Life just isn''t The Love Boat for nearly-thirty Shannon, the tongue-in-cheek heroine of Welcome to My Planet.

Credit cards don''t pay themselves, no obvious mate has appeared with her name pinned to his collar, and a job doing new-product research for a fledgling software company doesn''t quite make ends meet in the meaning-of-life department. Then there''s the loser boyfriend, another boyfriend, her therapist, and unforgettably, Shannon''s mom, Flo, with her unrecognizable leftover casseroles and quirky advice for her daughter.

In a fit of debt and with a bruised heart, Shannon moves back home to witness the day-to-day tremors of her parents'' own marriage. This is a dark-and-light tale—freshly witty and poignant—told by a young woman with a universal touch.