Author Interview
Welcome to Jersey Girl Book Reviews, Jennifer!
First, a little bit about me: I have a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped me with my writing career. But I like to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.
I reside in a beach resort in NJ, so when not writing or working on my tan, I'm taking care of my most treasured possessions: my husband, daughter, four hermit crabs and guinea pig, Rocco.
Do you have a day job, or is being an author your career?
Well, I actually started out as a pharmacist (I still have my license) but decided to become a stay-at-home mom when I became pregnant. Once I was home, I felt an itch to do something else and because I was reading so many books, decided to try and write one myself.
Please give a brief description of A Little Bit Cupid.
Sure! Finding love should be easy, but wedding photographer Phoebe Ward knows better. When Cupid shows up on a crazy mission to help her —and save the world in the process—Phoebe realizes love might be even more complicated than she thought. Even with Cupid showing her Mr. Right , she can’t stop thinking about his best friend, Mr. Wrong.
What was the inspiration for the story?
Ha! I have no idea. I just wanted to write something completely different that was more plot driven. I originally wrote it to be a Christmas story with Cupid in it. I just thought it would be fun to do. But my editor thought it would work better if we made it a Valentine's Day book instead. I suppose she was right. LOL
Do you write books for a specific genre?
Well, they're all sweet romances, but some are more romantic comedies as well.
What genres are your favorites? What are some of your favorite books to read and why?
I do love the romance genre but I also tend to read a lot of YA too. I absolutely adored the whole Hex Hall series (YA). They were hilarious. And of course, I totally got sucked into the whole Hunger Games trilogy too. They were page-turning and gripping.
When you write, do you adhere to a strict work schedule, or do you work whenever the inspiration strikes?
I actually wrote A Little Bit Cupid as part of a Fast Draft course. No waiting for inspiration. You just sit down and write. At first, I thought this is never going to work, but you can really surprise yourself when you set your mind to something.
What are your favorite things to do when you are not writing?
I love to cook and try out new recipes. I love to read too and hanging out at the beach in the summer.
How do you usually communicate with readers/fans?
Usually through Goodreads and Facebook. But sometimes I get really nice emails too.
Are you currently writing a new book? If yes, would you care to share a bit of it with us?
Sure! I'm continuing the A Little Bit series with A Little Bit Charming: A down-on-her-luck waitress gets a Fairy Godmother (of sorts). In exchange for her wish, she has to watch over Prince Charming whose life may be in danger back in his world. Problem is Prince Charming is anything but charming--at least initially. (Hence the title) LOL
Thanks so much for having me!
A Little Bit Cupid is available for 99 cents at Amazon and B&N.
Thank you Jennifer for visiting Jersey Girl Book Reviews and allowing us a glimpse into your life and writing career! It's always nice to feature a Jersey Girl on my blog site!
About The Author
She writes sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Samhain Publishing, Avalon Books/Montlake Romance and now Entangled Publishing. She won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her first book, The Role of a Lifetime.
Lately she's been on a serious exercise kick. But don't hold that against her.
AUTHOR WEBSITE
AUTHOR BLOG
GOODREADS
Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway
Win An eBook Copy of A Little Bit Cupid
Contest Dates: Feb. 9 - 15, 2013
To enter the eBook contest giveaway, click on the Rafflecopter entry form! Please make sure you post your name and email address for winner notification. The winner will be randomly drawn via Rafflecopter, and will be notified by author Jennifer Shirk. Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Review
A Little Bit Cupid by Jennifer Shirk
Book 1: A Little Bit series
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: January 14, 2013
Format: eBook - 84 pages / Kindle - 111 KB / Nook - 192 KB
ISBN: 1622660048
ASIN: B00BCFYO8G
Genre: Contemporary Romance
BUY THE BOOK: A Little Bit Cupid
* Currently $.99 *
* Currently $.99 *
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by author Jennifer Shirk and Entangled Publishing.
