn Harrison Gish Jen Sebastian Junger Mary Karr Michael Lewis Armistead Maupin Terry McMillan Rick Moody Walter Mosley Susan Orlean Ann Patchett Jodi Picoult Jane Smiley Meg Wolitzer