Today, I've got a guest blog from Alesia Holliday, author of Nice Girls Finish First!



Enjoy:

So one day I was thinking about today’s woman, as I often do, considering that I write funny books about the everyday (and not so everyday!) things we all go through, and I was wondering about that perpetual dilemma – the Myth of the Nice Girl.

Somehow, through a peculiar evolution of the professional environment, women today are finally recognized (mostly) as equally competent, ambitious, and dedicated as men in the workforce. (We’ll leave the “we have to work smarter and harder” argument aside for now.) But yet, we have an added burden: we have to be NICE.

Now, this isn’t really tough for most women, most of the time. We were raised to be nice. That’s what little girls do, right? “Play nice!” “Be nice!” Except, well, there are times when you can’t be all that nice . . . Boyfriend cheating? Kick him to the curb! Um, in a nice way? Opposing counsel trying underhanded tactics? Notify the judge and get him sanctioned! Er, nicely?

The idea of a character who is very ambitious and a great person, but a little bit of a tough chick on the surface, really intrigued me. And I had the perfect character in Kirby Green, newly-hired exec at the Whips and Lace Co. She’d pretty much stolen every scene she was in in AMERICAN IDLE (Double RITA finalist, how cool is that??). Then I wanted to compare and contrast Kirby with a character who was so nice that she was in danger of becoming a doormat. Brianna sprang to life. My good friend who is an opera singer (no, really!) provided some great background for her. Then I set the two of them loose to play on the pages – each helping the other learn something about life, and about herself. That’s how NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST was born.

Can we be successful as women today and still retain some of that niceness that was so valued in earlier years? I think so. But nice doesn’t mean dumb, and today’s nice girls DO finish first. They might just have to kick a little ass along the way.

Nicely.

Thanks for helping me celebrate the release of my second novel!! – Alesia Holliday

***
And the book's getting awesome reviews, too!

With the quirky characters and sometimes laugh-out-loud madcap moments that Holliday is known for, Nice Girls Finish First is a completely enjoyable read. It's intriguing to be able to see both sides of the coin: a girl who is too nice and a girl who is too mean. There is also a romantic side plot to both girls' stories that I loved. . . I really couldn't find anything about this novel I didn't enjoy. Overall, I highly recommend this novel for some good, solid, romantic summer reading. . . I'm looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!
-- Rian Montgomery, www.chicklitbooks.com

NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a hoot! This book is funny, entertaining, and heartwarming -- a well-written, fast-paced story all wrapped inside one little bookcover. . . NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a top-notch story for a summer beach read, and one not to be missed.

-- Diana Risso Romance Reviews Today
Readers will need to adapt to the changing first person perspective, but once accomplished will appreciate this fine insightful look at two women trying to make it. Interestingly, Kirby’s bullying management style sounds much like the Bolden school of supervision. Both females seem real especially their ambitions, goals, and concerns. Alesia Holliday provides a refreshing reading experience in NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST- just ask Kirby.

-- Harriet Klausner, Amazon.com Top Reviewer
Nice Girls Finish First is the perfect story for you to toss into your beach bag and enjoy on a lazy summer day. Alesia Holliday draws you in to the lives of madcap characters and makes you laugh as Kirby finds out that you don’t have to be on guard all the time, and Brianna finds out that saying “NO” once in a while doesn’t make you a bad person. Will Kirby win the double dog dare? Will Brianna find her natural diva within? Pick up a copy of Nice Girls Finish First and find out if they do.
-- Lydia Funneman, Writers Unlimited

Be sure to check it out!!

 

I just found out from my publisher that CARPE DEMON: ADVENTURES OF A DEMON-HUNTING SOCCER MOM is the #1 bestseller on Barnes & Noble's Sci Fi Trade list!!!!!! I'm SO psyched! (And last week it was #2!! Climbing is a good thing!).

 

Beatrice.com: Odds and Ends Check it out! Slay Your Demons got a nice little mention in Beatrice.com!
 

