Update, 20 May: The winner of one pound of gourmet caramels,
kindly donated by Whitney’s Goodies, is Janine Rowe. Congratulations Janine!
<applause applause applause> 🙂
Did you know that May is International Chick Lit Month, aka #ChickLitMay? There are tons of fun things happening online to celebrate—including today’s What’s on Page 45? post, which is appearing on author blogs all over the internet. Thanks to the lovely Tracie Banister for organising us all!
I was going to use my book The Same But Different for this post, but page 45 is just one giant spoiler! So All Over the Place is having its moment in the spotlight instead. In this scene, Livi finds herself in the city’s hippest nightclub. Her fiancé Rob is competing in a dance-themed reality TV show, and at this glamorous media event, she’s under pressure to smile for the cameras. As she and other assorted family and friends arrive to meet up with the contestants, she has no idea that things are about to take a turn for the worse…
Cameras flashed as they passed along the red carpet (red carpet! oh, please) and into the darkened thud, thud, thud.
The first person she encountered was, of course, Jasmine.
“Hi!” she enthused, her hair glowing pale in the starriness of hundreds of tiny ceiling lights. “You’re Rob’s girlfriend! Wow, he is so great, isn’t he! Hey, is it true, you know, how they say if a man’s a good dancer, then he’s good, you know, elsewhere?” She raised a suggestive eyebrow. “God, you lucky thing… Mum! Dad! Wow, it’s so great to see you…” And she was gone, into the spotlight of a news crew.
Vodka, Livi thought. Vodka. And she headed for the bar. Feeling strengthened with drink in hand, she threaded her way through the crowd looking for Rob, skirting around the film crews doing interviews. Eventually she came upon Therese, in her element with a pack of black-garbed industry insiders.
“All alone!” Therese exclaimed over the music. “Have you seen Rob yet?” When Livi shook her head, she said, “Well, I’m sure he’d like to see you. I saw him going that way a few minutes ago.” She pointed towards the back of the club.
This very small kindness was so unexpected that, after a hard week, Livi felt grateful out of all proportion. “Oh, thanks,” she said. “Thank you.”
Therese just smiled and watched her go.
The club was getting more and more jammed with people, and Livi had to elbow her way through to the back. In the corridor leading to the rest rooms there was a queue of women, jiggling and stepping, waiting to get into the ladies’ bathroom. Livi waited for a few moments in case Rob came out of the men’s bathroom, then went back out. A reporter from a late-night news programme was waiting, glammed up to blend in, cameraman hovering over her shoulder.
“Livi, right? Livi Callaway?”
She held up a hand against the sudden glare of the camera’s light. “Yes.”
“I’m Janet Walker, Newsnight Tonight. We’d love to do an interview with you and Rob. They’re saying he might take out the top spot. What do you think about that?”
“I think he’s doing really well, it would be great if he won. And an interview would be okay, I suppose.” Her eyes strained into the dark crowd outside the pool of light. Was that Rob? “Excuse me,” she said, struggling to see into the corner. “I’ll just go and ask him.”
Of course, life is never straightforward for a book’s heroine [insert evil author laugh], and what Livi sees next wrenches her life completely off course…but it also catapults her out into the world, where she finds new friends, new adventures, and an entirely new start. You’ll have to read the book to see whether she finds a new man too! (Hint: she does. 🙂 )
To celebrate #ChickLitMay, All Over the Place is just 99c/99p all month — find it here!
The Same But Different is on sale too, and lots of other great chick lit, romance, and women’s fiction writers have also discounted their books. Check out these authors for more fun excerpts and some great book bargains!
Jillianne Hamilton • Clodagh Murphy • Maggie Le Page • T. A. Munroe • Meredith Schorr
Kristina Knight • Pippa Franks • Laura Kenyon • Jayne Denker • Amy Gettinger • Gina Henning
Jennifer Ammoscato • Lauren Clark • Laura Chapman • Celia Kennedy • Jennifer Farwell
Glynis Astie • Stacey Wiedower • Bethany Turner • Franky Brown • Tracy Krimmer
Catherine L. Hensley • Becky Monson • Georgina Troy • Zanna Mackenzie • Jennifer Collin
Monique McDonell • Samantha March • Sky Greene • Whitney Dineen • Kathryn Biel
Karen M. Cox • Rachel L. Hamm • Heather Balog • Jennie Marts
BONUS: WIN A SWEET TREAT!
Here’s your chance to win a one-pound package of caramels from Whitney’s Goodies. The lucky winner can choose their flavour from those listed below. (This giveaway is open to residents of the USA only.)
The Girl Next Door (Crème Caramels): A scrumptious, full-bodied caramel. Old fashioned, melt-in-your-mouth bliss!
The Charmer (Chocolate Crème Caramels): This smooth, chocolate cream caramel will add panache to your day. An exquisite and elegant morsel, simply irresistible.
The Movie Star (Orange Crème Caramels): A timeless treat that will satisfy caramel fans of all ages. “The stuff that dreams are made of!”
The Bombshell (Lemon Crème Caramels): A bodacious bit of heaven with a bold citrus pallet. They will leave you satisfied and refreshed. Caramels are a girl’s best friend!
Always a Lady (Rose Caramels): A delicate bouquet of rose essence infuses this lovely caramel: alluring, tantalizing and reminiscent of another era. They are perfect for weddings and bridal showers. A definite for ladies who lunch or breakfast at Tiffany’s.
HOW TO ENTER
To enter, answer the following question in the comments section below: “In 4 or 5 words, why do you think All Over the Place would be a good read?”
Make sure to leave your full name, along with an e-mail address. A winner will be chosen via Random.org on Tuesday, May 19th. You can also enter at each of the blogs listed above, so that’s 36 chances to win. Good luck! 🙂
