Shelf Life by Christina George Review, Interview & Giveaway

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The Publicist (Book One)
Behind every book, there’s always more to the story.

Can one woman change an age-old institution like publishing? Probably not, but Kate Mitchell sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system, books that don’t always sell (at all) and author egos that are often, well, as big as the island of Manhattan.

Enter the star Editor, MacDermott Ellis. Tall, handsome, charismatic, married, and ready to save the day. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions. Then there’s Allan Lavigne, once a revered author, now as forgotten as yesterday’s news; and his nephew Nick, who wants to sweep Kate away from New York for another coast, California.

As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, the over-the-top author expectations, and the careful dance of “I’m sorry, your book isn’t on the bestseller list this week”, she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked by a publisher wanting more sex, more celebrities, and more scandal.

​Shelf Life (Book Two):

​It’s an industry of out-of-control egos, unrealistic expectations, and unfulfilled promises.

This is publishing and it’s Kate’s world, but maybe not for long.

When one of Kate Mitchell’s star authors is carted away in handcuffs, it’s only the beginning of her troubles. As her world crumbles around her, Kate desperately looks for anyone to hold onto but finds that happy endings are truly works of fiction. With the shelf life of her career and her love affair quickly expiring, Kate sets off on a new adventure…

Starting over in California is easy but Kate soon learns that leaving her old life behind isn’t. Nick Lavigne is eager to help her forget but two things still own her heart, the dream of discovering the next great American novel, and MacDermott Ellis.

As Kate tries to rebuild her life she finds a surprising gift that reboots her career in a new and unexpected direction. Suddenly her name becomes synonymous with one of the biggest bestsellers publishing has seen in ages and she's welcomed back with open arms.

But at the height of her success the ghosts of her past come back to remind her of the world she'd been trying to forget and the man who never let go of her heart.

Behind the book, there’s always more to the story. Welcome to Publishing, the ego has landed.

Climax  (Book Three)

Kate Mitchell has never forgiven herself for breaking Nick Lavigne’s heart. Now he’s back and he’s moved on, and it’s affecting Kate’s life more than she’s willing to admit.

Kate Mitchell has everything. She's the head of a crazy successful publishing house, engaged to the traffic-stopping sexy Mac Ellis and she's about to sign one of the biggest authors of her career.

And that's when everything falls apart.

Everything is perfect…until it’s not.

In a city of 8 million people Kate manages to run into someone she never expected to see again.

Nick is handsome, impossibly kind, every girl’s dream, and Kate’s former fiancé. He’s also the brother of the rising star author she’s trying to sign. Now that Nick’s back in town and has moved on he insists he’s over Kate, but part of him still can’t get past how amazing they were, and his sister won’t let anyone forget how brutally it ended.

When Mac is dealt a life-changing blow, it forces Kate to question every single choice she’s made.

Follow Kate as she embarks on a journey of life and love, navigating through the decisions that will change it all forever.

Author's Bio:

Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years (give or take). Here’s what this book isn't. It’s not a slam against publishing (though it is broken) and it’s not a slam against authors (though some of them are crazy). This book is not autobiographical though many of the stories are true. No you won’t know which ones, cause it’s more fun to guess, right? George continues to work in publicity and helps authors because at the end of the day she does love books, she loves publishing, and she loves authors. She hopes you’ll enjoy this romp through Kate’s world as much as she enjoyed creating it.

Interview with Christina George

1. What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general? 

I think keeping the story coherent, frankly. I met an author years ago who writes 50 books a year, frankly I don’t know how she keeps all the characters straight.

2. Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?  

YES it did! It taught me that writing, good writing isn't easy. Look, I don’t know if you’ll read my book and say “wow, that’s good writing” or encourage me to keep my day job. But my editor loved it (and I didn't pay her to say that) and some of the initial reviews have come back positive so to that end, I think I did a good job. But it’s hard work, don’t let anyone tell you any different.

3. Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor? 

Yes, I have – I've had a lot of folks guide me through the publishing world and the marketing world, I’m very lucky to be surrounded by some excellent, talented people.

4. Which was the hardest character to write?

Ruth Ann Wilson was the hardest because she’s a therapist and I’m not, though I've had therapy and worked with therapists so I know, typically, what they do. I wanted Ruth Ann to be the complete opposite of that.

5. There are many romance novels out there

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What makes yours different? 

I like to think that my stories are different because they are real, well I mean messy like in real life. Love isn't perfect, life isn't perfect, things happen and I wanted to take the reader through this journey with Kate. I also wanted to write a protagonist who wasn't perfect, she’s flawed and relatable.

Connect with Christina: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~ Goodreads

Where to buy the book

​Amazon​

My Review:
This book was interesting to read. I read a lot of books, and I interview a lot of authors. There has never been any of the drama that is in this book. However I can definitely see these things happening. The inside scoop on what really goes on when deadlines need to be met was a fun read. This is now book two and Kate has been thrown to the curb. She is guilty by association because of one of her clients. She is finally getting her life back on track when she is thrown back into the dramatic publishing world. Her new client is very popular, but popularity usually comes with a price. Is Kate ready for all that? Does she really want to be in the same industry that shunned her? Will her enemies let her past stayed buried? This was a great sequel and I can not wait for book three. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.

Giveaway

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