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Diz and Clarissa Are Back for the Holidays!
It’s Christmas Eve in Baltimore, and you know what that means . . . snow. Lots of it. Join our dynamic duo as they battle the elements, each other, and a Siberian husky named Sadie—all in an ill-fated attempt to host their first holiday party. “Blended Families,” the latest tale of Diz and Clarissa, is a rollicking, yuletide romp that combines Meet the Parents with The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Join Diz and Clarissa as they welcome Bernard and Elspeth Wiley, Art and Maggie Gillespie, a priest, an ex-nun, a German widow, a felonious Siberian husky, and a well-dressed Whippet named Maris.
Three combines the all-new “Blended Families” with the bonus addition of two previously published Diz and Clarissa stories, “Nevermore!” and A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore. The trilogy is a holiday omnibus not to be missed.
It’s Christmas Eve in Baltimore, and you know what that means . . . snow. Lots of it. Join our dynamic duo as they battle the elements, each other, and a Siberian husky named Sadie—all in an ill-fated attempt to host their first holiday party. “Blended Families,” the latest tale of Diz and Clarissa, is a rollicking, yuletide romp that combines Meet the Parents with The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Join Diz and Clarissa as they welcome Bernard and Elspeth Wiley, Art and Maggie Gillespie, a priest, an ex-nun, a German widow, a felonious Siberian husky, and a well-dressed Whippet named Maris.
Three combines the all-new “Blended Families” with the bonus addition of two previously published Diz and Clarissa stories, “Nevermore!” and A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore. The trilogy is a holiday omnibus not to be missed.
122 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2013
2 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Ann McMan
34 books572 followersCollege at an indifferent liberal arts institution taught Ann McMan that understanding subject/verb agreement was not enough to secure her fame and fortune. After graduation, she got a job driving a young adult bookmobile—and spent her days piloting the great rig across the dusty back roads of rural North Carolina. Her duties included making certain that the mobile library always contained at least six copies of "Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret", visiting the county detention unit (it was a great way to catch up with her brothers), and showing public service films about safe sex to pre-teens at 4-H Clubs all across her part of “The New South.”
Soon, the allure of higher education coaxed Ann back to school. For the past three decades, Ann has worked at a succession of premier institutions, designing marketing and advancement materials that promote, promulgate, and extol the benefits of indifferent liberal arts education.
Somebody has to do it.
All this time, she continued to write. And when, at the ripe old age of thirty, she realized that she was not like other girls, the great world of lesbian literature opened its arms, and provided her with a safe haven in which to grow and learn about her new identity. She will forever be indebted to those literary pioneers who had the courage, the talent, and the temerity to gift us all with an art form of our own. Ann’s first and subsequent attempts at writing lesbian fiction have been heartfelt attempts to pay that great gift forward.
Ann McMan is the author of three novels, JERICHO, DUST, and AFTERMATH–and the story collection SIDECAR.
In 2011, Ann, along with her novels JERICHO and DUST and her short story “I Saw Xena Kissing Senticles” were elected to The Royal Academy of Bards Hall of Fame. In 2012, she was awarded the Alice B. Lavender Certificate.
BACKCAST, further adventures of the CLIT-Con 13 (that zany cast of authors from SIDECAR’s “Bottle Rocket”) will be released in 2013.
Soon, the allure of higher education coaxed Ann back to school. For the past three decades, Ann has worked at a succession of premier institutions, designing marketing and advancement materials that promote, promulgate, and extol the benefits of indifferent liberal arts education.
Somebody has to do it.
All this time, she continued to write. And when, at the ripe old age of thirty, she realized that she was not like other girls, the great world of lesbian literature opened its arms, and provided her with a safe haven in which to grow and learn about her new identity. She will forever be indebted to those literary pioneers who had the courage, the talent, and the temerity to gift us all with an art form of our own. Ann’s first and subsequent attempts at writing lesbian fiction have been heartfelt attempts to pay that great gift forward.
Ann McMan is the author of three novels, JERICHO, DUST, and AFTERMATH–and the story collection SIDECAR.
In 2011, Ann, along with her novels JERICHO and DUST and her short story “I Saw Xena Kissing Senticles” were elected to The Royal Academy of Bards Hall of Fame. In 2012, she was awarded the Alice B. Lavender Certificate.
BACKCAST, further adventures of the CLIT-Con 13 (that zany cast of authors from SIDECAR’s “Bottle Rocket”) will be released in 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 21, 2018
Contains three of the four Diz and Clarissa short stories.
Nevermore
Two coworkers work in the same basement area. One is named Diz, the other Clarissa. One's destined to not rise much above her current position, the other is headed to the moon (or something like that). One looks like Rachel Maddow while the other has red hair . . . and is gorgeous.
They bicker a lot.
One, the rich one, Clarissa, invites the other, Diz, to spend time with her at the Christmas party - since Dash, the boyfriend of Clarissa, will be late. And so they do - spend time together there. Diz getting steadily drunker, Clarissa nursing 1 glass of wine.
Lovely little short story. Abrupt ending.
Rating: 4.25
November 17 2016
A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore
It's a year later and Clarissa, as the first story promised, is rapidly moving up the company ladder, while Diz is still in her old position. Though with a new office mate.
Most of this story does not take place with both Clarissa and Diz in it.
This one had humor and it made me tear up (and, just like the first story, there was vomiting).
