Melissa Senate

BOOK LAUNCH PARTY, READING & SIGNING!!
Saturday, June 7th at 2pm at Books, Etc, in Falmouth, Maine. Come join me for a reading, discussion, signing, and delicious cake!   

Not only is QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING the title of my new novel, which will arrive on a bookstore shelf near you on Tuesday, May 27th, it's a variation of the title of the "most emailed" New York Times article of 2006: Questions Couples Should Ask Before Marrying (Or Wish That They Had). A simple list of 15 questions, ranging from finances to sex to religion to friends to expectations. "What does my family do that bugs you to death?" "TV in the bedroom?" "Will you be willing to move to New York City or a one-stoplight town for my career?" "You'll stop buying shoes, right?" It's a good list, a practical list, but when it comes right down to it, I think the very last question, #15, is the most important because it is THE question. If this, would that, what about, blah, blah, blah . . .  But let's say you and your intended are in agreement on most of the questions, the ones most fundamental to you. Then let's say during the course of your marriage, one of you says/does/wants something different. This is where #15 seems to be the most important question: Can the bond between the two you survive whatever challenges you might face? 

Such a serious question! And can you really know? I was so interested in exploring that. And so I sent my main character, Ruby Miller (with her sparkling diamond engagement ring and the New York Times article folded in her purse) and her very different twin sister, Stella, on a very long and bumpy road trip from Maine to Las Vegas, where a ceremony by an Elvis impersonator may or may not await her. If Stella has anything to say about it (and Stella's in the car with Ruby for 3,000 miles), the answer is: no way. Stella doesn't think Ruby really loves her buttoned-up fiance.

But Stella (a professional muse and "Face Reader," has her own very important questions to ask, regarding the whereabouts and what-abouts (I think I just made that word up) of a certain guy whose name she isn't sure about. And by the end, both sisters are asking all sorts of questions–of each other and about life and love, about what they want, what they need, who they are.  

I know authors are not supposed to have favorites when it comes to their own books, but I must say, QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING is tied for favorite with my first book, See Jane Date. 

You can find the book in bookstores, Target, Amazon or any online retailer or basically wherever books are sold. Here's a link to read an excerpt (on Amazon). 

P.S. In Maine today, it's 61 degrees. Tomorrow it will be 71. And on Monday, 81. Then back to the 60s for next week. Crazy. Until I moved here I had no idea that you can't go swimming in the ocean until very late July unless you want to freeze.  

Happy long weekend… 

Looking for a fun novel to take to the beach this Memorial Day weekend? Here's one to pack in that bag: 

SECRETS OF THE HOLLYWOOD GIRLS CLUB by Maggie Marr

Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club "Marr's prose is fast and sharp, and she keeps the plots flying."
   —Publishers Weekly

Life at the top of the A-list is fabulous, but it's a long way to the ground if you fall—and the cameras are always waiting to publicly humiliate you if you do. Jessica, Mary Anne, Lydia, and Celeste have stayed at the top by sticking together. The last time they collaborated on a project, the film was a huge success, launching ueber-agent Jessica's boutique management company, making Mary Anne the hottest new screenwriter in Hollywood, landing Lydia the top spot at Worldwide Pictures, and solidifying Celeste's position as the queen of Tinseltown. But this time, as these powerful movie mavens are called to the set, each of them has a lot more to lose.

At thirty (ahem . . . thirty-six), actress Celeste Solange is starting to feel her age. Tiny lines are beginning to appear near her eyes, and she's wondering how long she can hold on to her A-list status. But that's not her biggest problem—not by a long shot. A compromising DVD she made with her husband during the wild early days of their marriage is making the rounds, threatening to break out onto the Internet and ruin her image and her career. So Celeste turns to her girlfriends for help—good thing they're some of the most powerful players in town.

Mary Anne, Lydia, and Jessica have troubles of their own. Mary Anne has started seeing Holden Humphrey, the hottest leading man in Hollywood, and everyone in America is watching—including his crazy young stalker, who wants Mary Anne out of the picture. Lydia is busy running a studio, putting out fires, and playing politics with the big mouths and big egos of the entertainment elite, and now someone is trying to blackmail her. Jessica is juggling a family, a demanding career, and an even more demanding list of clients. And meanwhile, publicist Kiki Dee seems to have a hand in all the secrets . . . and she's willing to do anything to keep her spot at the top of the Hollywood PR machine. Can the Hollywood Girls Club hold their lives together and get a film made amid all the craziness?

