Book Review: A Girl Like You

Nancy's Review of A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess

Abigail Wood finds herself single again after breaking up with her boyfriend of seven and a half years when she finally realized that he was not right for her. She quickly discovers that she doesn’t quite know how to be single. Meeting and dating new men is incredibly stressful for her, which only adds to her fears of ending up alone. After moving out of the place she shared with her boyfriend, she moves in with Robert, a friend of her sister’s fiancé. At first, they don’t see much of each other since Robert is one of London’s biggest players. He’s always out and Abigail keeps to herself too, working and going out with friends in attempt to stay as busy as possible so she won’t dwell on her breakup or being single. But one night, Abigail comes home and joins Robert to watch TV. This is the beginning of their friendship and the beginning of Robert becoming somewhat of a dating coach to Abigail. He tells her what to do and what to say on all of her dates, helping her to relax and enjoy dating. When Abigail falls hard for one of Robert’s best friends, a lot of unexpected feelings come to the surface as Abigail tries to figure out who is really the right man for a girl like her.

Author Gemma Burgess writes with such wit and charm. Her novel includes a wonderful cast of supporting characters who bring Abigail’s world to life. The characters really jump off of the pages and seem like friends anyone could have in real life. The whole story is very realistic and believable. It is told in a fun, engaging way that makes this book very hard to put down. The first few pages before Chapter 1 will really draw readers in and make them wonder throughout the whole book which man is the one who shows up to rescue Abigail in Hong Kong and make them wonder why she’s even there and why she’s so upset. It is an excellent way to keep readers guessing from the very beginning. If you are looking for a book full of humor, drama, friendship, dating and love, then you should definitely pick up a copy of A Girl Like You.   

Gemma Burgess is also the author of The Dating Detox. She's currently working on a new book series titled Union Street for St. Martin’s Press. Gemma lives in Notting Hill. For more information about her and her novels, please visit http://www.gemmaburgess.com. You can also connect with Gemma on Twitter.  
--
What do you think of this review? Have you read A Girl Like You? Do you want to read it? Leave a comment to let us know. Thanks! 

20 Questions with Author Kristin Harmel

Kristin Harmel is the author of the novels How to Sleep With a Movie Star, The Blonde Theory, When You Wish, The Art of French Kissing, Italian for Beginners and After. Her upcoming books include The Blue Hour (spring 2012) and the autobiography of Chubby Checker. 

Today, Kristin joins us to answer our 20 Questions. Enjoy!

Kindle or Nook? Neither: I actually have a Sony Pocket Reader, which is great for checking books out from the library. It’s also smaller than a Kindle or Nook, which makes it a little easier to throw in my bag when I head out.

iPhone or BlackBerry? BlackBerry. I love the feel of the keys (although I admit iPhones are cooler!)

Coke or Pepsi? Coke. Diet Coke, actually!

Coffee or tea? Coffee. I’m a caffeine-a-holic.

Ice cream or frozen yogurt? Ice cream.

Flats or heels? Heels! I’m only five feet tall. I need all the help I can get.

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook. I have a Twitter account but hardly ever use it.

Call or text message? Depends who I’m talking to and what I need to say. Texts are easier and more efficient; calls are more personal.

Favorite song right now? “Let’s Twist Again” by Chubby Checker. I’m ghostwriting Chubby’s autobiography and have become good friends with him. Whenever I’m feeling a little lonely or down, listening to one of his songs makes me feel like he’s right here with me.

Celebrity crush? Yikes, don’t really have one! I’ve interviewed Patrick Dempsey a handful of times, and in addition to being completely handsome, he’s also very kind, warm and genuine. But am I allowed to have a crush on someone who’s married with kids? I think it’s more like a platonic crush, because one of the things I like so much about him is how dedicated he is to his family!

Movie you saw recently? “The Kids Are All Right”

Favorite television show? “Shameless” on Showtime or “Big Love” on HBO. Both are like nothing else on TV, and the writing is amazing.

Favorite snack food? I could eat a whole jar of green olives in a sitting. I know, I’m gross.

Your most overused word or phrase? “No worries!”

Your hidden talent? I played the drums all through school.

Your biggest pet peeve? When people are cold/unfriendly. Why not just be nice?

Favorite activity when you’re not writing? Going to see to live music.

