Fabulous in Flats (Wagner)

Fabulous in Flats:  Putting My Best Foot Forward!
Mary T. Wagner, 2011
CreateSpace
184 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781482328035


Summary
Book of the Year, Royal Palm Literary Awards

My son looked at me and my accoutrements with skepticism through narrowed eyes. This would be the son with the tattoo between his shoulder blades, the hand-rolled cigarette, the assortment of earrings.... He's a hard one to impress when it comes to unorthodoxy. “Mom, you look like you're ready to break into a chemical plant.” From out of the mouths of babes...

As though adjusting to courtrooms, spike heels and a chainsaw after forty weren’t enough… Following in the high-heeled footsteps of Mary T. Wagner's two earlier inspiring and award-winning essay collections, Fabulous in Flats starts with the author's hair-raising introduction to running a chop saw, an endeavor lending itself more to flat shoes and safety goggles than stilettos.

Whether decked out in a rhinestone tiara and a recycled mink at a Viennese Ball, embracing her inner "mother tiger" at her son's hospital bed, or reflecting on how nice it could be to channel Nancy Drew's fictional life for just a day, Wagner once again shares her wry and insightful style in essays sure to resonate. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—won't say; will admit to "north of fifty"
• Where—Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Education—B.A., J.D., Marquette University
• Currently—lives in southeastern Wisconsin


Mary T. Wagner is a former newspaper and magazine journalist who changed careers at forty by going to law school and becoming a criminal prosecutor. Her legal experience has ranged from handling speeding tickets to arguing and winning several cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

A mother of four and a recent grandmother, she lives in rural Wisconsin, where she draws much inspiration for writing from daily walks in the countryside with her dog, Lucky, and the cat who thinks he's a dog...The Meatball. While she was still a full-time "soccer mom," Wagner balanced diapers, dinners and driving duty with freelance writing about public broadcasting programming. Her PBS interviews ran the gamut from Fred Rogers and Captain Kangaroo to legendary conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr.

Wagner's slice-of-life essays have appeared on her signature website, "Running with Stilettos," as well as at Flashionista, More.com, Shortbread Stories, RedRoom, Open Salon, The Front Porch Review, Growing Bolder, and The Write City.

Her third essay collection, Fabulous in Flats, was named "Published Book of the Year" in 2011 by the Florida Writers Association.

Life experience includes motherhood, and stints as a girl scout troop leader, truck stop waitress, office temp, judicial clerk, and radio talk show host. She counts both wearing spike heels and learning to use a cordless drill and chainsaw among her "late blooming" discoveries, and would be hard pressed to surrender either her favorite stilettos or her power tools." (From the author.)

Visit Mary on Facebook.

Book Reviews
Bright, trendy and practical. The wonderful essays in this book line up in perfect order like shoes in one's closet: bright, trendy, and practical. I can't remember the last time I've laughed as hard as I laughed while reading Mary T. Wagner's wonderful memoir Fabulous in Flats....

"The Sisterhood of the Chop Saw," the first essay, captures the essence of the whole book. One Saturday Mary gathers all those important men in her life, including her sons and her new man, and sets out to build a paved patio behind her house. In this delightful narrative, we find the truth of well-planned days. The chop saw is rented and work begins at 1:00 p.m. rather than early in the morning as planned. And to her surprise, she has been delegated the job of running the chop saw. Now for those, like me, who have never had the pleasure of using this power tool, it is a saw that cuts through bricks, among other things. It's very loud and aggressive, and Mary pulls it off with the flair of a seasoned handy—do I dare say—man.

"Garage Archaeology" is a humorous piece about cleaning out one's garage and dispersing the variety of items accumulated in our lives. Each thing unearthed in the clutter tells a story and give us insight into the collector's dreams and efforts.

As I finished the last essay, "Full Circle," I understood the author had taken me on a journey with her as we explored her life tales. Fabulous in Flats is a perfect example of how self-publishing is changing. It is a creative, well-written, and success-driven. Ah, but just as you think you've relaxed into a light, comfortable, easygoing story, you come upon a passage like this:

One thing you can always count on in life is that if you're actually living it instead of just watching, there will always be more channel markers and more stumbling blocks and more growth rings along the way.

I highly recommend it as a beach read.
Ann Hite, author of Ghost on Black Mountain and The Storycatcher

Discussion Questions
1. In the “forward” to this book, Mary comes to the realization that she has managed to leap from one set of stereotypes or pigeonholes to another. Have you ever felt restless or taken for granted either in work or family or friendships and how? Have you done anything to change it?  Is there a value or a comfort to keeping things predictable? Is that a double-edged sword?

