by Lauren Clark
Genre: Southern Fiction/Chick Lit/Light Romance
Release Date: May 2012
Release Date: May 2012
Website: http://www.laurenclarkbooks.com/
Find Lauren’s books on Amazon here!
Book Tour Giveaway - There
will be a grand prize giveaway for a signed print of Stay Tuned , her first
novel, and 2 $15 Gift Cards.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.
With a stern warning, and unemployment looming, she's offered one last chance to rescue her career. Julia embarks on an unlikely journey to the ‘Heart of Dixie’—Eufaula, Alabama—home to magnificent mansions, sweet tea, and the annual Pilgrimage.
Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia's story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage?
Lauren
Clark writes contemporary women’s fiction set in the Deep South; stories
sprinkled with love, family and friendship, and the challenges that life
unexpectedly throws at all of us!
“This is a very fast paced story that is often laugh out loud funny, but
it also has its somber moments. The author’s storytelling ability allowed me to
actually visualize the story as it unfolded.”
-Brenda C, Readers Favorite
-Brenda C, Readers Favorite
Her
characters are real women; smart and sassy, who tackle complicated issues with
tenacity and intelligence. Readers will empathize and relate to her flawed yet
likable heroines. A former TV anchor and journalist at WWNY and WTVY, Lauren’s
stories allow us an insight into the excitement, drama and fast- paced world of
media.
“Author Lauren Clark writes so well you can feel what the characters
feel.”
-Lauren Davis, News Anchor WVLT-TV
-Lauren Davis, News Anchor WVLT-TV
Lauren
is a reformed news junkie, a non-reformed coffee drinker, and an official
library geek. Her big loves are family, paying it forward, eight hours of sleep
a night, and homemade macaroni and cheese. She lives near the Florida Gulf
Coast where she is surrounded by family and and true-blue friends that inspire
her writing and keep her sane.
“If you’re a fan of Sophie Kinsella (author of “Confession of a
Shopaholic”) and Emily Giffin (author of “Something Borrowed”), then I think
you will be truly enjoy this novel.”
- The Romance Bookie
- The Romance Bookie
BOOK EXCERPTS:
I’m a travel
writer at Getaways magazine. Paid for
the glorious task of gathering up fascinating snippets of culture and piecing
them into quirky little stories. Jet-setting to the Riviera, exploring the
Great Barrier Reef, basking on Bermuda beaches. It’s as glamorous and
exhilarating as I imagined.
Okay, it is a tad
lonely, from time to time.
And quite
exhausting.
Which is precisely
why I have to get organized.
Today.
I sink into my
chair and try to concentrate. What to tackle first? Think, think.
“Julia Sullivan!”
Third reminder.
Uh-oh.
Marietta rolls her
eyes and jerks a thumb toward the inevitable. “Guess you better walk the
plank,” she teases. “New guy’s waiting. Haven’t met him yet, but I’ve heard
he’s the ‘take no prisoners’ sort. Hope you come back alive.”
I grope for something
witty and casual to say, but all of a sudden, my head feels light and hollow.
I’ve
been dying to find out about the new editor.
Every last gory
detail.
Until now.
“I’m still in
another time zone,” I offer up to Marietta with a weak smile. My
insides toss from side to side as I slide out of my chair.
Marietta tosses me
a wry look. “Nice try. Get going already, sport.”
I tilt my head
toward the hallway and pretend to pout. When I look back, Marietta’s already
disappeared. Smart girl.
“Fine, fine.” I
tug a piece of rebellious auburn hair into place, smooth my wool suit, and
begin to march toward the inevitable.
Our new editor.
My neck prickles.
I’m not going to
worry. Not
much anyway.
My
pulse thuds.
Not
going to worry about change. Or re-organization. Or pink slips.
Focus, Julia.
EXCERPT # 2
“But, I have
plans. Every night next week. Tickets to the Met, a fundraiser, a gallery
opening, and I have book club on Monday.” I don’t mention the Filene’s trip I’d
planned. Or the romantic date I’ve been promising Andrew, my neglected
boyfriend of four years.
David waves a hand
to dismiss it all. “Marietta can handle the magazine-related responsibilities.”
From the top drawer of his desk he produces an airline ticket and a manila
folder with my name on it. He sets them on the edge of his desk. Something I
can’t decipher plays on his lips.
I keep my voice
even. “What about Bali?” I had planned to leave for the South Pacific a week
from Friday. “It’s on my calendar. It’s been on there…”
David shakes his
head. “Not anymore.”
The words wound me
like a thousand bee stings.
“Alabama,” David
repeats.
My face grows hot.
He’s plucked me off a plum assignment without a thought to my ability and my
schedule. My new boss is sending me to God knows where and he looks perfectly
content.
“If that’s my next
assignment,” I sputter, “I’d rather…I’d rather dance naked!”
The announcement
comes out much louder than I intend and reverberates through the room. Dolores
probably has her ear pressed to the door, but the phrase bounces off my boss
like a cotton ball.
David smothers a
chuckle. “Suit yourself.”
