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The Domestic Humorist Challenge

June 17, 2017 By Elaine Ambrose

Last November, social media exploded into a regurgitated cesspool of vicious vitriol oozing like a toxic stew of vomit. It was worse than my first date in college. I attempted to balance the negativity by posting at least one humorous or positive meme every day, supplementing with witty blog posts. After seven months and more than 200 daily memes, I’m done. Readers are on their own.

I hope the memes have caused a few smiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. My Instagram account was hacked and deleted, but I still have the other accounts. Before I totter off to the sweet solitude of writing, I’d like to offer The Domestic Humorist Challenge, as opposed to the popular but irritating and dangerous Domestic Terrorist Wanabe collection of reckless writers on social media.

In my opinion, some of the despicable comments border on domestic terrorism and anarchy. This post came through my Facebook page last week:

From a woman named LauralLynn writing about President Trump: “I have stayed away from the news, in hopes they will just throw his ass to the wolves…literally, throw his ass into a cage of wild wolves and let them feast.” She added a smiling face for accent.

In my opinion, such a comment only fuels the flames of contempt and chaos. The remark did nothing to promote a positive attitude of comradery and community that is needed to strengthen the foundation of a civilized society. With every snarling comment, we’re getting closer to living in the final sequel of the Mad Max movies.

mad max mel gibson.jpg — Max with the Feral Child

(Interesting trivia: To prove that riveting dialogue wasn’t a key component in Mad Max 2 – The Road Warrior, Max, played by actor Mel Gibson, only has 16 lines of dialogue, and his first line wasn’t spoken until 11 minutes into the film.)

The Domestic Humorist Challenge. To neutralize the eruption of domestic terrorists on social media, I’m offering the Domestic Humorist Challenge. It’s more fun, and no one gets shot. The challenge comes without multi-level marketing pitches, selfie portraits, or obligations to forward a message or suffer from infected boils on your butt.

Here are the suggested rules:

Review the messages you’ve written and liked during the past few months, and note the balance between complaints and praise.
For the next week, don’t post, like, or forward any negative comments on your public social media accounts. This may require opening a private snark account with you as the only recipient.
Write and post positive or humorous remarks that add value to readers and contribute to constructive action. Sneak in some gratitude. Just try it, ye of little faith.
Block or unfriend those who continue to vomit vicious words and memes on Facebook and Twitter. Did a nasty meme or screaming stranger ever change your opinion about anything?
At the end of the week, evaluate your mood. The goal of this challenge is for you to feel better about what you’ve written and for more people to contribute something positive or funny. If you relapse and have a shaking desire to post several hostile messages about anything (including politicians, kale salads, or feral children), go back to Step 1.

Some serious facts: The US Patriot Act defines domestic terrorism as the result of a US citizen attempting to do something that is dangerous to human life in our country. The government has identified at least 15 domestic terrorist organizations and that doesn’t include individuals. A website regularly records incidents of domestic terrorist attacks, going back to the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865 and updated this week with the attempted murders of Republican lawmakers in Alexandria, Virginia.

With that much hostility, it’s no wonder we’re all crabby and slightly paranoid. We’re living in a Greek Tragedy that only Shakespeare could appreciate. It’s time to fight back (in a non-threatening way) and become a Domestic Humorist. Who wants to play?

Finally, here are a few of my favorite memes from the past 200 days:

“Next Act for Women” Featured my Story about Becoming a Humorist

July 5, 2016 By Elaine Ambrose

http://nextactforwomen.com/

Becoming a humorist in midlife: Elaine’s Story – Hélène T. Stelian Coaching (helenetstelian.com)

JULY 5, 2016

Becoming a humorist in midlife: Elaine’s Story

Author, blogger, Humor, publisher, Publishing, speaker

Hélène

A surprising breakdown in midlife led Elaine to come to terms with the past and create a new future for herself. She became a prolific humor blogger, author, and speaker, and even went on to launch her own publishing company.

Tell us a little about your background…

I grew up on a potato farm outside the village of Wendell, Idaho (population 1,000). I was expected to work on farm chores, and I had a newspaper route at age 11. My father was a farming entrepreneur and he owned an interstate trucking company. My mother assisted with bookwork for the businesses.

I have two brothers. I didn’t have any sisters, so spent my free time in my room writing short stories and poems. My first national publication came when I was 12: The poem was titled “Endless River,” and it was published in the National High School Anthology of Poetry even though I was still in Junior High.

elaine jr. miss 1970

Junior Miss, 1970

My childhood at home wasn’t happy and I compensated by being the class clown in school. I’d like to apologize to my former teachers for my obnoxious behavior, but I learned it was great fun to create a laughing audience. I was eager to go away to college and graduated from the University of Idaho with Phi Beta Kappa scholastic honors and a degree in journalism.

I became Idaho’s first female television news reporter and talk show hostess at KMVT-TV in Twin Falls, Idaho. Subsequent jobs included a bank officer, a magazine editor, and a manager at a Fortune 500 corporation.

KMVT 73

At KMVT

I have two grown children and five grandchildren. After divorcing during midlife, I’m happily married to a great guy named Ken. I call him Studley. We live in Eagle, Idaho.

When did you start to think about making a change in midlife?

During my fifties, I experienced a personal crisis that prompted a dramatic shift in my life. I was divorced and it seemed as if all the world was populated by happy, loving couples. Also, my older brother had filed a lawsuit against me. I won after a painful court battle, and my brother had to pay all my legal expenses. But the ordeal took a heavy toll on my energy and fractured our family. On New Year’s Eve in 2007, I tried to make everything perfect by taking my grown children and their spouses on a short trip to Napa Valley for wine tasting and to celebrate the New Year. When everyone was kissing and reveling in the holiday atmosphere, I experienced an unanticipated breakdown so severe that it shocked everyone around me.

I stumbled back to my hotel room and commenced to sob like a wounded beast. I had never done that before, and I couldn’t control myself. First my daughter Emily came in and tried to help, and then my son Adam. I was angry at myself for ruining their party but I couldn’t stop crying. It was as if all the tears I had buried over the decades finally burst through my jolly disguise and dumped out of my eyes. The worst part was that I alarmed the two people I loved more than anything: my children.

For someone used to causing laughter, this painful lesson taught me that the class clown is often hiding some sad secrets. After returning home, I researched information on repressed memories and concentrated on how to focus on the future. I also learned it wasn’t my responsibility to make everyone happy all the time.

What is your next act?

I am a humor blogger, author, publisher, and speaker, with a focus on women in midlife.

After my New Year’s Eve breakdown, I started writing humor for midlife women. My first book, Menopause Sucks: What to Do When Hot Flashes and Hormones Make You and Everyone Else Miserable, was released soon after, co-authored with New York Times bestselling author Joanne Kimes. My blog featured excerpts from the book and included other sassy advice for middle-aged women.

I created a writer’s retreat in 2008 called “Write by the River” at my cabin in central Idaho. I featured guest speakers, including Pulitzer Prize Winner Anthony Doerr, Whiting Award Winner Alan Heathcock, and New York Times bestselling authors AK Turner and Jennifer Basye Sanders.

In 2010, I established a small publishing company called Mill Park Publishing to publish my subsequent books and other books written by women. I decided to give a portion of the proceeds from book sales to local charities. I published a dozen books. Mill Park Publishing also created a live comedy show called “Life Sucks, Laugh Hard,” featuring bestselling humor writers Jen Mann, Laurie Notaro, and Robin O’Bryant.

life sucks laugh hard poster

My book Midlife Cabernet: Life, Love & Laughter After Fifty was released in 2014. It won a Silver Medal for Humor from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and Publishers Weekly reviewed it as “laugh-out-loud funny.” The book reached #1 in humor on Amazon.

My blogs were attracting a loyal audience, and I was published on additional websites including The Huffington Post, HumorOutcasts, BlogHer, Better after 50, Midlife Boulevard, Project Eve, and Annie Jennings Wire. One blog post became one of the 10 most-read posts in the history of The Huffington Post. Another essay was selected as aVoices of the Year winner from BlogHer. With my regular humorous articles for and about midlife women, I became an internationally recognized blogger.

