The Wig Diaries

The Wig Diaries is Mary Ladd's irreverent cancer book. Ladd is neither phased by existential gloom, nor delicate sympathy. Through no-nonsense revelations, Ladd's bold use of black humor makes her diagnosis refreshingly approachable. The Wig Diaries intimately addresses the gravity of cancer, inviting the reader to bear witness to both the horror, and the joke(s).

A fresh modern take on cancer featured in W Magazine and Lithub

Covers and pokes fun at everything from diagnosis to treatment to medical bills

Illustrated by San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Don Asmussen, who has cancer for the second time

"I love this book."-Mary Roach, author of the books Grunt, Stiff, Spook, and Bonk

"This looks like a hoot and a half. I want more."-Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), author of A Series of Unfortunate Events

"Clear-eyed, fun, and reassuring, it's the perfect guide!"-Vanessa Hua, author of A River of Stars and Deceit and Other Possibilities

Fans of F*ck Cancer, Cancer is Funny and Healing Through Humor will love this book

This book is perfect for

* Anyone diagnosed with cancer or going through cancer treatment

* Well-meaning friends and family

* Medical professionals

Mary Ladd's writing has appeared in Playboy, Time Magazine, Health, the San Francisco Chronicle, and in five anthologies, including Lit Starts: Writing Humor from Abrams and the best-selling 642 Things series. You may have seen her onstage at the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, Breast Cancer Action, Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS) and Litquake. She is a Writers Grotto member who collaborated with Anthony Bourdain on his Bay Area episodes of No Reservations.

Don Asmussen is the creator of Bad Reporter, a twice-weekly political comic strip in the San Francisco Chronicle that is syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate and the author of Dog vs. Cat: A Nation Divided and The San Francisco Comic Strip Book of Big-Ass Mocha.

Mary Ladd's reported stories include meat dresses, dough throwing pizza champions, the cold sweat of medical debt, and withered sexuality. She started writing professionally at the San Francisco Chronicle and later collaborated with Anthony Bourdain. Mary collaborated with "Bad Reporter" illustrator Don Asmussen on The Wig Diaries: An Irreverent Cancer Book (2019) and authored Write it Down: Pandemic Writing Prompts in 2020. Her writing is in the best-selling 642 Things to Write About and Lit Starts book series, as well as Playboy, Time Magazine, KQED, and elsewhere. She teaches and offers her time to Bay Area Young Survivors, Breast Cancer Action, Operation Ohana, and ZYZZYVA and loves helping people connect their thoughts to the page. Mary regularly presents her work at events for Litquake, the Community of Writers, and Breast Cancer Action. She is a member of the Writers Grotto and We Wai Kai Nation, and loves eating pizza with her husband, Oscar Villalon, and son, Cipriano.

Don Asmussen created Bad Reporter, a twice-weekly political comic strip in the San Francisco Chronicle that runs under the slogan "The lies behind the truth, and the truth behind those lies that are behind that truth" and is syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate.He was born in Rhode Island and worked at the Portland Press Herald, The Detroit News, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Time Magazine before joining the San Francisco Chronicle in 1997, where he created short comic serials while on location covering events including the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the Burning Man festival. His strip, The Hero Santon, appeared on Salon.com and in Mad Magazine.

Josh Korwin has been running Three Steps Ahead, a creative design studio, since the late 1990s. He has been a typography nerd for as long as he can remember, and rabidly collects (and sometimes sells) just about everything with neat type or lettering on it. While graphic design and web design fill most of his days, he dabbles in photography and letterpress printing.