Thursday, January 3, 2013

Author Libby Mercer stops by!



Even though she's extremely busy with her recent release of Unmasking Maya, Author Libby Mercer stops by to talk about some of her favorite books!  I always LOVE hearing about Authors talk about other authors work because, well I don't even know, it's just kind of fun!




But let me introduce y'all to the wonderful 
Libby Mercer.......






Swimming in Silicon Valley

Thanks so much for having me here today, Lori! My recently released novel, Unmasking Maya, is a fish-out-of water story of sorts. Maya, a former fashion designer who’s lived in New York City for the past decade, finds herself immersed in the high tech world of Silicon Valley where the men are Vitamin D-deprived and there’s talk of algorithms, error logs and cross-site scripting.

For this blog post, I thought it would be fun to chat about some of my favorite fish-out-of-water tales. Hope you enjoy!

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
 
I was living in New York, working as a freelance fashion journalist when this book came out, and that phrase Lauren Weisberger bandies about in Prada: “the job a million girls would kill for” well… that’s no exaggeration. I can’t even tell you how many interviews I went on at the big, glossy magazines over the years, hoping to secure that highly sought after editorial assistant spot. Sadly I never quite managed it, but when Prada was released, I was among the first to grab a copy.

This engrossing roman à clef follows Andie Sachs, a serious, studious fashion victim, into the elusive and enchanting world of high fashion where trends are set and style is everything.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Plucky Jersey Girl, Stephanie Plum, is running from the bill collectors in her very un-Prada like attire – she’s a fan of spandex shorts paired with high heels. Unemployed and living on the edge of financial ruin, she takes a job as… a bounty hunter. I hesitated a little about including One for the Money on my list of great fish-out-of-water tales because she is a Jersey Girl and the whole thing seems very Jersey, but I think the fish-out-of-water element is more about gender roles in this case. There are plenty of chick lit-esque slapstick moments like when Stephanie smacks a thug in the head with her tacky purse, but overall, she holds her own and gets the job done.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

High up on the list of my favorite Sophie Kinsella books (and there are many) this hilarious story follows Samantha Sweeting, a corporate attorney, who flees London after making a career-killing mistake at work and heads for the English countryside. She ends up taking a job as a housekeeper for an eccentric couple, despite the fact that she can’t cook and has no idea how the washing machine works. The novel is positively brimming with madcap moments and LOL lines – even in the beginning before the fish-out-of-water element comes in to play and Samantha celebrates her birthday with the two mobile phones.

And there you have it. My top three picks for fish-out-of-water. If you haven’t read them yet, I highly recommend all three. And my own Unmasking Maya, of course. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!!



 ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆

I highly recommend checking out Unmasking Maya!  It was a refreshing Chick-lit Romance that kept me interested and even wanting more!  

Happy Reading!

4 comments:

  1. I tried to read The Devil Wears Prada when it first came out and I couldn't even finish it. The the movie came out which I loved and I read it a few years later and really enjoyed it. Haven't read any Janet Evanovich, although am told she is very funny and Sophie Kinsella, what can I say, she's wonderful and her Undomestic Goddess is very like my house at the minute, amidst taking down the Christmas tree! Loved the post, Sooz

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Sooz! I know what you mean about The Devil Wears Prada. It definitely has its flaws, but for me, the story and setting were bewitching. :-) I would wholeheartedly recommend Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, but you must start with this one - the first in the series. Years ago, I bought the seventh book at the airport and read it. Hated it because I didn't know what was going on. Didn't buy another Janet Evanovich book until I saw a preview for the movie, One For the Money. It looked so funny I bought the book and ended up loving it. And I totally agree about Sophie Kinsella. She's amazing. Can't wait for her new release later this year.

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  2. Awesome post! :) I loved The Undomestic Goddess and can't wait for her new book to come out! Devil Wears Prada is one of those rare instances where I thought the movie was better than the book. (Wasn't able to finish the book, actually.) I need to read One for the Money... it's already on my Kindle because I bought a copy after seeing the trailer for the movie! lol And what can I say about Maya Kirkwood? I'm almost done with Unmasking Maya and I totally want to be her BFF! :)

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  3. Aw, thanks Cat! I know you and Maya would get along famously. :-) So thrilled you enjoyed it. That's excellent that you've got One for the Money on your Kindle. Hope you get a chance to read it soon. I thought it was great. The movie wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but it was an enjoyable flick. No idea why it didn't do better. Thanks so much for posting!

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