Book Description:
Cal Crawford has never had time for love, but now he’s falling for Phoebe. Which means it’s got to be just plain wrong to set her up with his best friend, right? But even though seeing Phoebe with someone else will break his heart, he can’t walk away from her.
Phoebe can’t afford to choose the wrong guy with the fate of the world at stake. But maybe Cupid has it wrong. Maybe she has to rely just a little bit on Cupid, and a whole lot more on her heart.
My Book Review:
Thirty-one year old wedding photographer Phoebe Ward has never been in love. In fact she highly doubts that she will ever find true love, and has given up looking for love. She thinks that it may be in the cards for some, but Cupid seems to have missed his mark with her.
While photographing her ex-fiance Kyle's wedding, a funny little man looking like Fred Flinstone and chain-smoking cigars approaches her after overhearing a conversation she had with the bride's mother, and hands her his business card, Cosmo E. Cupid III, Love Expert. Cosmo said he is the son of Cupid, and he has been sent to help her find her soul mate and fall in love. She thinks he is ridiculous and she is skeptical, but he tells her that she can't run away from her destiny.
Cosmo tells Phoebe that if she doesn't let him help her, all love will cease to exist on earth. He says that there is a celestial war going on in the heavens between love and hate, and that his father, Cupid, has been trying to negotiate a peace treaty, and that she has been chosen to save love and humanity. Discordia, the goddess of discord and her cronies want to wipe love off the planet completely. Both sides have agreed that if Phoebe can find true love by Valentine's Day, which is a week away, she will save love, but if she doesn't, then love and humanity will cease to exist, and Earth will become a pretty dismal place with so much hate and strife. There is just two caveats to the plan: Phoebe doesn't get to pick who her soul mate will be, rather it is Cupid who has found the perfect soul mate for her; and she needs to have a full-on, toe-curling kiss by her soul mate before midnight on Valentine's Day. Love's fate for the whole world rests upon her shoulders.
Can Phoebe help save love and humanity? Can Phoebe fall in love with the man Cupid chose for her, even if she is more attracted to his roommate? Come along with Phoebe and Cosmo as they strive to make his plan to find true love for her a success before the Valentine's Day deadline. Will it take a little bit of Cupid and a little bit of her heart to find Phoebe's soul mate and also save love?
A Little Bit Cupid is a fun little romance novella that is a perfect read for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday. In this modern day fairy tale romance, author Jennifer Shirk weaves a lighthearted tale of believing in and finding true love. Written in the third person narrative and set in Boston, the reader is treated to a fun romance story with quirky characters, sassy dialogue, and an entertaining storyline that has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments.
The reader will be entertained as Phoebe's antics keeps getting her sidetracked from finding true love with Mr. Right because of her attraction to Mr. Wrong. Even with Cosmo Cupid in her corner providing the perfect soul mate, Phoebe's heart is telling her something else, but time is quickly running out. With a lot humor, snark, romance and hilarious misadventures, this fast-paced romance story gets two thumbs up, a bunch of chocolate kisses, red hearts, and one big smile on my face.
A Little Bit Cupid is the perfect story for everyone who enjoys modern day fairy tale romances and believes in true love!
RATING: 4 STARS ****
thanks so much for having me and for the lovely and thoughtful review!
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer! Thank you for the opportunity to read, review and host your virtual book tour event. I really enjoyed reading A Little Bit Cupid. :)
DeleteReally great review... can't wait to read the story!
ReplyDelete~Yadira A.
yadkny@hotmail.com
Hi Yadira! Thank you for stopping by and posting your kind comment, I appreciate it. :)
DeleteLove a good Romance! Looking forward to reading the story!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! This is a really nice little romance story, you'll enjoy it. :)
DeleteThis looks like a cute book! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeletemsanderson79 at yahoo dot com
Hi Erika! Thanks for stopping by and entering the contest! Good luck! :)
Delete