Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Dana Bate is star-struck...plus a book giveaway

We are thrilled to have Dana Bate back at CLC to celebrate pub day for her sophomore novel, A Second Bite at the Apple (UK: The Stall of Second Chances). As some of you may know, her debut novel, The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs, was on my 2013 favorites list. I recently took a "bite" out of this new novel and am already enjoying it!. Thanks to Kensington,  we have TWO copies for readers in the US and/or Canada! 

Since Dana's last visit, she has become a mom and somehow still finds the time to write. For that, we are thankful!

Visit Dana at her website, Facebook, and Twitter. We promise that she won't "bite."

Synopsis of A Second Bite at the Apple:
Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food. Not with eating it--though she does that too--but with writing about the wonders of the gastronomic world, from obscure fruit hybrids to organic farming techniques. Since food journalism jobs are more coveted than Cronuts®, Sydney pays her bills working for one of TV's biggest egomaniacs--until she's left scrambling for shifts at a local farmers' market.

Stacking muffins for the Wild Yeast Bakery isn't going to win her any James Beard awards. But soon Sydney is writing the market's weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of putting her love life into deep freeze, she's even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a crisp--along with her relationship and her reputation...


Who is your favorite obscure celebrity? (They've been in movies but no one seems to place their name with their face.)
Stephen Dillane. He's British and almost 60 now, but I first came across him in HBO's John Adams miniseries, where he played Thomas Jefferson (or as I called him, "Sexy Thomas Jefferson," though I'm 99% certain I'm the only one who called him that). Apparently he's on Game of Thrones now, so maybe he isn't all that obscure, but I feel like most people don't know who he is.

Who is the celebrity that makes you swoon the most?
Present day? I'm super unoriginal and boring: Brad Pitt and George Clooney. But if we're talking of any era, Robert Redford in his prime was positively dreamy.

Do you think authors are celebrities? If so, which author comes to mind first when you hear the word "celebrity?"
JK Rowling is definitely a celebrity -- and deservedly so! She is a living legend.

What celebrity would you love to meet? What would you say to them if you did?
Gwyneth Paltrow. I love her sense of style and (yes) her cookbooks, but knowing me, I'd probably babble and blurt out something stupid like, "So what was all that conscious uncoupling business about, anyway??"

Do any celebrities follow YOU on Twitter? Has a celebrity retweeted you or tagged you in a Tweet?
Edward Burns follows me! I'm sure some of you are like, "Wait, who is Edward Burns? Was he Sexy George Washington?" No, no he was not. Google him. I promise you will recognize him. I think he retweeted me once, years ago, but I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember what the tweet was. I'm sure it was brilliant, though (right? maybe?).

Oh, and one of my best friends from college, Sally Pressman, is an actress, and she has definitely tagged and retweeted me :).

Which celebrity would make a great chick lit character?
Renee Zellweger -- she certainly has plenty of antagonism coming at her from all sides, and I'd love to hear HER side of the story.

Thanks to Dana for visiting with us and to Kensington for sharing her book with our readers.

~Introduction by Melissa Amster

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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US/Canada only. Giveaway ends December 1st at midnight EST.

19 comments:

Janine said...

I do look at authors as celebrities. Their writing is just as good (and often better) than some actors. My favorite author is Jane Porter and she has entertained me so many times through her books. In my eyes, she is worthy of being a celebrity.

Unknown said...

I do view authors as celebrities. My favorite is probably Stephen King, and here lately, he is certainly getting recognition. That being said, I have discovered so many new female authors through following Chick Lit.....and they are all stars. I am loving reading new material by new authors. And yes, thank you for providing the tie to new authors....you guys are celebrities too!

Linda Kish said...

I do think of authors as celebrities. James Patterson is the one I think of first.

Jessica said...

Yes, I think of authors as celebrities. I think of Emily Giffin first.

Holly said...

Yes. I think of John Grisham.

traveler said...

A few authors who are celebrities and are very talented. My favorite of all would be William Shatner. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Connie said...

Yes, authors are celebrities. They have worked hard for their recognition and the fact that they entertain people via their novels, certainly makes them celebrities.

My favorite is the wonderful Karen Ranney. She has written lots of novels for many years now and I find her novels not only fabulous reads, but Karen herself is a true lady. I admire her very much.

Bonnie K. said...

I'm a regular viewer of Castle, and they have had some authors on their show which included James Patterson, Michael Connelly and the late Stephen Cannell. Another author that is a celebrity is Kathy Reich with the popularity of the series Bones.

bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

Anita Yancey said...

I do think of authors as celebrites, ones that come to mind is Stephen King and James Patterson. Thanks for having the giveaway.

Kimberly V said...

I don't think of many celebrities as authors even if they have written a book. One I do consider an author is James Franco.

Carl Scott said...

I think some authors are celebrities, particularly if they are in the public eye a lot. One name that comes to mind is Neil Gaiman. Of course, I'm in awe of what authors do so I tend to think of them more as geniuses myself.

Unknown said...

Yes! Authors like Nora Roberts definitely qualify as celebrities.

Lori Weller said...

Yes I consider authors as celebrities because they put as much energy into there work as actors. They need to be represented by publishers. And they are just as worthy of the title! My favorite one is not just one. I have quite a few that I have developed quite a passion for!

bn100 said...

not really

Viv V. said...

I immediately think of James Patterson, Nora Roberts, and Janet Evanovich as being celebrities.

Hailey Fish said...

I definitely think authors as celebrities because they write such sensational stories and get a lot more recognition that's positive than a lot of actors/actresses. You never see authors in the tabloids: this author got her pregnant, left her homeless, or this author has had tons of Botox, etc,.

The first author I see as a celebrity: Jane Green hands down. Why? I burst into tears because I was just so star-struck upon seeing her in one of my favorite bookstores. Jane Green is one of the loveliest, most down to earth authors I've had the privileged of getting to know in real life and on social media. It's a real treat getting to meet an author, having them sign your book, because it's much more personable because they are really just normal people, that happen to write fiction.

Janet Fiorentino said...

I hope so. But what is great about these celebrities in that you can invite you into your home and they introduce you to their friends (characters).

Suzanne said...

I definitely think so! Some that come to mind are Sophie Kinsella and Emily Giffin - maybe bc their books have been made into movies...

Annette Herbst said...

Yes some seem like celebs. But the ones I like best are the ones who seem so friendly and could be a neighbor. The one I think as a celebrity is Danielle Steel
Annette Herbst