Star Book Review: A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess

In the classic chick lit story, A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess, Abigail is having a quarter-life crisis of sorts. After finally getting up the courage to leave her boyfriend, Peter, of seven-plus years, Abigail’s biggest fear is that she’ll become the loneliest single girl in London. To avoid “catching” the LSG syndrome, she goes to her Lothario-like flatmate, Robert, for singledom advice. Abigail quickly learns that her best bet for dating is to act like a man. She compiles a best-of list based on Robert’s sage suggestions, and is determined to…

Be Cool

Be Detached

Act Brutal

Stay in Control

(Be) Bulletproof

Always Leave Them Before They Leave You

Not only do Robert’s strategies help to make Abigail a little less lonely, but it makes her adventures in dating in London a lot more entertaining. Of course, all this friendly coaching brings Robert and Abigail much closer together but now that she’s become a pro on the dating circuit, will she even be able to give Robert a chance?

A Girl Like You is full of hilarious antics and charades, giving readers the inside scoop on dating in a modern London. The description of characters made up for parts that may have been a tad predictable. Overall, well written and a fast read, I felt like I was “a girl like them”, eagerly awaiting the next page.

 4 Stars

Star Book Review: In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway

     In Office Hours was a great book full of juicy gossip and serious scandal. Lucy Kellaway’s writing was clad full of all the kinds of details meant for watercooler banter - quite literally, as this novel took place inside a fictional 9-5 office environment in London. IOH wove together two stories about two British women, Stella and Bella, who were on opposite ends of the corporate ladder but who found themselves walking in the same shoes, when each one embarked on a love affair with a coworker that brought nonstop drama into both their personal and work lives. Caught up in romance and debauchery, Stella and Bella rode a rollercoaster with fate and what seemed like everlasting excitement quickly turned into turmoil and disappointment.



Working Girl illustration by Bella Pilar



British author, Lucy Kellaway did a fabulous job exploring the inner thoughts of two very different women and the feelings they are left with after entering an illicit love affair. They differed in everything from their ranks in the corporate world to their roles in family life and marital status and even differed in the men they went after. However, their differences almost evaporated when both were met with a personal and public humiliation as they were outed for their forbidden relationships at the workplace and at home. Having narrated the story in first-person, by alternating between the each woman's voice, In Office Hours truly allowed the reader to hear two very separate perspectives on what it means to be and feel like "the other woman".

****4 STARS ****

This is one of the few books I sincerely hope to see a movie made of in the next few years. Stella and Bella and the scandal that surrounds them would be more than ideal for the big screen. I’m thinking a gorgeous yet believably established woman, like Kelly Rutherford-type for Stella and for young yet naive mom, Bella, a pretty Leighton Meister-type. (I’m a huge Gossip Girl fan if you couldn’t tell.)

**What book would you like to see at the movies? And who would star in it?

In the Spotlight: Audio Books

I have been listening to audio books for the past two plus years. To me, it is like watching your favorite soap opera, reality show or a movie at the theater. Just like reading, listening to the action, the characters and all the artful descriptions, audio books take me into a world of fantasy and fun.

                I wasn’t sure if I’d even like audio books before I tried it. I mean talking books? Really? How bizarre, right? And who doesn’t love to partake in the stereotypical activity of curling up on your sofa with your favorite heros and heroines? But what about those long car rides when you are just tired of listening to the same songs over and over again on the radio? Or those days and nights when you’re too tired to read? I know lots of my friends get so into their books that it keeps them wide awake, turning page after page until dawn or until the book is finished – whichever seems to come first. But not me. No matter how much I adore a book, love its characters or am intrigued by the plot, reading often puts me into a state of relation, nearing (and often resulting in) sleep.  So I thought maybe audio books would be an interesting alternative to mend my weary mind but to still nourish my love of all things fiction. Plus, I figure, it never hurts to try something once. If I don’t’ like it, there’s no loss; but if I do like it, it will be one more vehicle to expose myself to more novels in my favorite genre – chick lit.

                The first book that I found in the audio book section that sparked my interest was a relatively new release  (this was back in ’09) called Twenties Girl. Written by one of my favorite authors, Sophie Kinsella, this British chick lit book was read by narrator, Rosalyn Landor, who I later came to find, read a few other books by Sophie Kinsella. The audio book edition of Twenties Girl turned out to be extremely humorous much to the credit of the author but also praise must be paid to the woman who delivered the fine words provided by the author.