Rating: 4.62
November 17 2016
Blended Families
Family, Holiday, Christmas
This is the story that I probably shouldn't have read immediately. There's only so much 'one partner blaming (largely incorrectly) the other for every mistake known to man; while the other partner just takes it like a doormat that feels lucky' before I explode. So I ended up pausing this specific story before continuing.
Once I continued it the story turned out okay - good even.
The two main characters are once again about to enjoy Christmas (every story, including the fourth not in this collection, are set during Christmas time in Baltimore). The difference this time is that both live together, and they are going to have a 'blended families' Christmas party - both of their families. The ultra-rich, and the less than ultra-rich. Diz, naturally, is ashamed of her family (for whatever reason - a lot of her problems are built on her feeling ashamed of herself or of her family).
As normal - stuff occurs out of Diz's control that end up involving the police, damage, and her partner - Clarissa, being ultra pissed at her (while also fighting back laughter).
Rating: 3.9
November 19 2016
Overall
Nevermore: 4.25
A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore: 4.62
Blended Families: 3.9
Overall: 4.257
November 20 2016
Nevermore
Two coworkers work in the same basement area. One is named Diz, the other Clarissa. One's destined to not rise much above her current position, the other is headed to the moon (or something like that). One looks like Rachel Maddow while the other has red hair . . . and is gorgeous.
They bicker a lot.
One, the rich one, Clarissa, invites the other, Diz, to spend time with her at the Christmas party - since Dash, the boyfriend of Clarissa, will be late. And so they do - spend time together there. Diz getting steadily drunker, Clarissa nursing 1 glass of wine.
Lovely little short story. Abrupt ending.
Rating: 4.25
November 17 2016
A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore
It's a year later and Clarissa, as the first story promised, is rapidly moving up the company ladder, while Diz is still in her old position. Though with a new office mate.
Most of this story does not take place with both Clarissa and Diz in it.
This one had humor and it made me tear up (and, just like the first story, there was vomiting).
Rating: 4.62
November 17 2016
Blended Families
Family, Holiday, Christmas
This is the story that I probably shouldn't have read immediately. There's only so much 'one partner blaming (largely incorrectly) the other for every mistake known to man; while the other partner just takes it like a doormat that feels lucky' before I explode. So I ended up pausing this specific story before continuing.
Once I continued it the story turned out okay - good even.
The two main characters are once again about to enjoy Christmas (every story, including the fourth not in this collection, are set during Christmas time in Baltimore). The difference this time is that both live together, and they are going to have a 'blended families' Christmas party - both of their families. The ultra-rich, and the less than ultra-rich. Diz, naturally, is ashamed of her family (for whatever reason - a lot of her problems are built on her feeling ashamed of herself or of her family).
As normal - stuff occurs out of Diz's control that end up involving the police, damage, and her partner - Clarissa, being ultra pissed at her (while also fighting back laughter).
Rating: 3.9
November 19 2016
Overall
Nevermore: 4.25
A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore: 4.62
Blended Families: 3.9
Overall: 4.257
November 20 2016
April 25, 2014
3 short stories about Diz and Clarissa spread across 3 Christmas’s
“Nevermore” finds the pair at the Christmas party after working together for 2 years ‘in the basement’ at Clarissa’s family. Diz, gawky, geeky, Rachel Maddow lookalike, dreams of the fabulous, upmarket and “almost engaged” Clarissa. She promptly gets drunk and disorderly, and finds herself being ministered to by her dreamy guardian angel..
A year later in “A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore’ Clarissa has moved to the 9th floor and hey have spent the year stuck in amber. It’s the day after the Christmas party and Clarissa is coming over for a late supper, except a Baltimore snowstorm has other ideas. Simply Red, tossing the Christmas tree and pink lights add up to a wondrous night for Diz.
Blended Families jumps forwards another year and Diz is freaked out by Clarissa’s determination to have a Christmas party and invite both families. After several run-ins with the law and a husky, including one which has put Clarissa’s mothers prize whippet into therapy, Diz thinks the party will seal the end of their fragile romance. Little does she know quite how chaotic it can get.
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Three brilliant short stories that take us from the first dawnings of a relationship through to “Meet the parents” on double vegan egg-nog. Diz and Clarissa are wonderful characters; chalk and cheese - ditzy geek who has no idea how attractive she is and long-suffering rich girl who knows just what she wants.
Ann McMan has given us a charming Christmas delight. Witty, humorous and full of fun. Fast paced and full of non-stop rollicks - I couldn’t put it down. Anyone who likes some Christmas cheer will love this, and lets hope for more Diz and Clarissa adventures in the future.
December 30, 2013
Three different Christmases, same couple and the events that evolve around them. Fun short stories!
January 4, 2014
Worth of your tears from great laughters! Read on!...
March 12, 2017
A bit heavy on the slapstick side and very cartoonish characters. But for three subsequent Christmas short stories that's fully acceptable.
March 7, 2015
The first story of this trilogy had potential but it ends just as it gets to what should be the meat of the story. The second is a fairly boring, with a plot that drags on. The third is just ridiculous. The plot just veers from one stupid situation to another, with the author trying too hard to be amusing and failing. After reading all three stories I'm no wiser as to why these two are together. I can't believe this is from the same author who wrote Jericho. $1.99 was still too much to pay for this.
December 6, 2015
2014 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
December 9, 2015
Cute short stories
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews