As part of Random Acts of Publicity I’ve decided to highlight a book I read over the summer by debut author Tawna Fenske. I first heard about Fenske and her book though Matthew McNash’s The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment. As soon as I saw the words ‘Romantic Comedy’ my virtual ears (or should I say eyes?) perked up. I just wrote a romantic comedy for young adults but until seeing Tawna’s book, I’d never heard of a book genre being classified that way. Movies as romantic comedy?- sure! But books? – not so much.
So of course I ordered a copy of her book through my kindle to see what classified as romantic comedy.
And I was not disappointed.
The main character Juli Flynn isn’t your ordinary 30-something singleton with family issues. I won’t divulge what makes her different but let’s just say- following her train of thought and the way she sees things is downright hilarious.
As is the premise of Making Waves.
A hodge-podge group of disgruntled employees decide to resort to open-sea piracy in order to take back the pensions that were cut by their evil ex-boss. But Alex Bradshaw, a 42 year old handsome-but-jaded Ex-Executive VP has his work cut out for him if he wants to organize his colleagues; a fifty-year-old bench-pressing blond with intimacy issues, a sensitive ex-NFL linebacker who loves to dabble in French cuisine, and a heavyset accountant with a penchant for conspiracy theories, into a team of real-life pirates.
And when they end up with a cute and freakishly-capable stowaway in Juli, the main characters are going to have a hard time holding onto their heads, never mind their hearts as things get choppy. (sorry, I’m loving me some sea-faring puns with this one.)
Making Waves was a super fun read with character quirks and twists and turns that provided more than enough laugh-out-loud moments.
Here’s where you can learn more and order a copy:
47 comments:
OMIGOSH I had no idea Tawna had written a novel! Let alone one that sounds so delicious! I'm a huge romantic comedy kind of girl and now I want my hands on this!!! I'm curious if they sell it in paperback... I'm not a Kindle Reader! This I must find out PRONTO! Thank you for sharing!
At first I couldn't figure out why I'd never heard of the book. It's not YA (or romantic suspense). That's why. But I do remember the name being mentioned somewhere. Matt's blog maybe.
I love this random acts of publicity. Thanks for sharing!
I've heard nothing but good things about this book - even a mention in the Chicago Times, so it's on my TBR list.
Sounds awesome. I love the concept. Thanks for sharing. And I think the original concept for the Random Acts of Publicity started with Darcy Pattison on her blog, Fiction Notes. :)
Eee gawds, another book for my ever-growing list. : )
I hadn't heard of this book. It sounds great! Thanks.
I must put on my TBR list sounds great!
Guys (oh, and ladies) if you aren't following Tawna's blog you are missing it. She is absolutely hysterical and I can't say enough about her book. Yes, I read it and as one of many guys who enjoyed it, I would tell anyone who hasn't to read it. Among many things you will grow a new appreciation for the game of Battleship.
Don't forget to go here: (http://tawnafenske.blogspot.com)and click that follow button. And read the book while your at it.
Nice review CQG. Matthew's reach is wide.
Great to find some help in extending the never ending reading list, thanks! Have just discovered you via 'That Elusive Line', where my small dog has been revelling in being an artist's muse! He is normally to be found waving to his fans from Planet Penny!
Penny
Thanks so much for the lovely review! (And especially for not giving away Juli's "secret" like at least half the reviewers have been doing).
Jen, it's in paperback at all major bookstores (Barnes & Noble, Powells, etc) and all those online links at the bottom of this post. It's also at WalMart, though I'm guessing my one-month shelf life there is almost up so if you want to snag it there, you'd better hurry.
Thanks again, guys!
Tawna
LOL, Shain and I simu-commented! Thanks so much for the lovely blog plug, Shain!
Tawna
I've got the sample ebook on my Nook!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by Tawna!:)
I remember reading Matt's review of this book and I've been over to Tawna's blog - she IS funny! And what a great idea, random acts of publicity! I like it :)
I loved Tawna's book and can't wait until the next one!
