Deborah Harper of PsychJourney offers a wonderful selection of podcasts to her listeners. Her interviews are thoughtful and in-depth, and her range of interests is wide and eclectic (interviews with authors of works of fiction, social history, self-help books, and more). I was fortunate to do an interview with Deborah not long ago about Stepmonster and stepmother reality. Here it is...
Josey Vogels is a widely- syndicated Canadian columinst who writes about sex and relationships. Not long ago she wrote a piece about Stepmonster that focused on my suggestion that the wicked stepmother of lore might, counterintuitively, provide some helpful guidelines for contemporary women with stepchildren. Sound controversial? Check it out...
You've got to love a single, childless guy who has no personal stake in a book about stepmother reality, and comes from an intact family — but delves right into a book about stepfamilies and realizes it's an important issue. That's Joe Meyers for you. Check out his review of Stepmonster by clicking on the link below...
When I first discovered the work of Karen Piovaty nine years ago, I was thrilled — and a little scandalized. It was as if someone had finally had the nerve to express all the frightening, taboo thoughts I couldn't even admit to myself. Karen's take on stepmothering is provocative, but never merely so; it is also thoughtful social commentary and a sophisticated riff on families, stepparenting, and stereotypes. Karen's "marriage" of visuals and text unsettles, amuses, and reveals.
I'm so appreciative of the recent media interest in Stepmonster, and all the opportunities I have had to bring stepmother reality into a more public forum thanks to the TV and radio producers who have had me on their shows. These people usually have open minds and plenty of smart questions, and are helping get out the message that understanding stepmother reality is the crucial — and so far missing — link in helping stepfamilies survive.
The May 26 review of Stepmonster on The Step Mom's Toolbox is out! Tool Box Girl calls Stepmonster "a must read for every stepmom, and a great tool." She says my research is "impeccable and eye-opening" and calls Stepmonster "priceless and eloquent."
Over the holiday, while you were grilling hotdogs and eating potato salad, I was doing interviews with Fox News, the BBC Newshour/NPR, and the CBC. I'll post the links to the BBC and CBC interviews shortly (I am frequently stymied, it seems, by technological issues. But not for long!)
Here is the link to the interview I did on the Sunday Morning show "Fox and Friends" on May 24th...the hosts were both stepchildren! We talked about the important role the husband/divorced and remarried dad plays in his wife's adjustment in the stepfamily and more...
Vera Cho of the L.A. Examiner has this to say about Stepmonster:
"Her insights and advice are more clear and articulate than those offered in any other book currently available." Woah there lady, thank you! You will find this publication full of great advice for stepfamilies in general, so be sure to check out the whole thing. I promise I'm not just saying that because they love my book...
Heather Havrilesky, a Salon writer and stepmother, reviewed Stepmonster a few days ago: