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When the Shoe Fits...
Available on Amazon.com on August 1, 2014 in e-book and paperback—“When the Shoe Fits…Essays of Love, Life and Second Chances,” a “best of” collection of essays by award-winning Wisconsin author and attorney Mary T. Wagner.
When a hard fall from a tall horse landed Wagner—then a freelance writer and a soccer mom with four young children—in a body cast for three months, she didn’t take it as a sign to ease back on the throttle. Instead, she changed careers, went to law school, took a job as a criminal prosecutor, and bought her first pair of spike heels. And THEN she started writing again. Wagner’s first three collections of her slice-of-life essays—“Running with Stilettos,” “Heck on Heels” and “Fabulous in Flats”—earned numerous national and regional awards, including an Indie Excellence Award and a silver IPPY. Both “Heck on Heels” and “Fabulous in Flats” were finalists in ForeWord Review’s BOTY Awards. Her legal experience has been similarly eclectic, ranging from handling speeding tickets to arguing cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court…sometimes in the same week!
In essays here ranging widely from “Turbo Dating—the Year in Review” to “Riding Pillion,” “The Limoncello Diaries” and “Angels in the Snow,” Wagner’s signature writing style combines humor, insight, and grace under pressure. Whether reflecting on subjects as diverse as motherhood, the view from the back of a Harley, the impending loss of a parent or the therapeutic effects of a post-divorce bonfire, Wagner’s inspiring and empowering essays resonate with universal experiences of love, life and reinvention. A must-read for any woman who’s asked herself “is there at least one more goal I can shoot for?”… and then answered “YES!!”
When a hard fall from a tall horse landed Wagner—then a freelance writer and a soccer mom with four young children—in a body cast for three months, she didn’t take it as a sign to ease back on the throttle. Instead, she changed careers, went to law school, took a job as a criminal prosecutor, and bought her first pair of spike heels. And THEN she started writing again. Wagner’s first three collections of her slice-of-life essays—“Running with Stilettos,” “Heck on Heels” and “Fabulous in Flats”—earned numerous national and regional awards, including an Indie Excellence Award and a silver IPPY. Both “Heck on Heels” and “Fabulous in Flats” were finalists in ForeWord Review’s BOTY Awards. Her legal experience has been similarly eclectic, ranging from handling speeding tickets to arguing cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court…sometimes in the same week!
In essays here ranging widely from “Turbo Dating—the Year in Review” to “Riding Pillion,” “The Limoncello Diaries” and “Angels in the Snow,” Wagner’s signature writing style combines humor, insight, and grace under pressure. Whether reflecting on subjects as diverse as motherhood, the view from the back of a Harley, the impending loss of a parent or the therapeutic effects of a post-divorce bonfire, Wagner’s inspiring and empowering essays resonate with universal experiences of love, life and reinvention. A must-read for any woman who’s asked herself “is there at least one more goal I can shoot for?”… and then answered “YES!!”
- GenresMemoir
243 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2014
17 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Mary T. Wagner
17 books45 followers"It's never too late to make mid-course corrections!" That's the mantra of Wisconsin author and photographer Mary T. Wagner, who has been described as the Midwest's answer to Carrie Bradshaw and favorably compared to humorist Erma Bombeck...but "in sexier shoes."
Wagner is a former newspaper and magazine journalist who changed careers at forty after a serious accident, going to law school and then becoming a criminal prosecutor. After living for several decades in rural Wisconsin, drawing inspiration for writing from daily walks in the countryside with her dog and cat, she has now settled in "coastal Wisconsin," close to Lake Michigan where the sight of the horizon on the lake never fails to inspire.
Despite the career shift to law, Wagner never could step away from the keyboard entirely, and since returning to writing has published three award-winning essay collections: Running with Stilettos, Heck on Heels and Fabulous in Flats.
Featuring ordinary moments limned with extraordinary insight, Wagner's slice-of-life essays first appeared on her signature blog, "Running with Stilettos," as well as other websites. Life experience includes being the mother of four, and a former 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.
Wagner is a former newspaper and magazine journalist who changed careers at forty after a serious accident, going to law school and then becoming a criminal prosecutor. After living for several decades in rural Wisconsin, drawing inspiration for writing from daily walks in the countryside with her dog and cat, she has now settled in "coastal Wisconsin," close to Lake Michigan where the sight of the horizon on the lake never fails to inspire.
Despite the career shift to law, Wagner never could step away from the keyboard entirely, and since returning to writing has published three award-winning essay collections: Running with Stilettos, Heck on Heels and Fabulous in Flats.
Featuring ordinary moments limned with extraordinary insight, Wagner's slice-of-life essays first appeared on her signature blog, "Running with Stilettos," as well as other websites. Life experience includes being the mother of four, and a former 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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 13, 2019
Even if I didn't know the author...
I'd still recommend this book. As a person who struggled with balancing career and school and family, I know all too well what it's like to be the old guy in a classroom filled with students only a few years older than my children. I kept on going back to those feelings of self doubt that Mary and I share. However, I was inspired by her sense of hope, even after her divorce and her dad's death. I'm honored to know her.
I'd still recommend this book. As a person who struggled with balancing career and school and family, I know all too well what it's like to be the old guy in a classroom filled with students only a few years older than my children. I kept on going back to those feelings of self doubt that Mary and I share. However, I was inspired by her sense of hope, even after her divorce and her dad's death. I'm honored to know her.
April 19, 2015
When the Shoe Fits by Mary T. Wagner is a highly recommended collection of 38 essays that range from the author's love of drop-dead gorgeous stilettos to buying her first chain saw. Wagner manages to bring together in these essays the wide range of experiences, optimism, evolutions, loves, and emotions that, let's say a "maturing" woman will relate to and appreciate. She does indeed capture and share a slice of her life with humor and wit in When the Shoe Fits.
There were a few personal connections with Wagner that made these essays interesting and fun to read. My interest was sparked immediately when Wagner admitted that she now thinks about shoes - a lot. I too went for years when my children were young not thinking about shoes beyond utility and comfort. Now I admittedly have (too) many cute shoes (although I do avoid heels with my lifestyle). I continued to bond with her further when she admitted, "I have trust issues. I will be the first to admit that I am a control freak. And I play by the rules, virtually all of the time." Goodness, it was as if I was being quoted.
I loved the story about buying her first chain saw: "You can look at it finally abandoning the last of the feminine 'rescue' fantasies. Or maybe it was just a dose of latent pioneer spirit finally coming to the surface. Though Davy Crockett never had one of these. (Of course, Davy Crockett never had a pair of leopard-print stilettos in his closet either. Or so we hope.) Either way, I bought a chain saw."
Some of the essays described experiences that were foreign enough to me that they left me shaking my head. For example admitting that she "...waited all of four days after the ink was dry on the divorce decree before I signed up to try on-line dating" was simply an idea that, even though she made her experiences humorous, I couldn't reconcile with someone who had any measure of common sense.
Her "The Limoncello Diaries", "a tragic story of a bottle of lemon liqueur," was enchanting, and the piece about her father, "Ales Klar" was quite touching: "Then I kiss him on the cheek and tell him 'alles klar.' Roughly translated, it means 'everything’s fine.'" The Gatorade story was heart breaking and hopeful.
There are a wide range of topics discussed in Wagner's When the Shoe Fits but it must be noted that the essays will likely be enjoyed more by a specific target audience: women, likely over forty with older/adult children and divorced after a long marriage. The book includes a discussion guide.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the author for review purposes.
There were a few personal connections with Wagner that made these essays interesting and fun to read. My interest was sparked immediately when Wagner admitted that she now thinks about shoes - a lot. I too went for years when my children were young not thinking about shoes beyond utility and comfort. Now I admittedly have (too) many cute shoes (although I do avoid heels with my lifestyle). I continued to bond with her further when she admitted, "I have trust issues. I will be the first to admit that I am a control freak. And I play by the rules, virtually all of the time." Goodness, it was as if I was being quoted.
I loved the story about buying her first chain saw: "You can look at it finally abandoning the last of the feminine 'rescue' fantasies. Or maybe it was just a dose of latent pioneer spirit finally coming to the surface. Though Davy Crockett never had one of these. (Of course, Davy Crockett never had a pair of leopard-print stilettos in his closet either. Or so we hope.) Either way, I bought a chain saw."
Some of the essays described experiences that were foreign enough to me that they left me shaking my head. For example admitting that she "...waited all of four days after the ink was dry on the divorce decree before I signed up to try on-line dating" was simply an idea that, even though she made her experiences humorous, I couldn't reconcile with someone who had any measure of common sense.
Her "The Limoncello Diaries", "a tragic story of a bottle of lemon liqueur," was enchanting, and the piece about her father, "Ales Klar" was quite touching: "Then I kiss him on the cheek and tell him 'alles klar.' Roughly translated, it means 'everything’s fine.'" The Gatorade story was heart breaking and hopeful.
There are a wide range of topics discussed in Wagner's When the Shoe Fits but it must be noted that the essays will likely be enjoyed more by a specific target audience: women, likely over forty with older/adult children and divorced after a long marriage. The book includes a discussion guide.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the author for review purposes.
January 3, 2015
The author kindly provided me with a copy in the hopes I might offer an honest review around the time of publication in mid-summer 2014. Clearly I blew it. I know what happened though, and can make sure it doesn't happen again. I didn't think I was a format snob per se. I love my paper books. I have stacks of them in my sitting room waiting to be read, piled on funky shelves and crates, not wanting to be too conventional with boring bookshelves. I love audio books, I listen every time I get in the car, and whenever I run or get on my treadmill. I even got used to the Kindle when my BFF gave me her hand-me-down, I can carry it in my purse and read at the hairdresser's or doctor's. What I was not prepared for was reading a PDF on my laptop. It didn't fit into my life well and I won't do it again. My apologies to the author for not knowing that earlier.
Were you waiting for me to talk about the book? I'll get there. I'm having a little anxiety about using 3 stars. It means I liked a book. Why does it seem inadequate all of a sudden, like an insult to the author? It shouldn't be. I liked it after all. But gosh, the current rating is 4.57, I'm going to bring that down. Damn. And I liked it!
So about the book. Essays are where regular people talk about their lives. They are a notch below memoirs I guess. And I don't mean that in a qualitative sense. It's just that they are excerpts, moments, vignettes, not the whole story. And they make it look so darn easy. Why can't I do this? I have raised a child, experienced loss, tried new things, communed with nature. Oh wait, the author is a trained journalist and award winner, AND a successful lawyer. Maybe that's it. And she went on a writing retreat. But still...it seems like I could do this if I tried hard enough. I love bonfires!
In case I haven't been clear, I'm saying I admire the hell out of her. Limoncello, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Victoria Holt, bonfires, books, nature - I think we could be related. And yet she takes these common experiences and memories and develops them into something more, funny, wistful, poignant, romantic, you name it. It is a very quick read, and I think you'll come away from it thinking there is something more to your life, if only you had the words to say it.
Were you waiting for me to talk about the book? I'll get there. I'm having a little anxiety about using 3 stars. It means I liked a book. Why does it seem inadequate all of a sudden, like an insult to the author? It shouldn't be. I liked it after all. But gosh, the current rating is 4.57, I'm going to bring that down. Damn. And I liked it!
So about the book. Essays are where regular people talk about their lives. They are a notch below memoirs I guess. And I don't mean that in a qualitative sense. It's just that they are excerpts, moments, vignettes, not the whole story. And they make it look so darn easy. Why can't I do this? I have raised a child, experienced loss, tried new things, communed with nature. Oh wait, the author is a trained journalist and award winner, AND a successful lawyer. Maybe that's it. And she went on a writing retreat. But still...it seems like I could do this if I tried hard enough. I love bonfires!
In case I haven't been clear, I'm saying I admire the hell out of her. Limoncello, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Victoria Holt, bonfires, books, nature - I think we could be related. And yet she takes these common experiences and memories and develops them into something more, funny, wistful, poignant, romantic, you name it. It is a very quick read, and I think you'll come away from it thinking there is something more to your life, if only you had the words to say it.
October 18, 2016
I’ve always loved essays. Mostly because they tend to be a great demonstration of the intricate musings of the human mind, something that has always fascinated me. Ms. Wagner’s collection is no exception. I enjoyed most of the essays very much. With discourses such as “Wildflower Seeds and Beer”, “Ripple Effect” and “The CatBird Returns” Ms. Wagner demonstrates deep thought and humor.
I think my favorite story was “Chain Reaction”, where the author speaks on the how and why she obtained her first chainsaw.
I always find it a bit hard to speak on essays as I would a story book as with essays you are entering into a completely different realm. They are neither stories nor biographies, but a hybrid of both. Essays are the mind and life of the author, but more than that, they are the insight and soul of those who write them.
My grandmother used to say “Every mind is a world” and she couldn’t have been more right, because, you see, all experiences are not interpreted equally by all people. This book, “When the Shoe Fits” is a great example of that.
“When the Shoe Fits” speaks on the inner workings of a sometimes giddy, sometimes thoughtful, and sometimes brutally honest mind.
I was amazed at the path that one can take in life after an enormous event, such as, in this case, a divorce. When Mary got divorced a wide array of occurrences happened, and in writing about them, Mary speaks on her independent growth.
Lots of the pieces reminded me of journal entries, while others where like short stories. It was a very entertaining collection. While 38 disquisitions might sound like a lot, they are actually very easy going reads and for about 90% of the book, you’ll find yourself giggling.
With that said, I give “When the Shoe Fits” 4 Stars. While I was not completely blown away by the content, as it was very down to earth, I was certainly entertained. Furthermore, I would recommend it to people that enjoy essays.
I think my favorite story was “Chain Reaction”, where the author speaks on the how and why she obtained her first chainsaw.
I always find it a bit hard to speak on essays as I would a story book as with essays you are entering into a completely different realm. They are neither stories nor biographies, but a hybrid of both. Essays are the mind and life of the author, but more than that, they are the insight and soul of those who write them.
My grandmother used to say “Every mind is a world” and she couldn’t have been more right, because, you see, all experiences are not interpreted equally by all people. This book, “When the Shoe Fits” is a great example of that.
“When the Shoe Fits” speaks on the inner workings of a sometimes giddy, sometimes thoughtful, and sometimes brutally honest mind.
I was amazed at the path that one can take in life after an enormous event, such as, in this case, a divorce. When Mary got divorced a wide array of occurrences happened, and in writing about them, Mary speaks on her independent growth.
Lots of the pieces reminded me of journal entries, while others where like short stories. It was a very entertaining collection. While 38 disquisitions might sound like a lot, they are actually very easy going reads and for about 90% of the book, you’ll find yourself giggling.
With that said, I give “When the Shoe Fits” 4 Stars. While I was not completely blown away by the content, as it was very down to earth, I was certainly entertained. Furthermore, I would recommend it to people that enjoy essays.
June 7, 2015
I liked the premise of this book: author Wagner writes essays about her life as a middle-aged woman who has had to redefine herself after several major life changes, including a life-altering medical situation, a divorce, and an empty nest.
