Guest Post: Mari Mancusi

Welcome to my second stop on the CLP Blog Tour for Love At 11 by Mari Mancusi. Today I have a great guest post from the author herself. After taking a look at her other novels, I was really interested to know why she decided to write chick lit and how she found writing it after writing YA, paranormal, and so on. What follows is her thoughts on that. I hope you all enjoy it!

I’ve always loved the supernatural—even from a young age—so it’s probably not surprising that when I started writing, I found myself penning tales of the extraordinary. My very first published book, A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur’s Court, was a time travel about a 21st century fashion editor who ends up reliving Arthurian legend. Later I did the Blood Coven Vampire series, which is a Buffy’esque vampire tale—heavy on the parody of books like Twilight.

But no matter what the time period or the supernatural element, my voice has remained the same. First person, snarky narrator, very grounded in our world—even as she experiences some pretty fantastical things. In short—I have a chick lit voice and I’m not afraid to use it!

So with Love at 11, it wasn’t as much of a stretch as it might seem. Sure, I couldn’t bring on a vampire to bite the executive producer when she started to become a pain in the neck. But just like Kat in King Arthur’s Court, Maddy is also a bit of a fish out of water, struggling to find her place in a very foreign world. And let me tell you from experience, at times a TV newsroom isn’t much less barbaric than a medieval castle.

It was refreshing, in fact, to tell a real story. A story close to my heart. In fact, I was literally assigned the “Cosmetics that Kill” story Maddy is supposed to be working on throughout the novel at my own TV station in Boston. I remember being so freaking frustrated at the ridiculous sensationalism we were pumping out every day. I just wanted to do some real journalism for once. But since I couldn’t quit—instead I poured out that frustration into a book. It was therapeutic to say the least. And ended up being one of the books I’m most proud of writing.

So while I still do love delving into the supernatural and exploring things that go bump in the night—there’s just something about getting real. And I’d love to do it again someday!

CLP Blog Tour: Love at 11

Thanks for checking out my stop on the CLP Blog Tour for Love At 11! I've now read three books with a television news producer as the heroine and Mari Mancusi's novel is by far my favourite.

Here's the synopsis:

When Maddy graduated from Columbia University, she was ready to change the world. She'd get a job at Newsline, meet a nice guy, and live happily ever after with a real designer handbag on her arm. Five years later, she's stuck producing puff pieces for the local News 9 San Diego--where "if it bleeds, it leads." She's still single, her family's falling apart, and so is her knock-off Kate Spade.
Even a promotion--complete with hot camera guy--can't seem to turn her luck around. After all, the promotion means working with the most narcissistic anchor on the planet and hot camera guy Jamie? Well, he'd be perfect...except for that pesky model/actress fiancee of his.
But just as Maddy's ready to give up on her dreams, a secret scoop from her favorite knock-off purse guy has her suddenly chasing a huge lead. And Jamie is right by her side--in all the right ways. Can she bag the bad guy in an exclusive expose, put her family back together again, and win Jamie's heart? Stay tuned...it's the story of a lifetime.

Maddy was a really fun character. So much fun, in fact, that I wanted to be her friend. I would have gladly sat by her side as she drank her sorrows away...and I would probably swoon over Jamie with her, too! I thought she was very real and likeable. She has some crazy problems in this book - her parents are splitting up, she's thrown into the mom role for her wild child sister, is struggling with ethical issues at work, and has fallen for a guy who's engaged. As I'm writing this, I realize it sounds like there's too much going on but it really didn't read like that. Everything flowed well and there was just enough drama without it getting ridiculous. Even though I wasn't crazy about the ending (I guess I like perfectly wrapped up stories!), I understand that not everything can be perfect. And that's all I'm going to say about that :)

I mentioned that I have already read a couple of books featuring news producers. I enjoyed those ones but I really liked Love at 11. I've been trying to figure out what exactly made it better than the others (better meaning I enjoyed it more, not necessarily better written, etc.) and I think I've settled on the fact that Maddy was younger than the other two heroines. I'm in my mid-twenties, just like Maddy. She's trying to figure out where to go with her career, just like me (though, admittedly, I'm still trying to decide what I want my career to be!). The other women were older, and one had a family. Nothing against those kinds of stories, there are many books I love that feature mothers, but I like when I can really relate to the character and I had that with Maddy.

I don't want to say much else about this novel because I think part of its greatness comes from the twists and turns of the mystery and romance. Overall, Love at 11 was a fabulous read and Mari Mancusi gives readers a little bit of everything - action, intrigue, and romance. I definitely recommend this one! Stay tuned for a guest post from Mari herself coming up tomorrow!

Happy reading...and Happy Valentine's Day! :)