My interview with author Alesia Holliday
Alesia Holliday’s second novel, NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is in stores!
About the book:
Following her triumphant debut with AMERICAN IDLE, double Rita finalist for Best First Book and Best Novel with Romantic Elements Alesia Holliday explores the definition of "nice" in this engaging, contemporary romance.
A tough-talking executive at a company that sells sex toys, Kirby Green thinks of "nice" as a four-letter word; her assistant, Brianna, translates "nice" differently -- as in, frequently, "walk all over me." In her position as vice president of marketing, Kirby finds it hard to meet guys; but she's determined to prove to everyone at work just how tough she is. After she fires almost the entire marketing staff abruptly, her cute boss, Banning Stuart, makes a bet: If Kirby can get anyone to call her nice, she can take a long-planned three-week vacation in Italy. Otherwise…
How Kirby loses the chip off her shoulder and Brianna finds her backbone (each one finding love and a different career in the process) makes for an appealing story. Kirby's adventures with speed dating are very funny, and her developing relationship with a Little Sister, touching. -- Ginger Curwen, Barnes & Noble review
What Alesia has to say about the book:
So one day I was thinking about today’s woman, as I often do, considering that I write funny books about the everyday (and not so everyday!) things we all go through, and I was wondering about that perpetual dilemma - the Myth of the Nice Girl.
Somehow, through a peculiar evolution of the professional environment, women today are finally recognized (mostly) as equally competent, ambitious, and dedicated as men in the workforce. (We’ll leave the “we have to work smarter and harder” argument aside for now.) But yet, we have an added burden: we have to be NICE.
Now, this isn’t really tough for most women, most of the time. We were raised to be nice. That’s what little girls do, right? “Play nice!” “Be nice!” Except, well, there are times when you can’t be all that nice . . . Boyfriend cheating? Kick him to the curb! Um, in a nice way? Opposing counsel trying underhanded tactics? Notify the judge and get him sanctioned! Er, nicely?
The idea of a character who is very ambitious and a great person, but a little bit of a tough chick on the surface, really intrigued me. And I had the perfect character in Kirby Green, newly-hired exec at the Whips and Lace Co. She’d pretty much stolen every scene she was in in AMERICAN IDLE (Double RITA finalist, how cool is that??). Then I wanted to compare and contrast Kirby with a character who was so nice that she was in danger of becoming a doormat. Brianna sprang to life. My good friend who is an opera singer (no, really!) provided some great background for her. Then I set the two of them loose to play on the pages - each helping the other learn something about life, and about herself. That’s how NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST was born.
Can we be successful as women today and still retain some of that niceness that was so valued in earlier years? I think so. But nice doesn’t mean dumb, and today’s nice girls DO finish first. They might just have to kick a little ass along the way.
Nicely.
Thanks for helping me celebrate the release of my second novel!! - Alesia Holliday
About Alesia Holliday
http://www.alesiaholliday.com/biography.cfm
Read an excerpt:
http://www.alesiaholliday.com/excerpt-NiceGirls.cfm
Reviews:
"With the quirky characters and sometimes laugh-out-loud madcap moments that Holliday is known for, NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a completely enjoyable read. It's intriguing to be able to see both sides of the coin: a girl who is too nice and a girl who is too mean. There is also a romantic side plot to both girls' stories that I loved... I really couldn't find anything about this novel I didn't enjoy. Overall, I highly recommend this novel for some good, solid, romantic summer reading... I'm looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!" -- Rian Montgomery, www.chicklitbooks.com
"NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a hoot! This book is funny, entertaining, and heartwarming -- a well-written, fast-paced story all wrapped inside one little bookcover... NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a top-notch story for a summer beach read, and one not to be missed." -- Diana Risso, Romance Reviews Today
"Readers will need to adapt to the changing first person perspective, but once accomplished will appreciate this fine insightful look at two women trying to make it. Interestingly, Kirby’s bullying management style sounds much like the Bolden school of supervision. Both females seem real especially their ambitions, goals, and concerns. Alesia Holliday provides a refreshing reading experience in NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST -- just ask Kirby." -- Harriet Klausner, Amazon.com Top Reviewer
"NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is the perfect story for you to toss into your beach bag and enjoy on a lazy summer day. Alesia Holliday draws you in to the lives of madcap characters and makes you laugh as Kirby finds out that you don’t have to be on guard all the time, and Brianna finds out that saying “NO” once in a while doesn’t make you a bad person. Will Kirby win the double dog dare? Will Brianna find her natural diva within? Pick up a copy of Nice Girls Finish First and find out if they do." -- Lydia Funneman, Writers Unlimited
My questions:
1. Have you always wanted to be a novelist? Yes, but it wasn't "practical," so I went to law school. I'm the first person on either side of my family to go to college. :-)
2. Is this your first book? If not, what else have you written? No, it's my seventh, counting collections! (Wow! How did THAT happen?)
NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is my second novel for adults. My first was AMERICAN IDLE, a connected book to NICE GIRLS, which will be re-issued in mass market paperback in August. I've written two novels for teens under my pen name, Jax Abbott - SUPER WHAT? and SUPER 16, about a teenaged superhero. I'm also in two anthologies, SHOP 'TIL YULE DROP, and the wonderful collection BEWITCHED, BOTHERED & BEVAMPYRED, for which all of the authors donated our chapters and all proceeds will go to the International Red Cross for tsunami and other relief. My very first book was autobiographical nonfiction, E-MAIL TO THE FRONT, a true story of what it's like to be a military family when your spouse goes to war. The full list, plus my upcoming collection with Jenny Crusie and a host of other chick lit authors, is at my website at www.alesiaholliday.com.
3. What inspired you to write this book? I wanted to explore a character who worked so hard to be successful that she was never very nice, and the pressures that put on her at work and in her personal relationships -- and then I took a character who was always so nice that she was practically a doormat, and threw them together. Trust me, the sparks flew!
4. What do you do to feel inspired/motivated in order to write? Look at my deadlines!! :-) Seriously, I'm writing in three different genres, so if I don't keep up, it's a terrible domino effect. On a daily basis, I like to listen to music while I write - often the same CD over and over for an entire book. When I hear the opening notes, my brain says: Go!
5. What are you reading now? I just finished the new Harry Potter (me and a few other people!), Terry Pratchett's THE TRUTH and a few of my friends' new books: Suz Brockmann's BREAKING POINT, Chris Feehan's OCEANS OF FIRE, Lani Diane Rich's MAYBE BABY, and an ARC of Michelle Cunnah's CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DATER. Also, I've got several books from the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit in my TBR pile for as soon as the big move to Virginia is done!
6. What are some of your favorite books? I have far far too many to list. I inhale books. I probably read 350 or more books in a year.
7. What else do you do besides writing (i.e. do you have a day job)? Writing is my day job! I have 6 books (counting collections and one reissue) out this year alone. It's crazy! I used to be a practicing trial lawyer in mass tort and class action litigation, and my first legal thriller will be released in March 2006.
8. Where do you live? Out of a suitcase! We're in Jacksonville, Florida, now, packing up our house for a move to Chesapeake Virginia in 28 days. Urk.
9. How does where you live impact (help/hurt) your writing? I love warm weather and the sunshine cheers me up hugely and makes me productive. I set my legal thriller series here. NICE GIRLS is set in Seattle, where I lived two years ago, and I have an idea for a series set in Virginia...
10. What words of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring novelist? Write. Then write more. Join a writer's group to meet crazy people just like you, and never, ever give up.
11. What is your favorite word? Sleep. (Probably only because I never get any.)
12. What is your least favorite word? "Actually." Because my children use it whenever they're disagreeing/correcting/annoying me: "ACTUALLY, Mommy, I did not push my sister's head into that wall. The wall jumped out and hit her."
13. What turns you on? New car smell, but only if it's a sports car with leather interior.
14. What turns you off? Tuna fish casserole. It's just wrong on so many levels.
15. What sound do you love? The ocean. Lucky I married that Navy guy, hmmm?
16. What sound do you hate? My dog slurping her stuffed hedgehog. It's ENORMOUSLY annoying and she INSISTS on doing it under my desk while I write. (For a pic of my cutie pug, see www.jaxabbott.com).
17. What is your favorite curse word? It's archaic -- and too nasty to put in print. :-)
18. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? International jewel thief.
19. What profession would you not like to participate in? Coyote urine collector. (This is an actual profession and shows up in Nice Girls . . .)
20. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Thanks for making people laugh. You done good.
Visit Alesia’s website at http://www.alesiaholliday.com/.
