Ellen Meister profile picture

Ellen Meister

There's got to be an easier way to not make a living.

About Me

I write, I swear, I sing, I dance ... all from the front seat of my minivan.
And no, I'm not really 99 years old. I am, however, old enough to want to keep my age to myself.
My second novel, THE SMART ONE (HarperCollins/Avon A)is in stores now. It's about three adult sisters who just can't seem to break free of their childhood labels. Then they discover a decades-old body stuffed inside an industrial drum, and begin a bold, heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious journey that will either bring them together … or tear them apart for good.
My first novel, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA (Morrow/Avon) is now in paperback. It's a friendship story about three women who conspire to get a George Clooney movie filmed in their children's schoolyard. I was inspired to write this book because I wanted to explore the layers of joy, heartache, pain and passion hidden behind the perfect mother image so many of us try to project.
To learn more about me or my books, you can visit my website at ellenmeister.com .
PRAISE FOR THE SMART ONE
"Wonderfully funny, irreverent and entirely unexpected. I loved it!" - Jane Green, bestselling author of The Beach House
"The book is both fast-paced and emotionally introspective, which is a difficult balance to get right, but somehow Meister pulls it off beautifully. The Smart One will resonate with every woman who's ever had a sister - or wondered what such a relationship would be like." - Belle Dessler, BookLoons
"Character-driven ... fast-paced ... great dialog." - Library Journal
"If you're looking for a smart, humorous story about families, look no further. THE SMART ONE by Ellen Meister is a down-to-earth story that made me wish I had a sister of my own!" - Kay James, Romance Reader at Heart, rated "Top Pick"
"A perfect beach read!" - Booklist
'Ellen Meister has taken a dark look at life in the suburbs of Long Island, and THE SMART ONE is a cheeky look at a loving but dysfunctional family and their neighbors. The characters may be flaky, but they are clever and genuine. THE SMART ONE is an intriguing summer read." - Deborah C. Jackson, RRT
PRAISE FOR SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA:
"Meister's debut novel is heartbreakingly funny, her characters facing life's dramas and disappointments head on with wit and spunk." — Library Journal (starred review)
"Ellen Meister has written a beautiful book about love, life and friendship that you are sure to never forget." — Fresh Fiction
"Sexy characters, sharp dialogue, and snappy pacing ... [a] sassy, saucy debut." — Booklist
"Ellen Meister's first novel is a smashing success ... touches the heart and the funny bone ." — Romance Divas
"Funny, compelling and well-written." — Trashionista
"The best time I've had in years. Ellen Meister's characters are so funny, smart, and real, I feel like I've made three new friends!" — Lisa Kudrow
To read more reviews, click here . To read an excerpt, click here .
FREE BOOKPLATES
I'm still a new enough author to feel grateful for each and every book I sell. (Hope I always feel this way!) To show my appreciation, I'm offering free signed bookplates to anyone who owns a copy. Just shoot me a message here at MySpace, and tell me who to make it out to and where to send it. It's my way of saying thanks!
Here's what the bookplate looks like. It's self-adhesive and goes right into the front of the book. (And yes, I really did send George Clooney a book with that inscription!)

My Interests



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Movies:

Annie Hall, The Producers, Dr. Strangelove, Moonstruck, most Marx Brothers, ET, The Big Chill ...

Television:

The Office, Daily Show, Colbert Report, American Idol (shut up), Grey's Anatomy, House, Sopranos ...

Books:

Some of my favorite authors include Richard Russo, Susan Isaacs, Richard Yates, Alice Hoffman, J.D. Salinger, Elinor Lipman, John Irving, Lolly Winston, Meg Wolitzer, Tom Perrotta, Wally Lamb, Steve Almond, Janet Evanovich, Jennifer Weiner, Toni Morrison, Elisabeth Robinson, Dorothy Parker ...
One of my most prized possessions is a copy of "Liars in Love" inscribed to me by Richard Yates. When he wrote this, I was a young thing working as assistant to his literary agent, Mitch Douglas.

My Blog

Friday Update

Scant blogging the week as things got a little squeezed, but here's what's new ...* Only advanced five pages in the manuscript, but did a ton of editing. Still, before I can add one more page I have d...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:54:00 PST

New Review of The Smart One

I love this one! It's from a site called BookLoons.com. If you're not familiar with it, I hope you'll click in. Here's the review ...The Smart One by Ellen Meister Read an Excerpt Revi...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:51:00 PST

THE PROFESSORS WIVES CLUB by Joanne Rendell

I'm excited about this blog entry, and not just because I'm introducing a new interview format for my Girlfriends Cyber Ciruit posts, but because I get to tell you about a book I'm dying to read, THE ...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:27:00 PST

Big Announcement

Since the article appears in the current issue of Publishers Weekly, I guess it's time to let the cat out of the bag ...My third book was sold at auction to a wonderful editor at Putnam.  This is...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:28:00 PST

Ask me a question!

Not here. Here.Today I'm the guest at blog called Author Talks!, and am answering questions on writing, publishing, whatever. Just pop over to the site and leave your questions in the comments section...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:35:00 PST

Join me on my cybertour!

Since my coast-to-coast tour of Long Island doesn't get me very far, I'm doing a big cyber tour for the THE SMART ONE. I'll continue to update this post as more appear, but here are some blogs and oth...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:47:00 PST

BOOK REVUE: Recap and Photos

Last night was the big Book Revue event where Saralee Rosenberg and I discussed our new books, DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD and THE SMART ONE. It did not rain during this event. It did not storm. Rather, ...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:13:00 PST

Book Launcy Party ... the recap

Friday night was the book launch party for The Smart One and it was everything I had dreamed! Over 75 people came and I think my little book talk went over pretty well. My only regret is that when I i...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:02:00 PST

Syosset Borders

Hope you can join me for my big book launch party at the Syosset Borders this Friday, August 8, at 7 pm.I went to the store Saturday night and was thrilled to see they're all set with a great poster i...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:56:00 PST

Let the cybertour begin!

I'm going to be in high gear soon, touring cyberspace to promote THE SMART ONE. Here's my very first stop, courtesy of Mary Lynn Lewis of Blog Stop Book Tours. It's a quick, fun interview:Blog Stop(FY...
Posted by Ellen Meister on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:16:00 PST