Jackpot by Jackie Pilossoph

Siblings Jamie and Danny Jacobson are not looking for love. Jamie has been burned by a cheating ex-husband, and has lost faith in the meaning of love and faithfulness. Danny is an aspiring actor who also works as a teacher, and is better at one night stands than any real relationships. But brother and sister get the shock of their life when their slightly overbearing Jewish mother, Frankie, wins the lottery. Frankie, who lost her husband when the children were both young, has wanted to be fulfilled by grandchildren for years. After her lottery winnings flow in, she devises a plan to get those grandchildren- a promise of $8 million dollars that Jamie and Danny can collect if they produce a child. The siblings are shocked- until the scent of money starts to become intoxicating. Jamie decides to use her co-worker, Drew, who has always crushed on her, to help her become pregnant. But along the way, Jamie thinks she could actually be falling in love with him- but doesn’t know how to confess the real reason she finally gave him a chance. And Danny falls head over heels with Courtney, a business owner who cares more about his teaching than acting career, but is crushed when she reveals she cannot have children. Both Jamie and Danny need to decide, do they pick love- or the cash prize?

Jackpot! is the  second novel from Jackie Pilossoph, who once again will not disappoint. The story is written in alternating point of views, between the brother and sister. Pilossoph once again shows off her ability to get into a man’s head and write effectively from the male perspective. Both Jamie and Danny could seem selfish, but with snappy dialogue, loveable personality traits, and a soft spot for families, the two main characters will become your friends throughout the story. I enjoyed that not only was this novel light and funny, but there was a serious note underneath it all. What would you pick if you had to make the choice- love or money? Many of us would say love in a heartbeat, but the characters go through very real struggles along the way to make their decisions. I thought the entire novel had a very real feel to it, and I liked watching how it would all come together. Add in a heart clenching plot twist with Frankie, and plenty of scenes that will leave you laughing out loud, Jackie Pilossoph definitely hits the Jackpot! with her sophomore novel.

 

Rating:

My Top 10 of 2010

Now that 2010 is almost officially over, I decided I just had to make a list of my favorite books of the year. As I looked at my Excel spreadsheet that listed the 121 titles that I read during the past year, I got a little overwhelmed at picking my Favorites. Luckily, I realized that I had made this task a bit easier on myself by adding a Favorites section on my blog. That helped narrow down my choices, but it was still difficult coming up with my Favorite 10 of 2010. Here are the books I chose (in no particular order).

Go Small or Go Home by Heather Wardell- 4.5 stars

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff- 4 stars

Waxed by Robert Rave- 5 stars

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph- 4.5 stars

Good Things by Mia King- 4.5 stars

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella- 4.5 stars

Reunion by JL Penn- 5 stars

On Folly Beach by Karen White- 5 stars

Georgia’s Kitchen by Jenny Nelson- 5 stars

Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley – 5 stars

Novels that should be a Movie Nominees

The nominees for Novel that should be a Movie:

A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

Size 12 Isn’t Fat by Meg Cabot

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Best Debut Novel Nominees

The nominees for Best Novel from a Debut Author:

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Reunion by JL Penn

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Chick Lit Plus Awards: Prize Winners Selected!

A big thank you to everyone who nominated their favorites for the Chick Lit Plus Awards! I had a great response and can’t wait to see who the winners turn out to be! I will be tallying up the nominations this week, and starting next Monday, the final voting process will begin. Be sure to vote for all your favorites- more great prizes will be handed out! Speaking of prizes, listed below are the names of all the winners for those who nominated. Thanks again to everyone who voted, I’ll be looking forward to hearing more opinions next week!

**1 Winner of all three Marla Martenson novels, Excuse Me, Your Soul Mate is Waiting, Good Date, Bad Date, and Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker:

Jencey Gortney

**2 Winners to receive both novels by Micheline McAllister: Welcome to My Life and Love You, Love Your Work, Let’s Do Lunch!