Since Twenties Girl, I have listened to countless other audio books – from autobiographies to comedies, mysteries, thrillers and of course, chick lit. The more I’ve searched for audio books, the more I’ve found they’re everywhere. Listening to Twenties Girl and being able to compare it to other audio books later, made me realize that an audio book is only as entertaining as the right combination of writing and its narration. I feel lucky that the first audio book I picked out had this winning combination and set the tone for future enjoyment in listening to more chick lit books.  

Have you given audio books a try yet? What will you listen to next?

Teaser Tuesday - 40 Love by Madeleine Wickham, Read by Katherine Kellgren

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“She had spent most of the day getting ready for tomorrow, but luckily the tasks she had allotted herself – arranging flowers, preparing vegetables, waxing her legs – were the sort of thing that could be done outside.  The main dishes – vegetable terrine for lunch, seafood tartlets for dinner – had arrived from the caterers that morning and Mrs. Finch had already decanted them onto serving plates. She had raised an eyebrow – couldn’t you even bring yourself to cook for eight people? – but Caroline was used to Mrs. Finch’s upwardly mobile eyebrows  and ignored them. For Christ’s sake, she thought, pouring herself another glass of wine, what was the point of having money and not spending it?”

~ 40 Love (also known as The Tennis Party) by Madeleine Wickham, Read by Katherine Kellgren

In 40 Love Madeleine Wickham, once again, gives readers and listeners a taste of the affluent British community and does a superb job of exaggerating all their tendencies, nuances and situations to create a dark and humorous ambiance. Katherine Kellgren delivers an effective sound of the haughty, totty voiceovers that reign supreme in Madeleine Wickham’s cynical and sarcastic characters. I can’t wait to find out what madness lies ahead!

40 Love (aka The Tennis Party) by Madeleine Wickham, Read by Katherine Kellgren*

It was Patrick's idea that they should have the tennis party weekend. After all, he had the perfect setting - the White House. Bought out of his bonuses as an investment salesman, it was complete with stable, cocktail bar, jacuzzi, shell-shaped bedheads and, of course, the tennis court (towered over by an authentic Wimbledon-green umpire's chair).

He hadn't actually told Caroline, his brash and beautiful wife, what the real reason for the party was. And if she suspected that he had a hidden agenda, she managed to hide it in a cloud of Pimm's-induced laughter. She was glad to welcome Stephen and Annie, their impoverished former neighbours, less glad to see newly wealthy Charles and his aristocratic wife Cressida, and barely able to tolerate the deadly competitive Don and Valerie.

As the four couples gathered on the sunny terrace, it seemed obvious who was winning in life and who was losing. But by the end of the party, nothing would be certain. As the first ball is served over the net it signals the start of two days of tempers, shocks, revelations, the arrival of an uninvited guest, and the realisation that the weekend is about anything but tennis.

40 Love will be on sale everywhere August 30, 2011.

Check out her YouTube video promoting the new release!

 

*Synopsis available on Sophie Kinsella’s web site at http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/books/madeleine-wickham/the-tennis-party/

A BIG THANK YOU TO Esther at MACMILLAN AUDIO for sending me a copy of 40 Love for review. All opinions of the novel are my own for review purposes ONLY.

Star Book Review: Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City by Holly Denham

The sequel to Holly’s Inbox: Scandal in the City was full of all the gossip, drama and “scandal” that I anticipated after reading its predecessor, Holly’s Inbox. While this book can be read on its own, it’s definitely more fun having already read the previous one. All the same characters (and a few new ones) return with more secrets, conflicts, and just life stuff to be hashed out over email.

Holly and Toby are still together and working together at DK Huerst; although with Toby’s frequent business trips to France, Holly’s feeling even lonelier than before she and Toby got together. But as always, she’s got all her besties by her side, including funny guy, Jason, diva, Aisha, and coworker, Trisha.

You won’t believe the surprises in store in this fun British chick lit novel.  Someone’s got a big secret and Holly and Toby each have something major to tell one another but will they be able to communicate with one another with the distance that has grown between them? You won’t want to put this one down! Despite the book’s intimidating physical size, the email format makes for quick and easy reading all the way through. Holly Denham is a fabulous writer and two-book series comes highly recommended from Lip Gloss and Literature. 4/5

For more fun (and a sneak peek at the original Holly’s Inbox) Log onto, http://hollysinbox.com/ where you can get a taste of all the juicy details to come.

