Name: Marla Martenson Website: http://www.marlamartenson.com/ Bio: Marla Martenson was born in Tacoma, Washington, the “City of Destiny.” She has a natural flair for acting and a deep interest in reading and writing poetry and short stories. At the age of sixteen, Marla was living in Iran with her family, learning to speak French and Persian, when the revolution forced their return to Washington State. After a year of college there, the pursuit of an acting career drew her to Hollywood and a stint in television commercials and print modeling. Restless and eager for new challenges, in the early nineties it was on to Chicago, where she discovered that she could use her personal dating experiences to help others. She subsequently turned this talent into a career as a matchmaker back in Los Angeles, where, since 2001, her skills have led many couples to matrimony. Marla’s work inspires people and gives them hope that they can find their soul mates. She found and married her own, musician and composer Adolfo Jon Alexi, in Mexico City in 2002. A world traveler and culture nut, Marla describes herself as having a French flair, a Persian heart, Italian fire, and Mexican taste buds! Currently, Marla writes for such online publications as www.naomishow.com, (www.abfabwomen.com) and Examiner (www.examiner.com). She was named the “Over 40 Female of the Week” in February, 2010, for Over40Females.com. She is also a correspondent for World Wide Good News. Currently: Marla and Adolfo reside in blissful harmony in Los Angeles, where she continues to bring her considerable matchmaking expertise to bear on the single population of star-studded Southern California while her talented husband serenades them with his own songs and music. Titles: Excuse Me, Your Soul Mate Is Waiting, Good Date, Bad Date, and Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker. Bio Retrieved from Marlamartenson.com
The asking price for this house includes a stunning renovation of hearts and dreams....Liz and Jonathan Chambers were stuck with two mortgages, mounting debts, and a miserable adolescent daughter. Then realtor Marcus Witherstone came into their lives—and it seemed he would solve all their problems. He knew the perfect tenants from London who would rent their old house: a glamorous PR girl, Ginny, and her almost-famous husband, Piers. But soon Liz is lost in blissful dreams of Marcus, Jonathan is left to run their business, and neither of them has time to notice that their teenage daughter is developing an unhealthy passion for the tenants, Piers and Ginny. Everyone is tangled up with everyone else, and in the most awkward possible way. As events close in, they all begin to realize that some deceptions are just a bit too close to home. A Desirable Residence is sure to continue the phenomenal success of the Sophie Kinsella/Madeleine Wickham franchise. I have 3 copies of A Desirable Residence to give away! To enter, comment on this post, RT on Twitter, or comment on Facebook. The winner will be chosen Saturday, August 14th. Please note: US residents only!
Chick Lit Plus is going to be hosting its first award season this August! Readers will have the chance to vote for their favorites in a slew of categories, and of course- win fabulous prizes for participating! The first step is deciding on exactly what those categories should be. Listed below is some preliminary categories that have been chosen by myself, authors, and some readers, but I want to hear more voices! Let me know what categories you think should be included in the awards. Feel free to comment on Facebook, Twitter, or this post, or email me your suggestions at Samantha@chicklitplus.com. I am really looking forward to hearing from you! *Best Series *Best Laugh Out Loud *Best Scandal *Best from a Debut Author * Character with the Best Job *Best Romance *Best from a Celebrity Author *Best Sequel *Best Cover
In Mary McNamara’s debut novel, Oscar Season, readers were introduced to Juliette Greyson. Juliette was the head of PR at the Pinnacle Hotel in Los Angeles, dealing with the rich and famous on a daily basis. After the murder of her cheating ex-husband, Juliette flees to Florence for a break from the LA lifestyle, and that is were The Starlet picks up. Juliette saves troubled actress Mercy Talbot (think Lindsay Lohan) from diving into a fountain and whisks her away to her Italian estate she shares with cousin Gabriel. Upon arrival to Cerreta, Gabriel is outraged Juliette would bring a drug riddled celebrity on the premises. Gabriel and Juliette are both recovering addicts, and Gabriel does not have the patience to deal with Mercy and her Hollywood ways. The story begins to change when Juliette realizes that someone else may be supplying Mercy with the drugs, that someone being Mercy’s own overbearing mother. After the mysterious death of Mercy’s former co-star, the plot intensifies when another death on set occurs. Juliette is determined to find the culprit, and help save Mercy from succumbing to death from addiction at such a young age. Even though I had not read Oscar Season previously, The Starlet easily stood its ground alone. The tantalizing pull of celebrities and their over-the-top lifestyles mixed in with drugs, sex, and murder makes this mystery irresistible to put down. I loved Italy as the setting, the beautiful images along with the serene atmosphere of Cerreta made the whole drug/murder scandal that much more scandalous. The love stories that were threaded throughout seemed to get a little confusing, but I guess that is life of the rich and famous. I definitely recommend The Starlet and look forward to reading more novels from Mary McNamara. Rating: 4/5
When you order Georgia’s Kitchen the week of the book’s release and email your receipt to jennynelsonauthor@gmail.com, you’ll be entered to win this fantastic giveaway. (Any bookstore, online store, will do!) Send in your receipt and you could win a basket full of books, magazines and foodie goodies, including:
Author Name: Rosy Thornton Website: http://rosythornton.com/ Bio: Rosy is an author of contemporary fiction, published by Headline Review. Her novels could perhaps be described as romantic comedy with a touch of satire - or possibly social satire with a hint of romance. In real life she lectures in Law at the University of Cambridge, where she is a Fellow of Emmanuel College. She shares her home with her partner, two daughters and two lunatic spaniels. Titles: Hearts and Minds, More Than Love Letters, Crossed Wires, and The Tapestry of Love.
Frankie McCormick decides to swear off men after her husband, Tony, leaves her and takes off to the States with his new younger girlfriend. Left behind to raise their two children, Ben and Carly, Frankie can’t help but to be wary of any man. But when Owen Byrne enters the picture, the strong façade quickly weakens. Taken by his good looks and charming personality, Frankie can only find one fault with Owen- his despicable teenage daughter Angelica. Angelica hates Frankie and does not want to lose her father to a new family, and does everything in her power to break the couple up. When tragedy hits the families and visitors from the past re-enter, Frankie and Owen’s relationship is put to the test. They must decide if the love they feel for one another is strong enough to endure the hardships and obstacles. I found Anyone For Seconds? by Fiona Cassidy a heartwarming story about love and families. The relationship between the main characters has a very real feeling to it, not just all mushy and filled with scandal. The issues that are being dealt with I feel are not written about enough, and I commend Cassidy for tackling not only the issue of broken homes, but giving the children of those homes a voice. There were a few areas that seemed a little slow-going, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I would definitely recommend this book, and anxiously await to read Fiona Cassidy’s second novel, Anyone For Me?
Author Name: Mary McNamara Website: http://www.regal-literary.com/client_sites/marymcnamara/index.html Bio: Mary was born in the suburbs of Baltimore, but spent most of her childhood growing up in the rural town of Westminster. Knowing she always wanted to write, Mary attended the University of Missouri, majoring in journalism with a minor in women’s studies. She worked for Ms. Magazine for a few years before moving to Knoxville, Tennessee and working for a communications company, then moved to Los Angeles to write for the LA Times. Currently: Mary currently works as a television critic for the LA Times, along with working on her fiction novels. Titles: Oscar Season and The Starlet.