Favorite authors? Too many to name!! They include Emily Giffin, Tatiana de Rosnay, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Megan Crane, Jane Porter, Liza Palmer, Wendy Toliver, Josie Brown, Cecelia Ahern, Kristin Hannah, Sarah Mlynowski, Alison Pace, Melissa Senate, Nora Ephron, Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson and many, many more.

Favorite books? WAY too many to name. As a kid, I devoured the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Three Investigators series of books, and as a teen, I got really into F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Diary of Anne Frank, which I read dozens of times. I read constantly; if it’s written by an author I know I like; if a friend has recommended it; if I read a good review; or if the plot sounds interesting, I’ll pick it up.

Comment heard most often from your readers? I have a lot of readers tell me that they see some version of themselves in my characters, and that my books have motivated them to make some sort of change for the better in their own lives. That means the world to me.

--
To find out more about Kristin and her books, please visit www.KristinHarmel.com. You can also connect with her on Facebook.
--
What do you think of our interview with Kristin? Post a comment to let us know. We'd love to hear from you!

Stories from the Hart: Dilemma, Part 2

Dilemma by Shannon Hart, author of Until the End of Forever
Part 2 (To read Part 1, click here.)

-- 

Four weeks ago, while I was having a boring cob salad for lunch with a few friends so I could fit into my dress, I spotted Justin grabbing a coffee to go. I hid behind my friend Leslie, but he spotted me anyway. He asked if we could meet up and just talk, and like the idiot that I am, I agreed.

To be fair, I didn’t know that by agreeing to meet him, I was opening up old wounds and allowing myself to open up to him again. I naively thought that we’d just be tying up loose ends or something, so by the end of the conversation we would say our goodbyes and be done with it.

We weren’t done.

We ended up seeing each other for lunch every day, just to talk and catch up. Or, at least, that was what I was convincing myself we were doing. The truth was that we were reconnecting. We were finding out again just how much we clicked and still had so much in common. I got completely sucked in again by his charm, his jokes, and the way he’d stroke my hair and say how amazing I was.

I almost told Ian that I couldn’t marry him last night.

Justin and I had spent the whole day together and he told me how much he hated himself for breaking my heart twice. He called up his boss and told him he quit, and wanted to move back to California to be with me. He hung up the phone and gazed into my eyes, then asked me to break it off with Ian and marry him instead.

Last night, I was ready to break the news to Ian but when I got home, he wasn’t home yet. He called and said he got held up because there was an urgent meeting at the office. Then, he asked me to help him pack for the honeymoon.

I don’t even know why I agreed to it, knowing very well that I was actually planning to leave him that night. But I went to his closet anyway and started picking out his clothes. Hidden way in the back of his closet was a pile of papers that I thought were just some lame manuscript from a writer who wanted Ian to read it. I figured it just got tossed in there somehow.

When I grabbed it, I could feel my heart start pounding loudly. It was so loud it felt like it was pounding outside of my chest. The manuscript wasn’t a work of some lame writer. It was something Ian had written. It was dated pretty recently and to my utter surprise, it was actually dedicated to me, whom he wrote was the only reason he wanted to wake up every morning.

The script was beautiful. It was about finding love in the most unusual circumstances. It was about having the strength to embrace life and live it to the fullest and just being grateful no matter what. It was so beautiful. I went through a full box of Kleenex by the last page.

His words spoke of so much passion, passion that I then realized was something that grew because of the relationship we had together. I may have not been in it one hundred percent, but he certainly was. A lot of the scenes in the script mimicked our reality and I knew that the inspiration for his story came from us.

I decided then and there that I couldn’t do it to him. I couldn’t call off the wedding and go run off with Justin. As much as I loved Justin, as much as Justin was my soul mate, I didn’t have the heart to crush Ian. I decided that I could grow to love him and be passionate about him.

I didn’t want to be that girl, the girl who ran off with an ex-boyfriend, leaving the good guy at the altar. I didn’t want to be the runaway bride that left the leading male character with a shattered ego and a stunned family at the church. So, this morning, as soon as I got up, I raced over to Justin’s hotel to tell him that I chose Ian.

I rambled on and on about how he had missed his chance with me, twice, and told him that I could never be with him again. I never denied still loving him, but I told him I loved Ian too and I wanted to make it work with him. With tears running across my cheeks, I told him to call his boss and get his job back. Then I took off running faster than I had ever run before, making sure I was as far away as possible from him so there wouldn’t be any opportunity for him to try and change my mind.

Yeah, I was a lot smarter this morning.

“Look, if it’s his ego you’re worried about, you don’t even have to tell him that you’re in love with someone else. Just tell him you can’t do this. Tell him you thought you were ready for this but you’re not. The point is, Jess, you can’t sacrifice your happiness just because you don’t have the guts to leave him.”

“I can’t. I just… can’t.”

“Why not? I love you. You love me. We should be together, Jess. We, you and me, not you and him.”

“It could have been you and me. I’m not the one who wanted out of this relationship, you know. I’m not the one who packed up and left for London,” I said, suddenly realizing how angry I actually was at him.

“I know and it was a stupid thing to do. But I’m here now, and we deserve another chance…” he begged. “Look at it this way. Maybe you’re setting him free to meet the actual love of his life. Maybe by leaving him, you’re giving him the chance to experience true love. Doesn’t he deserve better than this charade?”

I couldn’t deny that what he said caught my attention. As much as I hated it, he could be right. Maybe Ian was better off with someone else anyway. He did deserve someone who could love him far more than me.

I was still in deliberation about whether or not Justin was making sense when the phone rang.

“I know we’re not supposed to see each other until the wedding but I miss you like crazy already and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet,” Ian said, in his soothing, comforting voice.

“I… I miss you too,” I said, not entirely sure if I was lying or telling the truth. On some level, I did miss him. I missed feeling safe and comfortable and with Justin in the room pressuring me into cancelling the wedding, I felt everything but safe and comfortable.

“I can’t wait to marry you, Jess. I can’t wait to call you Mrs. Ian Webber and I can’t wait to start the rest of our lives together,” he added softly while simultaneously adding to the pain I was feeling in my chest.

“Ian, I…”

“I know we’re only supposed to say our vows tomorrow and I’ll blow you away with my vows, I promise. But I just want you to know that starting today, not even tomorrow, I’m going to spend my entire life trying to make you happy. I just want what you want. Whatever it is that makes you happy, I want to be able to give it to you.”

I guess he didn’t know how making me happy involved making him miserable. He probably never even thought of the possibility.

I looked over at Justin who was shaking his leg like there was no tomorrow. He was obviously nervous, just waiting to see how the conversation with Ian would end. It was the first time I saw him so unnerved.

“Ian, are you happy?”

“I am. I am so happy. You make me the happiest man on the planet,” he answered sounding so sincere it was practically killing me.

I glanced at Justin again, then to the picture of Ian and me on our Hawaiian holiday. Then I looked back at Justin.

Somehow, I felt like I wasn’t looking at him anymore. I was looking at the college version of him, who left me behind to pursue a career in movies. I was looking at the hot shot up and coming director version of him, who got pulled to a studio in London and didn’t seem to hesitate to leave me behind once again.

Seriously, it couldn’t have killed him to at least ask if I wanted to come along, right?

Suddenly, it was all clear to me.

There would always be something else that would pull him away from me and all that’s left would be my broken heart. Again. Sure, now, he probably thinks he wants to stay here and just be with me and not give a damn about his career. But soon enough, he’s going to want something more and he’ll leave me behind again to go and get it. One of these days, he’s going to get another offer from someone and will fly off to God knows where and I wasn’t willing to bet that he’d ask me to come with him.

“Hang on a second, honey,” I said to Ian, as I pressed the mute button. With whatever strength I had in me, I tugged Justin by the arm. “You have to leave. Please. I’m sorry Justin but I can’t leave him. I won’t leave him.”

“Jess, please. I love you. I want to be with you,” he pleaded, a vulnerable side I had never seen before.

“I’m sorry,” I said in between my cries. I opened the door and waited for him to walk out. I felt my heart break into a million pieces when he walked past me with the most gut-wrenching look on his face. But I had a choice to make and I made it.

I cleared my throat and wiped the tears from my eyes. Taking in a deep breath, I pressed the mute button again.

“Hi. I’m back. Sorry about that. I just had something I needed to do. It’s done now. It won’t bother me again.”

“Uh, okay… Is there something you’d like to tell me?” Ian asked.

“Not really. It’s not important. What’s important is what you were saying just now. What was it again?”

Ian laughed a bit. “I was saying, I’m happy, Jess. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. You make me happy."

I smiled to myself. “Good. I’ll make sure to keep that up for the rest of my life,” I answered, vowing to myself to stick to that promise. No matter what.
--
What do you think of this story? Leave a comment to let us know. Thanks! We love hearing from you!

