I'm so excited to help Stephanie Burns celebrate the publication of her debut novel, Far from the A-List (reviewed here)! I've known Stephanie for a while through the book blogosphere and she is always so nice and friendly. She has the cutest beagle and I love seeing the pictures she posts of him. I couldn't be happier for Stephanie as she embarks on this new journey in her life and hope she'll be writing more novels soon. She's here to talk about her novel today and she has one copy for a lucky reader!
Synopsis:
“This book has everything I love: brilliantly drawn characters, great dialogue, wit, humor, and heartbreak--and twists and turns that kept me reading far into the night. Now that I've finished it, I want to read it again.”
—Maddie Dawson, Washington Post bestselling author of Let's Pretend This Will Work
“Get ready for a fresh new voice in fiction! This is a must read if you’ve ever asked the question: Are there second chances for everyone or only the people who don’t make mistakes?”
—Ann Garvin, USA TODAY bestselling author of There's No Coming Back From This
How is Michaela similar to or different from you?
Michaela has been famous since she was seven, is constant tabloid fodder, and gets paid to party at the hottest clubs in New York. I’m a homebody who wears matching pajamas with my dog, and we're usually in those pajamas by six p.m., so on the surface? We’re starkly different. Still, I can definitely relate to many aspects of her emotional journey. Haven’t we all had times where we’ve felt a little lost or stuck without a clear idea of how to move forward? Fortunately, I have a much better support system and zero public scrutiny. I would love to raid Michaela’s wardrobe, though, and I think she’d let me. We’ve grown very close.
If Far from the A-List was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
These characters have been in my brain for so long, it’s hard to answer! I do think Kaia Gerber or Camila Morrone would be a great Michaela.
Tell us a funny winter holiday memory.
I put on a very elaborate production of A Christmas Carol in the kitchen with my cousins when I was about four years old. I kept running “off stage” (ie, into the living room) so my cousin could feed me my lines. I was bit by the acting bug, though.
What is your favorite winter holiday song?
"Last Christmas" by Wham! I am a huge George Michael fan. I saw him in concert for his 25 Live tour and it’s still one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.
If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
Mindy Kaling. I feel like she’d get me.
Stephanie Burns holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a BA in Theater Studies, both from Emerson College. When she’s not dreaming up stories of her own, she is championing women authors as the COO of the award-winning Tall Poppy Writers. She lives on the south shore of Massachusetts where she plots by the ocean with her almost-famous beagle, Ollie Twist.
Former child star Michaela Turner is ready for her next big role—she just doesn’t know what it is yet. As someone whose days were once filled with bright lights, never-ending rehearsals, and adoring fans from around the world, Michaela now struggles to define herself beyond the glitz and glamour of her past.
She tries hard to stay out of the tabloids, but fading into the background isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Not when her manipulative momager, Caroline, is dead set on launching her daughter’s big comeback, no matter how many old wounds it tears open. And especially not when Michaela’s attempts at “normal” relationships fail spectacularly at every turn, from the toxic ex she can’t seem to escape to the nice guy she wishes she could see a future with.
As her mother’s demands grow more draining and her love life takes hit after hit, she learns a few hard truths about the significance of self-worth and the beauty of letting go. Now, with her ex-boyfriend-turned-best-friend Josh as her only support, Michaela is ready to rebuild herself, one misstep at a time. And maybe, if she’s lucky, after all these years of pretending, she’ll finally have the chance to discover who she really is. (Courtesy of Amazon.)
“This is a soul-satisfying, all-the-feels debut from a standout new voice!”
—Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Songbirds
—Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Songbirds
“This book has everything I love: brilliantly drawn characters, great dialogue, wit, humor, and heartbreak--and twists and turns that kept me reading far into the night. Now that I've finished it, I want to read it again.”
—Maddie Dawson, Washington Post bestselling author of Let's Pretend This Will Work
“Get ready for a fresh new voice in fiction! This is a must read if you’ve ever asked the question: Are there second chances for everyone or only the people who don’t make mistakes?”
—Ann Garvin, USA TODAY bestselling author of There's No Coming Back From This
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
Long, challenging, exciting, and totally worth it.
Long, challenging, exciting, and totally worth it.
How is Michaela similar to or different from you?
Michaela has been famous since she was seven, is constant tabloid fodder, and gets paid to party at the hottest clubs in New York. I’m a homebody who wears matching pajamas with my dog, and we're usually in those pajamas by six p.m., so on the surface? We’re starkly different. Still, I can definitely relate to many aspects of her emotional journey. Haven’t we all had times where we’ve felt a little lost or stuck without a clear idea of how to move forward? Fortunately, I have a much better support system and zero public scrutiny. I would love to raid Michaela’s wardrobe, though, and I think she’d let me. We’ve grown very close.
If Far from the A-List was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
These characters have been in my brain for so long, it’s hard to answer! I do think Kaia Gerber or Camila Morrone would be a great Michaela.
Tell us a funny winter holiday memory.
I put on a very elaborate production of A Christmas Carol in the kitchen with my cousins when I was about four years old. I kept running “off stage” (ie, into the living room) so my cousin could feed me my lines. I was bit by the acting bug, though.
What is your favorite winter holiday song?
"Last Christmas" by Wham! I am a huge George Michael fan. I saw him in concert for his 25 Live tour and it’s still one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.
If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
Mindy Kaling. I feel like she’d get me.
Thanks to Stephanie for chatting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.
How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here.
Giveaway ends December 14th at midnight EST.
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