Special Author Interview & Book Review with Lynda Renham, Author of Wedding Cake to Turin

Q. I often hear “write what you know. Was there any truth to your novel, Wedding Cake to Turin?

LR: Wedding Cake to Turin was born after a visit to Turin. We actually went to a wedding and did, in fact, escort a wedding cake. The story can be read on my humorous blog at http://lrcook.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/wedding-cake-to-turin/The idea for the novel was conceived after this trip, although my trip was obviously less traumatic than Charley’s.

Q. You refer to your novel as “humorous chick- lit suited for women between the ages of twenty-five and fifty-five”. How would you define the genre? What does it mean to you?

LR: I think my novel could be described as a “Romantic Comedy” and very much written tongue in cheek. The Chick-lit genre has a wide definition and I wouldn’t attempt to define it. I love an easy read and that is Wedding Cake to Turin.

Q. I read that you have been working on the craft of writing since you were 10 years old. How did you become a writer? Did you have any specific influences (people, events or other)?

LR: Yes, I have been writing from a young age. I remember being highly influenced as a young teenager by the likes of Sylvia Plath and Iris Murdoch. My novel ‘The Diary of Rector Byrnes’ which I published under the name of Mary Renham was very much influenced by Iris Murdoch. I stopped writing during a difficult period in my life and it was only after my second marriage and my husband’s persistent support that I began again. I started writing for “The Scavenger” online magazine for which I became an associate editor. I have since written many articles and several novels. It is hard to recall how I became a writer. It just feels like I have always been one.

Q. Do you have a specific routine or process to your writing and/or what does your writing space look like?

LR: I love writing in our summer house and find it very odd to write anywhere else. Usually the door is open and the cat is lazing around outside. I play lots of music, usually through my headphones. Every novel I have written has had a music connection. I type them straight onto my Netbook and Andrew (my husband) listens to the work I have done later that same evening and we discuss any changes that could be made. I usually work in the afternoons.

Q.I read that you are working on another novel to come out later this year, called Croissants and Jam”. Can you tell us a little about it?

LR: Yes, I am very excited about this novel. ‘Croissants and Jam’ is also a romantic comedy.

In the novel, the reader goes on a journey with the heroine (Bels), who is off to Rome to be married. However, she has doubts that Simon is the right man for her. A mishap on the plane means her flight gets diverted. A chance encounter with another passenger leads to nothing but trouble and Bels find herself struggling to get to her wedding rehearsal on time. He life is thrown into turmoil when she finds herself deeply attracted to the Good Samaritan who has offered to drive her to Rome. Hilarious situations arise as she tries to get to her fiancée. Does the marriage go ahead or is her heart stolen by her travelling companion? Read the book to find out. A delicious fun, cheeky read with lots of tasty food references.

Q. What are some of your other favorite books to read? Genres? Authors?

LR: I like chick-lit and adore Louise Bagshaw’s books. I also enjoy the classics and Jane Austen and the Bronte’s are particular favourites. Having lived in the Middle East for some time, I very much enjoy novels that are based there and one of my favourites is ‘Mornings in Jenin’ by Susan Abulhawa. A new author I am enjoying is Roni Cooper.

Q. I notice you have several web sites where you post information and various articles as well as several book sites where readers can buy Wedding Cake to Turin. What can you tell aspiring authors, bloggers and readers about self-publishing? Do you have any suggestions for anyone seeking to take this route?

LR: As you may already know, many writers have taken the self-publishing route, of course, John Grisham, being the most well-known. The only advice I can really give on taking this route is proof read, proof read and proof read even more. It is not an easy road and a great deal of enthusiasm is needed and of course, much self-publicizing. The important thing is to never give up and to be ruthless with your work. If it is boring, delete it. If you’re rambling, delete it but always be ruthless.

Q. What are your interests/hobbies outside of writing?

LR: I love photography, eating copious amounts of yogurt, playing with my cat and needlecraft. Once a week I crash out with Andrew on the couch for a DVD fest, which is my all-time favourite thing.

Q. What is something that most people wouldn't necessarily know about you (that you would be willing to share here, of course!)?

