The Girly Book Blog Hop: Lovable Secondary Character

Aunt Madge from True Love Way by Nancy Scrofano

In my debut novel, True Love Way, twenty-nine-year-old main character, Marlo, has a special bond with her great aunt Madge, who is about to turn ninety years old. Even though they both go by nicknames, Marlo was named after Madge. They both share the full name Margaret. Marlo and Madge are two peas in a pod, despite their huge age gap. Since Marlo has always felt like she should have grown up in the forties or fifties, she relates really well to Madge, who actually was a young woman during that era. Marlo and Madge are kindred spirits, and Marlo often seeks advice from Madge. Typically in chick lit, a sidekick or confidante to the protagonist is a best friend of a similar age, but I wanted to explore a different kind of friendship and companionship. Marlo does have a best friend who is the same age, but she is more of a main character rather than a secondary character. And she doesn’t quite compare to Marlo’s wise, trustworthy, sincere, lovable aunt.

The character Madge was inspired by my two grandmothers. Some actual aspects of their personalities are represented in Madge. For example, Madge’s extraordinary energy for someone of her age is inspired by my grandma who is nearing one hundred years old. In the novel, I mention that Madge reads the newspaper from cover to cover every day, which is something that my grandma does. The first time readers are introduced to Madge, Marlo and her best friend, Nik, arrive at Madge’s house where big band music is blaring. My other grandma loves big bands, and when I was growing up, she always had oldies playing loudly whenever I went to visit her. She still loves classic music, and just the other day, she was telling me about how she used to only pay a quarter to see Frank Sinatra in concert. Imagine that!

I love all my characters, but Madge has a special place in my heart. Readers connect with her, too. Here are some of their comments:

“I really loved Aunt Madge…” – Cheryl at Cheryl’s Book Nook

“I absolutely adored Marlo’s great aunt, Margaret, and that Marlo and Nik had such a lovely relationship with her…” – Lydia at Novel Escapes

“I especially liked Aunt Madge and thought that her backstory was as endearing as her personality. Although Marlo and her friends were the main characters, Aunt Madge was truly the most significant, for she connected the past to the present with her ‘timeless’ love story. She was the uniting force that tied the story together.”  – Gina

“I fell in love with Marlo and her friends and especially her Aunt Madge.” – Lucie Simone, author of Hollywood Ending and Picture Perfect
--
Please leave a comment to be entered to win 1 of 2 eBook copies of True Love Way. Two winners will be chosen at random on Monday, October 1st. Please include your email address or social media account so we can get in touch if you win. Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to hop on over to the blogs listed below for their posts and the chance to win more prizes!

Author Interview: Romi Moondi

Tell us about your new novel, Last-Minute Love. 

Thanks for this opportunity. I’m excited to share some insights into my books and why I write. To answer the first question: Last-Minute Love is the sequel to Year of the Chick, but it can also be read on its own (though Year of the Chick is free at all retailers for those who are interested!). The second book picks up with the main character trying to balance her true North American self against very traditional Indian expectations. Unlike the first book, Last-Minute Love is less about a quest to find love to avoid arranged marriage, and more about the character’s quest to follow her own dreams, live in the moment, and assert her independence.

What prompted you to write a sequel to Year of the Chick?

I wrote the sequel because of my experiences in real life. That’s the simplest answer! In my own life, I met someone amazing and embraced the whole “live in the moment” thing, which ended up heavily influencing what I wrote next...which is the sequel!

How many books will there be in the Year of the Chick series?

Definitely three, maybe four. I have a pretty good idea of how the plot goes for book three, but since a certain part of my book puzzle is always “inspired by real life,” I try to leave the plot open to possibilities until I write it. Something tells me that book three won’t be the end though. I’m sure I’ll take a break from the series and write something else after book three, but who knows, there could be more.

What are the similarities and differences between you and main character Romi Narindra?

Oh my gosh, how much time do you have? Haha...Well, if you follow my Facebook page, you can probably see some of the similarities between her character and me. From getting broody over men sometimes, to drooling over hot male celebrities (and following them down the streets of Toronto---yes, it happened), to being a nerd who goes to museums, and still being something of a believer in true love, that character is essentially me, just over-dramatized to make sure there’s enough action in the books (especially the first book where the “Romi” character was intensely crazy and obsessive...I’d like to think I’m a little more balanced than that these days!).

Why do you write women's fiction?

To me, it’s all about “write what you know,” and women’s fiction has always felt the most familiar to me, from always reading it, to injecting parts of my real “woman” life into the books. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to write something like a thriller some day, but that would come after a long period studying that genre and practicing writing it. For now, women’s fiction feels the most natural, and back to the “write what you know” part, if you can put the most inspiration and passion and know-how into whatever art you’re pursuing, then you have the best chance of presenting something different and special. That’s one of my goals actually; to present a unique twist on a very popular genre.

Share some of the positive and negative aspects of being a self-published author. 

To start, being a self-published author has been a hugely positive experience...as in 95% positive. The fact that after being rejected by all the major publishers, I was able to go out on my own, find my own audience when no one believed my book had one, earn a 70% royalty which allows me to offer low prices to readers, and sell almost 4,000 copies in a year and a half? Well, it’s been amazing! I also love having control. From the book cover, to having the final say in the editing process, I never have to make a change I’m not comfortable with. It really is like owning your own business, which makes each sale and positive reader reaction all the more meaningful.

My only negatives are two. The first one is being in control of everything. I know, I said that was a positive! Well it is, but when you have a full-time job, a long commute, and a gym schedule you’d like to adhere to since you spend so much time in a chair at the office or when you’re writing...being in control of everything means you’re busy ALL THE TIME, even when you’re not working on the next writing project! If I can find a way to be a full-time author some day, this negative will be eliminated.

The only other negative is that readers can say whatever harsh things they want, and you just have to shut up and take it. Anything else will result in those “authors behaving badly” stories we’ve all heard about (yikes!). You simply can’t respond to negative reviews, because in the end, readers may express whatever opinion they like, and that’s their valid reader reaction, even if it’s five harsh words or they only read a few pages, and...in theory, I agree with that. It only becomes difficult when you spend too much time reading your reviews, because it’s easy for the one harsh review to cancel out the five glowing ones before it. Luckily, this negative feeling becomes more neutral when I think about how even the most popular authors go through it. I guess that’s when you know you’ve made it, haha.

Tell us about the book release party you had for Year of the Chick.

It was the craziest night, but in this case, the pictures tell a thousand words, so here’s a link to the album of book party photos. Long story short: my friend’s friend is a club promoter who basically helped me turn a Saturday night into a Year of the Chick fest! The place was all decked out with copies of my book, anyone who paid for a booth received a free copy, I had posters, post cards and pens I printed cheaply at Vista Print, and I got to wear a party dress...what more could a girl ask for? It was also great to pick up some new fans and have some photos to share whenever I’m networking my book.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?

I’ll answer this in list form:

• Reading
• Watching my favourite TV shows (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Parks and Recreation, any season of Top Chef, etc)
• Watching movies
• Going to the museum (and YES I have a museum membership just like my character in Last-Minute Love!)
• Hanging out with my bestie gal-pals, which usually involves alcoholic beverages, haha

What are you working on now? 

I’m not working on my next book yet, but instead I’m doing everything in preparation for that. This involves pre-first-draft research, and for me, that means going out into the world, experiencing things, meeting new people, and next year....some travel! (I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t read Last-Minute Love, but as you can see, my next book’s research has a lot to do with the experiences I have in life!). I would also like to adapt Year of the Chick into a screenplay to get myself ready for when the big movie producer calls (haha). I’ll definitely start working on that before the end of the year, and well, that’s it for right now (and it’s quite enough!).

Thank you, Romi!

Editor’s Pick: Last-Minute Love

Nancy’s Must-Read Choice: Last-Minute Love by Romi Moondi

Romi Narindra is back in the sequel to Year of the Chick. This time, she’s still looking for love, but determined not to try too hard. She goes with her best friend, Laura, and Laura’s boyfriend, Dave, to New York City on what she calls a “no-man trip,” where she plans to have all the fun she can as a single woman.  But her plans are foiled when she meets Dave’s friend, Erik. Despite the fact that Erik is only working in the city temporarily and has a serious girlfriend at home in Denmark, he and Romi really hit it off. But Romi still thinks of her Internet guy, James, often and can’t seem to let him go, even though she only met him once in person, and he still lives thousands of miles away. After the unsuccessful “no-man trip” since she did, in fact, meet a man, Romi goes back to her life in Toronto where she is forced to help with her bridezilla sister’s wedding. On top of that, she hates her corporate job, and she’s working on self-publishing her debut novel, much to her traditional Indian parents’ chagrin. Trying to figure it all out, Romi continues her journey…

