Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Guess Where I'm Headed & a GCC Tour

Yep, you got it - I'm headed to the airport this morning. Off to Los Angeles until Friday when I return home around 12:30 am - yes, that's as in the morning. (yuck) Everyone is saying things like "oh, but the weather's great there right now." Of course, I'm like "yes, but the weather inside the Hampton Inn is always great. That's what thermostats are for." I simply can't get people to understand that travel is exhausting. Training is exhausting and I'm not on vacation. I have to work all day. Who wants to go out at night when they've worked all day - alone, in a strange town? Not me for one. I'm too damned old.

Still haven't gotten a chance to take a picture of the kitty, but I'll see if my hubby can do that this week and email it to me.

Today I have a GCC tour brought to you by EllenMeister and her debut novel, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA. Not only can you get this book in hardcopy and read it - it's available in all audio formats and read by Lisa Kudrow. How cool is that?





When a Hollywood location scout comes to Applewood, Long Island, and announces that the local elementary school might make the perfect backdrop for an upcoming George Clooney movie, the PTA's decorum crumbles like a cookie from last week's bake sale.

Enter Maddie, Ruth, and Lisa, three women who become the glue that holds the project together, forging a bond of friendship stronger than anyone could imagine. And not a moment too soon, as marriage woes, old flames, and scandalously embarrassing family members threaten to tear each of them apart. Is their powerful alliance strong enough to overcome the obstacles to getting the movie made in their town? And will their friendship be enough to mend their hearts and homes? Join them as they reach for the stars . . . and try to pull off a Hollywood ending of their own.

At once tender and hilarious, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA is a captivating story that turns suburbia upside down . . . with more humor, heartache, and heat than one PTA can hold.

Praise for Confessions:

"Meister's debut novel is heartbreakingly funny, her characters facing life's dramas and disappointments head on with wit and spunk." – Library Journal (starred review)

"Ellen Meister has written a beautiful book about love, life and friendship that you are sure to never forget." – Fresh Fiction

"A funny and wonderfully irreverent look at the dark underbelly of suburbia." – Lolly Winston, author of Good Grief and Happiness Sold Separately

"With sexy characters, sharp dialogue, and snappy pacing, Meister's sassy, saucy debut novel could well turn into a movie of its own." – Booklist

"Women, hide this book from your husbands and resist the urge to read passages out loud. Ellen Meister knows our secrets, and she tells them in a smart, honest, and very funny voice." – Maryanne Stahl, author of Forgive the Moon and The Opposite Shore

"Three conflicted housewives in Applewood, Long Island, long for something more fulfilling than what their families and their membership in the local PTA offer.... helping each other realize their dreams. Comical yet poignant." – Kirkus Reviews

"George Clooney should be proud." – Mark Ebner, author of Hollywood Interrupted

"Ellen Meister's first novel is a smashing success ... touches the heart and the funny bone ." – Romance Divas

"Funny, compelling and well-written." – Trashionista

"The best time I've had in years. Ellen Meister's characters are so funny, smart, and real, I feel like I've made three new friends!" – Lisa Kudrow

About the Author:

A Long Island PTA mom herself, Ellen Meister is no stranger to the scandal and drama of the carpool set. Add a background in writing ad copy and short stories—as well a stint as editor of an online literary magazine—and the result is a novelist as dedicated to nuances of language as she is to a storyline that delights on every page.

Meister lives on Long Island with her husband and three children. She writes, she swears, she sings, she dances … all from the front seat of her minivan. This is her first novel.

Visit Ellen at her website and buy the book!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh, but the weather's great there right now

Yes, indoors the weather is always nice, plus with the way weather freaks out when you get into town, it'll change anyway. *g*

And I totally understand not wanting to out and play tourist after working all day. Why do people find that so hard to believe???

Jana DeLeon said...

hi tori - I think other people think it's an opportunity to "see the world" and let someone else pay, but we've all been on that vacation where we were so tired by the end we didn't do anything else. That's what traveling for your job is like, but I guess some people don't get or simply don't believe it.

Jae Arronson said...

Sounds like exactly the kind of book I'd LOVE. Will definitely give it a read! Thanks for the review!

Travel would be exhausting for me too. I honestly don't know how you do it. That and write at the same time. You're a wonder. Wonder Woman, maybe?

Jana DeLeon said...

Hi sassy - not so sure about the wonder part, but I DO wish I could fit in her outfit. :)

Ellen said...

Hi Jana! Thanks so much for the great blog entry and getting it posted before your trip. Alas, this is not the book I'm touring! Lol. It's the paperback reprint I'm shilling right now.

I don't know if links work in these comments, but I'll give it a shot: SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA

Cool blog, btw!

xoEllen

 
An Austin DesignWorks Production