My latest book...
She of the Rib: Women Unwrapped
My latest book focuses on women in general, rather than mothers in particular. Specifically, it focuses on women at midlife--those who have survived the diapers-and-self-doubt-stage and are now confident enough to question the status quo or embark on soul-stirring adventures. She of the Rib is funny, frank, brooding, and belligerent--kind of like the most exemplary women I know! Topics such as self esteem, body image, domestic abuse, midlife angst, and relationships make this a great choice for book clubs. (For Reader Questions, click here.)
Here's an excerpt...
Existence 101
Here’s what I think:
God put us here to do more than take up space
and mow grass.
We are here to contribute something.
Teachers, doctors, scientists, artists--all shoo-ins.
Pro ballplayers, fashion designers--on shaky ground.
Most of us fall somewhere in between.
Yesterday, for example, I made my family’s favorite dessert,
smiled at a solemn old man,
and let three strangers go ahead of me in the turn lane.
Today, however, I fear I owe the universe a sizable debt
for the peace, love, and joy my black mood
sucked straight out of the ozone.
So be it.
We are not perfect, and there is no grade.
There is only opportunity.
Carpe carefully.
Copyright 2006 by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer
Hardcover - ISBN
#1-933341-05-x
Available at bookstores everywhere
(If it's not in stock, please ask them to order it.)
Or order online: click here.
Dancing With My Daughter
Any of us who have ever been a daughter--or had a mother--can relate to the precarious, emotional roller coaster ride of that relationship. Though this book is drawn from many years worth of research, friendships and experiences, it came together as I was caring for my mother in the late stages of Alzheimer's--giving me a perspective I would never have otherwise known. My hope is that these poems will help mothers and daughters see what life looks like from the other's perspective, and to realize that sharing our feelings, rather than shutting each other out, is a far better choice. This book is a great choice for book clubs, too! (For Reader Questions, click here.)
Hardcover - ISBN
#0-8294-1768-0
Available at bookstores everywhere
(If it's not in stock, please ask them to order it.)
Order now from: Loyola Press
A New Mother's Prayers
My first book came from a collection of poems I wrote about experiences I had with my first child, my son John. The passion of motherhood stirred my creative juices and kept them bubbling like an internal cauldron. I poured out my feelings on paper because all those welling emotions had to go somewhere! At the time, a book was the farthest thing from my mind. It wasn't until a couple of years later, when my husband suggested sharing the poems with an agent I had befriended, that the idea of a book began to take shape. Three printings later, I'm still thanking my husband for that suggestion! .
Hardcover - ISBN
#0-8294-1769-9
Available at bookstores everywhere
(If it's not in stock, please ask them to order it.)
Order now from: Loyola Press
A Mother of Sons
Life is decidedly different when a home has three boys instead of one. By the time my third was born, sweet and tender moments were few and far between. In their place, however, were bubbly, boisterous moments equally memorable and precious. Okay, maybe not always precious, but at least poignant. This time I captured the moments because time seemed to race. I wanted to be able to remember the exact cadence of James' laugh when I pushed him up in the swing...the full impact of Jaron's cowboy-booted self scooting smugly through bronze and amber leaves. And I discovered that, in safeguarding my own memories, I brought to life yours, too. In this second edition, I've added a number of new poems--including one about the most terrifying experience I've faced thus far as a parent: teaching my eldest to drive!
Hardcover - ISBN
#0-8294-1770-2:
Available at bookstores everywhere
(If it's not in stock, please ask them to order it.)
Order now from: Loyola Press
Order Spanish edition of A Mother of Sons
Excerpts from the Books:
Budding Beauty I catch youBudding Beauty
The Play's the Thing
Superwoman's Lament
Welcome to My World
From Dancing With My Daughter:
trying on my bra.
Like a doe made immobile by
the glare of headlights,
you stand frozen in my stare--
a sight at once
lurid and adorable.
(A definite Kodak moment,
though I wouldn't dare.)
Taking in
the tangled heap of lace
on the bed before you,
the tubes and compacts
splayed on the counter behind you,
and the pitiful picture of your sweet lips
smeared
with "Cinnamon Sin" and "Mango Mama,"
(You're mixing colors? That's great!)
by a hand whose pudgy contours
will still grip lollipops better than lipstick
for some years to come,
I suppress my smile
and give an apprizing nod.
"Good choice.
Beige doesn't show through."
Copyright 2003 by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer
This poem from A New Mother's Thoughts is a favorite of readers. It was featured in the first edition of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul:
The Play's the Thing
Forgive me, Lord,
for all the tasks
that went undone today.
But this morning when my child
toddled in and asked, "Mommy play?",
I simply had to say yes.
And between the puzzles and trucks
and blocks and dolls and old hats and
books and giggles,
we shared a thousand special thoughts,
a hundred hopes and dreams and hugs.
And tonight, when prayer time came
and he folded his hands and softly whispered,
"Thank you, God, for Mommy and Daddy and
toys and french fries, but 'specially
for Mommy playing,"
I knew it was a day well wasted.
And I knew you'd understand.Copyright 2003 by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer
Another often requested favorite. This is the version that appears in the third edition of A New Mother's Prayers:
Superwoman's Lament
Okay, God, that's it.
I quit.
Even I--Former Cheerleader,
Clairol-Tressed Alpha Woman of Substance/
Mother Superior/Coupon Clipper Extraordinaire--
can't do it all.
Could you? I wonder.
Even with juice boxes
and Pull-Ups
and e-mail
and a reliable sitter,
there's still PMS
and dust
and action figures with multiple accessories
and wet sheets in the middle of the night.
And not even Bill Gates
has come up with a machine to handle
bill-paying, menu-planning,
job-keeping, house-cleaning,
story-reading, eyebrow-tweezing,
shirt-ironing, dog-walking, and
libido-satisfying all at once.
I'd pray for a maid but
I can't afford one.
And a 30-hour day's
out of the question, too, I suppose?
Fine.
Then how about fewer headaches,
a small raise,
nighttime bladder control, and
a simple promise
that, fifty years from now
when I'm old and gray,
my child will remember this
and call me "Blessed?"Copyright 2003 by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer
From A Mother of Sons:
Welcome to My World
There is no pink in my house—
just a rough-ridged rainbow of
red, yellow, and blue Legos
(and guns--not real ones, not even toy ones,
just imaginary ones that began life
as azalea twigs and shoe horns)
that encrust my carpet
and spread like
alley cat kudzu.
Battle cries.
War whoops.
Raucous laughter.
Loud burps.
Silence, if it comes,
sits only long enough for mealtime grace.
Even then, testosterone rears its rowdy head:
Me do it!
No, me!!
No, me!!!
Thanks get returned in triplicate
at 80 decibels and 90 miles an hour,
as each one tries to make sure
his words
get to God
first.Copyright 2003 by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer
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I served as a"Mom Expert" for ClubMom.com for several years. Read my online articles here.
------------------------------------------- I'm happy for you to share my poetry with others, but please remember it is copyrighted work--which means you must include a credit line if you feature my poems in your personal website, church or daycare newsletter, etc. If you'll send me the name of your site or publication, I'll be happy to mention it. And please remember, if you want to reprint my work in an anthology or other published collection, you must have written permission from me to do so.
Thank you for respecting copyright laws!
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