I absolutely loved Year of the Chick (so much that it made my top ten chick lit books list), so I was really excited to read Last-Minute Love, and it didn’t disappoint. As I read the sequel, I was still rooting for Romi and hoping that James would come back into the picture somehow. He doesn’t have a very big role in this book, but it is a humorous look at where Romi’s life is now, and it is definitely full of charm. I’m glad that this is a series because it’s great to keep up with Romi, one of my favorite characters. I wasn’t a huge fan of Erik’s and kept hoping that he wouldn’t reappear, but I was happy to see Romi follow her heart and make the “grand gesture” like Cleopatra, who she loves so much. Romi has grown up a bit from the first book to the second, which is a natural character progression. She’s learning from all her experiences and improving herself and her life, making her easy to relate to and admirable. And through it all, her trademark sense of humor remains intact. Last-Minute Love is a page-turner with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Chick lit fans should add this series to their to-read lists. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Romi Moondi is a Canadian independent author. Her work includes The Book of Awful, NOT Love Poems for Real Life, Year of the Chick: Beginnings, Year of the Chick, and Last-Minute Love. For more information, visit Romi’s blog and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

___________________________________________________

Book of the Day: Tales from the Crib

Tales from the Crib by Jennifer Coburn

Talk about bad timing! When Lucy Klein gets her positive pregnancy results, she’s overjoyed. She and her husband Jack have been trying to get pregnant for years throughout their rocky marriage. But before she can tell him the big news, Jack has something he needs to announce – he wants a divorce! Rather than split up, Lucy and Jack decide to live together as friends. This way, they can share expenses and parenting responsibilities. Co-parenting is a fine deal for Jack who is back in the dating scene by Lucy’s third trimester of pregnancy, but is a frustrating one for Lucy who has unfulfilled sexual fantasies about every man from restaurant delivery boys to puppeteers. Meanwhile, Lucy’s mother is taking over her life. The grand dame of Planet Earth, Anjoli frequently visits her daughter to share her own brand of maternal wisdom. As Anjoli leaves her Drama Queen bookstore to “help” Lucy with baby Adam, the new grandmother has an affair with baby’s pediatrician, hosts two weddings (including cousin Kimmy’s wedding to herself), and constantly frets about which kind of pie to serve guests. With a cast of family and friends from Lucy’s Jewish aunts to Junior League neighbor, Candace, Tales From the Crib is the story of how one baby can bring people together – so they can drive each other nuts!

Contributor's Pick: Between You and Me

Chanpreet's Must-Read Choice: Between You and Me by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus 

Logan Wade is older than her famous cousin, Kelsey Wade, by two years. They used to be childhood best friends, but then something happened that caused a rift between their families when Logan was in her teens. It's been years since they've seen each other, which is difficult for Logan to understand because she can't remember what happened to her  Logan has left the bad memories of her childhood in Oklahoma behind and is now working in NYC. On the day of her birthday, she gets a phone call from Kelsey's assistant and doesn't think anything of it. What was supposed to be her day ends with her "boyfriend" putting her in a cab to her home, alone. Logan is fed up with the way her life is going, and when she returns the call to Kelsey's assistant, she's surprised at the offer to fly out to California and see Kelsey, at her own request. Once she gets there, she finds things have changed and is astonished to find how things really are and surprises herself when she agrees to become Kelsey's assistant. With everyone wanting a piece of Kelsey, will Logan be able to be protect her and be there for her, while keeping herself safe too?

This book isn't very long, coming in under 275 pages, but what it lacks in length it completely makes up for with the story itself. The book is packed with action, drama, and a little comedy. Seeing how hectic and out of control a celebrity's life can be, even on paper, makes me glad my childhood day dreams of becoming a superstar of some sort to impress a crush never came true. Always having to be on your guard and weary of people must be exhausting! Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have done a phenomenal job with this book. It hooks you from page one and keeps you there until the book is finished. I was left wanting more once I turned the last page. The mystery as to what it was that caused the rift between Logan and Kelsey's family is slowly and skillfully revealed, and when it is, you're in for a doozy. You can't help but like and feel for both Logan and Kelsey. Kelsey because she has absolutely no control over her own life, and she and the people closest to her, are her worst enemies, and Logan because she tries so hard to make sure Kelsey gets some of the normality that she wants, even at the sacrifice of herself. My only regret about this book is how it ended. The ending was powerful, but it left so many unanswered questions. I am hoping for a novella or a sequel and will be keeping my fingers crossed!

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have written several bestsellers together. They are the duo behind The Nanny Diaries, The Nanny Returns, Citizen Girl, and Dedication, to name a few. Between You and Me is their latest adult release. They keep writing amazing books, so be sure to keep your eye out for them!

__________________________________________________