Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Guest Blogger: Jill Mansell & Giveaway

Yesterday, I reviewed a great book called MILLIE'S FLING by Jill Mansell. I have read three of Ms. Mansell's books, and I have to say that she is a master of the chick lit genre. I love her books! So you can probably imagine how excited I am that she has written this guest post especially for Booking Mama. If you're not familiar with any of her books, I think you'll get a good idea of her writing and wit by reading this essay.

Hello! Here’s a question for you: Have you ever starred as a character in someone else’s book? No? Sure about that? Because this might not have occurred to you before today, but there’s always a chance that you might have done. And you’ll never even know it!

OK, here’s the thing. I’m a writer. Which means, by definition, that I’m a borrower, a user, an identity thief. Sometimes I’ll catch sight of someone sitting outside a cafe or walking down to the beach and I just know they’d fit perfectly into one of my books, so I’ll shamelessly kidnap them for my own purposes. (Metaphorically speaking, of course; I don’t use actual rope.) But none of you reading this will ever know whether you might have been spotted in the street by an author and put into a book. You see, we don’t only borrow places, we borrow characters too. For me, I prefer not to base my characters’ personalities on real people, but seeing someone I don’t know and feeling an odd kind of connection with them, a curiosity possibly, can set off a whole sequence of invention. The way they walk, look, dress, eat or laugh will inspire me. I can invent the character but they’ve provided all the external detail.


A while back, I was having lunch with my agent in a wonderful restaurant and I was endlessly distracted by a girl at a nearby table – she was pretty and vivacious, wore no make-up at all (so jealous of people who have the confidence to do that!) and had a gorgeous flowery short summer dress on. She also had long brown legs and was wearing Wellies...Wellington boots...do you call them galoshes? Made of rubber, for splashing through puddles in. And these were flower-patterned too, but in a different print and colour. Not standard footwear for such a smart restaurant but that only made her more interesting. Anyhow, I loved her ‘look’. I didn’t know her, but if I did, I knew I’d like her a lot. And that was it, as soon as I got home, I turned her into the heroine of my new novel. If I saw her again, would I still recognise her? Yes. And if I did, would I tell her what I’d done? No, I wouldn’t, because she’d probably be completely freaked out by the idea!


But it’s worth letting you know that these things happen, I feel. Just a gentle warning. Because you never know, one day you might be sitting on a train or having a picnic in the park, and you’ll look up and see someone taking more notice of you than you’d expect. Don’t worry, we writers are harmless, we don’t want to scare you. We’re just ‘borrowing’ you for our next book!


About the Author: Jill Mansell is one of the UK’s premiere contemporary authors who has written nearly 20 romances with multi-generational appeal and has sold nearly 4 million copies of her books in the UK. Releasing her latest novel this spring, Miranda’s Big Mistake, Mansell’s writing style can be best described as “Sex & the City meets Bridget Jones’s Diary.” She worked for many years at the Burden Neurological Hospital, Bristol, and now writes full time. She lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England.

For more information on Jill in the UK please visit http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/, and for info on her US releases, go to http://www.sourcebooks.com/spotlight/jill-mansell.html!

I am just so happy to announce that I have two copies of MILLIE'S FLING to share courtesy of Sourcebooks. To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment with your e-mail address telling me one of your favorite chick lit books (I know I can't just pick one.) To double or triple your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this contest with a link back to this post. This contest is open until Wednesday, September 16th at 11:59 p.m. EST, and I will notify the winners the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please! Good Luck!

76 comments:

lag123 said...

My favorite is Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews.

lag110@mchsi.com

Virginia C said...

"Sexiest Man Alive" by Diana Holquist. gcwhiskas at aol dot com

Pam said...

I really enjoyed the Shopaholic Series but really anything by Sophie Kinsella has been a hit with me!

melacan at hotmail dot com

Care said...

I have been wanting to get my hands on a book by Jill Mansell for while now! bkclubcare[at]gmail[dot]com

I'm going to say Claire Cook's Must Love Dogs as a fave chick lit. :)

Sarah's Book Reviews said...

at the moment my fav chick lit read is twenties girl - sophie kinsella
however - new marian keyes is out next month so this may change soon

s.a.broadhurst@talktalk.net

Anonymous said...

I lived Jill's On offer you can't Reuse, I would recomend anyone to read it!

cm2005@hotmail.co.uk

Leslie aka Mahhtha said...

Hmm..there are so many....I enjoyed FOUR BLONDES by Candace Bushnell but my all time favorite is DEVIL WEARS PRADA by by Lauren Weisberger.

Aaron's Books in Lititz said...

ah,.. there is so much to choose from! I really loved Harriet Evan's "Hopeless ROmantic" and Kinsella's "Remember Me?"

holdenj said...

One of my recent faves was Thanks for the Memories by Cecila Ahern.

JHolden955 (at) gmail (dot) com

Natalie said...

I love anything by Jennifer Weiner when it comes to chick lit :)

natalie.mclaury@gmail.com

thanks for the giveaway!

bermudaonion said...

I love this post - I've always though that authors are kind of like voyeurs observing the world and this just confirmed it! I love Jill Mansell's work, but I also love the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella. milou2ster(at)gmail.com

Stacie said...

I loved Lorna Landvik's Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.
Please sign me up!
Staciele(at)netins(dot)net

The Book Chick said...

I promise that I'm not even saying this because Jill Mansell guest wrote this post, but I've been a long time fan of hers and one of my favourite chick lit books is "Nadia Knows Best". It is that book that started my Jill Mansell collection (e-Bay is great for that!) and it's still my go-to book for when I'm having a bad day :)

jonitathebookchick@gmail.com

The Book Chick said...

I tweeted!
@jonitabookchick

jonitathebookchick@gmail.com

Beth F said...

Please don't enter me in the giveaway, but I loved the idea of being borrowed for a book. I'll be on the lookout for someone taking mental notes about me!

katsrus said...

Cathie Linz~Big Girl's Don't Cry is one of my favorites.

Anonymous said...

I really liked Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.
wandanamgreb (at) gmail (dot) co

Karlie said...

Great guest post! I loved Bridget Jones Diary and I also enjoy anything by Marian Keyes.

Bridget said...

Just posted on Win A Book. Really love Sophie Kinsella, like so many others! No need to enter me, though

Mom of 5 Boys said...

I'd love to read this book! The best chicklit book I read recently was "The Actor and The Housewife" by Shannon Hale.

jpetroroy said...

My fave is Good in Bed by Jenifer Weiner.

jpetroroy@gmail.com

carol said...

I loved Bridget jones Diary. It was a great movie too.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to say 0 to 60 by Susan Slater.

bgcchs@yahoo.com

mrsshukra said...

Julie and Julia!

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

Marjorie/cenya2 said...

I have love to win this book.
I am an email subscriber and follower.


cenya2 at hotmail dot com

The Book Chick said...

I also added a link to your contest on my blog's sidebar over at http://book-chic.blogspot.com!

jonitathebookchick@gmail.com

Unknown said...

My favorite chick lit books are the Shopaholic's books.

bjhopper(at)me(dot)com

Unknown said...

Tweet

http://twitter.com/bridget3420/status/3719769595

bjhopper(at)me(dot)com

Mozi Esme said...

I love Christian chick lit, like Lori Copeland's Mother of Prevention.

janemaritz at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella! Thanks for the chance to read this book.

unforgetable_dreamer_always(at)hotmail.com

Asylumgirl said...

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Deidre
deidre_durance at hotmail dot com

renee said...

I loved Bridget Jones diary, i makes me laugh every time i read it.
reneetaylor at sympatico dot ca

Unknown said...

Well, my newest favorite is The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal.

jgbeads(at)gmail(dot)com

Gaby317 said...

I enjoyed Mia King's Good Things and its sequel Table Manners.

Thanks for the entry!
gaby317nyc at gmail dot com

ossmcalc said...

I have really enjoyed reading the Shopaholic Books by Sophie Kinsella. You are correct in that it is hard to home in on just one of these books as being the favorite.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

ossmcalc said...

I tweeted http://twitter.com/ossmcalc/status/3723270878

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

Anonymous said...

One of my favorites is still Bridget Jones Diary.

bsyb100 at gmail dot com

Sue said...

I can't pick one, but I'll say the Shopaholic books in general, especially the first one.
I'd love a chance! Thanks for sharing.

s.mickelson at gmail dot com

throuthehaze said...

I love all of Jennifer Weiner's books
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

Beth (BBRB) said...

Definitely the Bridget Jones books!

BethsBookReviewBlog AT gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

Blogged

http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/2009/09/93-book-giveaway-list.html

bjhopper(at)me(dot)com

Jenny N. said...

One of my favourite chick-lit series is the Shopaholics series by Sophie Kinsella.

jen4777[at]hotmail.com

M. said...

I'm so glad to see that chicklit is alive and well! I really enjoyed:

Janet Mullany's 'regency chicklit' The Rules Of Gentility

Julie James' lawyer chicklit 'Just the Sexiest Man Alive'

Wendy Holden

mayamissani AT yahoo DOT ca

heatherzilla said...

I just read Twenty Boy Summer. It was a good book.
heathererwilla(at)care2(dot)com

donnas said...

I loved Bridget Jones. But the Shopaholic series is great too.

Posted on the sidebar and 9/6 contest post here: http://donnasbloghome.blogspot.com/

bacchus76 at myself dot com

LoveMyCoffee said...

My last chick lit book was one of the Nerd books in the series.

I subscribe by googlereader.

Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com

Regular Readergirl said...

Confessions of A Shopaholic was probably my most favorite chick lit book!

espressogurl at hotmail dot com

cqueen2 said...

Right now my fave is Julie and Julia by Julie Powell:)

love it

thanks

wadesherry@hotmail dot com

Mystica said...

Anything by Sophie Kinsella but I am open for anything. The shopaholic series was good.

Please count me in and thank you for your generosity.

Mystica

Mystica said...

I just saw that this is restricted to US and Canada only so count me out!

Sorry

Mystica

Kaye said...

I really like Scot on the Rocks. Great contest, this book looks so cute.

florida982002[at]yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Love 'chick lit' books...lots of favourites...but I'll pass on Rachel Hauck's "sweet caroline" and "love starts w/ elle."

karen k
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

Jennifer said...

I read very little chic lit and this book sounds fun! I did enjoy Bridget Jone's Diary!
Thanks for the chance!
knittingmomof3(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Victoria said...

I love Confessions of a Shopaholic book and the movie!

Thank you!
victoriah40@yahoo.com

jill mansell said...

Hi all,
Many thanks for the nice comments - I'm so glad you enjoyed my guest-blog! Lots of lovely recommendations for books by authors new to me, too - I'm going to have to start ordering them!
Love
Jill Mansell x

Lahni said...

I really liked the Shopaholic Series, and anything by Sophie Kinsella.
There haven't been many chick lit books I've read that I didn't like actually!
nosebook.mail[at]gmail[dot]com

Debs Desk said...

My favorite chick lit is How To Score by Robin Wells.
Thanks
Debbie
debdesk9(at)verizon.net

Anonymous said...

I love The Nerd Series by Vicki Lewis Thompson :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!
blog[at]theluckyladybug[dot]org

Anonymous said...

Blogged
blog[at]theluckyladybug[dot]org

Anonymous said...

Tweeted
blog[at]theluckyladybug[dot]org

Jonnie (JB) said...

My favorite chick lit is the whole shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Shopaholic and Baby.
dftrew(at)gmail(dot)com

enyl said...

Getting Rid of Bradley and ManHunting are pretty good books from the chick lit genre.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

Debbie F said...

I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips!

Thanks
dcf_beth at verizon dot net

Lee P said...

Your not kidding that it's hard to pick just one. I love Chicklit! One of my favs is Hope In A Jar by Beth Harbison. Thanks for this giveaway and please count me in.

chinook92(at)gmail(dot)com

Lee P said...

Tweet:

http://twitter.com/chinook92/status/3897496416

chinook92(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I really don't have a favorite per se, I just enjoy reading them, lol...

chichai_hana(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I too like the Shopoholic series.

denise_22315(at)yahoo(dot)com

Megan said...

I have too many chit lit favs. I love anything by Jennifer Crusie, Sophie Kinsella, Susan Donovan. I just finished The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie. Very good as usual. Great contest!

Megan
Megala872@aol.com

Cindy said...

My current favorite is Julie and Julia!

I would love to win a copy of Jill's Mansell's book. Please include me in the giveaway.

Cindy
Socmom213@aol.com

Cindy said...

I follow you on Twitter. My username is Soccermom213 and I tweet about your blog and giveaways.

Cindy
Socmom213@aol.com

Anonymous said...

I love anything by Debbie Macomber.
Please enter me in the drawing.
Thanks.


jeanereads[at]sbcglobal(dot)net

Nancye said...

My current favorite chick lit is: "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" by James Patterson.

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

Tweet! Tweet!

http://twitter.com/
NancyeDavis/status/4023283177

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

flowerchild said...

my favorite was "can you keep a secret"
thanks
flower_child_23(at)hotmail(dot)com

Jaime said...

I don't have a favorite yet, maybe this will be it
copperllama at yahoo dot com

Jaime said...

I Twittered
http://twitter.com/Copperllama/status/4040176322
copperllama at yahoo dot com