Diaries of a Nail Technician

Diaries of a Nail Technician is a collection of stories based on gossip heard in the salon. Money divided families, marriages ended in divorce, and friends betrayed one another. For almost four decades, Ann worked as a nail tech while her clients confessed everything. Be careful what you say in public. You never know who is listening.

Follow a South Florida nail technician as she spends her career listening to gossip in the salon. The stories focus on the daily life of the women in one affluent area in South Florida. Money doesn't buy manners, morals, or common sense. It was not what happened in her clients' lives but how they reacted that demonstrated who they were. The stories are of love and loss. A salon owner's affair, a woman searching for her birth mother, and a girl who lost her mother too soon and had to find her way in life were only some of the tales—women whose behavior was less than flattering pepper the pages. Ann learned so much from her clientele in the almost four decades she worked as a nail technician, and many of the lessons are worth sharing. Women can be great teachers, but women can also be ruthless. Be careful what you say in public; you never know who is listening.

Ann Cedeno lives in Parkland, FL, with her husband, Angelo. Working as a nail technician in one salon or another for over four decades, she learned many lessons worth sharing from her clientele. The stories of what women went through and how their decisions impacted their lives are cringe-worthy and make for a great read. Ann raised her two children with her husband while working full time as a nail technician. Those years were hectic, and only now, after her children have grown and left home, does she have the time to reflect on what happened throughout her life. Teran is successful in her career and has blessed them with a son-in-law, Jeremy, and a grandson, Jace. Angelo graduated from FSU and is living in Nashville. He is a drummer for the band Southpost, and he shares his mother's love of books. Always an avid reader but not having an opportunity to write before, Ann surprised herself with the ease at which she could tell the stories in a way that was interesting to other women. At work, Ann paid attention to the details of marriages, friendships, affairs, illness, and adoptions and learned from them. At home, her friends and family enjoyed hearing the firsthand accounts of how women behaved in public; it said so much about who they were. They are all on the pages of her book, Diaries of a Nail Technician, and although she continues to write, she remains working in the salon. The work has always been rewarding and inspiring.