Fierce, Funny and Female Book Cover

Fierce, Funny and Female

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FIERCE, FUNNY,
AND FEMALE
A Journey Through Middle America, the Texas Oil Field, and Standup Comedy
by
MARTI MacGIBBON
Genre: Memoir / Drama / Humor
Publisher: Stay Strong Publishing
Date of Publication: March 20, 2017
Number of Pages: 412
synopsis banner
Fierce, Funny, and Female Book Cover

This book is the celebrated prequel to the critically acclaimed, nationally award-winning and bestselling memoir, Never Give in to Fear. In her raw, vivid, and unabashed style, author Marti MacGibbon delivers a sometimes heartbreaking, often hilarious, always engaging account of her passage through trauma, betrayal, and loss in adolescence and young adulthood to discover her inner badass self. As one of the first women to work as a laborer in the Texas oil field, she set off explosives and staked oil wells before realizing her childhood dream of becoming a successful standup comic. Marti introduces readers to a wide range of characters in her life: from sleazy authority figures, wannabe Sixties musicians and crazed Corn Belt cult leaders, to Texas oil billionaires and wildcatters, to wild-eyed redneck coworkers who robbed banks on their lunch hour―in the company truck. The book includes scenes with iconic comedians, Hollywood entertainment industry moguls, and a legendary bluesman, and offers insights into resiliency, courage, and self-empowerment.

WINNER, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in Humor
WINNER, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in Women’s Studies 
WINNER, 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards in Women’s Health
WINNER, 2017 Beverly Hills Book Awards in Women’s Issues 
WINNER, 2018 Independent Press Award in Humor
WINNER, 2018 Independent Press Award in Women’s Studies 
WINNER, 2018 New York City Book Book Award, Women’s Studies
FINALIST, 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Memoir (Overcoming Adversity)

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PRAISE FOR FIERCE, FUNNY, AND FEMALE:
“Being funny is a survival skill. Fierce, Funny, and Female is not only a survivor’s tale but an inspirational story of overcoming the unthinkable, again and again…Her courage and comedy make Fierce, Funny, and Female a winner.”
— Foreword Clarion Reviews
“An effervescently witty…chronicle of perseverance and the power to overcome the darkest of days…Perhaps the most rewarding chapter in this chatty, affecting book is the concluding one, where MacGibbon lists the tried-and-true pearls of wisdom that continue to sustain her…”
— Kirkus Reviews
Fierce, Funny, and Female is a thoroughly engaging memoir packed with witty observations, high adventure, and a glimpse of behind-the-scenes Hollywood. Highly recommended!”
— Midwest Book Review
“MacGibbon is a natural storyteller, and her life story is a most interesting one. The characters she has run across during her life journey are well-drawn and absolutely fascinating, particularly the good ol’ boys in the Texas oilfields.”
— San Francisco Book Review

Fierce, Funny, and Female notable quotable: "Finally, remember that life, like comedy, is tough but fun. Focus too much on the tough and you break down. Focus on the fun and you win out. So have fun, be strong, and keep working it.