OMG you have no idea how cool this makes me feel (even cooler than normal, in case you were wondering)!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Katie!
And Tawna, you owe me.
That does sound like fun! I heard a Blogger call Tali Roland's "The Hating Game" a RomCom, and having read it, I think the title fits. Saw your comment at Hart's, and thought, "CCG? It's been awhile since I've been by there..."
I'll have to check it out. I haven't read a romantic comedy in a while. (wow, my tbr list is getting long!) ;)
I love Tawna's blog, and it's one of the reasons why I can't wait to get a copy of her book.
Sounds good, will put it on my to-be- downloaded list on Kindle!
Would also like to invite you to take a look at the The Rule of Three Blogfest ---a month-long shared-world extravaganza in the fictional town of Renaissance this October---with some great prizes, and of course, a lot of exposure and constructive feedback for your writing.
Renaissance could be an unusual venue for a romantic comedy :D
Awww thanks for the review and the intro to this book - sounds like great fun!!! Yay!! Take care
x
Romantic comedy should apply to books. I bet the teen crowd would definitely go for it.
I love your "normal married mother of three" description of yourself. None of us are normal after the third. Great blog - I'm following.
Popping back in for a sec to add to the romantic comedy discussion...way back when we were initially pitching my books, we heard from a number of editors that romantic comedy is a tough sell. I'm not sure why that is, but there ARE a handful of us out there. Jennifer Crusie, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Lani Diane Rich are among the grande dames of the rom-com genre (Crusie's "Welcome to Temptation" is one of my favorite books of all time). So we're definitely out there, but not everyone knows where to look!
Thanks again for the mention!
Tawna
This book has been on my tbr list for what seems like ages. Ah well, one day...
Okay, you've convinced me!! :-)
I've been DYING to get that book but resources are just a little too tight right now. I definitely will though, soon as I can!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. After following Tawna's blog for some time, I'd come to think of her like a daughter. So, imagine my shock (SHOCK, I tell you!) when I read some of her (ahem) sexy scenes. I mean, I simply HAD to read them again to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. And then again, just, ya know, to be reaaally sure. She's gonna be a writing star.
It took me a second to get they are actually on a boat - I read a few B&N reviews. It sounds pretty funny. I need books to break up all the YA I've been reading, I'll definitely consider. Thanks!
Nice review. I've heard of the book and thought it might be too quirky but I'll just have to pick up a copy now.
What a cool and intriguing plot! Thanks for sharing, and for popping by my blog! Hello from a new follower!
Awesome! This looks like a great read. There's nothing I like more than a romantic comedy.
YAY Tawna--heard lots about this book-sounds good!!
What a cool concept for a book! And the words romantic comedy have me hooked, too. :)
This sounds like a novel I would love! Thanks for the suggestion!
I love comedic women's fiction as well. Sounds like a fabulous read!
Sounds great! I like stories that feature a group of disparate people all trying to work together.
Hello Hello!
I'm following you too now!
It sounds fantastic! I've heard a lot about this novel and I really want to read it.
I love this random acts of publicity idea! And while I'm not really a RomCom girl (mostly a romance aversion) I love the piracy theme, so this looks pretty good!
Thanks for the great recommendation. I also just wrote what could definitely be classified as a YA romantic comedy, and like you, I'd never heard it classified like that before! Your blog looks like fun, and thanks for the follow!
Hi Katie-Thanks for stopping by my site! I just finished reading Tawna's book--it was definitely a fun read! :)
Hi Katie! I love the idea of a book being classed Romantic Comedy. I love Romantic Comedy movies so books should definitely be called that too.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting! It's great to meet you. And good luck with querying! - I'm in need of luck in that department too!
Thanks for enlightening me… I’ll give it a look.
Awesome! I have this book wallowing in my TBR pile, but I'm thinking a fun little read like this just what I need right now. Thanks!
Sounds perfect for me right now! Thanks for the review. I'll definitely add it to my list.
Thanks for the tip Seems like my piece of cake
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