They Only Eat Their Husbands

Love, Travel, and the Power of Running Away

by Cara Lopez Lee

$15.95

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After a lover threatens to kill her, 26-year-old Cara Lopez Lee runs away to Alaska. There, she finds herself in a complicated love triangle with two alcoholics: Sean, the martial artist, and Chance, the paramedic. Nine years later, sick of love and the abuse that destroyed it, she runs away again, this time to backpack alone around the world. Recounting one woman’s journey to self-discovery with dazzling honesty and humor, this memoir follows her year-long trek through Thailand, China, Nepal, Spain, and Ireland.

 

REVIEWS

“It’s rare when an author really opens up and divulges her innermost insecurities. No matter your background, you’ll be able to take something from this book, whether it’s how to stand up for yourself, how to steer clear of an unhealthy relationship, how to trust your instincts, or how to live according to your rules.”
Susan Blumberg-Kason, author, Good Chinese Wife

“I loved Cara Lopez Lee’s memoir. The characters are as well drawn as those in novels, the relationship dynamics fascinating, and the journey of self-discovery very satisfying. The voice in the memoir is charming and honest, without being cloying or precious. It’s a voice you definitely want to spend time with.”

Barbara Wright, author, Plain Language

“A delightfully engaging read. Lee reminds us that in travel as in life, the inward journey is as messy, important, and rewarding as the outward one.”

Kyle Wagner, travel editor, Denver Post

“Lee writes candidly about her adventurous—and sometimes tumultuous—journey through life. Her vivid prose draws you into that journey. Her passion makes you want to stay for the ride.”
Valorie Burton, author, What’s Really Holding You Back?

“With an open heart, Cara Lopez Lee relates her round-the-world journey to self-discovery with the unabashed, dazzling honesty of a good friend telling you her innermost secrets over a cup of coffee. The backdrop of intriguing cultures and landscapes further enriches Lee’s bold memoir.”
Rose Muenker, winner, The Society of American Travel Writers Gold Award Travel Column

“Lee gets it right about life and love in the last frontier . . . Her adventures on the road had me laughing out loud with a heart-tugging message we can all relate to.”
Lauren Maxwell, anchor, CBS 11 News This Morning, Anchorage, Alaska

“Lee takes you on a fun, fabulous adventure—perfect for any woman who wishes she could escape ‘life’ to travel the world.”
Susan Kim, anchor, Live at Daybreak, Today’s TMJ4, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“Lee’s ill-advised romances with a cast of Alaskan rogues had me alternately laughing and wanting to shout, ‘No, don’t do it!’ Meanwhile, her descriptions of the unusual people and exotic locations she encountered on her travels made me eager to experience them myself . . . until I remembered Asian rats and European robbers are not my thing.”
Mark Graham, author, The Fire Theft

 

Categories: , , Product ID: 1462

Additional information

Imprint

Conundrum Press

ISBN

9781942280002

Author

Format

Paperback

Pages

346

Size

6 x 9

Publication Date

October 14, 2004

The Author

Cara Lopez Lee

Cara Lopez Lee

Cara Lopez Lee grew up in Los Angeles, dream capital of the world, but at first she didn't trust her dream. "When I read Little Women in third grade, I wanted to write books," Cara says, "but I thought only extraordinary people did that." Nine years as a TV journalist in Alaska increased her love of stories. Then she went on a yearlong solo trek around the world, filled 14 journals, and wrote her memoir, They Only Eat Their Husbands: Love, Travel, and the Power of Running Away (Conundrum Press, 2014). Today, Cara is an author, editor, and writing coach. Her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Los Angeles Times, Denver Post, Santa Fe New Mexican, Manifest-Station, 50-Word-Stories, Pangyrus, Connotation Press, Rivet Journal, Two Truths and a Lie podcast, and No Extra Words podcast. She was a writer for shows on HGTV, Food Network, and Discovery Health. She has coauthored two books with Vietnam War veterans for Graham Publishing Group: the memoir Unexpected Prisoner (with Robert Wideman 2016), and the novel Back in the Real World (with Ed Turner, 2011). She teaches for the Young Writers Program at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Her writing has earned 16 awards from The Denver Woman's Press Club and Alaska Press Club. An avid traveler, Cara has explored Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and most of the 50 United States. She also gets a kick out of swing and blues dancing, hiking, movies, and reading. Cara and her husband got married at an active volcano in Costa Rica. They now live in the quiet beach town of Ventura, California. About both writing and marriage, Cara says, "I used to find inspiration in the Confucius quote, 'Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.' I no longer see it that way. Great love requires sacrifice, but the sacrifice is worth it."

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