Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral A Novel

For Katherine Givens and the four women about to become her best friends, the adventure begins with a UPS package. Inside is a pair of red sneakers filled with ashes and a note that will forever change their lives. Katherine's oldest and dearest friend, the irrepressible Annie Freeman, left one final request- a traveling funeral- and she wants the most important women in her life as "pallbearers." From Sonoma to Manhattan, Katherine, Laura, Rebecca, Jill, and Marie will carry Annie's ashes to the special places in her life. At every stop there's a surprise encounter and a small miracle waiting, and as they whoop it up across the country, attracting interest wherever they go, they share their deepest secrets- tales of broken hearts and second chances, missed opportunities and new beginnings. And as they grieve over what they've lost, they discover how much is still possible if only they can unravel the secret Annie left them....

KRIS RADISH is an author, journalist, and nationally syndicated political and humor columnist. Her Bantam Dell novels, The Elegant Gathering of White Snows and Dancing Naked at the Edge of Dawn, were both Book Sense 76 Selections and appeared on national bestseller lists. She is also the author of the true-crime book Run, Bambi, Run and a psychology book, Birth Order Plus. Her speaking engagements take her across the country to talk about writing, and women’s and feminist issues. Her Elegant Gatherings and Dancing Naked workshops have set more than a few women on fire.

She lives with her two tall teenage children and her partner in Wisconsin, where she rides her motorcycle–usually fully clothed–loves to swim, hikes with her writing tablet in her back pocket, and often scares unsuspecting neighbors with her wild laugh. She is working on her fourth novel, The Sunday List of Dreams, which Bantam will publish in 2006.