2. Mary has gotten a lot of mileage in earlier books from learning how to use power tools, but running a chop saw is a big leap by any measure. Would you have done it when the situation arose, or would you have insisted on your earlier expectation of only serving the potato salad? Do you think that having “hands on” this project makes it more meaningful to Mary in the long run? Given the option (and the money), would you rather something like this be a family project or just hire it out? Why?

3. Mary has written about several “before and after” moments in her life. One was clearly the divorce, another was her horseback riding accident in which she suffered a broken back. How did the accident change her? Have you had any similar turning points or dividing lines?
4. Which essay in “Fabulous in Flats” resonated the most with you? Why? Do you think you would enjoy having a cup of coffee with Mary?

5. In “Tiger Beat,” Mary describes a harrowing emergency room visit with her college-aged son, and a testy head-to-head bedside exchange with a hospital doctor. One school of parenting holds that once children reach 18, they’re on their own in the world and should handle their own problems. The other extreme, the “helicopter parent,” can’t seem to stay away. Where do you think that Mary falls in this? Where do YOU think lines should be drawn about helping adult children no longer living at home? Do you think that too much parental “help” leads to adults who can’t cut the apron strings?  Where is the middle ground?

6. In “Tool Time,” Mary pivots between celebrating her growing independence in handling household problems after her divorce, and mourning the fact that independence can sometimes feel a lot like loneliness.  What would you have told her as she sat and wept at the kitchen table that day? Have you ever had to balance a wish or a need to change as a person with caution as to how it would affect the relationship that you are or were in?  What did you ultimately do? Were you surprised at the result?

7. In “Angels in the Snow,” Mary describes the accident on the interstate at night that landed her and her daughter in the home of total strangers in the middle of a blizzard. She describes the married couple that took them in as “angels.” Have you felt the presence of angels in your life? When and how?

8. When cleaning out her garage, Mary discovers a couple of old “Nancy Drew” girl detective stories and finally sits down to read them and revisit her childhood literary companions.  She eventually goes on a detective quest of her own, and learns that the Nancy Drew character has undergone several transformations from generation to generation. What do you think about the “modernization” of the character? Were there traits that have been lost or gained that you would have decided differently if you were guiding the series? Is the Nancy Drew of today someone you would want your daughter to model herself on? Why or why not?

9. In “Shore Lines,” Mary describes her visceral longing for the sandy shore of Lake Michigan, and describes the spontaneous creative process that it often sparks. Where do you go or what do you do to get your emotional batteries refilled?  How often?  Do you schedule your sanity breaks?  If not, what tips the balance for you to finally say, “that’s it, I’m outta here!!”

10. Mary describes adopting her late godmother’s mink stole, and using it to play “dress up” for a Viennese Ball in a bargain-priced prom dress. Would you enjoy an evening like that? Is there a piece of clothing you cherish that’s been handed down to you from someone who has passed on? What is it, and why is it important to you? Do you usually think of that person when you wear it?

11. In “Prisms, Perspectives and Paperbacks,” Mary describes how her appreciation of both “small press” books and cords of firewood have changed over the years. Have you had the same sort of epiphany in your own life where you have come to look at something familiar or inconsequential in an entirely new light? What was it? What caused the change?

12. Mary has clearly bought into the old “Poppin’ Fresh” slogan that “Nothin’ spells lovin’ like something from the oven…”  In “Home is Where the Chocolate Is,” what does baking sweet treats for her children mean for Mary? What do you think it symbolizes for her kids? Do you think the children even give it a second’s conscious thought before inhaling the cookies? Is there a particular food in your family history that symbolizes love or comfort? What is it?

13. In “A Lioness Passes,” Mary eulogizes her godmother, who never married but influenced many children’s lives in her role as a history teacher with a love of travel. Did you have a teacher or mentor while you were growing up who made a particular difference in your life? How so? How do you think your life would be different without that person’s influence or encouragement?

14. In “Two Hens and a Harley,” a mild autumn ride in the country turns into a comical food fight with two hungry and brazen ducks.  Share how in your own life, some of the best and most memorable times have been the ones you never expected. And by the way, have you ever held a duck in your hands? Tell what it felt like!

15. In “Full Circle,” Mary reflects on the unexpected arc of her life from soccer mom and lawyer’s wife to being a respected attorney in her own right. Have you ever had to “reinvent” yourself? When and why? Did you have a partner or friend who encouraged you? How did your friends and family react to the new course you charted? Were there any costs or losses involved that you had not anticipated? Would you do anything differently if you had to do it over?

16. Is there a lesson to be taken away from this author’s life? What do you think it is, and why do you think it’s important?
(Questions provided courtesay of the author.)

top of page (summary)