Book Review - The Dr Pepper Prophecies by Jennifer Gilby Roberts

I know, it isn't Sunday, it's Friday, so I shouldn't be posting a book review. However, my normal blogging routine has been shot to heck for a while, so why not keep the broken routine going? Plus, I feel all daring and unconventional after reading the Dr Pepper Prophecies by Jennifer Gilby Roberts. The central character in this story, Melanie Parker is as unconventional as they get, and I enjoyed the romp with her as she tried to get a a new job, a new relationship with her family, a new boyfriend, and a new life.

We meet her at that start of her story when she declares that she doesn't get the storyline of "When Harry Met Sally." After all, "How can two people be good friends for that long and not realise that they're meant for each other? How?"

That is actually the premise of Melanie's story, too, as she tries to figure out if the reason she can't find someone to love is because of her best friend, Will. Of course, with that set up, we pretty much know where the story is going. This is a chick-flick on paper after all. Well, not actually paper because it is a digital book, but you know what I mean.

This funny story is just what I needed right now, and even though Melanie is a bit trying at times, I really enjoyed the read. It is written in a smart, clever style, and I wanted to highlight the many funny moments and cute phrasing that made me smile. Had I done so, I would have highlighted half of the book. Here is just one:

I've slipped into denial now. I've always liked denial. The sky is always blue and there's never a queue at the post office.

The supporting characters, Will, Beth, Matt, Julie, and Cynthia are well-defined and quirky in their own right. The way their lives intertwine and get tangled up is so very real in some places and so utterly absurd in others, I couldn't help but laugh with them.

Even though there were a few minor editing problems, that was not enough to detract from the story, and I would highly recommend this book if you want a quick, fun read. I've already gotten one of her other books and look forward to the next.

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Jennifer Gilby Roberts loves writing contemporary romantic comedy (chick lit) and was inspired to write The Dr Pepper Prophecies after laughing herself silly at Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. Roberts has written two novels, four novellas and a variety of short stories.

She has a degree in physics and a postgraduate certificate in computing, so writing fiction was inevitable really. She was born and grew up in Surrey/Greater London, but now lives in Richmond, North Yorkshire with her husband, small daughter, two middle-aged cats and a lot of dust bunnies.

Her job right now is taking care of her younger daughter, but previously she worked many thrilling jobs in administration, including one in an insurance claims office (wholly unrelated to the one in The Dr Pepper Prophecies)

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FTC Disclaimer: The author sent me the book with a request for a review to which I responded with my own disclaimer that I would read the book with no promise of a review. So there were no expectations on either side of this arrangement. The only quibble I had with the author was why the title? Nobody in the story even drinks a Dr Pepper. I'm not even sure they have that brand of soft drink in England. The author does explain at the very end of the note at the very end of the book, so if you want to know the "why" you will have to read every single word of the afterward.

Book Review - March by Sunni Oveend

March
Sunni Overend
File Size: 461 KB
Print Length: 244 pages
Publisher: Sunni Overend; 1 edition (May 31, 2013)
Pages: 300 (approx 70,000 words)
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9875667-0-6
Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9875667-1-3


The opening of this story reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada. Apple March, working at a retail clothing store, is under the thumg of her overbearing boss, and the dialogue between Apple and Jackson is so reminiscent of that between Andrea and Miranda. Miranda and Jackson are rude, snobbish and quite demeaning in so many ways.

Apple planned for a career in fashion design and the reasons for why she is working retail and not following that dream are the mystery that is pulled through the story. The reader does not find out until the end what happened at the Emmaline Grey Academy that kept Apple from finishing her education.

I liked the snappy dialogue and enjoyed the many varied characters and settings that were brought to life through the story. It was a glimpse into the fashion industry in Australia and the social elite in Melbourne. One of the reasons I like to read is the opportunity to learn about a country that I may never see and get a real feel for the people and the settings.


Charlie, Apple's love interest, was a great character, and the resolution of their story is well done and very satisfying. We do want the happy ending with this kind of book that is part reality and part romantic fantasy.

If I had not been sent the book for review, I might not have picked it up based on the title or the cover. Neither gave me a hint of what the book was about, and I like titles that give some suggestion of the story concept. While the cover is an interesting and well-done graphic image, it, too, does not  reveal anything about the story.


However, those are minor points that do not take away from a well-done story, and may not bother other readers. If you like Chick-Lit, you will enjoy this book.

One Sweaty Night Results in Debut Novel

Please help me welcome Anne O'Connell as today's Wednesday's Guest. She is here to share how her first book came about.

I’m thrilled to be here on It’s Not All Gravy on the occasion of the launch of my first novel, Mental Pause. I’ve been a writer all my life but mostly corporate communications and PR but I’ve always had a flair for the dramatic and dreamed of one day writing fiction. About three years ago I tested the waters and submitted a couple of short stories to The Fiction Writers Platform (now The Writers Platform) and both received an editor’s choice award!