LR: I have twenty three loyalty cards from our local supermarket. Why? The loyalty card assistant is a Jude Law look alike. I cannot resist him. If he tells me something has double loyalty points, I want it. I once came home with several tins of dog food (triple points) and I don’t even own a dog!

Like the interview? Want to learn more about Lynda Renham and her writing? Check out her blog at www.renham.co.uk and keep reading to check out my review of her novel, Wedding Cake to Turin…

Wedding Cake to Turin by Lynda-Renham Cook

Self-published author Lynda Renham Cook has written an action-packed, chick lit adventure story full of stilettos and designer dresses, guns, cops, movie stars and beautiful people. And the excitement certainly does not stop there. From plane rides, to mafia men, weddings, affairs, Italy and Facebook, Wedding Cake to Turin is up with the latest trends and doesn’t leave anything uncovered.

Leading lady, Charley, works at the trendy company Our Celebs, where she is personal assistant (and girlfriend) to boss, Nigel. When Charley suspects Nigel of cheating on her with her best friend, Sam, it puts a real damper on Charley’s Christmas. As if things couldn’t get worse, Nigel announces at the company Christmas Party that Charley is to fly to Turin, Italy on Christmas Day to deliver a Wedding Cake to one of the hottest actors in the world at the moment, Marc, and his fiancé.

Charley meets the most gorgeous man on her plane ride by the name of Michael who showers her with attention and gifts after mere hours of knowing her. Michael has a knack for showing up at the worst and best possible moments all at once. Is he too good to be true? Another new friend, Felicity, is sent alongside Charley as her assistant to make sure the cake gets delivered to Marc on time and in one piece; but when Felicity and Marc meet, sparks fly between them and his wedding…well…you’ll have to read to find out!

Wedding Cake to Turin brings on a whirlwind of events from page one! You’ll feel like you’re right alongside Charley during every agonizing and exciting minute of her saga. Author Linda Renham applies some of the more traditional elements of chick lit to her novel but then she mixes it up with many of her own scenarios, characters and creations. A very entertaining and fast-paced read with a gorgeous cover.


Get your own copy of Wedding Cake to Turin on Amazon in paperback or find it in their Kindle e-bookstore.

Third Sentence Thursday - Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham

http://snifflykitty.blogspot.com/

Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme brought to you every week by Sniffly Kitty which is fed by third sentence contraptions! Want to post your own Third Sentence? It’s simple! Just follow these three steps…

1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence here (in the comments) or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!

I am so excited to finally post a little something from one of my current readings in progress! I belong to the Chick Lit Book Club on Goodreads and every month we choose a different chick lit novel to read based on a theme for the month, members’ suggestions and finally, a group vote.

With Teacher Appreciation month, National Health Administrator's, Nurses, Police & Emergency Medical Services weeks, Golfer's, Armed Forces & Memorial Days all occurring in May, we decided to celebrate women and their many careers. Holly’s Inbox was chosen from a group of “working Girl” Chick Lit books. Written entirely in email format, Holly’s Inbox is a quick, fun and unique read. Gossip, office romance, ex-boyfriends, parties with coworkers, evil bosses…working at the office has never been so fun!

Working Girl Chick Lit - Chick Lit Book Club's Pick for May

Sneak a peak at the third email from the current page I am on:

Subject: Sister needs dating advice

From: Holly

To: Charlie Denham

I go to lunch on top of the world, I come back, and suddenly, everything’s going wrong. I need your help. Did I tell you I’ve been dating someone at work? Actually, I know I haven’t told you, but there it is. I have, and he’s a really nice guy, but he’s just asked me who Toby is. What should I say (Toby only happens to work on the same floor)?

Holly

PS Don’t worry if you have no advice at all, I know you are a guy, and you find touchy-feely problems difficult.

X

Holly’s Inbox by Holly Denham

Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham

System alert: Inbox full of scandal, romance, and office hilarity!

Meet Holly Denham. It's her first day as a receptionist at a London investment bank and inexperienced Holly is struggling. How's a working girl supposed to have a love life with a demanding job, crazy friends, a dysfunctional family, and gossipy colleagues? Not to mention that Holly's been keeping a secret from everyone - and the past is about to catch up with her.