I really enjoyed Wagner's direct no-nonsense attitude, as well as her willingness to be vulnerable, to really put it all out there. Her honesty is refreshing, and it drew me in. I will admit that some of Wagner's stories (and accompanying commentary) leaned toward the cheesy side, but I was also surprised by the depth and wisdom displayed in other stories. I found myself especially appreciative of her stories about her struggle to start a new career as a lawyer after her divorce. (I really liked Ripple Effect, May It Please the Court, and The Carpe Diem Girls.) It was very clear to me that Wagner has busted her a** to get where she is, and I have enormous respect for her for that reason.
Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read. The stories moved quickly and, for the most part, were very entertaining.
I really enjoyed Wagner's direct no-nonsense attitude, as well as her willingness to be vulnerable, to really put it all out there. Her honesty is refreshing, and it drew me in. I will admit that some of Wagner's stories (and accompanying commentary) leaned toward the cheesy side, but I was also surprised by the depth and wisdom displayed in other stories. I found myself especially appreciative of her stories about her struggle to start a new career as a lawyer after her divorce. (I really liked Ripple Effect, May It Please the Court, and The Carpe Diem Girls.) It was very clear to me that Wagner has busted her a** to get where she is, and I have enormous respect for her for that reason.
Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read. The stories moved quickly and, for the most part, were very entertaining.
June 4, 2014
I suppose I’m not the “target” audience for “When the Shoe Fits…,” Mary T. Wagner’s “best of” collection of essays from her award-winning trilogy, “Running with Stilettos,” “Heck on Heels,” and “Fabulous in Flats.” Her slice-of-life personal narratives are obviously geared towards inspiring women, and I’m sure that they do just that. But her stories, born from the trials and tribulations of loves and losses, are universal in the lessons they teach. We all eventually hit a rough patch on that roadway of life. Wagner shows us, with her signature charm and humor, how to find our inner shock absorbers to make it a little easier to not only withstand those bumps along the way but to come out of them stronger and more self-assured so that we can keep on walking down that road…be it in stilettos or sneakers.
October 1, 2014
Intrigued by the synopsis of When the Shoe Fits, I anticipated reading Mary T Wagner’s essays. Relating to Mary’s life in so many of her stories, having experienced similar second chances of my own, I found the narratives entertaining.
Regardless of subject matter, each essay kept me engaged with the author’s comedic skill, while presenting real life scenarios that embraced a variety of emotions.
Mary T Wagner sprinkled wisdom throughout her essays, leaving pearls to ponder. I enjoyed reflecting on my life only to discover new avenues still available to test.
Regardless of subject matter, each essay kept me engaged with the author’s comedic skill, while presenting real life scenarios that embraced a variety of emotions.
Mary T Wagner sprinkled wisdom throughout her essays, leaving pearls to ponder. I enjoyed reflecting on my life only to discover new avenues still available to test.
July 25, 2014
This collection of essays was well-written in a fabulous voice that kept me turning pages. Wagner shares heartache and humor through her divorce, dating, and life experiences.
I am not a fan of essays or many adult novels, but I found Wagner captivated me from the first chapter with her wit, charm, and honesty.
I would recommend this essay collection to any woman who has loved, lost, and lived looking to share in another woman's life lessons.
I am not a fan of essays or many adult novels, but I found Wagner captivated me from the first chapter with her wit, charm, and honesty.
I would recommend this essay collection to any woman who has loved, lost, and lived looking to share in another woman's life lessons.
July 24, 2014
Mary T. Wagner writes like she lives her life -- full of energy,joi de vivre, and mirth. Her short essays are written in a light breezy fashion which makes them easily readable and often unforgettable. Years ago I read one of her first essays about making Christmas cookies with her young teenage children which I will never forget. No spoiler alert here but it involves a bloody axe. The writing and stories certainly are not dull or predictable. Just like my dear friend, Mary T. -- Liz
August 15, 2014
A solid collection of essays about life from one of my favorite authors.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews