Mommies Behaving Badly

In her witty, wry, insightful new novel, Roz Bailey follows the adventures of one woman who's discovering a new state-and a whole new state of mind . . . Some signs are hard to ignore . . . When Ruby Dixon's car is stolen-again-on the day her husband is offered a job in Portland, Oregon, the message seems clear. It's time to give up stressful New York living in favor of bucolic bliss in the Great Northwest. Others you don't see until it's too late . . . Now Ruby, Jack, and their three children have a palatial house in a peaceful burb, and everything's perfect. Except that Ruby can't get a decent haircut, can't seem to crack her neighbors' shells . . . and Jack is constantly away on business. If it wasn't for her new friend Ariel, another transplanted New Yorker who's earned the ire of the local PTA, Ruby would be about ready to cry uncle. And some guide you right where you need to be But if life is dependable for one thing, it's unexpected turns, leaving Ruby and her children in a far from familiar place. Their new situation is beyond terrifying . . . But it's also somehow exhilarating. Because Ruby is about to find out just what can happen when there are no compromises, no safety nets, and no rules to follow but your own . . . Roz Bailey went to college in New York City and never looked back. She spent the better part of her twenties searching for a fine romance, both at work as an editor and after hours in Manhattan. She's a huge fan of cities and hopes to one day return to a lifestyle full of museums and theaters, far from the land of minivans and drive-through windows. She currently lives with her husband and two children in the Pacific Northwest, where she has taken up walking in the rain and teaching art literacy. She is immersed in a study of slackers and can be found doing research in local coffee shops while working on her latte addiction, one day at a time.

Ruby Dixon's real life is a far cry from her romance writer persona. Cheerleading for her successful businessman husband Jack, caring for three children under the age of eight and trying to maintain her busy writing career leaves the 36-year-old Queens resident little time for the Cosmo-fueled nightlife she writes about. And after her husband's big promotion takes them to Portland, Ore., she feels like a total fraud. While relishing the smashing success of one recently published book, Ruby's struggling to finish another, adjusting to West Coast culture and dealing with a suddenly rocky marriage. Is husband Jack jealous of her newfound career high? Or have his many recent business trips been more bedroom- than boardroom-oriented? Oddly, though, there is little, if any, bad mommy behavior going on. The writing is snappy enough, but readers looking for the raucous romp promised by the title will be disappointed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ruby Salerno has it all—three kids, a husband she loves, a house in Queens, and her work writing serial romances. Now she is almost finished with her first "chick-lit" novel. Her agent is excited, her current publisher wants nothing to do with it, and husband Jack is acting passive-aggressive. As the holidays and crunch time with Ruby's new book approach, Jack gets a promotion he cannot refuse that requires their relocation to Portland, Oregon. Ruby is surprised that Jack, who has never lived more than ten blocks from where he grew up, is willing to move, yet here she is handling the packing, the children, and her writing. While Ruby humorously adjusts to her new world, her career takes off. The only problem is balancing family life, fame, and her disappearing husband. Bailey changes the focus of her writing from novels about successful singles (Postcards from Last Summer, 2006) to a witty, honest look at marriage and family, creating a richly entertaining story that will please her maturing fans and draw new readers. Engelmann, Patty