Public speaking opportunities came for national events, including the prestigious Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, the BAM Bloggers at Midlife Conference, and the Type-A Parent Conference. I’ve also been a speaker at college commencement ceremonies, local writing workshops, and live comedy shows. I’ve met many wonderful new friends through the midlife blogging communities, and we all support and encourage each other.

How did you get started blogging and publishing?

My daughter was instrumental in introducing me to my new passion. She came with the loving advice: “It’s time to get off your butt, Mom, and write a blog.” I didn’t have a clue how to set up a blog, so she showed me how to obtain my domain name, create a website, and insert a blog. I was excited because with my journalism background, a blog is similar to writing a feature article for a newspaper or magazine. I was hooked. I prepared by reading online resources, reading other blogs, joining blogging groups on social media, and attending blogging conferences. Eventually, I was asked to speak at those conferences.

How did your first book, Menopause Sucks, come about?

I attended a writer’s conference in McCall, Idaho, and met my future agent Andrea Hurst. I had written a humorous book for women and Andrea Hurst submitted the book proposal to Adams Media. The publishing company was looking for a middle-aged humor writer to collaborate on a menopause book with Joanne Kimes. Kimes already established her brand with a book titled Pregnancy Sucks, but she hadn’t yet entered menopause. It was the perfect fit.

Why did you decide to start your own publishing company and how did you make that happen?

Publishing through the traditional route is difficult, complicated, and requires a lot of time. I wanted to establish my own publishing company to produce my books and have control over the process. I researched how to set up the company and found professionals who could help me with website design, book and cover design, and layout for both print and e-Book publications. I learned how to list books on various platforms, including Amazon.com, and I learned how to maintain a constant and recognizable image on social media.

clean office

My office, including my collection of old typewriters

What challenges have you encountered?

Learning new technology became the most difficult issue for me. I’m totally right brained, and it’s not easy to acquire new techniques. Remember, I grew up with manual typewriters before the Internet, cell phones, and social media. But bloggers usually write alone, so it’s up to them to learn what to do. It took me awhile, but I finally mastered the skills necessary to add links, photographs, and videos into my blog posts and establish accounts on social media. Any child could do that in five minutes, but it took me a long time to learn.

Another challenge was that I wasn’t prepared for the Internet trolls who take delight in writing nasty reviews. After some particularly bad comments on some of my Huffington Post essays, I considered curtailing my submissions to public websites. I also encountered some negative feedback on social media, and I’m trying to reduce time spent on various platforms.

Many authors who self-publish their own work are less respected than those who go through the traditional path of acquiring an agent and a national publishing house. I was proud that my publishing company, Mill Park Publishing, won 14 awards in three years. As for blogging, there is criticism for bloggers who “work for free” on various websites, including The Huffington Post. I consider my posts to be writing exercises that keep my brain active. Also, the publication of my popular and viral essays on The Huffington Post always results in a significant increase in sales of my books.

Also, for several years I was responsible for arranging my mother’s assisted living situations and facilitating her frequent stays in rehabilitation hospitals. She passed away in 2014, and I wish I could have done more for her. In addition, I seriously injured my leg and required surgery and a lengthy recuperation. The positive side of these two calamities was that they inspired me to write some of my best blog posts.

elaine 2013 (56)

How supportive were your family and friends?

My adult children were amazing. They encouraged me, even though my humorous essays often poked fun at our family. Most of my friends were supportive, but I did experience some friends who questioned why I was launching this new activity when I could just retire. I found many wonderful new friends across the nation through the blogging activities.

When I thought about giving up, I remembered how miserable I was without something creative to do. The visions and encouragement of my friends and family compelled me to keep writing and speaking. Through this process, I learned to accept help from others because I really wasn’t Wonder Woman after all. My new husband eagerly offered to fix meals so I could work on my manuscript. My talented author friend volunteered to edit my latest chapters. And others helped with website development and social media contacts.

cabo family

My family in Cabo San Lucas

What did you learn about yourself through this process?

I learned that I wasn’t too old to learn new techniques. I learned that I could ask for help and others would respond positively. I learned that people want to feel good about themselves and to laugh more, so my humor was appreciated by many people I will never meet.