The Library Diva Recommends The Givenchy Code by Julie Kenner I ran across this review while being pathetic and googling my name. Yes, it's sad and pathetic, but it's also a fabulous way to procrastinate, so what can you do? At any rate, I'd already closed up Dreamweaver and the FTP client, so I thought I'd post it here and move it over to the actual webpage in a bit.
 

Duh! I know how to post art. If you want to see it bigger, got to the hyperlink!
 

Just got a rough of the cover! Click here to check it out. I think it looks AWESOME Cover Art!
 

Lauren Baratz-Logsted has a wonderful blog entry over at Slay Your Demons that will be a familiar lament to most authors ... and possibly surprising news to readers!
 

Check it out! THE GIVENCHY CODE is featured in the SheSheMe.com new mom newsletter as a recommended Juicy Novel. Too cool!!!
 

Here's a book that looks totally cool! Liz Maverick's Crimson City, created by Liz for Dorchester, the series is fleshed out in 6 books by several authors. It looks like a great read, and a great series. Check it out:



Here's a blurb:
Once, this was the City of Angels. The angels are no longer in charge.

From the extravagant appetites of the vampire world above, to the gritty defiance of the werewolves below, the specter of darkness lives around every corner, the hope of paradise in every heart. All walk freely with humans in a tentative peace, but to live in Los Angeles is to balance on the edge of a knife. One woman knows better than most that death lurks here in nights of bliss or hails of UV bullets. She’s about to be tested, to taste true thirst. She’s about to regain the power she’s long been denied. And Fleur Dumont is about to meet the one man who may understand her: a tormented protector who’s lost his way and all he loved.

Theirs is one tale of many. This is Crimson City, where desire meets danger and more than just the stars come out at night.

You can read an excerpt by clicking here.

And there's even a Crimson City blog, which is pretty cool in and of itself! Click here to go there...



 

Got a guest blog on ... yes ... SHOPPING (and demons and kiddos) over at Brenda Bradshaw's Blog. Check it out!

Booksigning today at the FABULOUS Murder by The Book went great! Huge hugs to McKenna at the store, who is handselling Givenchy like crazy!

Would post more, but it's past 9, I've spent the day on the road, and I must go write book pages. I left Kate hanging in the midst of a battle of demonic proportions, and I really need to go get her out of that jam!
 

Check it out: New post over at Coffee Klatch on this wonderful read!
 

Because I'm in procrastination mode trying to get things finished before National and booksignings and stuff, I haven't done a blog post here. But you can read all about my theories of procrastination at Keris Keris Stainton's blog!!!!
 

Hey! I'm a guest blogger over at The Mommy Blog!! Check it out! (And just to picque your curiosity, the headline is Angry Superheroes and Fashion Pants -- There's a Book in There Somewhere ...)
 

Hey! Check it out! CARPE DEMON: ADVENTURES OF A DEMON-HUNTING SOCCER MOM is a Target � Breakout Book -- How cool is that?
 

Not only is this book great, but it's got a fabulously cool "vidlit" promoting it AND MJ is pledging literacy donations as part of a Blog-A-Thon. What book? M.J. Rose's The Halo Effect

Here's the Scoop:

M.J. Rose (blog: Buzz, Balls & Hype) has come up with the perfect strategy to capture overwhelmed consumers' attention in an overloaded marketplace for her newest release THE HALO EFFECT (Mira Books; Mass Market Paperback, July 2005).

The two-week "blog-a-thon" for the Anthony Award-nominated novel aims to connect book lovers with a good cause and a great summer read.

On July 5th, coinciding with the release of THE HALO EFFECT, Mira Books has teamed up with "VidLit" to produce a short film that uses animation and the latest in digitial multimedia illuminate the world within the novel. Rose has secured pledges from real-life supporters - her publisher, agent, family and friends – who will collectively donate $5 to the nonprofit literacy organization, Reading Is Fundamental, for each website or blog that links to Rose's THE HALO EFFECT VidLit before July 19.

Rose's goal is to get 500 blogs to link to the VidLit and raise $2500+ for the charity.