Melissa Amster & Michele (HearDoc2B@gmail.com)

**2 Winners each to receive a copy of Swallow by Tonya Plank:

Susan Parham & Sara_Lisa

**2 Winners each receive a copy of Reunion by JL Penn:

Stephanie(christmansl@gmail.com) & Sarah(sarah.barnard@bigpond.com)

**3 Winners to receive a copy of Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky:

Stephanie(christmansl@gmail.com), Runner10(csdsksds@gmail.com), & Joanne Elvin

**1 Winner to receive a copy of Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph:

Susan Parham

**2 Winners to receive a copy of Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger:

Michele(HearDoc2B@gmail.com) & Emily(wolffemily@gmail.com)

All winners- please email me your mailing address at Samantha@chicklitplus.com by Friday August 27th

Chick Lit Plus Awards: Day 5 Nominations

Categories: Novel That Should Be a Movie, Best Novel Made Into a Movie, Character with the Best Job

Prizes: 3 winners will receive a copy of Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky

Winners will be announced August 23^rd.

Please post below to enter your nominations, or email me directly at Samantha@chicklitplus.com. The top 5 from each category will go on to the final voting process.

Some early nomination votes for these categories include:

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph­- Novel That Should Be a Movie

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella- Best Novel Made Into a Movie

Marla Martenson- Matchmaker- Diary of Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson- Character with the Best Job

Hook, Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Anna is desperate to get married. So desperate in fact, she hires two guys to help get that shiny ring on her finger. Jeff and Dave, two commitment phobic friends, overhear Anna and her boyfriend getting in an argument during dinner, and tell her their idea to help speed up the engagement process. Anna eagerly pays them, and within weeks- she’s engaged! The three decide to take up a business together- helping women (and men!) get engaged. It’s an easy way to make cash, but before too long, the business starts to get too personal. Dave is being targeted to propose to his girlfriend, and Jeff starts having feelings- for the newly engaged Anna.

Hook, Line and Sink Him, the debut novel by Jackie Pilossoph, will hook readers from the beginning! This novel was a breath of fresh air for me, letting me laugh out loud, connect with each character, and offer a little something different from the usual chick lit novels- a male’s perspective. The entire novel is written from Jeff’s point of view, and it was unusual to get inside the guy’s head for once and see how he viewed love and relationships. I loved seeing how his love for Anna changed him from a downright player with a different lady every night, to a dog-sitting love puppy. I am putting this on my Favorites list!

Rating: 4.5/5

GIVEAWAY: One Copy of Hook Line and Sink Him

Anna’s a girl who’s desperate to be a bride. Jeff and Dave are two guys who sprint from long-term commitment. Put them together and the three of them are wildly successful! They’re raking in the cash while helping women HOOK, LINE AND SINK their long time boyfriends into finally taking a walk down the aisle. Step into the offices of HOOK, LINE AND SINK HIM, where Jeff, Dave and Anna are fantastic at turning bitter, unhappy girlfriends into bridal gown beauties. When it comes to their own love lives, though, it’s an entirely different story. All three are fishing for answers. Anna’s not sure if she’s settling, Dave’s questioning whether his current girlfriend’s right for him, and as for Jeff, he never counted on falling for Anna. Narrated by Jeff, the ultimate commitment-phobe pre-Anna, HOOK, LINE AND SINK HIM will have you laughing out loud, as you see just how far a woman will go to be a Mrs., not to mention the power of true love, and how it can turn even the most fearful bachelor into a happily faithful Joe with a gold band on his left ring finger.

I have one copy of Hook, Line, and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph for giveaway! Comment on this post, re-tweet on Twitter, or comment on Facebook to win! The winner will be chosen Monday, July 12^th.

UPDATE:

The winner of Hook Line and Sink Him is  Kirsten McElroy. Please send your mailing address to Samantha@chicklitplus.com. Thanks to all who entered!

