MEET CECILY SINCLAIR (MIXING IT UP)

Leading up to the release of Mixing It Up, I wanted to introduce you to some of the important players in the book. First up is heroine Cecily Sinclair—Cordon Bleu graduate, TV chef, trust fund baby. Although she was born into the world of the elite where she was expected to do one of two things with her life (go the Ivanka Trump route and follow her father into the very lucrative family business or emulate Paris Hilton and make a career out of being a globe-trotting heiress), she elected to follow her dream of becoming a world-class chef. Cecily is very passionate about food and cooking and woe betide anyone who interferes with her doing what she loves in precisely the way she wants to. (Take note, Dante and Devlin!)

Author's Note: For me, one of the most fun things about writing for Cecily was that money was no object to her. She's had it all her life, she's used to having the finest things, and she doesn't think twice about whipping out her black AmEx when she needs to. At the same time, she's not frivolous with her money, nor is she flashy. She wears designer clothes, but she has no bling, no chauffeured car, and she cleans her own relatively modest apartment. That doesn't mean she's not a bit of a snob, though. Fast food? Perish the thought!

Another facet of Cecily I enjoyed was her constant inner struggle between being the calm, cool, and composed lady she was raised to be and letting out her fiery side. (As her cousin Dina points out on numerous occasions, Cecily is a true Scorpio—passionate, stubborn, determined, possessive, vengeful.) It's a battle she often loses, sometimes to her detriment.

Quotes: "Of all the chefs in all the world, I have to get stuck with that moody, showboating jerk again!"

"I don't want to cast aspersions on any of my former boyfriends, but if I had to choose between sex and a tagine that tastes like this . . . It's my little stewed friend all the way."

"Red is for trollops. My grandmother drilled that into my head at a very young age. I've never even worn red lipstick, or owned a red purse, because of her edict against it." 

Casting: This wasn't easy! There aren't many actresses who are tall, slender blondes with an aristocratic air about them. The one who comes closest to my vision of Cecily is Canadian actress Laura Vandervoort (Bitten, Smallville). She's got the right coloring and bone structure and she manages to exude both elegance and warmth.

So, now you've got the scoop on Miss Cecily. She's in for a bumpy ride in Mixing It Up. Will she live up to the family credo, "Sinclairs don't fails; they prevail"? You'll have to read the book, which comes out on October 19th to find out!

Drop back by tomorrow and I'll give you the 411 on one of the exasperating men Cecily tangles with in Mixing It Up.

 

BOOK 4 - COMING SOON!

I am pleased to announce that I will be releasing my 4th Chick Lit novel, Mixing It Up, on Wednesday, October 19th!

How amazing is this cover art? I think my designer, Lyndsey Lewellen, really outdid herself! And how pretty is my new color scheme here at Books by Banister? I am loving the lime green and all the sparkle; it's so Chick Lit-y! A big "Thank You!" to Karan Eleni for orchestrating this fabulous makeover for me. 

Wondering what Mixing It Up is about? Here's the blurb:

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Manhattan upper-cruster Cecily Sinclair now uses that pricey utensil to dish up fancy French fare on her cooking show, Serving Romance. When there's an executive shake-up at the network, she's not worried. Not much anyway. Her show's a hit after all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success?

The driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more Millennial-friendly don't thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is a hard man to say "no" to and she really wants to keep her job—even if that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past.

Mercurial Italian chef Dante Marchetti was once Cecily's boss, and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in town, Dante's egomania knows no bounds and his constant attempts to provoke and upstage her make her want to conk him on the head with a sauté pan. She thinks they're toxic together, but viewers love their chemistry and clamor for more.

As Cecily battles to maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily's blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

Will you be on Team Dante or Devlin? I have a feeling readers are going to be split down the middle on this one. To find out more about these men, as well as Cecily and some pivotal supporting characters in Mixing It Up, check back here the week before the release when I'll introduce you to the main players in the book.

