Martha Brockenbrough's It Could Happen To You is a delightfully funny diary of the author's own pregnancy through the first year of her daughter's life. It is the perfect antidote to all of the patronizing, horribly dull pregnancy books, which are long on advice and short on laughs. It Could Happen To You began as a column Brockenbrough wrote for the Microsoft Network while she was pregnant. During its tenure on MSN, it was the most widely read column about pregnancy and motherhood on the Internet. It's easy to see why. Brockenbrough's amusing approach to pregnancy and motherhood will strike a chord with experienced moms and the newly pregnant alike, who may wonder, as the author did, "Do I really have to wear maternity clothes?" Throughout the book, Brockenbrough shares her joys and her fears, and asks the questions every new mom wants to know, such as, "Why do old ladies keep telling me my baby is cold?" and share the realization that 'When you're a mother, your guilt light goes off the second you start doing something for you, instead of something for your child." A few not-to-be-missed chapters written by her husband, Adam, such as "A Guy's Guide to Baby Holding," provide a comical male perspective on the whole experience. Refreshingly honest and funny, It Could Happen To You is just right for bolstering the most important tool a new parent has - a sense of humor.
Martha Brockenbrough is the author of four books:
- Devine Intervention, a young adult novel about the world's most inept guardian angel and the girl he accidentally kills. Arthur A. Levine is publishing this book on June 1, 2012.
- The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy (forthcoming, Arthur A. Levine Books)
- Things That Make Us [Sic], published in 2008 by St. Martin's Press
- It Could Happen to You, published in 2002 by Andrews McMeel Universal
She writes about pop culture, parenting, and other topics for MSN.com, Women's Health, Parenting, and other publications. Corporate clients include Cozi, Cranium, Hasbro, and Digital Kitchen.
She teaches a course in writing children's literature at the University of Washington (the spring section).
She founded both National Grammar Day and SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. National Grammar Day is every March 4. Mark your calendars!
Martha is on the national blog team for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
She has worked as a newspaper reporter, a high school teacher, and as editor of MSN.com.
