Today
we welcome author Shirley Goldberg to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart to talk
about her newest release, Eat Your
Heart Out, from The Wild Rose Press.
Rather than answer my nosey questions, today we’re going to talk with Shirley’s
heroine and her good friend.
A Talk with Sunny and Dana
When fellow author Nancy Fraser
invited me to guest post, I invited two of my main characters to join me. They
didn’t seem all that eager.
“What’s the problem?” I’d been
wrestling with words all day. Who needs moodiness from my imaginary beings?
“Isn’t this a tad weird?” Sunny’s
voice was taut with attitude.
“Weird? How?” Dana asked.
“We’re characters in books and
we’re chatting as if we’re real people.”
“Not so odd.” Dana scratched a
mosquito bite. “We’re friends in the books. By the way, my trip to Florida was
great. Except for a few mosquito bites.”
“Don’t say anything about who you
went with on vacation,” Sunny said. “We don’t want any spoilers. Not everyone
has read your book.” She gave Dana a stern look.
“It’s not my book,” Dana said.
“It’s Shirley’s book.”
“Don’t quibble,” I said. As if
they’d listen to me.
“I guess we should introduce
ourselves. I’m Sunny Chanel, the main character in Middle Ageish, Shirley’s first novel.
“I’m Dana, Sunny’s BFF in her
book.”
“You have your own book now,
though. How do you feel about that?”
“You sound like my therapist.”
“The two of you bicker inside my
head all day long,” I interrupted. “It’s unnerving.”
“I’m the one with a therapist, not
you.” Sunny stepped around me to confront Dana.
“Remember, no spoilers,” Dana
chided.
“Sorry.” Sunny looked embarrassed.
“Aren’t we supposed to be introducing Shirley?”
“You start.” Dana gestured with her
chin. “Give the readers a heads-up about her background. Why she wrote the
book.”
“I’ve always wondered myself.”
Sunny looked at me. “You did a lot of online dating and took notes in the
ladies room, didn’t you? When you were on a meet.”
“I’ll admit it.” I put my hands up
in surrender. My dirty little secret was out. At least they weren’t bickering.
“Let me get this straight. You’re
on a date. You excuse yourself to go to the restroom. And take notes in the
toilet stall? Seriously?”
“Pretty much,” I said.
“It’s true,” Sunny said. “You
wouldn’t believe how many guys I had to do the ole meet-and-greet with to keep
the story moving forward. Shirley planned it all in the restroom.” She gave a
little sneer. “How romantic.”
“I don’t write books in the
toilet,” I protested. “Notes. I took a few notes.”
“We’ve all heard the advice writers
get.” Sunny fixed me with a look that said I wasn’t getting away with anything.
“Write about what you know.”
“So I’ve heard,” Dana said. “We’re
getting off track here. The book is about starting over. Not so easy when you’re
a little older. Shirley knows because she started over. She was living in
Crete, teaching English. She and her husband ended their marriage.
“Right, sorry about my tirade,”
Sunny said. “Shirley moved back to Connecticut and started over.
“We met when you moved from Paris
to New Haven and enrolled in the grad program.” Dana crossed her legs and
scratched her mosquito bites again. “Just like Shirley.”
“Are you saying the book is
autobiographical?” Dana asked Sunny.
“Ask Shirley,” Sunny said. “I think
all writing is somewhat autobiographical.”
“My marriage was circling the
drain.” No point in denying the similarities in the book to my own life. “Look,
relationships aren’t easy. It’s a wonder two people come together, much less
stay together.”
“In Middle Ageish, I issue
the dating challenge that starts the ball rolling,” Sunny said.
“I made up that dating contest,” I
said.
“Yeah, probably after three glasses of wine.”
Sunny looked around the living room. “I could use a glass of wine.”
“Hey.” Dana poked Sunny in the arm.
“We’re guests here.”
Sunny gave Dana a look. “Shirley
forced me to date. A lot. And broke my heart.”
“No spoilers!” I’d had it up to my
eyelashes with my characters. Especially Sunny.
“Dana, you’re the heroine in Eat
Your Heart Out. Can you say a little something about––”
“Friendship,” said Dana. “Women.
Men. Two foodies. We sauté together, banter, and dance around each other.
There’s some serious stuff too. A few issues.”
“Shirley said she writes to make
readers laugh,” said Sunny.
They exchanged a knowing look.
“I’d second that emotion, don’t you
agree?” Dana looked proud of her song-quoting skills.
The three of us burst out giggling.
About
the Book
When
a tyrant in stilettos replaces her beloved boss, and her ex snags her coveted
job, teacher Dana Narvana discovers there are worse things than getting dumped
on Facebook. Even at her age. Time for the BFF advice squad, starting with
Dana's staunchest ally, Alex. Hunky colleague, quipster, and cooking pal
extraordinaire. But when the after-hours smooching goes nowhere, she wonders
why this grown man won't make up his mind.
Actor
turned teacher Alex Bethany craves a family of his own and his new lifestyle
gives him the confidence to try online dating. Meanwhile he’s sending Dana
mixed messages in the kissing department. After a surprising event rocks
his world, Alex panics, certain he’s blown his chances with his special person.
From appetizers to the main course will these two cooking buddies make it to
dessert?
Funny and bittersweet, Dana and Alex’s story will have
you rooting for them all the way to dessert.
Amazon
~ Apple Books ~ B&N (Nook) ~ Nook
Read
an Excerpt
I
yanked open the heavy door and entered the huge lobby, the sounds of
merrymaking—clinking cutlery, people talking, a boom of laughter—drifted down
from the upstairs restaurant.
How
to locate Monty? We should have made a better plan to meet.
And
then a pair of blue jeans appeared on the winding staircase, my gaze following
the smooth descent. Legs, negative stomach, chest and shoulders, all the way up
to the wide grin. Any residual stress from the week floated away and became I’m
glad to meet you, glad, so glad.
Better
looking than his photo, with a body clearly used to moving. Chores like
log-carrying, shoveling snow, maybe some serious foreplay. What was it Noelle
said about a good body on a middle-aged man? A guy in shape is like an A+ on
an exam. Unexpected and welcome.
“I
know you’re Dana,” said Monty, real name Doug, who reached out to me at the
bottom of the staircase with a cuddly hug. Despite remembering one of his early
negative emails, my body relaxed against his mighty hug.
“Shall
we? I’ve staked out a table upstairs. I really wanted a nice environment for
our first meet.” His sweeping gesture included the whole of the restaurant,
white tablecloths, glittering silverware, homey smells.
“Really
nice.” Too early in the evening for giddy, and yet…what was going on? Earlier
in our emailing, he’d had misgivings, something about casting his net too
wide, afraid we had little in common. He’d had doubts. Is he still doubtful?
At
the table we discussed wine, ordered Cabernet, and sat back. “A comfortable
silence,” he said, nodding in the direction of my ace-bandaged hand. “What
happened to you?”
“Accident.
I’ll tell you later.” Not the time to discuss the tough stuff.
“Hope
it doesn’t hurt.” He touched my arm. “I really wanted to meet you. And I didn’t
want to do it over coffee.” He paused, looked around the place, his gaze taking
in the other diners, the piano, the huge floor-to-ceiling fireplace. “Would
love to be here when there’s a fire going. Classy. Like you.” He laughed. “I
know I’m piling it on a bit thick, but I mean it.”
This
man is a charmer, watch out, watch out.
The
wine arrived, and he lifted his glass. “To a great evening,” he said. We sipped
and he leaned in close. “Stop me if I talk too much. I’m serious. I tend to go
on.”
He
had a slight accent. Montana. This was what Montana sounded like, broad in some
places, slow, but good slow. Montana Monty. “So how long have you been
in Connecticut?” I asked.
He
told me it had been a long time, but he got to see his parents every six months
or so. “They are both in their eighties. I worry about them.” And he asked
about my work, so I told him about the two students invited for lunch
discussions. “That’s how I came up with my Luncheon Improvement Plan. It’s a
warning so my students know they’re a step away from a detention.”
“What
did they do?” He was a great listener, leaning close as if we were already
intimates, my classroom tidbits amusing and gleaming as lightning bugs.
“They
were a source of irritation. For the whole period. Fifty-five minutes. I caught
one of the boys throwing spitballs at the girls. Juvenile.”
“I
did worse in high school. I would have loved a detention from you.” He made a
growl deep in his throat. “Maybe you’ll invite me to your classroom one day?”
Then shook his head, mocking himself. “I’m being silly, but I’d like to see you
in action.” He stopped, checked my glass. “Hey, let’s have another glass.
You’re almost empty.”
I
nodded, that giddy feeling again.
“What
do you need?” Eyes on my face. “What can I get you?”
A
man aware of my needs. Keeping tabs on my needs. Indeed, I needed food to avoid
getting too lightheaded, carried away by compliments and the sheer appreciation
of my wonderfulness. He touched my arm. “Is this too much, too soon? I get
infatuated easily,” he said. “I don’t know why.”
A
tingly sensation clear down to my stomach. I excused myself, needing a few
minutes of alone time, a little less intensity. Catch him off guard. Noelle’s
advice.
In
the ladies’ room I threw on lipstick, my thoughts stumbling over territory I’d
discussed with Noelle, with Jewel. Even Alex. When you first meet,
remember he doesn’t know what pleases you. Let him blab. Listen. Between the
lines, the real man will show himself.
Back
at the table he took my hand, talked about traveling in Asia,
visiting manufacturers for quality control issues—he’d worked many years
in the toy manufacturing business. “Let’s stay for dinner,” he said hand on
mine. The jazz trio began the lead-in to “The Lady is a Tramp,” the evening
proceeding in perfect sync with our mutual mood of wonder and discovery.
About
the Author
Shirley
Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived
in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a
certain age starting over.
Her
website offers a humorous look at living single and dating in midlife.
Shirley is the author of two rom coms. Eat Your Heart Out and Middle
Ageish, both in the series Starting Over.
Shirley’s
friends nag her to tell them which stories are true in her novels. Her
characters believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and
Shirley agrees.
Shirley's Website
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Amazon
Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads
~ ~ ~
Many to thanks to Shirley for bringing her quirky sense of humor to the blog today. Please come back again tomorrow when we'll have a Goddess Fish tour guest, which means--of coures--a giveaway!
Nancy