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Excerpt Banner
FROM CHAPTER ONE OF FIERCE, FUNNY, AND FEMALE
BY MARTI MacGIBBON
Bugs Bunny, the Corn Belt, and the Yellow Brick Road of Adolescence
Deep down, I’ve always been fierce, but didn’t come to grips with that till later on. Funny’s different. My earliest memories revolve around funny stuff: laughing at funny stuff and getting in trouble for laughing too much. By the time I was six, I knew for sure I wanted to be a comedian. I knew I was funny, and since I was a rebel even back then, I never let the Dominican nuns at elementary school cramp my style. Whenever possible, I watched standup comics on television, especially the very few females in the comedy prime time scene. I checked out joke books from the library and studied them intently. Soon I began producing original material, comedic monologues or parodies of commercials that I performed first for my parents, then for my friends and their parents—and the cool thing is, I actually got laughs. The laughs hooked me. I wrote a sitcom script in second grade, and tried to get Sister Mary Elizabeth to greenlight my production. I planned on producing, directing, casting, and playing a major role, but she killed it right outta the gate…she said the family depicted in my script was not a good Catholic family. Hell, I modeled it after the Honeymooners and Bugs Bunny cartoons, with lots of sarcasm and conflict. That’s the way I viewed life, even at that tender age. But it didn’t play with the convent crowd.
Finally convinced that the nuns were simply too square to get my humor, I focused all my energy on the neighborhood, cultivating the loyal following I’d built up around the cul de sacs and carports in my little corner of the suburban Corn Belt. I grew up in Middle America, far from the bright lights and glamour of New York and L.A., but oh, how I longed to get to one of those two show biz Meccas. Looking back now, it’s revealing to recall my determination, my hunger and thirst to get in front of an audience and throw out some punchlines. Funny is fierce; it’s badass, a force to be reckoned with. Standup comedy is martial, you can tell by the lexicon of the trade—terms like “punchline,” for instance. Backstage, after a set, comics comment on their performances with, I killed,” “I bombed,” “I crushed,” “I died,” “killer set,” “I blew the roof off.” It’s a certain kind of badassery.
Along with Marilyn, another funny kid who lived in the neighborhood, I co-wrote, co-produced, co-directed, and starred in a one-hour sketch comedy show. Marilyn and I cast our friends in some of the sketches, and we created props and scenery. None of this shit was Golden Globes caliber, or even Peoples’ Choice level, but for second graders it rocked. We packed the house—well, it was a carport, and the audience sat in folding chairs in the driveway, but still. The show killed!
I was always fierce, but focused on funny. About two weeks into first grade at St. Agnes School, the Dominican sisters began the process of squelching my nascent ferocity by suspending me from school for a day. Like many a prison movie, the riot had broken out in the yard, so to speak. I was out on the playground at recess, swinging on the swing set. Behind me I heard screams, so I jumped off, tucked, rolled, and rose to a crouch in my shiny patent leather shoes. Whirling toward the shrill cacophony of my female classmates, I saw dozens of girls stampeding, thundering across the playground in adrenaline-fueled panic. I grabbed one of them by the arm as they sped past. Hey! Why are you running?”
She stopped, gasping for breath, and looked back over her shoulder. The boys! They’re chasing us—if they catch you, they knock you down and pull up your dress and then, um, they PULL YOUR UNDERWEAR DOWN!!” She bolted away, gibbering in terror.
I couldn’t figure out why they were running. There were almost twice as many girls as boys in our class. We had them outnumbered! I shouted at the top of my lungs, hoping to rally the troops for a counterattack. HEY! ALL YOU GIRLS!! WE DON’T HAVE TO STAND FOR THIS! C’MON, FOLLOW ME!” I spun, turned to face the pack of boys. Three of them had knocked down a pigtailed girl in a plaid dress with a lacy white collar. She was crying, I could see her face turning redder and redder. Furious, and pumped with adrenaline, I charged, hollering a spontaneous battle cry. BOMBS AWAAAYYY!”
Running full-speed into the fray, I instinctively zeroed in on the biggest kid, the ringleader, a dentist’s son with red hair and freckles. I slammed into him head-on, knocked him onto his back, then jumped on his chest. Sitting astride him I pounded my fists on his face, chest, and shoulders. At that point, two nuns appeared out of nowhere, pulled me off, and dragged me away.
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Marti MacGibbon Author Photo

A compelling speaker and storyteller, Marti MacGibbon delivers high-energy presentations and writes books on overcoming adversity, addiction and recovery, and inspiration, with humor and a genuine, down-to-earth style. She’s experienced critical situations that no human being should have to face. In the past, she hit rock bottom in every possible way as a hard-core drug addict, was homeless, and was trafficked to Tokyo and held prisoner by Japanese organized crime. Her story of triumph is testimony to the power of the human spirit. Marti lives her message. She reveals simple, effective strategies that anyone can use to get back on track, build resiliency, reduce stress, and cultivate a sense of humor.

Marti is a bestselling author, inspirational speaker, certified addiction treatment professional, Gorski certified relapse-prevention specialist, and member of the National Speakers Association. She’s been interviewed in Entrepreneur, Investor’s Business Daily, on ABC-TV, CBS-TV, and numerous radio shows. And she’s funny: Marti traveled all over the U.S. as a professional standup comic and performed at the Hollywood Improv and Comedy Store. She is founder, producer and host of Laff-aholics Comedy Benefit for Recovery, an annual charity fundraiser in Indianapolis featuring nationally headlining comedians. She also serves on the outreach committee of IPATH, Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans Task Force.
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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
Each of Three Winners Gets a Signed Copy of the Book PLUS:
FIRST PRIZE:
$100 Spa Finder gift card + $25 Starbucks gift card + Moroccan oil sample collection
SECOND PRIZE:
Estee Lauder Limited Edition Gift Set + $25 Starbucks gift card
THIRD PRIZE:
$25 Starbucks gift card
December 12-21, 2018
(U.S. ONLY)
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