Author Beeginnings: Lorena Bathey

Lorena Bathey is an independent author of memoir Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother and debut novel Beatrice Munson. Lorena is generously offering 20% off of the Beatrice Munson eBook through July 27th to Chick Lit Bee readers. To receive the discount, please visit www.smashwords.com/books/view/48084 and input WD65M when purchasing the eBook.

To get to know Lorena better, we asked her about how she began her writing career. Enjoy!

What was your favorite book(s) when you were a child?

I was a prolific reader as a child because I was an only child. Books were my escape and I would go to the library and leave with a stack as big as I could carry. Historical fiction was my most favorite. I think there were two books that I remember impacting me in my youth. 

First was one that most girls remember, Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. Of course, reading this book explained the beginnings of puberty to me and gave me insight into what I could expect at this tumultuous time.

The other book was when I was about thirteen. My father worked for an airline so we were able to fly to Europe very reasonably. This afforded me the opportunity to travel there often in my youth. One time my mother, aunt, and I were traveling to visit my cousin who had moved there with her husband. My aunt was a huge reader and gave me a book to read before we left called Katherine by Anya Seton. That book was historical fiction about John of Gaunt (one of the princes during the War of the Roses) and Katherine Swynford whose affair ended in their marriage. Their children formed the Tudor line and even the royals now can be traced back to them. This book opened my eyes to how writing can enhance an experience. During our trip I kept seeing places I had read about in the book and even saw both the characters' names. This author was great at creating a romantic book that thrilled its reader with facts of places they had never known.
 

When did you start writing?

I began writing in 2005. My mother had passed away from cancer, my father got remarried very quickly after, and my husband left me - all within three years. I had lost my stability and had to begin again. I began writing what was happening. Getting divorced, getting a job after being home for nine years with my kids, having to date, and finding myself. This journey became my first book, Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother.

Once I wrote the memoir and began a career helping women find their inner fairy godmother, I found that these characters were popping into my head. I began to write them down and Beatrice Munson was started. However, I wrote about half before I set it aside and picked it up five years later to finish it.
 

What kind of writing did you start with? (short stories, poems, articles, etc.)  

I had always written. I wrote poems, journals, and did a lot of essays as an English major. But I didn't really ever sit down to write a book, short story or anything until I began my first book, Happy Beginnings. That book just fell out of me and I wrote as fast as I could. That began my real passion for writing.
 

When did you decide to become an author and how did you know it was the right career for you?

After I published Happy Beginnings, I did a lot of speaking, classes, and one -on-one work with women to help them find their power. And yet through it all, it was the writing that I really loved. But I was scared to simply commit fully to the process of being a novelist. It wasn't until I met the man of my dreams and he asked me what I really wanted to do and writing was the first and only thing that came to my mind. He simply said, then do it. And so I did. We both committed to following our dreams and doing what we love, so I am an author and he is now making drums. (www.TheDrumDoktor.com)

When I finished my first novel after a nine hour writing session, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. But it took someone believing that I could do it to make me sure enough to follow my path.
 

What was the most challenging part of starting a writing career? What was the best part?

Oh, for sure the most challenging part is letting go of convention. You have to stop those voices of your family, friends, and the world who thinks you are crazy not to have a job where you get health insurance, 401K, and security. It is hard to go against the tide and pick something that is so unsure as a career path. But you know what, that is also the best part.

I lived my entire life doing what everyone else wanted me to do. It wasn't until my mom passed that I truly understood that this life was my life. That having money and security were not the things that made me happy. What made me happy was writing and choosing to follow that path, as rough or scary as it may be, and that is what makes me a better human being.

Not only that, but writing these works and creating a world that people can get lost in is just the best kind of fun. When I get someone saying, "thanks for making me cry three times on the plane," it feels good. It means that they connected with the characters enough to get lost in the story and to feel what these characters felt. That's something you can't put a price tag on or truly explain the satisfaction and inspiration that it creates.
 

Describe what it was like to see and hold the first published copy of your first novel. Were you relieved, excited, anxious? How did you celebrate the launch?

The day I finished my novel I was writing with a friend I've known for over 25 years. We write at Panera every week and during our weekly session I got on a roll. She had to leave and I sat there until my eyes were blurry just finishing the book. When it was done I sat there, took a deep breath and began to cry. It was elation. It was satisfaction. It was exciting. And it was thrilling. I was hooked.

When I picked up the printed copies and opened the box, which I do immediately because I can't wait to see them, I just felt my breath stop for a second. I remember saying to myself, I'm a novelist. The artwork for the cover of my book was drawn by my busband (a term I coined to explain that he's more than a boyfriend just like a husband) and seeing it as a book just filled me with joy and promise. I always know what I want the covers to look like and he captured it perfectly. Seeing and holding the finished product that matched my mental picture was exhilarating. This book was the first step in building my life-long career as a writer.

I'm still celebrating the launch. The book itself was up on Amazon and Smashwords right away as an eBook. And seeing people buying and downloading it was very satisfying. The reviews have been good and everyone loves the Beatrice character. In fact, I am beginning a newsletter with Beatrice Bits because everyone wants to know more about this character's life and way of being. (You can sign up at www.LorenaBBooks.com.)

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

It's simple....write! I have people say to me all the time...I mean ALL the time that they have a book they want to write. If you have a book, write it down. That is the biggest step you will take.

Next, don't worry what people think. If you feel the story, then it is a story and believe me in this world of millions of people, someone will love it. The biggest mistake you can make is to listen to anyone that thwarts your creativity and many will try. Being creative comes from a different place and it's important to let that part of you emerge. So write and then get involved in a group that you feel comfortable in and let them read your work. Listen to what people say and incorporate what you think works, but always remember it's your story and you know best.

Take chances. If you have a story but you feel like you don't know enough about the topic, do research. But don't let a good idea pass you by. I believe in muses, inspiration, and divine intervention giving you the right idea at the right time, so don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Write down any idea that won't go away and make it happen.

Next, always, always, always have a professional editor edit your work. This is not a suggestion; this is one of the most important things you can do. A good editor will make your work even better. A good editor will show you where you need to expand a character, plot line, and simply make your words flourish.

Lastly, make sure that whatever you put out into the world is professional, well created, and looks like it could be on a shelf in any book store. There are criteria that every writer should aspire to and not making sure to keep your writing at the highest caliber not only affects your work but the industry of indie authors and publishers.
--
About Lorena Bathey

Growing up in the Bay Area of Northern California, Lorena Bathey attended St. Mary’s College in Moraga graduating with a degree in English. Then she traveled, learned about life, and developed great fodder for a book. Losing her mother to cancer and her own marriage’s demise brought her to find herself. She wrote Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother and found speaking and empowering others was her passion.
 
Lorena Bathey found after writing her first book that characters were visiting her mind and wouldn't leave. She was introduced to Marissa, Andrea, Lily, Deidre and Beatrice and her first novel, Beatrice Munson, came to life. After finishing that book, she was inspired to write more novels and she knew that pursuing her passion was the best way to live her life. So, she became a writer. After meeting the love of her life, they embarked on the thrilling life to follow their dreams bringing their families along for the ride. Today Lorena has nine novels in her writing queue all with screenplays in the works. But writing isn't the only muse that inspires Lorena. She has become a passionate photographer and likes to push the envelope taking shots while learning how to navigate Photoshop. Travel, walking, enjoying new restaurants, and Italy are other loves and things she makes sure she has time for. 

To get in touch with Lorena, you can email her at Lorena@LorenaBBooks.com. You can also learn more about her at www.LorenaBBooks.com and connect with her at www.facebook.com/lmbathey and at www.twitter.com/lmmtoo
--

We would love your feedback on our interview with Lorena. Be sure to leave a comment. Thanks!

Book Review: Breaking Even

Nancy's Review of Breaking Even by Kathleen Kole

*This review is part of Kathleen Kole's blog tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours.

 

In Kathleen Kole’s Breaking Even, Penelope Whittaker is in a stable relationship with her fiancé Ben. They have been together for many years, but have yet to actually tie the knot. Penelope’s life is predictable, even boring at times, until she meets Scott, a recently widowed dad, when she drops off her soon-to-be nephews at school one morning. He offers to help her when she discovers that she locked her keys in the car. To her surprise, Penelope is very attracted to Scott’s kindness, charm and good looks.

Soon after meeting Scott, Penelope meets up with Kris and Renee, the wives of her fiancé’s brothers and her soon-to-be sisters-in-law, to tell them about her encounter with Scott. Kris and Renee are Penelope’s best friends, so they immediately worry when she shows such an interest in a man other than Ben, despite Penelope’s dismissal of their concern. Ben’s brothers Grayson and Paul are soon aware of the Scott situation, but Ben remains clueless. All Ben knows is that Penelope is unhappy when she gets angry with him for no reason and blurts out that they are like an old married couple. She then changes her appearance to give her life more excitement and to attract Scott even more to her, whether she wants to admit that or not. Ben also tries to spice up their relationship, not realizing that Penelope’s changes are for Scott and not for Ben. Meanwhile, Kris becomes jealous of Penelope and her changes because Kris feels like she is stuck in a rut too, which causes tension between them. This story has a very tangled web of characters that all affect each other and influence each other’s decisions. They are constantly in each other’s business, making it difficult for Penelope to figure out how she really feels. Does she still want to be with Ben even though it is increasingly difficult to ignore her strong attraction to Scott? Will she actually cheat on Ben or break it off with him before anything happens with Scott? There are turning points in any relationship. For Penelope, meeting Scott is a turning point in her relationship with Ben and she can’t go back.

Breaking Even is a fun, fast read that will keep readers wondering who Penelope will choose. There are surprises along the way that add to the drama and to Penelope’s confusion. Kole has an engaging writing style that will keep readers’ interest throughout the story. The dynamic between Penelope, Kris and Renee is well written. It often seems like Kris and Renee treat Penelope like she is part of their family even though she isn’t technically married to Ben yet. They have a hard time adjusting to the fact that she might have feelings for someone else because that means that they could lose her. At times, Kris and Renee seem nosy and bossy, but that is their way of showing that they care about Penelope and her relationship with Ben. Kole depicts the misunderstandings and miscommunication that can happen in relationships and friendships very well. Breaking Even is a worthwhile read about love, friendship, family and the tough life decisions that everyone faces.  

Kathleen Kole has been writing since she was a child. Breaking Even is her first novel. When she isn’t writing, she loves spending time with her husband, her son and her dog. Kole’s next novel, Dollars to Donuts, will be published this summer. To learn more, please visit http://www.kathleenkole.com, http://www.facebook.com/kathleenkoleauthor, and http://www.twitter.com/kathleenkole. 

--

What do you think of this review? Do you want to read Breaking Even? Have you already read it? Leave a comment to let us know. Thanks!

Stories from the Hart: Dilemma

Dilemma by Shannon Hart, author of Until the End of Forever
Part 1

When the doorbell rang, I rushed over to the door carrying my wallet, thinking it was Danny, the delivery guy from the Thai restaurant around the corner. Instead, it was him.

Justin.

The last person on the planet I wanted to see that night.

“You shouldn’t be here.” I tried to put on a hard face. Jaws clenched, eyes wide, lips pursed and everything but I wasn’t fooling anyone. Justin knew me better than anyone in the entire world.

“You want me here. You’re just scared.” He stared me down for a few seconds until finally, I closed my eyes and turned my head away. It was too hard to look at him.

“I can’t do this, Justin. We can’t do this,” I said, moving away from the door. Contrary to what I said to him that same afternoon – that I couldn’t have anything to do with him again – I actually let him in to my apartment. My sane mind was screaming at me, telling him to push him out the door, lock it and throw away the key. My mind told me that it was a bad idea and that no good would come out of seeing him. But it was just too hard. I knew in my heart that I didn’t have the strength to push him away any longer.

“But we can, Jess.” Justin sat down on my couch, lifted his feet and rested them – dirty Chuck’s All Star sneakers and all – on my coffee table.

“No, we can’t,” I said, shoving his feet off of my two-week old antique table.  “We’ve been over this a million times. There’s nothing we can do now.”

“Jess, come on,” he pleaded.

“Justin. Stop it. Please. You’re making this harder than it already is.”

“But love is hard sometimes, babe. We just have to… deal with it. Face it. Defeat the challenge,” he said, taking both of my hands into his.

I almost let myself enjoy having his hands around mine. It would have been so easy to just let him hold them longer, so I could absorb the warmth of his strong arms and let my fingers fit comfortably between his. But that big old alarm in my head kept ringing, telling me it was wrong.

“It’s not that simple, and you damn well know it.”

“I don’t see how we can’t make it simple!”

“My God, what is wrong with you?” I shouted. He always seemed to downplay the whole thing. Like it wasn’t a big deal that I was getting married tomorrow. Like it didn’t matter that my entire family was going to freak out if they found out I was still in love with my ex-boyfriend, who just happens to be my fiancé’s best friend, who was also still very much in love with me. “It’s not simple and it’s never going to be simple. Whatever it is that you expect me to do, I can’t do it.”

“You can’t or you won’t?”

“Both!” I yelled as I lifted both my arms up in the air. The situation was hopeless, but there was nothing either one of us could do about it.

“Jessie, please. Don’t you think what we have is worth fighting for? Don’t you love me enough to want to be with me for the rest of our lives?”

I felt a tear make its way from the corner of my eye down across my cheek. I hated it when Justin said things like that. He knew I loved him. He knew the thought of marrying Ian not only broke my heart but shattered my soul too. I said it to him a million times. He knew. And all of those things are true. I do love Justin more than anything. But he had his chance a long time ago and he completely blew it.  Twice.

We had been together all through high school and we were supposed to go away to college together. We both got accepted to Brown and we had a plan. We had everything figured out: where we were going to live, how we were going to get jobs and come home every chance we could. Heck, I was already completely packed when he suddenly told me he wanted to go to film school in Los Angeles instead. I had nothing against people wanting to go to film school, obviously. But I did have something against people backing out on something we had been planning our entire senior year.

After college, I got a job working at a wedding organizing company. I was awesome at my job – I still am – so it only took me less than a year to land my very first solo gig, the Baker-Davidson wedding. I met Justin again at the first meeting with the wedding party – he was the best man. He and the groom, Kirk, apparently went to film school together and shared an apartment off campus. When our eyes met during that first meeting, I knew I wasn’t over him just yet. I still felt giddy whenever he flashed a smile towards me and my heart still raced every time our elbows “accidentally” brushed up against each other. So when he asked me out for coffee the next day, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I wasn’t dating anyone anyway, so I figured what would be the harm?

Fast forward three years later. He left me broken hearted again when a studio in London asked him to join them. He pondered over the decision for awhile before agreeing to head over there – so he claims – but the fact that he chose to end our relationship instead of trying to make the long distance work told me he wasn’t as in love with me as I thought.

I was in agony for weeks. Strangely, I didn’t hate him. Instead, I hated myself. I hated myself for letting myself believe that he truly loved me. It disgusted me that I allowed myself to fall completely and desperately in love with him and that I was too stupid to realize he didn’t love me all that much. He loved making movies more than anything. More than me…

Ian, who became his best friend after Kirk moved away to Atlanta, got left behind too so we started spending a lot of time together. We both suddenly had voids in our lives that we needed to fill and even though we never really had anything in common, just the sheer fact that we both lost Justin bonded us.

We officially started dating after catching a play, about two months after we started hanging out. It was an awful play, so awful that we actually left during the intermission. It was a miracle that we even stayed that long. We ran out of the theatre laughing our brains out and all of a sudden Ian stopped laughing. He cupped my face and landed a soft, gentle kiss on my lips. I got completely hooked. It felt great to have a man want me again, but even then, I knew I didn’t feel as strongly about Ian as I did about Justin. It was just… different.

Ian and I dated for about nine months when he popped the question out of the blue. We were at a red carpet gala for a movie premiere and I was in a dress that other people said looked gorgeous on me. I didn’t quite feel the same way and actually felt fat in it. I was uncomfortable the whole night but Ian kept telling me that I looked beautiful. He said I had no reason to worry and that I was even better looking than the actress who had the leading role in the movie. It was a bunch of crap of course, but I appreciated that he tried to comfort me.

I had just gulped my fourth glass of champagne at the after party when I heard Ian’s name be called up to the stage. He was speaking on behalf of the studio and he was supposed to be giving this informal speech about how thankful the studio was that everyone showed up and liked the movie or something like that. Instead, he said, “We all loved the movie. On behalf of the studio, I’m so happy you guys could come out and you all look beautiful tonight, especially my girlfriend, Jessica. Doesn’t she look fantastic, everyone?”

All heads turned to me as I felt my face turn lobster red. A few guys whistled and some clapped and I swore in my head I’d kill Ian for the embarrassment.

“In fact, she looks so beautiful tonight,” he continued, “I can’t help but want to ask her to marry me. What do you think? Should I?”

My heart stopped for a good few seconds. The crowd went insane with screams and claps and strangers shouting “Ask her, ask her!”

Ian walked down from the stage and over to me, still clutching onto the cordless microphone. “Jess, these past nine months have been the best nine months of my life and I want the rest of my life to be like this.  Will you marry me?”

 I probably shouldn’t have said yes. If my brain was working as well as it was tonight, I would have been able to be sensible enough to say that while I did love him dearly, he just wasn’t Justin. But I got caught up in the moment. It was such a grand gesture of Ian to do what he did and in front of all those people – people he admired and people he worked with. How could I have even thought of saying no?

I said yes. I hugged him and even got teary eyed a bit. Everyone in the room congratulated us and the president of the studio even hosted our engagement party a few weeks later.

After a long hard thorough thought process, I managed to convince myself that it was the right thing to do. Ian was a great guy. He was perfect husband material and I did love him. So what if I didn’t feel as passionate about him as I did for Justin? So what if I still imagined being with Justin every now and again. Ian was wonderful and I should be honored to be his wife. Besides, it wasn’t like Justin was coming back anyway. At least, that’s what I thought.

--
Check back for Part 2 of Dilemma next week! Do you like this story so far? What do you think will happen? Leave a comment to let us know. Thanks! We love hearing from you!

17 Questions with Author Alison Pace

The celebration of the release of Alison Pace's new novel A Pug's Tale continues! You can read her Author Beeginnings interview from earlier in the week and see her new book featured in our June Book News.

Today, Alison joins us again to answer some of our fun questions. Hope you enjoy!


Kindle or Nook? Kindle

iPhone or BlackBerry? iPhone

Coke or Pepsi? Neither

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Ice cream or frozen yogurt? Ice cream

Flats or heels? Both? But if have to choose, heels

Facebook or Twitter? Twitter

Call or text message? Depends on whom, but usually text

Celebrity crush? The following question reminded me: Jason Bateman

Movie you saw recently? The Switch, I liked it. Didn't realize til the credits rolled that it's based on a short story by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Favorite television show right now? How I Met Your Mother

Favorite snack food? Pirate's Booty

Your most overused word or phrase? Yikes, might be "totally."

Favorite activity when you’re not writing? Walking my dog, early in the morning, in Central Park

Favorite authors? So many! I love me some authors but to name a few: Jennifer Weiner, Jen Lancaster, Elinor Lipman, Sarah Mlynowski, Kate Atkinson, David Sedaris

Favorite books? Wuthering Heights, Bridget Jones's Diary, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Secret History, The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters

Comment heard most often from your readers? Most often and favorite: I love the way you write about dogs.

--
What do you think of this interview with Alison? Let us know in the comments section. We'd love to hear from you!

Author Beeginnings: Alison Pace

Alison Pace is the author of If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend, Pug Hill, Through Thick and Thin, and City Dog. Her new novel A Pug's Tale was released today. Congratulations, Alison! To celebrate and to get to know her better, we asked Alison about how she started her writing career. Enjoy!

What was your favorite book(s) when you were a child? I was a big fan of Where the Wild Things Are, Little Women, and Little House on the Prairie. After that, pretty much I wanted to read anything that came my way.

When did you start writing? The first story I remember being very into, and proud of, was when I was in third grade. Then I wrote all the time, journals, series books about horses, overwrought poetry, second-person essays were big with me, too.

What kind of writing did you start with? (short stories, poems, articles, etc.) See above, but once I got serious about writing as an adult, I started with novels. I think all of the forms are very different...I just spent a few years writing essays. I thought they'd be easier, shorter. So much more challenging for me than novels.

When did you decide to become an author and how did you know it was the right career for you? Oh, I don't think I ever decided, I think I just wrote my first book and thought, you know, I like this, and I'm going to try and get an agent and see if it could get published. I never really know if being a writer is the right career choice, but it's by far the thing I am best at, so I keep trying and keep writing.

What was the most challenging part of starting a writing career? What was the best part? Worst part: The not-knowing. Best part: knowing that people read and love and are sometimes very touched by my work.

Describe what it was like to see and hold the first published copy of your first novel. Were you relieved, excited, anxious? How did you celebrate the launch? It was awesome, lovely to hold the first book. It's lovely to hold any book for the first time. There's a terrific feeling of "wow, I did this." Friends had a big party for my first book launch...I like a big party very much and it was a wonderful night...all my friends were there.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Keep writing! Believe in yourself. Ignore all the people who tell you it's impossible; it's really not.
--
What do you think of our interview with Alison? Be sure to leave a comment to let us know and pick up your copy of A Pug's Tale. Alison will join us again later in the week to answer our 20 Questions. Stay tuned!