Cool, Calm & Contentious Essays

"This is so well written. [When a book like this] comes along, it's, like, 'Thank you!' What a great way to spend an afternoon, an evening, reading these essays. . . . Absolutely great."-Jon Stewart "[Merrill] Markoe is easily as funny as David Sedaris. She's capable of manic riffs and acerbic skewering. Still, her good nature shines through." -The Washington Post In this hilarious collection of candid essays, including two pieces new to this edition, New York Timesbestselling author Merrill Markoe reveals much about her personal life-as well as the secret formula for comedy: Start out with a difficult mother, develop some classic teenage insecurities, add a few relationships with narcissistic men, toss in an unruly pack of selfish dogs, finish it off with the kind of crystalline perspective that only comes from years of navigating a roiling sea of unpleasant and unappeasable people, and-voilà-you're funny! Cool, Calm & Contentiousis honest, unapologetic, sometimes heartbreaking, but always shot through with Merrill Markoe's biting, bracing wit. "This has been a great year for funny women. . . . Let's call Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling exhibits A and B. Both owe a debt to those who came before, including Merrill Markoe."- The Boston Globe "Markoe's goal is to find the absurdity in everyday life. That, coupled with her sharp wit, makes her writing sublime."- BookPage "Laugh-out-loud humor." -Tampa Bay Times "Not only crazy-funny, but crazy-heartbreaking." -The New York Times

Emmy Award–winning writer Merrill Markoe lives in Los Angeles, California, the garden spot of America, with four dogs and a man. She has authored three books of humorous essays and the novels Nose Down, Eyes Up; Walking in Circles Before Lying Down; and It’s My F---ing Birthday and co-authored (with Andy Prieboy) the novel The Psycho Ex Game. A lot of additional information about her—including a long bio, goofy videos, etc.—can be found at merrillmarkoe.com. After great amounts of hesitation, she is also on Facebook. But since she thinks about pulling the page down on a daily basis, check fast.