That's life in Hollywood—where the right friends, and the secrets they know, can make or break a career.

Click on Maggie's name above to visit her website, read an excerpt, her blog and for more info. Read her bio–what a background this very talented author has!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday weekend! 

If you missed the very cute TV movie that was made of my first novel, SEE JANE DATE, you can see it next Saturday, May 17th at 1pm on the Hallmark Channel. Here's a trailer (there's a weird 15 second commercial for msn first). I still love the fact that Antonio Sabato Jr. plays the heartbreaker when I had the huge Calvin Klein underwear poster of hot Antonio on my college dorm walls.

Anyway, the movie is adorable and is also available on DVD. Several fun TV actors star, such as Charisma Carpenter as Jane,  Holly Marie Combs of Charmed, Linda Dano of soap fame, Joshua Malina, Cameron Mathison, and the very first Millionaire guy, who has a hilarious cameo. In another six degrees of separation moment, I've recently discovered that Cameron Mathison of All My Children and Dancing With The Stars fame, suffered from the same rare childhood degenerative hip condition (Perthes Disease) that is now affecting my son. Cameron Mathison recently danced his heart out on Dancing With The Stars, proving like Earl Cole, the recent winner of Survivor Fiji, who also had Perthes Disease as a kid, that it's all about perseverance. 

And in QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING news, I just saw two very nice reviews, including this one from RT Bookclub Reviews magazine (4 1/2 stars): "Senate's relatable story involves two sisters struggling to secure their past. Senate broaches heavy topics of single motherhood, abandonment and true love and does so with a flourish of witty, complicated and realistic characters, subtle humor, and emergent relationship." 

You can check out an excerpt of QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING (and pre-order too!) on Amazon. If you go to the Barnes&Noble.com page, please note that my novel is NOT a Christian novel, despite the category at the top of the page. I and my publisher just can't seem to get B&N to change it to Women's Fiction.

The other nice review was from the famous Harriet Klausner and she said all kinds of nice things and gave me 5 stars.

Okay, off to Mother's Day dinner with my dear son, who made me the cutest card in his kindergarten class (10,000,000 stars!) 

I love cozy mysteries, especially when they're part of a series. Sara Rosett's new book in her Mom Zone series is next on my to-be-read list, so here's the scoop on what sounds like a really fun book:  

 Getting Away is Deadly

By Sara Rosett

GETTING AWAY IS DEADLY is the third book in the mom lit mystery series about a military spouse who runs a professional organizing business.

It was the perfect vacation until murder rearranged the itinerary

With swollen feet, pregnant Ellie joins the nation’s tourists in seeing the sights in Washington D.C.  But a fatal incident at the Metro station convinces Ellie that something is rotten in the capital city. Should she do the safe thing and pack her bags? Not likely when too many people are telling lies, hiding secrets, and acting suspiciously.  Luckily, Ellie Avery is just the right woman to clean up the most mysterious cases of murder—even if she has to brave the most dangerous byways in the corridors of power . . .

Reviews for Getting Away is Deadly:

Publishers Weekly:  “…sparkling….”

The Mystery Gazette:  “Fans of amateur sleuth mysteries will relish GETTING AWAY IS DEADLY as the tale contains a delightful whodunit that serves as a tour of Washington DC.”

Getting Away is Deadly will appeal to fans of Jill Churchill,

Ayelet Waldman, Leslie Meier, and Rett MacPherson.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, Sara Rosett has always loved to curl up with a good book. Her marriage to an Air Force pilot has taken her to central and southern California, Texas, Washington state, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Maryland. Sara has worked as a credit processor, a reporter for two Air Force base newspapers, and a researcher and writer for the Citizen Ambassador Program of People to People International. Currently, Sara and her family live in Maryland where she combines full-time parenting with writing. Her work appeared in Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul, Simple Pleasures of Friendship, Simple Pleasures of the Kitchen Romantic Times Mystery Scene, Mystery Readers Journal, The Writer, and Georgia Magazine. Please visit her website, www.sararosett.com.

      Website: http://www.SaraRosett.com

      Blog: http://www.RosettWrites.Bravejournal.com

Happy Reading!