THE HALO EFFECT is the first book in the Butterfield Institute series, featuring sex therapist, Dr. Morgan Snow. In each book she struggles with the conflict of preserving her patient's privacy and the dangerous and sometimes criminal things she hears. She sees everything from the abused to the depraved, from the couples grappling with sexual boredom to twisted sociopaths with dark, erotic fetishes and the Butterfield institute is the sanctuary where she helps soothe and heal these battered souls.

Praise for THE HALO EFFECT:

"Potentially explosive… Rose's latest is not for the squeamish... [Dr. Morgan Snow] is an engaging guide to the world of dysfunction that Rose painstakingly constructs." –Publisher's Weekly

"The Halo Effect is tense, engrossing, and sometimes so real it's frightening."
- Linda Richards, editor of January Magazine

"Dr. Morgan Snow is a refreshingly vulnerable character whose spunky decision to go undercover in the demimonde is both believable and hair-raising. THE HALO EFFECT will have you on the edge of your seat from page one"
-Katherine Neville, New York Times bestselling author of The Eight

About M.J. Rose:

M.J. Rose, is the author of five novels, Lip Service, In Fidelity, Flesh Tones, Sheet Music and The Halo Effect. She also is a contributor to Poets and Writers, Oprah Magazine, The Writer Magazine, Pages Magazine. Her short fiction has appeared in Pages Magazine, The Vestal Review and several anthologies including Best American Erotica and The Auntie's Book. Rose is also the co-author with Angela Adair Hoy of How to Publish and Promote Online, and with Doug Clegg of Buzz Your Book. With a background in advertising (She was the Creative Director of Rosenfeld Sirowitz and Lawson and she has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art), Rose used her business smarts and entrepreneurial acumen to become what Time magazine would call the "poster girl" of e-publishing. Signed to a major New York publishing house in 1999, Rose has gone on to help other authors creatively market their work through both of her popular and well-read blogs, Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory.

What's left? Watch the VidLit!

THE HALO EFFECT BY M.J. ROSE, AT VIDLIT:
Link: http://www.vidlit.com/mj/

Other resources:

Buzz, Balls & Hype:
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/BkDoctorSin/

Backstory:
http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/backstory/

http://www.MJRose.com


 

The pool guy is here! The pool guy is here! He's in the backyard right now walking around taking measurements. All we have to do know is design the thing, and then watch as the company rips our yard up and puts it back together. (The loan came through last week). I'm SO excited! More excited than when we'd planned to add on a master suite and turn our bedroom into a playroom. I mean, playrooms are great, but a POOL. (For those of you living someplace with less than 102 degrees, perhaps my enthusiasm seems overly wild.).

And I gotta say, as much as I'd like the new bedroom and new playroom, remodelling sounds like a big old pain. Kathleen's in the midst of it, and she's blogged about it over at Slay Your Demons. Check it out. (And I gotta say, as much as I plan to love my pool, her new kitchen is gonna be pretty dang cool!)
 

Sea World was great, but I'm too wiped to blog! Here's a link to an article I wrote, though (that counts, right???): Sponsor Articles-Julie Kenner Happy reading!
 

SeaWorld San Antonio OK, it's not that big a deal since it's just down the road a piece (that's Texas-speak) to San Antonio, but to C, it's a Very Big Deal and she's super-excited. Especially since we're staying over night (in the past, we've done it as a day trip, but in the past, we lived in S. Austin. Moving to Gtown added about an hour to the trip. we're springing for the hotel).

Actually, the hotel is also good b/c I'll be going by San Antonio stores and signing stock of CARPE DEMON and THE GIVENCHY CODE. Packing list:

bathing suit
sunscreen
book marks
autographed copy stickers

I think that about does it!

(Oh, and my computer so I can input the last of my revisions on THE MANOLO MATRIX. I LOVE finishing revisions! It's such a heady feeling!!!!!)


 

Check out Kathleen's new post at Coffee Klatch
 

Check out M.J. Rose's fabulous blog this week at Slay Your Demons
 

Access Romance - Newsletters Hey! I just found this chat with Karen Kendall about The Bridesmaid Chronicles and, in particular, FIRST DATE, Karen's story. And boy does Karen have a great story about how the book came into being ... while she was moving and writing in closets because of all the noise!

Anyway, check it out. And this month is Kylie Adam's fab (!) contribution, FIRST KISS, followed by Karen again with FIRST DANCE and then my book in September, FIRST LOVE.

We all had great fun writing these books. I think you can tell if you read Karen's interview!
 

In honor of this month's release of Carpe Demon, here's Kate Connor's To Do List!


From the Desk of Kate Conner…

· Groceries
· Pay bills
· Gas up the minivan
· Drop Allie off at mall
· Clean out nest of evil, blood-thirsty preternatural creatures with a few wooden stakes, some holy water, and a can of Diet Coke
· Pick Allie up from mall
· Self-defense class
· Home
· Heat up appetizers
· Kill demon
· Set table
· Put Timmy to bed
· Host dinner party
· Clean up dishes
· Dispose of demon carcass
· Iron Stuart’s shirt
· Write tomorrow’s to-do list

 

I heard from my Downtown Press editor yesterday. She'd called with revisions for THE MANOLO MATRIX, the second book in the series following THE GIVENCHY CODE (in store now!!!! ... okay, end commercial).

At any rate, I'm sitting here doing the revisions, and I've come to one inescapable conclusion: I really like the whole revision process. I mean, I really like it. I suppose this should come as no surprise to me. I'm the girl who did more revisions (by a huge amount) than requested for this same editor on another book. And I'm the girl who always got a perverse pleasure out of completely rewriting a legal brief in order to argue a slightly different point. No groaning from me (unless said rewrite messed up an otherwise free weekend, but that type of groaning is allowed, even expected).

I know other authors who enjoy revisions, but most I talk to find the process really painful and would rather not get that particular call from their editor. (It's funny, you wait so long for "The Call"...but then you don't want to get THAT call!). Me, I might prefer not getting the call just so I don't have to admit to the editor that I've moved on to the next book and, sorry, but I really don't remember what happened after that first run-for-your-life scene. But it's hardly her fault that my memory sucks (IS it the Nutrasweet??). But the actual getting your hands in there, ripping the book apart and putting it back together? I love it. Even when the revisions are pretty light (as they are this time, yay!) There's still always something meaty. And it's fun. And rewarding. Because at the end of the day you can lean back, nod with satisfaction, and think: Yeah. I just made the story that much better. And that's always a good thing.
 

Here's another great book you don't want to miss: Grave Intent by Deborah Leblanc

ABOUT GRAVE INTENT:

In all their years at the funeral home, Janet and Michael Savoy had never seen anything like the viewing for nineteen-year-old Thalia Stevenson. That's because they had never witnessed a Gypsy funeral before, complete with rituals, incantations, and a very special gold coin placed beneath the dead girl's hands...

When that coin is stolen, a horror is unleashed. If the Savoys don't find the coin and return it to Thalia's grave before the rising of the second sun, someone in their family--perhaps their little daughter--will die a merciless death. The ticking away of each hour brings the Savoy family closer to a gruesome, inescapable nightmare. Only one thing is certain--Gypsies always have their revenge . . . even the dead ones.

"A powerful, haunting tale." --Tim Lebbon, author of Desolation

"Grave Intent is a first-rate novel, filled with genuine dread. I defy you to put this down after the first two pages--it can't be done!" --Gary A. Braunbeck, author of In Silent Graves

"Iconic writers like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub who have sold millions penning psychological thrillers designed to scare the living daylights out of readers had better beware—they’ve all just met their match and her name is Deborah LeBlanc. An irresistible blend of horror, mystery and dark fantasy, Grave Intent is like a wild roller coaster ride through the seven levels of Hell that doesn’t stop until readers are all suitably slack jawed in shock and delirious with all-consuming fear. In a word: Awesome!"

--Paul Goat Allen- Ransom Notes- B&N.Com