I’m happy to welcome Jennifer Garcia to the blog today. She’s talking a bit about her, and introducing us to her novel, My Mr. Manny.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thanks so much for having me.
I grew up in Boston and moved to Los Angeles when I was sixteen and that was twenty-six years ago. My husband of eleven years is an amazing man and deserves an award for putting up with me and picking up all the slack since I’ve taken up writing on top of all my other responsibilities. My two sons and two dogs keep my house full and myself very busy.
I’m a businesswoman in the Scrap and Recycling Industry. I also attend college full-time for the first time. I received my AA in Communications last year and am working toward a BA in English Literature. I have been writing for a few years now and last October submitted my first manuscript to a wonderful publishing company, Renaissance Romance Publishing, which was accepted.
What was your favorite chapter to write and why?
In my novel, My Mr. Manny, the ninth chapter was the most fun to write. The main character, Mia meets her love interest, the manny (male nanny) during his interview. She was anything but professional at first, a complete spaz. It was, to me, an awkward and funny meeting. Mia was shocked at the reaction she had in seeing this man. She had never had such a strong feeling about someone before and ended up making a huge fool of herself. I actually felt bad for her, but she was able to pull herself together and conduct the interview.
Were all of your characters easy to write, or did some of them give you trouble? Any particular character you didn’t like at all?
They were pretty easy for me. I think picturing them all as my friends made it easier, and I did, I felt as if I knew them all. Not to mention some of these characters were loosely based off people I know. The main character, Mia, had similar experiences as I did growing up, but our personalities differ greatly. Mia is a lot nicer than I am and much more patient. I admire that about her.
Narrow down your novel. Why must we read it? (besides the obvious, it’s awesome answer…because of course it is!)
In my opinion, it is a sweet romance, with real life issues and we get to see the Heroine, Mia grow throughout the story. Her manny, Dominic helps her find her true self and rediscover happiness in the truest form. Plus, it has the most adorable little girl, Lucia and her interactions with Dominic are swoon worthy. It will give you a serious case of the feels.
Thank you so much for hosting me again.
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Blurb:
Mia Balducci misses her childhood days and yearns for the big, Italian family that she left behind in small town Massachusetts. At the tender age of sixteen, Mia moves with her bachelor father to Los Angeles, but no matter how many years pass, it never becomes home to her. The years spent living with her father aren’t easy, especially since she can’t stop thinking about what she once had. Her enrollment in the University of Southern California promises to bring exciting changes to her life, but Mia winds up with big problems instead. When she runs into an old friend from her old hometown of Winthrop, she gets swept up in nostalgia, and she soon loses herself in a quickly-progressing romance. When the fantasy falls apart, she is left to raise her precious little girl, Lucia, on her own. The demands of Mia’s work schedule and Lucia’s needs increase, and their lives become increasingly hectic. It is soon clear to Mia that she needs help. Luckily, her life-saving cousin saves the day and brings the mother and daughter a male nanny – their new “manny.”
After losing his high-pressure job on Wall Street, Dominic Roberts wants to follow his dreams to have a family. He’s already one fiancée down, and there are no likely prospects for another. In order to find the family he so desperately wants, he finds himself getting into the manny business. Since he is fully qualified to provide child care and is eager to leave New York City behind, his sister-in-law is able to land him a job in California working for his first client – the beautiful and intriguing Mia Balducci.
Will Lucia like the new man in her mother’s life? Will Mia? And will this new trio discover the happily ever after they all so desperately seek?
Bio:
Jennifer Garcia’s (aka Forbes Arnone) love of travel began when she traveled to the West Coast to visit her father at the age of three. Her home until she was sixteen was a small coastal town near Boston. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Her lifelong love for reading and writing was put aside for many years while she made her way in the world and nurtured her young family. Even though she is older, and life never seems to settle, she’s finding her way while attending college full-time in pursuit of a B.A. in English Literature. She also runs a business, and is still caring for her family. