April New Book Releases
Contributor: Allie It’s April, and I really hope that some of you are finally experiencing warmer weather. They say April is the month that makes…
Interview with Erin Duffy
When did you know writing was for you?
It was something I always liked to do, but it took me a while to actually have the courage to sit down and try to write an entire book. I’m so happy I did though, it’s difficult at times but I am really enjoying it!
What made you want to write Bond Girl?
I really was looking for a career change and I realized that the time had come to try
It. I hoped that some of the stories would make people laugh, and with all of the negative publicity the entire industry was receiving when the recession started, I thought maybe there was another side of it to show. I’m really excited that people seem to be liking it. And now I have a whole new career to look forward to!
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Being disciplined. Sometimes when I’m having a day where things just aren’t coming easily it’s easy to find a million other things to do with the day. I once cleaned my entire freezer to avoid having to face that blinking little cursor! So far that’s been the most challenging thing, but I’m working on it!
What are your favorite genres to read?
I really enjoy historical fiction, and women’s fiction. I like to read different things to see what’s out there, depending on my mood. In the summer I usually reach for lighter beach reads that make me laugh.
I love the cover of Bond Girl! Did you have a lot of input in the cover-designing process?
Thank you! I’m so happy you like it. I had a little input on tweaking the cover, the one that was used was actually the second iteration of it, but it was pretty close to the original. I love it too, I think the design team at Harper Collins who created it are awesome!
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
I didn’t intend for the book to be a math lesson by any means! I hoped people would find some humor in the personalities of people on trading floors, and the crazy environment they work in. If I can make people laugh with this story, then my mission was accomplished! Fingers crossed!
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
I’m new to the writing game, so I’m not sure how it has changed over the last few years but I will tell you from my experience it’s crazy important! Facebook, twitter, and blogging is a great way to connect with busy readers and keep people updated on what you have going on at any given time. I’ve enjoyed the social media side of things a lot. It’s a fun way to stay connected.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
To keep at it! No one knows what they can produce until they try, and even when it’s frustrating, it’s still worth it to give it a shot. Everyone can have days that are challenging or unproductive but if you stick with it who knows what you can achieve! I certainly didn’t know if Bond Girl would ever be published, but it was a risk worth taking in the end! Good luck!
Bond Girl by Erin Duffy
I received a copy of Bond Girl in exchange for an honest review. First off let’s talk the cover. Loved it! Are all girls wired to just adore pictures of shoes or what? Second – loved the plot. It’s not often we get a female perspective of a “Street” worker – and by that I mean Wall Street. Alex Garrett knew from quite the young age that she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and conquer the illustrious Wall Street. She lands a job at Cromwell Pierce, of the best brokerage firms on the Street. Alex thinks she knows what she is in for – but quickly realizes it is much, much worse than anticipated. First off – no desk. She sits in a folding chair and peeks over the shoulders of her co-workers. She also is working in a for real boys club, answering to the name Girlie, and being the all-around slave around the place. But slowly but surely Alex starts to prove her worth – upgrading to a real desk, real responsibilities, and even people calling her given name instead of Girlie. Just when she thinks she might be catching her breath and getting used to the Street, the economy tanks and all of America is looking at the corporates on Wall Street as the cause.
Bond Girl is a real page turner. I just loved how unique the story was – not to mention a true behind the scenes look at Wall Street. I was fascinated, intrigued, and I also learned a lot throughout the book. Alex is a feisty individual, and nailed it as the MC. Smart, hard-working, but just when I thought she was wired like a dude, some emotions would break through. I didn’t want to put this book down once I started reading. It was a longer book too, but took me barely two days to get it read. I highly recommend Bond Girl, and this is one of my favorites of the year!
[Rating: 5]
Debut Author and Titles: January 2012
Debut Authors and Titles – January 2012
Title: Point, Click, Love
Author: Molly Shapiro
Available: January 1, 2012
Synopsis: In Molly Shapiro’s fun and sexy debut novel, four women try to sort through the wild and complicated world of text messaging, status updates, and other high-speed connections.
Best friends and fellow midwesterners Katie, Annie, Maxine, and Claudia are no strangers to dealing with love and relationships, but with online dating and social networking now in the mix, they all have the feeling they’re not in Kansas anymore. Katie, a divorced mother of two, secretly seeks companionship through the Internet only to discover that the rules of the dating game have drastically changed. Annie, a high-powered East Coast transplant, longs for a baby, yet her online search for a sperm donor is not as easy—or anonymous—as she anticipates. Maxine, a successful artist with a seemingly perfect husband, turns to celebrity gossip sites to distract herself from her less-than-ideal marriage. And Claudia, tired of her husband’s obsession with Facebook, finds herself irresistibly drawn to a handsome co-worker. As these women navigate the new highs and lows of the digital age, they each find that their wrong turns lead surprisingly to the right click and, ultimately, the connection they were seeking.
Title: Julia’s Child
Author: Sarah Pinneo
Available: January 31, 2012
Synopsis: A delectable comedy for every woman who’s ever wondered if buying that six-dollar box of organic crackers makes her a hero or a sucker.
Julia Bailey is a mompreneur with too many principles and too little time. Her fledgling company, Julia’s Child, makes organic toddler meals with names like Gentle Lentil and Give Peas a Chance. But before she can realize her dream of seeing them on the shelves of Whole Foods, she will have to make peace between her professional aspirations and her toughest food critics: the two little boys waiting at home. Is it possible to save the world while turning a profit?
Julia’s Child is a warmhearted, laugh-out-loud story about motherhood’s choices: organic vs. local, paper vs. plastic, staying at home vs. risking it all.
Title: Bond Girl
Author: Erin Duffy
Available: January 24, 2012
Synopsis: When other little girls were dreaming about becoming doctors or lawyers, Alex Garrett set her sights on conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. And though she’s prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys’ club, or duck the occasional errant football, she quickly realizes she’s in over her head when she’s relegated to a kiddie-size folding chair with her new moniker—Girlie—inscribed in Wite-Out across the back.
No matter. She’s determined to make it in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of the Street’s most esteemed brokerage firms. Keeping her eyes on the prize, the low Girlie on the totem pole will endure whatever comes her way—whether trekking to the Bronx for a $1,000 wheel of Parmesan cheese; discovering a secretary’s secret Friday night slumber/dance party in the conference room; fielding a constant barrage of “friendly” practical jokes; learning the ropes from Chick, her unpredictable, slightly scary, loyalty-demanding boss; babysitting a colleague while he consumes the contents of a vending machine on a $28,000 bet; or eluding the advances of a corporate stalker who’s also one of the firm’s biggest clients.
Ignoring her friends’ pleas to quit, Alex excels (while learning how to roll with the punches and laugh at herself) and soon advances from lowly analyst to slightly-less-lowly associate. Suddenly, she’s addressed by her real name, and the impenetrable boys’ club has transformed into forty older brothers and one possible boyfriend. Then the apocalypse hits, and Alex is forced to choose between sticking with Cromwell Pierce as it teeters on the brink of disaster or kicking off her Jimmy Choos and running for higher ground.
Fast-paced, funny, and thoroughly addictive, Bond Girl will leave you cheering for Alex: a feisty, ambitious woman with the spirit to stand up to the best (and worst) of the boys on the Street—and ultimately rise above them all.
Title: Blame It on the Fame
Author: Tracie Banister
Available: January 2012
Synopsis: A power-trippin’ bitch, a has-been, a skanky ex-model, a press-shy indie queen, and a British stage actress no one knows – this is how the Best Actress hopefuls in this year’s too-close-to-call Oscar race cattily describe each other. Which of them will win the much-coveted gold statue and what price will they be forced to pay as they travel the red carpeted-path to Hollywood glory?
Amidst all the press-schmoozing and angsting over which designer gown to wear, these Oscar contenders feud, commiserate, and face a succession of personal crises – scandalous secrets come to light, marriages implode, accidents land two nominees in the hospital while another receives news that could derail her career, all culminating on Tinsel Town’s biggest night when anything can happen, and does.