An affair with a sexy VP heats things up at the office, but when Holly's first flame (who, she thinks, left her in the lurch) gets a job at the same company, complications abound and Holly's inbox becomes a daily source of drama, laughter and scandal.

Repeatedly compared to Bridget Jones' Diary, www.hollysinbox.com became a website phenomenon, with thousands of daily visitors from all over the world. This novel tells Holly's story in full, and also includes exclusive extra material not available on the site.

Synopsis provided by Goodreads

Star Book Review: Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell

My first novel by Jill Mansell came in at number 15 on the Chicklit Club’s Ultimate 100 Chicklit Collection and I would not deny it any of its rave reviews. Although I’m still not sure what Miranda’s ‘'Big Mistake’ actually was, the story and its characters were certainly no mistake at all, with exciting and unusual plot points, often intersecting at various turns. I love books that intertwine as the story and characters did in Miranda’s Big Mistake and for the first 100 pages or so, I was anticipating the big she-bang of colliding characters. That’s not to say that the story was predictable because other than thinking that the characters paths’ would eventually cross, that was it. I did not know in what way or under which circumstances such an event might transpire.

Miranda is a very kind-hearted woman who works as an assistant to Fenn, a hairstylist with very A-List clientele. Even with her wild hair of blue and green, she’s so easy to fall in love with (as becomes very obvious with her many suitors throughout the novel); she’s the type of person who would quite literally give you half her sandwich even if it meant she’d go hungry later. She ends up meeting two men through a stint on a candid camera-type TV show, one of whom turns out to be the husband of her pregnant roommate, Chloe and another, Danny, who turns out to be an undercover reporter who had posed as the homeless man she took a liking to outside her salon. Determined to find a man who can be open and honest with her, Miranda finds love in a celebrity race car driver, Miles, who she meets at Fenn’s salon. However, he has a clichéd celebrity girlfriend, who is conveniently abroad during the time he and Miranda get to know one another. Will Miranda ever find her luck in love?

Meanwhile a very pregnant Chloe is working on regaining her independence and general sense of self after her husband, Greg, leaves her, demanding she have an abortion. Chloe takes up residence with Florence, her boss’s elderly mother and landlord to Miranda, to avoid the wrath of her own mother who blames Chloe for the entire debacle. Fenn begins to take a liking to Chloe the more time he spends around her, finding more and more excuses to invite her out with him. His reputation as a waif, model-dating player leaves him even more conflicted about these new emotions he’s feeling towards this pregnant woman.

Add a little to a lot of chaos into the mix, and you have the fun, fast-paced read that is the British chick lit novel, Miranda’s Big Mistake. I most definitely recommend checking out this book if you can. It’s hilarious and heartfelt, incorporating themes of love, revenge, scandal, good-byes, death and dying, grieving, new beginnings, friendship, kindness, loyalty, crazy hair, fast cars, good looking men and outlandish celebs. Miranda is like the girl next door. She grew on me and I found myself rooting for her the whole way through. I hope you do too! This was my first of many Jill Mansell books read.

4/5 Stars

For more information on Jill Mansell or any of her books, please visit:

http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/

Follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads.

Special Guest Post with Brunonia Barry, Author of The Map of True Places

I just started to listen to The Map of True Places, via Amazon’s Audible application on my iPod and I’m so glad I downloaded it. I have only listened to about 20 minutes of it, including the prologue and a bit of chapter one, and I am hooked! Maybe because I can relate to the main character Zee, who hails from Massachusetts, just north of Boston (like the author, herself) and her profession as a psychologist also mirrors my education background. When one of the author’s representatives over at FSB Media offered me an article from Brunonia Barry on the subject of her writing, you can imagine my delight. As you may know, I have been diligently working on my own novel, my first chick lit work of fiction and I am a bit of a stickler for organization. Like Ms. Barry describes in her article, she too, organizes her story before putting pen to paper. I found her process to be very interesting and reassuring, especially for a new writer, like me, who can easily get “stuck” in the mess in the middle. Read on and be on the look out for a future post on Lip Gloss and literature when I review the unabridged audio of The Map of True Places and offer a fabulous giveaway for the paperback version of Brunonia Barry’s book.!

The Mess in the Middle

By Brunonia Barry,

Author of The Map of True Places

One year into a two-year book deadline, I have reached page 165 in my manuscript. So far, my characters have obediently done everything I've asked of them, but today something changed. This morning, they couldn't seem to take a step without tripping over their feet. So they decided to stand still. I couldn't make them go forward, and I couldn't make them go back. When I asked what the problem was, they told me they were confused.

I'd be panicked about this situation except that I've been here before. Twice. And even more if you count the screenplays I wrote when I lived in LA or the books I've written for ‘tweens. While I don't like it, I have come to expect that there are times when characters just won't move.

For me, this always happens in the same place, maybe not always on page 165 but some place close to it. It's always in the middle of the book. "What was it you wanted me to do?" seems to be the question my characters ask, and when I tell them, they become skeptical. Since I trust characters over plot every time, I tend to listen when a character tells me "I wouldn't do that kind of thing." And the middle of the book is always where they seem to doubt their motivation.

There's a name for this. It's called the mess in the middle. It's an expression I first heard when I was enrolled in one of Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops. I was writing a comedy called Sluts, a sort of West Coast Sex in the City with an edge, when my characters refused the adventures I was trying to send them on and threatened to infect me with a case of writer's block if I persisted in giving them directions. They were angry with me, and who could blame them? As a relatively new writer, I was lost and confused.

Confusion, in itself, doesn't bother me. I honor it as part of the writing process, a byproduct of communing with the muse. It is a frequent ailment, but not a serious one. Unfortunately, the mess in the middle is a different illness. If left unchecked, it can be fatal. I'm willing to wager that this midpoint is where most writers abandon their projects. I know it has been true for me. I have several unfinished manuscripts sitting in drawers, including that screenplay. One day, knowing what I know now, I may open the drawer and dust off those stories. Meanwhile, I'll tell you exactly what the mess in the middle is, and what you can do about it.

I'm sure you've heard that old story about the mountain. You are climbing a tree lined mountain trail in an effort to see the view from the top. You've been walking for quite a while. About halfway up, you realize that you don't have any idea where you are. You can no longer see the bottom of the mountain, and you cannot yet see the top. You begin to panic. If it were up to you, you'd just quit, but you can't. You're halfway up the side of a mountain for God's sake.

So what do you do? If you've prepared for the hike, you've been smart enough to bring a map. Though it's an exercise in blind faith, you have no choice but to follow it.

In writing, my map is my step outline. Though I write free form for quite a while when I'm starting a project, I am not a pantser. I believe very strongly in outlines. Once I've captured the voice of the characters and know them well enough to ask that first what if question that propels them forward, it is time to create a step outline.

My outline is simple enough. It contains only the major steps of the story. Sometimes it's a sentence or paragraph, sometimes a list of bullet points. I spend more time on it that any other aspect of my writing, because it's the only tool that allows me to see the big picture. It particularly helps with pacing and with the progression of character changes. If I follow it, I seldom get into trouble.

The problem is, sometimes I don't follow it. I am moving along so fast, and the story is going so well, that I just keep writing. This is exactly what I discovered this morning when I went back to look at my outline. A few days ago, I was writing so furiously that I skipped a step, and, as a result, my characters missed an important turn. If they had reached the impasse immediately, I might have spotted my omission. Unfortunately, the dead end hadn't come until the following chapter, several turns later.

If I hadn't taken the time to create my map, I might never have found my mistake. The manuscript might have ended up in that drawer with my screenplay. Luckily, with my step outline and just a bit of work, I was able to get my characters back on track. They are now happily moving forward.

How are your story maps constructed? Do you outline? Have you experienced the mess in the middle?

As originally published on "Writer Unboxed"

© 2011 Brunonia Barry, author of The Map of True Places

Author Bio

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Brunonia Barry, lives in Salem with her husband and their beloved golden retriever, Byzantium.

Barry is the first American Writer to win the Woman's International Fiction Festival's 2009 Baccante Award (for The Lace Reader). Her second novel, The Map of True Places is out now.

For more information please visit http://www.brunoniabarry.com/, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

A sincere thank you to Anna Suknov at FSB Media for providing a text copy of Brunonia Barry’s article. Sign up for email alerts on Lip Gloss & Literature to be informed when the Audio Review and Contest to Win your OWN Copy of The Map of True Places goes live!!

Star Audio Book Review: I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson; Read by Sian Thomas

What would you do if you had the chance to reconnect with your childhood dreams of meeting a teen idol rock star? This is the very predicament that Welsh woman, Petra, finds herself in as she’s cleaning out her mother’s attic just days after her funeral and stumbles upon a letter informing her teen self that she’d won a contest to meet David Cassidy some twenty-four years ago!

 As teens, best friends, Petra and Sharon spent endless hours, days, nights fawning over David Cassidy of The Partridge Family fame but as the girls lived on one side of the world, and David, on another, in Los Angeles, the closest they ever got to him was through his exposes and personal Q&As in the magazine, The Ultimate David Cassidy. They adored him. David could do no wrong in their eyes; even when he announces his final farewell tour, the girls are not mad with their idol and make every effort possible to get to the show.

Across the ocean, in another Land, in the not-so glamorous world of celebrities and magazines, meet Bill, writer behind the personality of “David Cassidy” in the The Ultimate David Cassidy magazine. It was his daily struggle and constant conflict that he wrote under such false pretenses by pretending to be the man that so many girls around the world lived and breathed on his every word. But in all practicality, he had to pay the bills just as much as any other “David” didn’t he? And, really, wouldn’t he be doing these girls a disservice by not responding to their countless letters. Surely the real David Cassidy hadn’t the time for it did he?

Fast forward 24 years, when Petra finds her winning letter and phones The Ultimate David Cassidy to claim her prize. The magazine, at first shook by the call, finds no problem with honoring her winnings and agrees to send both Petra and Sharon out to Las Vegas to meet David Cassidy, himself. However, Petra and her teenage dreams are in for a reality check when she is introduced to head writer for The Ultimate David Cassidy magazine, Bill. Listen to find out how Petra deals with this crushing blow to her childhood idolization or will it even matter now 24 years later?

A fun blast to the past. Told in a soothing and articulate fashion by British narrator, Sian Thomas, who has read countless audio book productions before, including Audrey Niffenegger’s Her Fearful Symmetry.  

Bonus: An afterword includes an Interview with the real David Cassidy, himself, conducted by the author, Allison Pearson.

3/5 Stars

         

For more information on Allison Pearson visit her Facebook fan page, follow her on Twitter or check out her latest thoughts in her column in the Daily Telegraph. Her first novel was I Don’t Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Single Girl's To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk

"Waiting On Wednesday"(WOW) is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases eagerly anticipated. This is my third week joining the 100 plus book bloggers who participate in the weekly meme and I am very excited to be a part of it. I hope to hear from you and your own WOW so that I can add some more books to my TBR shelf.

“I heart” Lindsey Kelk!! I absolutely adore her writing, her character Angela from the I Heart series and her Twitter posts, which range from bubbly and sweet to entirely funny and random. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that she has another book out in 2011, taking a little break from her I Heart series. The Single Girl’s To-Do List sounds like a hilarious new chick lit novel that centers on one young woman’s most recent break-up and the tasks her friends set her up with to help her get over it.

I love lists. In the book aptly titled, To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us, author Sasha Cagen uncovers the hidden meaning behind those thousands upon thousands of little sticky notes and agendas we leave for ourselves all over the place. Check out their My Space page for a fun look at what your own lists might reveal about you!

www.myspace.com/todolistblog

The Single Girl’s To-Do List

by Lindsey Kelk

 (Author of the “I Heart…” series)

A hilarious and romantic standalone novel from the bestselling author of the I Heart series Rachel Summers lives every area of her life according to a to-do list and so far, she is ticking most things off. She has a job she loves (make-up artist to the stars), the perfect boyfriend, a cozy London flat and a fantastic circle of friends. All that remains on her life to-do list is to get married, have a baby and live happily ever after. Simple. Well, not quite! Suddenly, Rachel's perfect boyfriend wants to take a break. She's convinced it's just cold feet but when the break turns into a split, her best friends Emelie and Matthew step in and come up with the ultimate heartbreak cure -- the single girl's to-do list, the top ten things Rachel must see and do to kick-start her fabulous, new single life. But nothing can prepare her for the adventures that unfold as the to-do list takes them all over town and even abroad, and proves to all three that love is out there if you're willing to take a chance!

For more information on Lindsey Kelk, her latest books and happenings, visit her web site at:

http://www.lindseykelk.com/

The Single Girl’s To-Do List will be released on June 9, 2011.

 I Cannot Wait!  What are you Waiting on this Wednesday???