Prior to that, I had started freelancing and was doing corporate copy writing while thoughts and dreams of being a novelist did a water ballet in the back of my mind. Simultaneously, I began experiencing some rather uncomfortable peri-menopausal symptoms. I honestly didn’t know what was happening at first, only that I was horribly irritable. So much so that I couldn’t even stand being around myself. I was also having crazy thoughts, tinged with paranoia, along with such startling memory loss that it felt like I had had a lobotomy.  It wasn’t until the night sweats started that it finally dawned on me that I was experiencing ‘The Change.’  It was a shocking revelation as I was still in my early-40s. It made me feel a little better knowing there was an explanation for it all but didn’t make it go away.

Buy it At Amazon

Then one very sweaty, steamy night as I was lying there in a disgusting pool of sweat, even though the A/C was blasting, and trying not to slime my poor husband sleeping soundly beside me, I did what any writer would do… hit the keyboard and poured out what I believed to be the mad ramblings of a peri-menopausal woman. If anyone had seen me they would have thought I’d lost it! I stifled the giggles so as not to wake my husband and wiped the tears and just kept writing. I thought I might turn it into a blog but wasn’t really comfortable exposing myself that openly. Then the idea hit. I could have even more fun with it if I turned it into fiction.

As luck would have it, I had recently heard about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which was about to start, my husband had recently retired and we had just moved to Thailand. I hadn’t really met anybody and had a lot of time on my hands. I signed up and plunged in headfirst.

I started segmenting the ‘ramblings’, categorizing and developing a loose plotline. The first chapter sort of spilled out and characters started to take shape. The more I wrote the more I dreamt about my main character, Abbie, her thoughts and feelings, family and friends. I’d wake up with a start and run to my computer to type out a description of one of my characters that I had seen so vividly in a dream. The best plot twist in the book (in my opinion) came in a dream!

It was really cathartic to write it because no matter how bad I was feeling, how crazy my mood swings or wild my thoughts were, Abbie’s were always worse. I could also live vicariously through her. Without ruining the story for anyone who plans to read it, I can share that I’ve always teased my mom that we’d both get tattoos when I turn 50 and she turns 90! I’d really never do it because I have absolutely no pain threshold and the thought of even one needle makes me go weak in the knees, so I had Abbie get one.

Focusing on writing and publishing Mental Pause has really helped ground me and allowed me to face my change with a more positive attitude. I talk more openly about it now and hope that, along with enjoying the storyline, it can help other women as well. My mood swings seem to have tapered off; I’m not having nearly as many night sweats and the hot flashes aren’t noticeable since I live in a very warm and humid climate anyways.

I’m already working on my next novel so I hope that my diminishing symptoms won’t limit my creativity! Having said that, I will happily seek inspiration elsewhere.  

Thank you for your guest post, Anne. I've heard of creativity coming from a lot of sources, but this is the first to come from menopause. (smile) I can't wait to read the book. 

 

For more about the book and Anne, check my Sunday post.   You can visit Anne on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.  

On another note, and certainly not to take the spotlight away from Anne and her new novel, I do need to announce the National Wormhole Day Blog Hop sponsored by Laura Eno and Luanne Smith. Participants will be sharing where they would go if they could go forward or backward in time via a wormhole. This is to celebrate Albert Einstein's Birthday on March 14th. Come back tomorrow to see where I will go.

Book Launch - Mental Pause

A new book, Mental Pause, launched on March 8th, International Women’s Day, and is available on Amazon in both print and on Kindle. The author, Anne O'Connell, is on a blog tour, and will be my Wednesday's Guest this week. I do hope you will come back and help her feel welcome.

I have this book on my TBR list, but was not able to read it in time to do a review. I am in production for a show at the local community theatre, both directing and acting, and when I am doing a play, I stay immersed in that story and don't read anything else. It does get tedious reading the same story over and over, but it is the best way for me to learn lines and get the nuances of characterization. Enough about me, though. I do look forward to reading the book in the future as it sounds like a good read, and it is already getting some terrific reviews on Amazon.


Here is what one early reader had to say:  “Abbie is riding the hormonal roller coaster and hanging on for dear life. She finds herself in a body she no longer recognizes, a marriage that feels overwhelming, and she questions her very sanity. Her existence has become one big hot flash inflamed by killer moods. A chance meeting seems to give her the escape she's desperate for but at what cost? Accused of murder she finds herself in a jail cell accompanied by her regrets and the gnawing fear that her life may be changed forever. It’s a kind of mental pause that Abbie has never imagined, in a story that offers no letup from start to satisfying finish. Change of life, anyone? Mental Pause promises to take you way beyond.” Stacey Donovan, author/editor, Donovan edits.

The book crosses genre lines; chick lit and mystery, but apparently it is doing it well.

Author and freelance writer, Anne O’Connell, originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, has lived in Toronto, Florida, Dubai and now Thailand since 2011. Since 2007, she has worked as a freelance copywriter, writing coach and consultant, specializing in social media, marketing, corporate communications and public relations. She is a regular contributor to Global Living Magazine and Expat Focus. In between clients she squeezes in time for her newly-found passion - writing fiction. She and her husband have a passion for travel as well, and that adventurous spirit has taken them all over the world. She is the author of @Home in Dubai   *  Getting Connected Online and on the Ground, 10 Steps to a Successful PR Campaign – a Do-it-Yourself Guide for Authors and Mental Pause, her first novel.