Books and Writings
Posted on 06/13/2009 12:00 am by Melissa SenateMY NEXT NOVEL!
Here's a little bit about my new book, THE SECRET OF JOY, which will be published November 17th by Pocket Books (after six novels with Red Dress Ink, I have a new publisher!). Rebecca Strand, a 28-year-old New York City paralegal, is shocked when her dying father confesses his long-ago affair–and the baby he'd turned his back on. This fragile connection to 26-year-old half-sister Joy Joyhawk is all Rebecca has left of family. And so with her lawyer boyfriend's protests ringing in her ears ("She's just going to want her share of his million-dollar estate!"), Rebecca drives to Wiscasset, Maine, with the 26 letters her father wrote to Joy (but never sent) every year on her birthday. Having no idea what to expect, Rebecca knocks on Joy Jayhawk's door.
Turns out Joy, the separated mother of a little boy (Rebecca has a nephew!), isn't very interested in the "father" who turned his back on her existence from day one–or her "sister." But Rebecca is so determined to establish family bonds with Joy that she doesn't go home . . . and finds herself being welcomed into small life by some very loveable, quirky characters, including the Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset and a sexy carpenter named Theo . . .
More, including excerpt, to come! But here's what one of my favorite authors, Claire LaZebnik had to say about The Secret of Joy: "The Secret of Joy is a warm hug of a book. Insightful, wise, and romantic, it's as inviting as the small-town life it depicts."
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING, is about very different twin sisters on a long and bumpy cross-country road trip from Maine to Las Vegas. Here's a peek at the back cover copy:
A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE LISTS 15 QUESTIONS COUPLES SHOULD ASK BEFORE MARRYING
Ruby Miller and her fiance, Tom Truby, have questions 1-14 almost covered. It's question 15 that has the Maine school teacher stumped. Is their relationship strong enough to withstand challanges?
Challenges like . . . Ruby's twin sister Stella. The professional muse, flirt and face reader thinks Ruby is playing it safe. And that the future Mrs. Ruby Truby will die of bordeom before her first anniversary or her thirtieth birthday, whichever comes first.
And challenges like . . . sexy maverick teacher Nick McDermott, Ruby's secret longtime crush , who confesses his feelings for her at her own engagement party.
But before Ruby can plan the wedding that may never be, Stella announces she's pregnant by a one-night stand whose name might be Jake (or James? Maybe Jason?) and who lives somewhere under the glittering lights of Las Vegas. Ruby and Stella hit the road to find him–with a lot more than 15 questions.
And after three thousand miles, a stowaway relative and hitchhiking teen lovebirds bound for an Elvis wedding chapel, the Miller sisters might get some answers.
4 1/2 stars from RT magazine! And a 2008 nominee for Reviewer's Choice Award in the chick lit category.
Check out an excerpt on Amazon (and hey, feel free to order it while you're there!)
LOVE YOU TO DEATHAbby's worst ex-boyfriends are on someone's hit list. Friends, familiy, coworkers–and a hot Portland police detective–think that someone is Abby herself!
WHEN DID ABBY FOOTE'S LIFE BECOME AN EPISODE OF LAW & ORDER?
First, a former boyfriend (who dumped Abby in the most humiliating way imaginable) is found murdered the day his engagement is announced.
Then two other ex-boyfriends report attempts made on their lives right after breaking up with her. Coincidence? Detective Benjamin Orr, of the Portland Police Department (and Very Probing Questions and Incredibly Delicious Face), doesn't think so. Neither do Abby's friends, family, coworkers and other exes–who are suddenly shaking in their shoes.
Soon enough, everyone is sucking up to her as though the Abby they know and supposedly love to death is capable of posioninig their drinks….
Is someone trying to frame her? Who? And why? She has to find out fast. Because by-the-book Ben is bound to break her heart. Which makes him next on someone's list.
"Melissa Senate is definitely one of my favorite chick lit writers. Her books are funny and fast-paced and always make you feel good!"
–Sarah Mylnowski
"Readers will cheer Abby every step of the way as she fights to clear her name and find her prince for whom the glass slipper will finally fit."
–Publishers Weekly
4 stars says RT Bookclub magazine
THE BREAKUP CLUB (2006 Red Dress Ink)Four coworkers at a New York City publishing house (a not-so-happily-married mom, her single sister, their goodlooking boss, and a runaway bride) reluctantly form a support group for the broken-hearted when they're assigned to work on a high-profile celebrity memoir about perfect love. "Senate's latest has her trademark quick pacing and sympathetic, loveable characters." –Booklist
THEODORA TWIST (2006 Delacorte Press — Young Adult)A teen-queen movie star's reputation is at an all-time low, so her agent sends her back to her hometown to film a reality TV show to prove she's just a regular American teen. She lives with a regular family and has to do everything sixteen-year-old Emily does, like actually care about everything. "Senate sets up a tantalizing plot, and the plot is equally entertaining." –Publishers Weekly
WHOSE WEDDING IS IT ANYWAY? Eloise is offered a free $100,000 wedding by her employer, Wow Weddings magazine. Too bad she has no say in her own "ultra-modern" wedding . . . including the guest list, which suddenly includes her estranged family. "Senate creates multi-dimensional characters, an interesting plot, and some curious twists in this fast-paced spin-off to her international bestseller SEE JANE DATE." –RT Bookclub magazine
THE SOLOMON SISTERS WISE UP (2003)Three very different sisters (one single and pregnant, one who catches her husband cheating, and one who can't commit to anyone) end up living in their father's apartment as he plans his wedding to a woman younger than all of them. "Senate scored high with See Jane Date and now she presents another winner that will have readers cheering for the warm, witty, and loveable Solomon sisters as they wise up, find love, and learn to love each other." –Booklist
SEE JANE DATE To avoid a blind date, book editor Jane tells one tiny white lie about having a boyfriend . . . and then has to date every single guy in New York to find him. "Senate's prose is fresh and lively. See Jane Date retains its fizz to the end." –Boston Globe
SEE JANE DATE (DVD of TV MOVIE!)
SEE JANE DATE (THE MOVIE!) (2003)"Based on a novel by Melissa Senate, this made-for-cable romantic comedy stars Charisma Carpenter as Jane Grant, a New York bachelorette with a moderately successful job at a publishing company. At the behest of her Aunt Ina (Linda Dano), Jane must find a suitable date to escort her to her cousin's wedding in four weeks. Our heroine experiences a number of romantic misadventures with a steady parade of "Mr. Wrongs" (one of whom is played by Joe Millionaire's Evan Marriott) before hitting upon a man who might be "the One" — and then again, might not. Making Jane's task all the more difficult is the presence of her former high school nemesis Natasha Nutley (Holly Marie Combs), now a soap opera diva whose autobiography Jane has been assigned to edit." –New York Times
ANTHOLOGIES
EVERYTHING I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BEING A GIRL I LEARNED FROM JUDY BLUME (May 2007, Pocket Books, Editor: Jennifer O'Connell) Essay: Me, the summer I turned twelve. Oy. Buy from Amazon
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIE: THE TRUTH ABOUT LIFE IN YOUR TWENTIES (January 2007, Warner Books. Editor: Emily Franklin) Essay: Me, othe loss, in every possible way, of a great guy Buy from Amazon
FLIRTING WITH PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIGINAL CHICK LIT MASTERPIECE (2005, BenBella Books. Editor: Jennifer Crusie)Short Story: Charlotte as a 21st century woman making the same choice for the same reason. Buy from Amazon
AMERICAN GIRLS ABOUT TOWN (2004, POCKET BOOKS) Short Story Who's sending a recently-engaged woman voo-doo bride dolls with sharp pins and anonymous nasty notes about what her fiance is doing when she's not around? Buy from Amazon