Mom, Daughter Authors Deliver Laughs To Over 300 in Evening Borough Event

AVALON – Avalon Free Public Library hosted a book signing July 9 for “Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?” the latest volume in the popular humor series by authors Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella. Over 300 attended the event, which took place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the auditorium of Avalon Elementary School.
Scottoline and Serritella are mother and daughter authors from Philadelphia. Scottoline is the author of 14 best-selling novels and the writer for “Chick Wit,” a humor column in The Philadelphia Inquirer. She spoke to the audience about the importance of public libraries.
“I am standing in for all of the kids who might not have the resources you have at home, or they have a lot resources, but nobody quite gets why they want to read books. Well, I was that kid,” she said.
“And I remember my library card. I can’t remember anything, but I remember my library card. It was orange, and it had a little metal plate on it, and it had a number, and that number was 3539. I remember that, because I had an emotional connection with the card. The card was my passport to adulthood. It lets you into this club of all of these people that love the thing you love, which is books,” Scottoline said.
Serritella, a Harvard graduate, watched her mother as she persevered through divorce and financial struggle. “I then had the privilege of watching her writing career take off and change our lives,” Serritella states on her website.
Scottoline’s first novel was rejected, but she persisted, eventually becoming a New York Times best-selling author with two of her novels, “Look Again” and “Don’t Go.”
Serritella is also a cowriter for “Chick Wit.” The hilarious mother-daughter duo use their column to candidly discuss everyday life, family matters, and their unique perspectives on just about everything.
“Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?” is a must-read for fans of “Chick Wit.”
In it, Scottoline and Serritella share short stories, essays, and anecdotes about everything from dieting woes to bike riding mishaps to online dating. Readers refer to it as the perfect lighthearted beach read, but it also includes an honest and heartfelt collection of memories about their mother/grandmother Mary and her battle with lung cancer.
Known to their readers as “Mother Mary,” Mary’s larger-than-life personality continues to be a source of inspiration for Scottoline and Serritella.
The women shared story after story about her – telling Thursday night’s audience that she was once the only person in Miami to experience an earthquake.
“The amazing thing is that the earthquake didn’t occur in Miami,” Scottoline said, “she felt an earthquake the exact moment it occurred in Tampa.” Scottoline explained that when a question was asked of her mother how she was able to feel it, “Mother Mary” didn’t miss a beat.
“Because I know these things,” she told them.
The audience roared with laughter.
Serritella, who says that she wouldn’t have had the courage to become a writer if not for her mother’s influence, told the audience that Scottoline has never edited her work. “I made the choice to not have her edit me, because I feel you can always find a critic,” she said, “but you only get one mom, and I have a terrific one, and I try to protect her in that role.”
“Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?” is the fourth book that Serritella has co-authored with her mother. “Have a Nice Guilt Trip,” “Meet Me at the Emotional Baggage Claim,” and “Best Friends, Occasional Enemies” all contain her laugh-out-loud essays as well.
Scottoline credits strong female characters, such as Nancy Drew, with influencing her work.
“She had a girlfriend, she had a boyfriend, but the thing that she had that was so interesting was the roadster. The roadster epitomized Nancy Drew – the car, the freedom, the independence, the adventure. It underlined and gave dramatic force to who she was, and that’s why she captured my attention. I eventually decided that I wanted to write characters like that; strong literary women,” she remarked.
Towards the end of the book signing, the audience was given the opportunity to participate in a question–and-answer session with the authors.
When asked whether or not she gets her writing talent from her mother, Serritella nodded. “We share that story-telling aspect,” she said.
“I’ve always thought that there are two types of writers, neither better than the other; there are those who look inward and write to explore themselves, and those who look outward and write to share stories and connect with others. We are definitely the latter.”
After answering questions, the authors signed copies of their book and spent some extra time chatting with readers.
To contact Kyli Wolfson, email kwolfson@cmcherald.com.