Would I have done anything differently? Yes. I was vulnerable many times and lost money through bad investments because I trusted men who were scoundrels. Now I’m more cautious about being offered a deal that’s too good to be true. I need to keep better business records for tax purposes and monitor the charitable deductions.

Doerr Heathcock writer's retreat

My Writer’s Retreat, with Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Doerr and Bestselling Novelist Alan Heathcock

What advice do you have for women seeking reinvention in midlife and pursuing a writing career?

So for women seeking advice, I say do it! There is no reward without risk. What if I had continued to wallow in self-pity back in 2008? I wouldn’t have my blog, my books, or my charming new husband. And I wouldn’t have experienced the joy of having my adult children and their spouses stand with me at my book signing events.

For women who want to write as part of their next act, I suggest researching online for the books, blogs, and websites that interest them. I read bestselling books from other humor writers, including

Jen Mann, author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges,

Jill Conner Browne, author of The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love,

AK Turner, author of This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store: Unapologetic Admissions from a Non-Contender for Mother of the Year (The Tales of Imperfection Series),

Laurie Notaro, author of The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life,

Leighann Lord, author of Real Women Do It Standing Up: Stories From the Career of a Very Funny Lady,

Gina Barreca, author of “If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?”: Questions and Thoughts for Loud, Smart Women in Turbulent Times

ELAINE ADAM EMILY PARTY DEC 2015 crop (2)

Resources I recommend:

Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop

Midlife Boulevard, an online website for midlife women

Better after 50, an online magazine for midlife women

Female stand-up comedienne to follow, Leighann Lord

Farmers Insurance, company that provides my umbrella policy to cover my writer’s retreats

Create Space, company that distributes self-published books and e-Books

elaine 2013 (393)

What’s next for you?

All this happened after that emotional collapse on New Year’s Eve, 2008. My next book, Midlife Happy Hour will be released in October by Brown Books Publishing. This book describes stories about why and how middle-aged women should remain relevant and why it’s time to claim our reward after surviving careers, kids, and chaos.

Contact Elaine Ambrose at [email protected]

Check my website for details about books, blogs, and events.

Elaine Ambrose

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About Elaine

Bestselling, award-winning author and humorist.

Elaine Ambrose is a bestselling author with a dozen national awards for writing humor. She has performed in several live comedy shows and presented writing workshops, humorous speeches, webinars, and ventriloquist acts across the country. A third-generation Idahoan, Elaine grew up on a potato farm and graduated from the University of Idaho with Phi Beta Kappa scholastic honors. She began her career as Idaho’s first female television news reporter. An avid traveler, she has visited 34 countries around the world. She lives in Eagle with her patient husband and near her grown children and grandchildren. Her main website is https://elaineambrose.com

100 word bio

Extended Bio:

Elaine is a bestselling author of 12 books, 14 eBooks, and 4 audiobooks, and she has won more than 26 prestigious national writing awards in three genres: humor, memoir, and children’s books. As a motivational and humorous speaker, Elaine Ambrose shared her effective storytelling strategies to business and civic audiences across the country and in five foreign countries. As a certified workshop facilitator, she organizes and presents writing and storytelling workshops on her YouTube Channel and in person.

Elaine recently became a ventriloquist and enjoys her lively characters. She intends to entertain at local events, schools, and various local associations. She introduced Jessie Jo from Idaho at the Moudy Mountain Summer Festival near McCall, Idaho.

Elaine has been interviewed on local and regional television stations, on Internet radio programs, on the Huffington Post Live program from New York City, and in local and regional magazines and newspapers. She speaks at university commencement ceremonies, and business and civic workshops, and was a repeat speaker at the prestigious Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop. Elaine was raised on an isolated farm near the village of Wendell, Idaho when the population totaled 1,000 people. She left home to travel the world and has visited 32 countries. She has two grown children, five grandchildren, and two stepsons. She lives with her husband in Eagle, Idaho.

Find Elaine’s author page on BookBub
Find Elaine’s author page on Amazon.com.

On “HuffPost Live” from New York for a viral blog.

The Journey of a Storyteller

1973 – Idaho’s first female television news reporter and talk show hostess.
1975 – First female Assistant Director of School Services for the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She wrote a public relations proposal for education that won First Place in a national competition sponsored by CASE – the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

(Postponed full-time employment to stay home with two splendid babies.)

1983 – First female Communications Officer for Idaho Bank & Trust Corporate Headquarters, Boise

1988 – One of five female managers at Boise Cascade Corporate Headquarters, Boise, Idaho. She wrote and implemented a nationwide literacy program called “Ready to Read.”

1988 – Co-chair of Women in Management Seminar as the primary fundraiser for the YWCA

1990 – Member of original planning committee for the Boise River Festival – served as chair of the entertainment committee for the children’s talent show and organized the donation and transportation of floats from Pasadena, California to Boise, Idaho.

1991 – Named “Distinguished Citizen” by The Idaho Statesman for personal and professional contributions

1998 – First female Assistant Editor of Boise Magazine. Received First Place award for feature writing from the Idaho Press Club.

2002 – Named first editor of The McCall Magazine.

2002 – Featured speaker in StoryStory Night, Boise’s version of “The Moth.”

2003 – Named TWIN Recipient – Tribute to Women in Industry

2004 – Founded Mill Park Publishing and published books for women – allowing more than 60 women to become published authors in her anthologies of short stories

2008 – Started award-winning blog “Elaine Ambrose” – syndicated with several viral posts and awards. Created website: www.ElaineAmbrose.com.

2008 – Started “Write by the River” writing workshops and retreats for women

2009 – Founding Member of the Idaho Writers Guild – helped organize annual conference

2012, 2013, 2014 – Ambrose received Outstanding Author Awards from the Idaho Book Extravaganza in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

2013 – Created the first of many “Life Sucks, Laugh Hard” live comedy shows in Boise.

2013 – Two books published by Elaine’s company Mill Park Publishing won four of the forty awards given by the 2013 Idaho Book Extravaganza Top Book and Author Awards. Awards were for First Place for fiction, cover design, interior design, and Second Place for cover design. Books from Mill Park Publishing have won 14 awards in 3 years.

2014 – Selected as a recipient of Idaho Business Review “Woman of the Year” award

2014 – Stand-up Comedy Night for the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop

2014 – Selected as a syndicated blogger on The Huffington Post and published more than 150 essays. Most of the essays were on the Humor page but some were published on the Midlife and After 50 pages. She authored a humorous post on The Huffington Post that went viral with more than 800,000 likes. The post, titled Don’t Fart During an MRI was reprinted in several countries in various languages and continues to gain fans. The post was named as of one of the Top Ten Most-Read Posts in the Ten-Year History of The Huffington Post. Ambrose was interviewed live from New York. Interview on Huffington Post Live-Streaming Network.

2015 – A blog essay, My Mother’s Body Got Lost, was chosen as a winning entry in the Voices of the Year Competition sponsored by BlogHer. Ambrose presented her essay at the conference in New York in July 2015.

2015 – Created a live comedy show titled “Life Sucks, Laugh Hard” with proceeds going to charity. Life Sucks Laugh Hard – NYT Bestselling Humor Authors to Perform in Boise Tickets, Fri, May 15, 2015 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite.

2016 – Named a regular featured contributor to Sixty and Me.

2016, 2020 – Voted as one of the top three “Best of Treasure Valley Authors” in a poll by The Idaho Statesman.

2017 – Created and funded first Idaho chapter of “Cycling without Age” for senior citizens

2017 – Created a children’s writing contest in conjunction with the Idaho Potato Drop for New Year’s Eve.

2017-2018-2019 – Elaine won three writing awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists for her humorous blog posts on The Huffington Post and on her own blog.

2019 – Established the Ambrose Storytelling Endowment at the University of Idaho

2019 – Featured columnist as “The Midlife Sage” for Annie Jennings Wire.

2020 – Elaine’s essay was a winner in the Erma Bombeck Humor Writing Competition.

2020 – Earned Certified Facilitator status from the Morter Institute for BioEnergetics.

2022 – Stared in a live comedy shows for the annual Women Ignite International Conference.

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BookBub

BOOKS by ELAINE AMBROSE

Melody’s Magical Flying Machine

This children’s book about a spirited girl with Down syndrome won the winner of the 2021 New York City Big Book Distinguished Favorite Award for Children’s Fiction. Winner of Silver Medal for Children’s Fiction from Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards. Winner of 2021 Independent Press Distinguished Favorite Award for Children’s Fiction. Kirkus Reviews wrote that the book is “A joyful, well-told story that celebrates the power of imagination.” The book is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.

Frozen Dinners

Won 2019 Distinguished Favorite for Memoir from Independent Press Awards. Won Distinguished Favorite from the New York City Big Book Awards program. Available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.

Gators & Taters

This collection of children’s stories won the 2018 Distinguished Favorite Award for Children’s Fiction from the Independent Press Awards. The book is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.

The Magic Potato

This bi-lingual children’s book won 2017 Silver Medal for Children’s Literature from Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards program. The book was adopted by the Idaho State Board of Education for the statewide curriculum. The book is available in paperback and eBook.

Midlife Happy Hour

Finalist for 2016 “Book of the Year for Humor” from ForeWord Magazine. Won Gold Medal for Midlife and Silver Medal for Humor from Independent Press Awards. Foreword Reviews gave the book a rare 5-Star Review. Available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.

Midlife Cabernet

The book won the 2014 Silver Medal for Humor from the Independent Publisher Book Award program (IPPY) and received a 4-Star from ForeWord Reviews. The book won First Place for Humor and First Place for eBook from the North American Book Awards. It won First Place for Cover Design and Top Idaho Author from the Idaho Book Awards. Available in paperback and eBook. Publishers Weekly wrote that the book is “laugh-out-loud funny.” Foreword Reviews wrote that Midlife Cabernet is “Erma Bombeckesque…an argument for joy.” In January 2015, the book ranked #1 in sales in the humor category on Amazon.com and sold more than 8,000 copies.

Menopause Sucks (with Joanne Kimes) – 2008

Other Books by Elaine Ambrose

Drinking with Dead Women Writers – 2012

Drinking with Dead Drunks – 2012

Daily Erotica – 366 Poems of Passion – 2010

The Red Tease – Adventures in Golf – 2005 Bronze Medal Winner for Humor from ForeWord Magazine

Waiting for the Harvest – 1992

Short Stories Published in the Following Anthologies

Laugh Out Loud – 40 Humorists from the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop – 2018

A Cup of Love – 2018

Angel Bumps – 2017

Feisty after 45 – 2016

The Dog with the Old Soul – 2012

A Miracle Under the Christmas Tree – 2012

Hauntings from the Snake River Plain – 2012

Little White Dress – 2011

Faith, Hope, & Healing with Bernie Siegel, M.D. – 2009

Beyond Burlap – 1997

MEDIA LINKS

Idaho Author is a Winner in the Erma Bombeck Humor Writing Competition (elaineambrose.com)

Elaine Ambrose | Kirkus Reviews

“Melody” Flies to Family Advocates Program (elaineambrose.com)

Author Featured in KNOW BOISE Publication (elaineambrose.com)

awards and accolades (elaineambrose.com) – Blog Radio Interviews

Books by Elaine Ambrose and Complete Book Reviews (publishersweekly.com)

Life is a Cabernet – Eagle Magazine

“Cycling Without Age” Brings Joy to Eagle Residents – Eagle Magazine

Author Featured in KNOW BOISE Publication (elaineambrose.com)

Elaine Ambrose Gives University of Idaho Students the Gift of Storytelling (uidaho.edu)

University Advancement | University of Idaho (uidaho.edu)

2018 Ambrose Storytelling Workshop (uidaho.edu)

Elaine Ambrose | eSpeakers Marketplace

Elaine Ambrose | HuffPost

Becoming a humorist in midlife: Elaine’s Story – Hélène T. Stelian Coaching (helenetstelian.com)

Elaine Ambrose – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com

JenningsWire | The World Of Success

Five Funny Books To Feed Your Soul | by Janie Emaus | Dec, 2022 | MuddyUm

INTERNATIONAL BOOK REVIEWERS

Books by Elaine Ambrose and Complete Book Reviews (publishersweekly.com)