FYI: I'll be doing a giveaway in conjunction with the release. All you have to do to enter is purchase a copy of Mixing It Up the first week it's out! This themed prize pack includes not one, not two, but THREE fun, girly items that relate to the book and its heroine. I'll leave you in suspense as to what those items are, but I will give you a little hint about one of them . . . <whispers> Kate Spade </whispers>

BLOGGERS: I am planning to do a Release Week Blitz for Mixing It Up so that I can get my book in front of as many eyeballs as possible. So, if you have a blog and are willing to feature MiU (cover art, blurb, buy link, info about my giveaway) on any day from October 19th-25th, please e-mail me.

Thanks to all of my wonderful followers for your continued support. I'm so excited for you all to read this book!

CHATTING WITH THE CHICKS OF CHICK LIT

Ha ha ha ha welcome, welcome everyone to Chatting With the Chicks of Chick Lit. I’m your host, Chuck Lottateeth, and I am so thrilled to be able to introduce you to some of the most fascinating characters in literature today. I’m talking about the leading ladies of Chick Lit—those enchanting, romantic, darling, sexy, sweet, funny, headstrong – and, let’s face it, sometimes downright frustrating – modern women who headline this fabulously fun genre. I'm sure you're going to love getting the skinny on these “novel” heroines, and who knows? You might just find your new BFF on the pages of one of these books!

Without further ado, please put your hands together and show some love for today's guests – one's a pet psychic, the other's a forensic accountant. Not only are they sisters; they're identical twins! How fun is that? Welcome, Sloane and Willa Tobin!

CHUCK: So nice to have you here, ladies!

WILLA: Thanks, Chuck. I'm a big fan of the show.

SLOANE: This isn't going to take long, is it? I have an appointment with an important client at three. <looks at her watch impatiently>

CHUCK: Let's get to it then! I have five burning questions for the two of you. First, if you were a shoe, what kind of shoe would you be?

SLOANE: Are you serious? What kind of ridiculous–

WILLA: It is a ridiculously hard question to answer, isn't it? We both love shoes, although we have wildly different tastes in footwear. If I were a shoe, I would definitely be a cute flat of some kind . . . Oooo, I know! I saw these flats the other day that had Sweetheart candies on them. You know, the ones with sweet, romantic messages like "Kiss Me" or "Be Mine"? The shoes were colorful and whimsical, just like me!

SLOANE: I suppose I would be a Jimmy Choo python pump with a 4-inch spike heel. Pythons are bad ass, and I like to think I am too.

CHUCK: Okay, next question – What are the three items you would absolutely need to have with you if you were shipwrecked on a tropical island?

WILLA: I'm going to assume that Sloane and my canine best buddy, Cicero, are shipwrecked on the island with me, so I don't need to name either of them as an "item." That being the case, the three things I'd want with me would be: Sunscreen with a high SPF because I'm fair and burn easily. The complete works of Sophie Kinsella so that I'll have something lighthearted to read and keep my mind off being stranded. And a utility lighter so that I can start fires and cook food for all of us to eat.

SLOANE: First and foremost, I'd want a weapon for defense and to kill the fish (or whatever) Willa will be cooking for us. A big, sharp knife of some kind would work. Second item would be a waterproof, solar-operated laptop so that I can make lists and calculate things like tide times and our odds of survival. Last, but not least, a first-aid kit with bandages, antibiotics, needle and thread for stitching, etcetera, so that we don't die from some silly injury or illness.

WILLA: Good thinking! And I'll share my sunscreen with you.

CHUCK: Sounds like you two will make a formidable team on that island! Moving on to question number three. Get ready, audience, because the answers to this one will give us a little peek into these ladies' love lives . . . If you had only $15 to spend, what would be the perfect date? $50? $5,000?

SLOANE: I'll take a pass on this question because I don't have time for dating. Willa, this is your area of expertise . . .

WILLA: There are so many neat things to do in San Francisco, and they don't all cost an arm and a leg. Let's see . . .

For a $15 date, I'd go to the park at Alamo Square and watch the sunset with my guy, then walk hand-in-hand (SIGH) over to the Bi-Rite Creamery and get a cone to share. My favorite flavor there is cheesecake with blueberry swirl. Yum! 

For a $50 date, seeing a romantic black and white film at the historical Castro Theater followed by going to the Bisou (Translates to "kiss"!) Bistro for a late dinner would be perfect.

I've never been on a $5000 date, but if my guy had that kind of money to blow, I'd say we should go to Napa for the weekend, stay in a really nice B&B, and visit one of the vineyards for a wine tasting.

CHUCK: Listen carefully to this next question, ladies, because it's a multi-parter . . . Your best friend is asked to describe you in five words. What would they be? Your nemesis is also asked to describe you in five words. What would they be?

WILLA: My friend and roommate, Tommy, would probably describe me as being fun-loving, quirky, optimistic, compassionate, and imaginative.

SLOANE: Oh, geez, I have no idea how Gav, who's known me since we were kids, would describe me. On a day when we're getting along, he might say that I'm smart, ambitious, sarcastic, loyal, and self-sufficient.

WILLA: I'm afraid I don't have a nemesis, so I'm not sure how to answer that question.
 
SLOANE: Here, let me help you out. People who don't get my sister and her unique brand of kookiness might say that she's flighty, gullible, delusional, obnoxiously perky, and dresses like she's not sure which decade it is.

WILLA: If that's the worst anyone can say about me, I'm doing all right! <smiles>

SLOANE: You really can see the bright side of anything. Okay, let's talk about my nemesis, Thea - UGH! She's Gavin's ex and she's a humorless, manipulative bee-yatch. She hates me, so I'm sure she'd be happy to give a negative description of me including the words domineering, work-obsessed, testy, possessive, and much prettier. Ha! Kidding about that last one, Thea would never admit that.
 
CHUCK: If you could be the heroine in any chick flick, who would it be and why?

SLOANE: I don't really watch chick flicks unless Willa makes me. The last heroine of one of those I can remember relating to was Sandra Bullock's character in The Proposal. What was her name?

WILLA: Margaret - you are so her!

SLOANE: Yeah, she was a boss. Had a great job, the respect of her superiors, all of her underlings feared her. And she ended up with Ryan Reynolds. I'd be down for that. How about you? Which chick flick heroine would you want to be? Oh, wait, you're going to say that Amy Adams movie where she's a fairy tale princess who breaks into song all the time, aren't you? <makes a face>

WILLA: Of course! I love Enchanted and Giselle! She's so sweet, and her best friends are animals, and she gets rescued by the dreamy Patrick Dempsey. That movie shows that fairy tales can happen in real life too!

SLOANE: And we're done. Thanks for having us, Mr. Bleachedteeth, but I've got business to take care of. <gives Chuck a firm handshake and walks offstage at a brisk trot>

WILLA: It has been so much fun! I hope you'll invite me back when you're interviewing Chick Lit heroines and their pets. I would love for you to meet my adorable, little guy, Cicero. Do you have pets, Chuck? <leans forward with interest>

CHUCK: I have a pygmy hedgehog named Marty who bites me every time I try to touch him. <holds up hands that are covered in tiny fang marks>   

   
But you're not here to talk about my problems! <forced chuckle> Folks, give Willa and her, uh, over-scheduled sister, Sloane, another round of applause. If you'd like to read more about them, be sure to pick up a copy of Twin Piques. See you next time here on Chatting With the Chicks of Chick Lit!


Book Blurb: Forensic accountant Sloane Tobin and kooky pet psychic Willa may have the same face, but that’s the only thing these identical twins have in common.

How she can read the hearts and minds of animals has always been a mystery to Willa, and her rotten luck with men is equally baffling. Although she’s been looking for “The One” for what feels like forever (A teenage marriage to a French mime and dating a guy named Spider seemed like good ideas at the time!), optimistic Willa refuses to give up on love. When she meets Brody, the handsome rose expert hired to save her grandmother’s garden, she’s instantly smitten, but why does he keep sending her mixed signals? Does he return her feelings, or is their attraction all in her fanciful head?

Unlike her twin, Sloane has zero interest in romance. Her passion is her job, where she uses her gift for numbers to take down slimy embezzlers and asset-hiding spouses. When she’s assigned two high profile cases, Sloane feels confident the promotion she’s been angling for is within her grasp. But will her plan to climb the corporate ladder be thwarted by difficult clients, her co-worker-with-benefits, or – most surprisingly of all – her own sister? And how’s she supposed to stay focused on the drama at work when her childhood friend, Gav, moves in next door and the spark between them becomes impossible to ignore?

To get what they both want, can Willa and Sloane band together and rely on each other’s strengths? Or will their differences drive them apart once and for all?

#CHICKLITMAY A TO Z SCAVENGER HUNT

Welcome to the third stop on the #ChickLitMay A to Z Scavenger Hunt! I'm all about the letter C, and C is for . . . CAREER!

Career plays a huge role in the life of a Chick Lit heroine. Either she's just starting out in some lowly position where she's tortured by a boss who's a big jerk/diva (see Andrea/"Andy" and what she goes through with her dragon lady employer, Miranda Priestley, in Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada). Or she's struggling to find her professional niche. (Becky Bloomwood, the protagonist in Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, is miserable working at a financial magazine until she finds her true calling as a personal shopper.) Or she might already have her dream job, but she has to deal with office politics, difficult clients, and/or finding a balance with work and her personal life. (The ladies of Candace Bushnell's Lipstick Jungle are confronted with all of the above.)

When Chick Lit was born with the release of Bridget Jones's Diary twenty years ago, most of the genre's heroines worked in media/publishing, but these days they have a variety of occupations that run the gamut from cupcake shop owner to corporate attorney. You never know what fun and interesting careers you might find in a Chick Lit novel. In my last book, Twin Piques, the heroines made their livings as a pet psychic and a forensic accountant!

What careers have you read about in Chick Lit that you found especially entertaining? Let me know in the comments below. I love to get book recs!

Thanks for stopping by! Read on for details about the amazing giveaway we're doing for the Scavenger Hunt.

GRAND PRIZE - Want to win a Kindle Paperwhite + a $100 Amazon gift card? Visit each of the 26 stops on the #ChickLitMay A to Z Scavenger Hunt and collect the alphabet word at each stop (A, B, C, D, etc.), then submit the A-Z list of words via e-mail with the subject line "A to Z Scavenger Hunt Entry." Entries will be accepted until Sunday, May 22nd at midnight E.D.T. A winner will be chosen on Monday, May 23rd. Good luck!

The next stop on the Scavenger Hunt (the letter D) is here.

If you'd like to start back at the beginning of the Scavenger Hunt (the letter A), go here. 

Want to find out more about Willa and Sloane, the aforementioned pet psychic and forensic accountant? Check out Twin Piques.

Book Blurb: Forensic accountant Sloane Tobin and kooky pet psychic Willa may have the same face, but that’s the only thing these identical twins have in common.

How she can read the hearts and minds of animals has always been a mystery to Willa, and her rotten luck with men is equally baffling. Although she’s been looking for “The One” for what feels like forever (A teenage marriage to a French mime and dating a guy named Spider seemed like good ideas at the time!), optimistic Willa refuses to give up on love. When she meets Brody, the handsome rose expert hired to save her grandmother’s garden, she’s instantly smitten, but why does he keep sending her mixed signals? Does he return her feelings, or is their attraction all in her fanciful head?

Unlike her twin, Sloane has zero interest in romance. Her passion is her job, where she uses her gift for numbers to take down slimy embezzlers and asset-hiding spouses. When she’s assigned two high profile cases, Sloane feels confident the promotion she’s been angling for is within her grasp. But will her plan to climb the corporate ladder be thwarted by difficult clients, her co-worker-with-benefits, or – most surprisingly of all – her own sister? And how’s she supposed to stay focused on the drama at work when her childhood friend, Gav, moves in next door and the spark between them becomes impossible to ignore?

To get what they both want, can Willa and Sloane band together and rely on each other’s strengths? Or will their differences drive them apart once and for all?

Buy Twin Piques (available in e-book and paperback)!