Words & Banter

NEW Year – NEW Attitude – And New STUFF!

We’re starting the new year with a new attitude and a new business venture – merchandise! For a limited time only (until the end of January), our Kickstarter campaign will be offering our exclusive, first-edition apparel collection. All include practical and empowering messages based on our real-life stories and experiences.

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I’m so excited about our new products. You might call it “merchandise with meaning,” but I think of it as “fun stuff” that inspires and makes you smile. And I’m thrilled we’re offering a selection of first-edition items, including stickers, even if only for a limited time.


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

I love how each piece of merchandise provides humor, wisdom, and practical advice for everyday living but may also inspire better decisions.


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I know we initially planned to have these items available for the holidays, but it seemed nothing went as planned.


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

Life rarely does, but I think it worked out for the best because,
The NEW YEAR is a perfect time for a NEW ATTITUDE. And, hopefully, a NEW BUSINESS.

Our Red & Black Kickstarter campaign offers a selection of first-edition merchandise including a sheet of stickers with motivating phrases and eye-catching graphics, but also autographed copies of our bestselling book that can be personalized. Whether you buy something for yourself or for others – we hope it will help get the New Year off to the right start with inspiration and motivation. And humor.

DON’T WAIT! It will be a very short campaign (only 30 days), so there’s no time to waste.

Green rectangular button with image of Red & Black cartoon characters and next to them the text \u201cClick here for our Kickstarter page!\u201d displayed in white.

red & black merchandise
Learning For Life

Life ... No Instructions But A List

Wouldn’t it be great if life came with instructions? Since it doesn’t, we thought a few good reminders could help … so we created this list.

For those who know us, it won’t come as any surprise that we each approach almost everything differently. But after decades of comparing notes, debating decisions, and occasionally driving each other crazy, we’ve learned a few things about getting through life.

Consider this list our practical, slightly (ok, maybe more than slightly) opinionated guide to approaching life.

Use it, tweak it, or trash it. The choice is yours.

Keep Reading ...Show less
life advice
Red & Black

Black Then. Black Now.

From back flap of our book, “What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!” Photograph by Fletcher Benton

Long before we had an ABOUT page, readers met Black through the back flap of our bestselling book, What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!and Got Fired! But a lot has happened since Neiman Marcus launched our book, including countless Red & Black adventures and detours.

Surprisingly, little about Black has changed.

WHAT WE SAID THEN

Black picked the photo, and our book editor summarized Black in about 80 words:

Black is all business. With an MBA in international Finance, she retired before she was 40 from a successful career in the oil and gas industry. She has been involved with The Make-A-Wish Foundation for over 20 years and has raised over $1 million. But without a day job, her life did not provide enough excitement and challenge, so she began racing cars. Black, the ultimate pragmatic, lives in Houston where she approaches everything with high-speed intensity and determination.

WHAT WE DIDN’T KNOW THEN …

We knew Black was all business. We didn’t know that, instead of becoming the basis of a sitcom, our book would take us into the world of education … and then criminal justice.

We knew racing would always be part of Black’s story. We didn’t know that her experiences racing Porsches and Ferraris would inspire countless car and racing analogies about navigating life.

We knew Make-A-Wish mattered to her. We probably should have known that she would still be involved decades later, and that the amount she has raised would continue to grow (it’s now approaching $2 million).

And we described Black as “the ultimate pragmatic.” Well, no update required.

AND THERE’S A STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO …

We have no shortage of stories, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that this isn’t just an ordinary photo. It was taken by artist and sculptor Fletcher Benton in 2003, when he came to cheer Black on during the Ferrari Challenge races at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

So, how did an internationally recognized artist end up at one of Black’s races? Although neither of them knew it at the time, years earlier, Fletcher and Black had both been racing at the same Porsche event. But they didn’t actually meet until Black started collecting art and spotted his race car at his studio.

And that may be the real story behind the photo — how so many seemingly separate parts of Black’s life have ended up connecting.

A lot has changed since 2009. Black being Black isn’t one of those things.

Red & Black
Red & Black

Real Sisters. Real Life. Real Stories.

Design by Sawyer Pennington

Cartoon says it all ....

Red & Black