In My Mailbox: Week of May 23

In My Mailbox: Week of May 23, 2010

 

Title: Hook, Line and Sink Him

Author: Jackie Pilossoph

Received: From Jackie Pilossoph for Review & Giveaway

Synopsis: Anna wants to get married. Her boyfriend Chris wants to wait. But now, help may be on the way. Meet Jeff and Dave, two commitment phobic guys who overhear the couple arguing at a popular Chicago bar, and guarantee Anna they can con Chris into springing for a ring and walking down the aisle. When she takes them up on their offer, and the plan actually works, the three decide they’re going into business to help other bride wannabees. Come along for the ride with Anna and these two loveable, very funny guys while they take on clients, manipulate boyfriends, and turn frustrated girls into blushing brides, all while raking in the cash. But the marriage business gets messy when Jeff discovers he’s got a little problem. He never counted on falling madly in love with Anna, his new business partner and the girl who is now planning her wedding, thanks to him.

 

Title: A Job to Kill For

Author: Janice Kaplan

Received: From Public Library

Synopsis: At the start of Kaplan’s fun, breezy second mystery to feature ditzy L.A.A interior designer Lacy Fields (after 2007′s Looks to Die For), Lacy’s latest chic client, Cassie Crawford, drops dead whileA inspecting the decor ofA the poshA penthouse Cassie and her new husband, billionaire Roger Crawford, were planning to buy. Cassie, it turns out, made a fatal mistake by drinking a bottle of arsenic-laced Japanese tea from the penthouse’s Sub-Zero refrigerator. To Lacy’s dismay, the fingerprints of her casting agent pal, Molly Archer,A who’s been schmoozingA with Roger, are found on the fridge, making Molly a top suspect. But when Billy Mann,A Cassie’sA biker friend, isA murdered after confiding in Lacy that Cassie fearedA for her life,A LAPD Det. Brian Wilson decidesA Lacy makes a betterA suspect. While Lacy’s Dolce & Gabbana shoes andA her linen Calvin Klein shirt suffer damage near story’s end in a tight fix Edgar Allan Poe might have devised, Lacy’s blithe, la-di-dahA spirit remains unscathed

 

Title: Handbags and Homicide

Author: Dorothy Howell

Received: From Public Library

Synopsis: Haley Randolph is always ready to go to any lengths to get the latest Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately for Haley, her life goes from glam to grim when her passion for fashion outlasts her credit cards, and she’s forced to work at Holt’s–a mid-market department store. Looking for a bit of shopping inspiration, Haley sneaks into the stock room to get a first glimpse of Holt’s one-of-a-kind selection of handbag styles. But instead of the newest Vuitton, Haley discovers her boss is the ultimate fashion victim.

According to the security tapes, Haley was the only person in the stockroom before, during, and after the murder. With everyone in the store eyeing her like last season’s Marc Jacobs, Haley turns to the hunky Ty Cameron, who heads up the store’s loss prevention unit, to help her investigate the murder. Now her knowledge of hot trends will take her from the sales floor to the boardroom to the gritty streets of L.A.’s Garment District as she searches for a killer with impeccable fashion taste. . .

Interview with Jackie Pilossoph

Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

About nine years ago, I had a great idea for a romantic comedy.  I used to go jogging on the lake front in Chicago and write the story in my head.  Shortly after, I began writing my ideas down on my computer.  One story lead to another, and another, and another, and nine years later, I’ve finished seven screenplays and four novels.

Q: In addition to novels, you have also written screenplays. How different and or/alike are writing novels and screenplays?

VERY different.  Novels are a lot more fun for me to write, because I get to live inside the minds of my characters, and I get to tell readers what my characters are thinking and feeling.  I enjoy creating funny and lovable people, or if someone’s a villain, it’s fun to make him or her really unlikeable.  When it comes to movies, the actors and director both have so much more control over character personalities.  

Writing novels and screenplays are similar in regards to dialogue.  In both, I truly enjoy delivering great dialogue to make my characters’ conversations witty and funny and hip and dramatic.  Then again, in movies, an actor can be flexible with his or her lines. 

 

Q: Your fist novel, Hook, Line, and Sink Him! Is based on some of your dating experiences. What is the worst first date you have been on?

I actually have a name for my worst first date, worst date ever, in fact.  Let’s call him, “Root Canal Rick.”

Several years ago, I met this guy at a diner while visiting friends in Boston.   He lived in Minnesota, I lived in Chicago.  After no more than a twelve minute conversation, we decided to exchange numbers.  Neither of us knew if we’d ever see each other again, but we’d really hit it off, so we figured it was the right thing to do. 

As fate would have it, about a year later, I got a TV reporting job in none other than Minnesota.  So, one of the first things I did when I moved there was call the guy, who was pretty much a stranger to me, but who I’d thought about so many times during the past year.  Maybe this was fate!  It was really exciting!

We ended up going out to a bar/restaurant where we had dinner and where he consumed at least seven beers.  ‘Maybe he’s just really nervous’ I rationalized to myself, as I watched him chug and chug and chug. 

After dinner, we decided to play a couple games of pool in the next room.  A very nice guy (who was also kind of cute) said “Nice shot,” to me, after I sank the 7 ball into the side pocket.

Staggering up to the guy, my date said, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing, jerk?”

“What?” asked the other guy.

“Is something wrong?” I asked my heavily buzzed date, who had just ordered another beer.

“Yes!” he practically shouted, “I just bought you dinner and you’re hitting on another guy!”

I was dumbfounded.  “I’m not hitting on anyone,” I defended.

He then called me a few names that I’d rather not mention in this interview.  All I can say is THANK GOD I drove separately that night.  I put my pool stick down on a nearby rack, and then told my date I was leaving and that he should consider calling a cab versus driving home.

As I exited the place, I could hear him shouting obscenities.  I was practically running out of there, which is why it shouldn’t have surprised me when I bumped into some guy on the way out, and his beer spilled and splashed all over me.

Driving home, drenched, cold, disappointed and hurt, I actually felt really happy, too.  The guy I thought could be my soul mate had turned out to be a drunken, abusive idiot.  It was sad, but I no longer had to wonder.  Plus, I NEVER had to see the guy, EVER again! 

If someone gave me a choice between experiencing this date and having a root canal, I’d choose the root canal, hands down!

 

Q: Are you currently working on a book # 2?

Yes, and it’s awesome!  Just wait!  I am so excited to share it!

 

Q:  If you hadn’t started writing, what do you think would be your career?

I’ve had a bunch of different careers in my life.  I’ve been a sales representative for a few different companies, I’ve been a financial advisor, I’ve been in sales management, I’ve been a TV news reporter, I’ve been a college professor, and now, I’m an author.  I can’t imagine being anything else anymore.  But one job I think would be really, really fun would be a barista at Starbucks.  Stress free, talking to people all day, and free coffee!  What could be better than that?!

Q: What is your biggest personal accomplishment?

Becoming a mother to my two beautiful, wonderful children and raising them.

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Jonathan Tropper, Emily Giffen, Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Terry McMillan

Q: What is the perfect ‘girl’s night out’ for you?

I LOVE girl’s nights!  It’s so much fun to get together with a bunch of chicks, all who dress up for each other.  We wear our favorite designer jeans, cute little tops, big hoop earrings, heels, little hand bags and lots of lip gloss.  I think it’s really sweet that girls dress to the hilt for other girls.

 I enjoy drinking wine or sangria or martinis, and eating sushi or sharing a bunch of appetizers, while all the girls tell and listen to stories, and laugh and joke around.  It’s entertaining and relaxing, but there are emotional moments, as well.  One minute someone’s telling you her eye shadow’s Bobbi Brown, the next, someone starts crying about her impending divorce. 

The nights almost always include funny encounters with strange men sitting at the bar, or someone running into a random acquaintance, such as the cousin of a friend of her ex-boyfriend from college.   Funny memories are always created when girls get together!

At the end of the night, two things are guaranteed; girls hug like they’re never going to see each other again, and  everyone vows to do it again real soon.

Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?

DON’T GIVE UP!  It would be impossible for me to count the hundreds of rejections I received when submitting my work to agents and publishers.  If you keep sending out your writing, people will give you advice and tips and they’ll help you become a better writer.  And then, one day, someone will give you a contract!  But remember, that’s only if you DON’T GIVE UP!

Q: What would be your dream vacation?

I’ve always wanted to go to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  It looks amazing!  I would go there with my entire family, my kids, my parents, my brothers and sisters, and their families.  We all love each other very much, but we drive each other crazy.  That’s why I’d make sure we got separate villas!

 Click Here to Visit Jackie’s Website!