Day 82: In Which I Look Like My Mom, and Have Hair Issues

When I venture out into the world disguised as an author girl, the question I'm most frequently asked is**: "You look like such a nice person. How can you write such, uh, disturbing things in your novels?" It's true that my stories are often horrific, and I often wonder what readers imagine I might look like before they meet me.

Maybe I should look more like Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein: spooky and plain, yet mysterious. While it's true that I do wear a lot of black these days, I'm styling myself much more like the proverbial soccer mom or my own mom than a writer of scary stuff. I confess that this is not necessarily by choice.

Here's my Saturday ensemble:

I have issues with my hair, here. It's so...coiffed. There was a brief period in 1987 when I was really concerned about having tidy hair, but I got over it. But I'm in that awkward, maybe-growing-my-hair-out stage, and so am frustrated. I have to make a decision soon about whether to stick with short or go a few inches longer.

What face shape do you have? Because my face is broad and squarish, I have to have a little something going on above my forehead to keep my unusually large head from looking ponderous. A bit of fluff or interest on top keeps things perky, and helps to de-emphasize my strong jawline.

There's a clever trick to find out what your face shape is: stand in front of your bathroom mirror and trace the outline of your face with lipstick (have I told you this before?). I think the choices are oval, inverted triangle, square, heart-shaped. Then research accordingly. Oh, and when you've found the right style and color for you, remember that you can match your purse/computer bag/luggage to your hair color--then you'll always be coordinated to something you're wearing.

Back to the ensemble:

I think it's because this jacket looks quilted that I feel like my mom in it. That's not necessarily a bad thing--I do have the cutest parents in the world and my mom has great taste. But I'm always startled when my daughter says: "Grandma would buy/wear that," when I pick something up to show her.

Fortunately, the jacket was nice and warm when we went to the Christmas parade in town. Though the gloves were on the thin side.

Calvin Klein coat: $49 (Sam's Club); Gloves: $2; Nine West jeans: $17 (Sam's); Izod sweater: $17 (Sam's); Josephine Chaus turtleneck: $8; Faded Glory faux F'Uggs: $23 (must shoot pic for you); Scarf: $5; Earrings: $7      Total: $128

Tomorrow: I'm going to announce my first Wardrobe by Sam giveaway. I'm excited!

**Actually, if I'm signing in a bookstore, the primary question is "Where's the bathroom?"