Elaine Ambrose | Kirkus Reviews

Review of Midlife Happy Hour (9781612549217) — Foreword Reviews

Review of Frozen Dinners (9781612542843) — Foreword Reviews

Review of Midlife Cabernet (9780988398078) — Foreword Reviews

INTERNATIONAL BLOGGER COMMENDATIONS

Baby Boomer Influencers – IZEA

https://www.1800homecare.com/blog/baby-boomer-bloggers/

Becoming a humorist in midlife: Elaine’s Story – Hélène T. Stelian Coaching (helenetstelian.com)

Edit Post “I’ve Become a Stinkin’ Cartoon” ‹ Elaine Ambrose — WordPress

SYNDICATED COLUMNS – Examples

Elaine Ambrose | HuffPost

Elaine Ambrose (shewrites.com)

Meet Our Featured Contributors (sixtyandme.com)

Healthy Humor: Too Much Of A Good Thing (midlifeboulevard.com)

Annie Jennings Wire. – Midlife Sage

TV INTERVIEWS

Mother-Daughter Relationships, KAZT-TV, Phoenix, Arizona

s3.amazonaws.com/NDSMediaArchiveBucket/KAZT/20130204/89AF68DC-DAFB-48E5-BBAB-120B3F1AFF53.h264.mp4

Annie Jennings PR Client On KNXV Sonoran Living – YouTube

NATIONAL RADIO INTERVIEWS

Menopause

Lets Talk About Menopause with author Elaine Ambrose 09/15 by Who you calling old | Lifestyle (blogtalkradio.com)

Family Relationships – B-NOW Blogspot radio: The Good Brother

https://d1at8ppinvdju8.cloudfront.net/1/005/show_10053971_2017_06_07_14_31_44.mp3

Blended Families

How Blended Families can Unite and not Fight During the Holidays 11/22 by Texas Conflict Coach | Family (blogtalkradio.com)

Texas Conflict Coach » Search Results » Elaine Ambrose

OTHER LINKS

Amazon.com: Elaine Ambrose: books, biography, latest update
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elaine-ambrose

Elaine Ambrose | eSpeakers Marketplace

Elaine Ambrose | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster (simonandschuster.com)

Elaine Ambrose – Medium

Elaine Ambrose Gives University of Idaho Students the Gift of Storytelling (uidaho.edu)

Elaine Ambrose Quote: “In hindsight, I was totally unprepared for the truth. I will live without my children much longer than I lived with them…” (quotefancy.com)

Comedy Show Creator and Participant

** Life Sucks Laugh Hard **

COMMUNITY

Elaine started the Idaho Chapter of “Cycling Without Age” to provide cycle rides for senior citizens.

https://youtu.be/_NDLZAXxOiQ

Here is the audio for three of Elaine’s interviews on Blog Talk Radio?

The Good Brother – How The NOW Is What We Have

Who Are You Calling Old?

How Blended Families Can UNITE & Not Fight For The Holidays

BOOK REVIEWS

Elaine Ambrose’s Midlife Happy Hour is a humorous look at the life of a small-town farmer’s daughter who did not conform to the expectations of society or her family. Ambrose shares her story without apologies or regrets. In between the book’s funniest moments, she relates life lessons learned along the way.

The joys and perils of midlife are equally celebrated in this very funny book, whose author laughs her way through a wide variety of topics—from growing up in an age when women were expected to fill a very narrow role to fighting for career successes in the male-dominated corporate world. Ambrose recalls raising kids, growing older, and staying passionate about life.

Each chapter covers a different topic and can easily be read as a stand-alone essay. This makes the book very easy to enjoy in small sips, each as rich and enjoyable as the Cabernet the author is so fond of. It’s filled with laugh-out-loud moments and insights that can only come from someone who has lived a full life with plenty of ups and downs along the way.

The author has a wonderful sense of humor that makes even dark subjects, like the death of her mother, read lightly. She does not flinch from sharing her own embarrassments, such as a particularly harrowing experience trying to use the toilet in a fringe-covered dress. Each story is genuine and relatable.

In addition to its humor, the book is full of insights on how to get through life, advising women to take risks, avoid negativity, and enjoy relationships. Its best advice: “‘Keep laughing … That’s how we survive.’”

