Texas Speak Advanced

This tourist phrasebook parody is for anyone stumped by the way they say it in Texas, or for those who need a refresher course in spoken Texian, or folks in plain need of a laugh. Jennifer Briggs explains the twang, the drawl and the colorful delivery that's made Texas a whole other country. Included is much Lone Star lore irreverently told. "Texas Speak Advanced Course," a self-standing sequel to "Speak Texan in 30 Minutes or Less," makes a great birthday gift, house present or stocking stuffer.

Jennifer Briggs is a freelance writer and author whose ancestors helped establish Texas as well as threw dead cats in passing vehicles on Halloween.

At 18, she was hired by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after serving as the Texas Ranger's first ball girl. At one point she assumed the personna of Betty Ann Stout, an outspoken but wholly fictional pro-wrestling columnist who drew a loyal following. Later she covered the Philadelphia Phillies and Green Bay Packers for other newspapers.

Her books include, "Quoatable Billy Graham," "The Book of Landry," "Strive to Excel: The Will and Wisdom of Vince Lombardi," "A Very Brady Guide to Life," "Nolan Ryan: The Authorized Pictorial History."

She and her husband Mike live in Fort Worth with three large dogs who eat windows.