Cathy Alter, a Washington, D.C. correspondent for People magazine, is the author of books on the Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin, and LeAnn Rimes. Her profiles, essays, and features have showcased her strange affinity for American subcultures. She holds a Masters in Writing from Johns Hopkins University.

Please visit www.cathyalter.com



UP FOR RENEWAL:
What Magazines Taught Me about Love, Sex, and Starting Over
Simon & Schuster, July 2008
Genre: Inspiration & Self-Help
Agent: Dan Mandel

Foreign Sales
Russian: Exmo

By age thirty-seven, Cathy Alter had made a mess of her life. She had one failed marriage, a diet consisting of a steady stream of junk food, questionable friends, and highly questionable men. So Cathy gave her life over to women’s magazines for the next twelve months, resolving to follow their advice without question. If all else failed, at least she would have thinner thighs and know how to host the perfect garden party. Well, at least that was the premise of her social experiment. What actually happened was much less about cosmetic change and much more about internal transformation. Up For Renewal will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered if they could actually make their life over.