Buy the book on Amazon
About the book:
Following her triumphant debut with AMERICAN IDLE, double Rita finalist for Best First Book and Best Novel with Romantic Elements Alesia Holliday explores the definition of "nice" in this engaging, contemporary romance.
A tough-talking executive at a company that sells sex toys, Kirby Green thinks of "nice" as a four-letter word; her assistant, Brianna, translates "nice" differently -- as in, frequently, "walk all over me." In her position as vice president of marketing, Kirby finds it hard to meet guys; but she's determined to prove to everyone at work just how tough she is. After she fires almost the entire marketing staff abruptly, her cute boss, Banning Stuart, makes a bet: If Kirby can get anyone to call her nice, she can take a long-planned three-week vacation in Italy. Otherwise…
How Kirby loses the chip off her shoulder and Brianna finds her backbone (each one finding love and a different career in the process) makes for an appealing story. Kirby's adventures with speed dating are very funny, and her developing relationship with a Little Sister, touching. -- Ginger Curwen, Barnes & Noble review
What Alesia has to say about the book:
So one day I was thinking about today’s woman, as I often do, considering that I write funny books about the everyday (and not so everyday!) things we all go through, and I was wondering about that perpetual dilemma - the Myth of the Nice Girl.
Somehow, through a peculiar evolution of the professional environment, women today are finally recognized (mostly) as equally competent, ambitious, and dedicated as men in the workforce. (We’ll leave the “we have to work smarter and harder” argument aside for now.) But yet, we have an added burden: we have to be NICE.
Now, this isn’t really tough for most women, most of the time. We were raised to be nice. That’s what little girls do, right? “Play nice!” “Be nice!” Except, well, there are times when you can’t be all that nice . . . Boyfriend cheating? Kick him to the curb! Um, in a nice way? Opposing counsel trying underhanded tactics? Notify the judge and get him sanctioned! Er, nicely?
The idea of a character who is very ambitious and a great person, but a little bit of a tough chick on the surface, really intrigued me. And I had the perfect character in Kirby Green, newly-hired exec at the Whips and Lace Co. She’d pretty much stolen every scene she was in in AMERICAN IDLE (Double RITA finalist, how cool is that??). Then I wanted to compare and contrast Kirby with a character who was so nice that she was in danger of becoming a doormat. Brianna sprang to life. My good friend who is an opera singer (no, really!) provided some great background for her. Then I set the two of them loose to play on the pages - each helping the other learn something about life, and about herself. That’s how NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST was born.
Can we be successful as women today and still retain some of that niceness that was so valued in earlier years? I think so. But nice doesn’t mean dumb, and today’s nice girls DO finish first. They might just have to kick a little ass along the way.
Nicely.
Thanks for helping me celebrate the release of my second novel!! - Alesia Holliday
About Alesia Holliday
http://www.alesiaholliday.com/biography.cfm
Read an excerpt:
http://www.alesiaholliday.com/excerpt-NiceGirls.cfm
Reviews:
"With the quirky characters and sometimes laugh-out-loud madcap moments that Holliday is known for, NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a completely enjoyable read. It's intriguing to be able to see both sides of the coin: a girl who is too nice and a girl who is too mean. There is also a romantic side plot to both girls' stories that I loved... I really couldn't find anything about this novel I didn't enjoy. Overall, I highly recommend this novel for some good, solid, romantic summer reading... I'm looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!" -- Rian Montgomery, www.chicklitbooks.com
"NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a hoot! This book is funny, entertaining, and heartwarming -- a well-written, fast-paced story all wrapped inside one little bookcover... NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is a top-notch story for a summer beach read, and one not to be missed." -- Diana Risso, Romance Reviews Today
"Readers will need to adapt to the changing first person perspective, but once accomplished will appreciate this fine insightful look at two women trying to make it. Interestingly, Kirby’s bullying management style sounds much like the Bolden school of supervision. Both females seem real especially their ambitions, goals, and concerns. Alesia Holliday provides a refreshing reading experience in NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST -- just ask Kirby." -- Harriet Klausner, Amazon.com Top Reviewer
"NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is the perfect story for you to toss into your beach bag and enjoy on a lazy summer day. Alesia Holliday draws you in to the lives of madcap characters and makes you laugh as Kirby finds out that you don’t have to be on guard all the time, and Brianna finds out that saying “NO” once in a while doesn’t make you a bad person. Will Kirby win the double dog dare? Will Brianna find her natural diva within? Pick up a copy of Nice Girls Finish First and find out if they do." -- Lydia Funneman, Writers Unlimited
My questions:
1. Have you always wanted to be a novelist? Yes, but it wasn't "practical," so I went to law school. I'm the first person on either side of my family to go to college. :-)
2. Is this your first book? If not, what else have you written? No, it's my seventh, counting collections! (Wow! How did THAT happen?)
NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST is my second novel for adults. My first was AMERICAN IDLE, a connected book to NICE GIRLS, which will be re-issued in mass market paperback in August. I've written two novels for teens under my pen name, Jax Abbott - SUPER WHAT? and SUPER 16, about a teenaged superhero. I'm also in two anthologies, SHOP 'TIL YULE DROP, and the wonderful collection BEWITCHED, BOTHERED & BEVAMPYRED, for which all of the authors donated our chapters and all proceeds will go to the International Red Cross for tsunami and other relief. My very first book was autobiographical nonfiction, E-MAIL TO THE FRONT, a true story of what it's like to be a military family when your spouse goes to war. The full list, plus my upcoming collection with Jenny Crusie and a host of other chick lit authors, is at my website at www.alesiaholliday.com.
3. What inspired you to write this book? I wanted to explore a character who worked so hard to be successful that she was never very nice, and the pressures that put on her at work and in her personal relationships -- and then I took a character who was always so nice that she was practically a doormat, and threw them together. Trust me, the sparks flew!
4. What do you do to feel inspired/motivated in order to write? Look at my deadlines!! :-) Seriously, I'm writing in three different genres, so if I don't keep up, it's a terrible domino effect. On a daily basis, I like to listen to music while I write - often the same CD over and over for an entire book. When I hear the opening notes, my brain says: Go!
5. What are you reading now? I just finished the new Harry Potter (me and a few other people!), Terry Pratchett's THE TRUTH and a few of my friends' new books: Suz Brockmann's BREAKING POINT, Chris Feehan's OCEANS OF FIRE, Lani Diane Rich's MAYBE BABY, and an ARC of Michelle Cunnah's CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DATER. Also, I've got several books from the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit in my TBR pile for as soon as the big move to Virginia is done!
6. What are some of your favorite books? I have far far too many to list. I inhale books. I probably read 350 or more books in a year.
7. What else do you do besides writing (i.e. do you have a day job)? Writing is my day job! I have 6 books (counting collections and one reissue) out this year alone. It's crazy! I used to be a practicing trial lawyer in mass tort and class action litigation, and my first legal thriller will be released in March 2006.
8. Where do you live? Out of a suitcase! We're in Jacksonville, Florida, now, packing up our house for a move to Chesapeake Virginia in 28 days. Urk.
9. How does where you live impact (help/hurt) your writing? I love warm weather and the sunshine cheers me up hugely and makes me productive. I set my legal thriller series here. NICE GIRLS is set in Seattle, where I lived two years ago, and I have an idea for a series set in Virginia...
10. What words of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring novelist? Write. Then write more. Join a writer's group to meet crazy people just like you, and never, ever give up.
11. What is your favorite word? Sleep. (Probably only because I never get any.)
12. What is your least favorite word? "Actually." Because my children use it whenever they're disagreeing/correcting/annoying me: "ACTUALLY, Mommy, I did not push my sister's head into that wall. The wall jumped out and hit her."
13. What turns you on? New car smell, but only if it's a sports car with leather interior.
14. What turns you off? Tuna fish casserole. It's just wrong on so many levels.
15. What sound do you love? The ocean. Lucky I married that Navy guy, hmmm?
16. What sound do you hate? My dog slurping her stuffed hedgehog. It's ENORMOUSLY annoying and she INSISTS on doing it under my desk while I write. (For a pic of my cutie pug, see www.jaxabbott.com).
17. What is your favorite curse word? It's archaic -- and too nasty to put in print. :-)
18. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? International jewel thief.
19. What profession would you not like to participate in? Coyote urine collector. (This is an actual profession and shows up in Nice Girls . . .)
20. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Thanks for making people laugh. You done good.
Visit Alesia’s website at http://www.alesiaholliday.com/.
Buy the book on Amazon