At times, Ambrose’s viewpoint does narrow, such as when she discusses grown children moving back home. She sees this as a problem, and doesn’t seem to consider the difficult circumstances that may contribute. Such moments are momentarily off-putting, but the tone of the work is not generally judgmental, and Ambrose aims her occasionally sharp pen at herself far more than at anyone else. Her views are her own, and, true to the message of the book, she is unafraid of expressing them.

Midlife Happy Hour is intended for audiences of sympathetic middle-aged women, those who are done raising families and struggling in their careers, by whom the author’s authentic voice stands to be embraced. Ambrose’s work is funny, irreverent, and refreshing, and her advice is spot-on.

~Foreward Reviews

“Ambrose’s memoir/how-to-survive-aging guidebook reads like a mashup of Erma Bombeck and Nicole Hollander’s Sylvia comic strip…The originality is in Ambrose’s unique life story… I feel I have encountered her material in books by Bombeck or Nora Ephron.”

~The Critic Report

Ambrose faces the frights, frustrations, and fancies of aging in this refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny survival guide for middle-aged women. Infusing her prose with sarcastic dark humor, the author offers homespun recommendations on dating and sex, raising adult children, and the physical effects of aging—all with brazen cheer. From stressful divorces and facing Christmas alone to disastrous sexual misadventures, nothing is sacred or off limits. The author’s prose is lively and entertaining, with statements like “one of the many advantages of living in the last third of life is that I don’t accept crap from anyone.” Sure to be irritated and edified, women over 40 will find a lot to like here.

~Publisher’s Weekly

Publisher and Speaker

Ambrose is the founder and facilitator of the quarterly Women, Words, and Wine Writing Retreat as well as the annual Write by the River Retreats sponsored by her business, Mill Park Publishing. Write by the River Retreats have featured New York Times bestselling authors Anthony Doerr, AK Turner, Jennifer Basye Sander, and Whiting award winner Alan Heathcock.

She spoke in 2014, 2016, and 2018 at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop in Dayton, Ohio, and at the virtual conference in 2020. She was a speaker at the first annual BAM Bloggers at Midlife Conference in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, and again in Las Vegas in 2016. She is a regular speaker and workshop leader at the Idaho Writers Guild Rendezvous.

Ambrose was Idaho’s first female television news reporter and talk show hostess, the first editor of McCall Magazine, the associate editor of Boise Magazine, a manager in the Communications Department for Boise Cascade Corporation, a founding member of the Idaho Writers Guild and a sponsor of its annual writing conference, the Idaho Writers Rendezvous.

The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop named Ambrose Featured Blogger in April of 2014 and Humor Author of the Month in May. She received a national volunteer award from the University of Idaho and served as president of the national alumni association. An avid traveler, Ambrose has visited 32 countries around the world.

Many of Elaine’s relatives walked or rode wagons to Idaho via the Oregon Trail. She grew up on an isolated potato farm in Wendell, Idaho (population 1,000). Because she usually was grounded, she spent much of her time reading in her room. The enticing photographs in National Geographic magazines provided the perfect escape, and she vowed to someday travel the world. Since then, Elaine has visited more than 32 countries. Highlights of her explorations include riding on a bull elephant on safari in Nepal while witnessing a wild tiger kill a buffalo; hiking to the top of the dome of the Vatican in Rome, Italy; attending a cooking school in South Africa; singing in a concert choir that toured Europe; cruising down the Nile on the way to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt; hosting a tour group in Ireland; and getting expelled from a tour of the Taj Mahal in India because she was too noisy. Elaine recently toured Greece and the Spanish island of Palma de Mallora with only carry-on luggage and her new husband.

Volunteer Projects include:

Bishop Kelly High School and Centennial High School Booster Clubs

President of Ada County Delta Gamma Alumnae

Founding member of The Idaho Writers Guild

Original planning committee for the Boise River Festival

Member, Board of Directors for the YMCA and YWCA

Member, Board of Directors of the University of Idaho Foundation

National President of the University of Idaho Alumni Association

Founded the Idaho Chapter of “Cycling Without Age.” Here’s a preview of the launch party.

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