My Brazilian Waxer
As a lover of memoirs, there are a few in particular that I would love to see done. I'd love a lunch lady memoir, a veterinarian memoir for the new generation that perhaps isn't familiar with James Herriot (I should really talk to my parents about this), any teacher memoir is dynamite, and I'm always a sucker for the memoirs of writers themselves (think Eudora Welty, Annie Dillard, Michael Greenberg, Larry McMurtry). While I confess that a 'tales from a brazilian waxer' memoir hadn't ever surfaced on my would-love-to-someday-read list, when I heard that someone had written one, I immediately bought a copy. Because what a fantastic idea for a book! Not only is it bizarre that we Americans want to be hairless, but it's also bizarre that we're willing to walk into a salon and drop our pants for a complete stranger. Think of all the stories, the clients, the custom requests. When it comes to topics, this one would surely be as juicy as it would be entertaining.
While at a recent waxing appointment of my own, I mentioned to my waxer, N, that this book, The Vagina Buffet, was out. Imagine my surprise when N's reaction went something like this: "Noooooooooooo!" Turns out N herself has written a manuscript about life as a brazilian waxer, and now someone has beaten her to the punch. Fortunately for N (but unfortunately for readers), The Vagina Buffet misses the mark. Completely. Instead of focusing on the stories and the clients, the author focuses on vaginas themselves. Period stories, childbirth stories, what's normal and what isn't, etc. There's actually very little focus on her life as a waxer, and the book could not hold my interest. N agreed, and at last week's appointment, we discussed her renewed determination to get her own book out there...which DOES focus on the waxing stories and clients. I gave her the contact info for the wonderful team who helped me with my own book, and I'm happy to report that my fabulous editor will begin on N's manuscript in a matter of days.
Why am I telling you all this? Beats me. I guess I just feel like the whole thing is so fortunate. I mean, what are the odds of me even knowing someone else who has also written a manuscript? And a true testament to the salesperson in me, my greatest satisfaction in life comes from helping connect people to things that they want or need; to things that make their lives easier. And so I loved being able to get N in touch with my book contacts. But perhaps best of all, the world is now one step closer to getting the brazilian waxer memoir that it really wants. The one that will make us drop our jaws in disbelief and howl with laughter at the naughtiness of it all. I just hope I'm not in it! Which, incidentally, is probably how all my friends and family feel about my own manuscripts. At any rate, good luck, N!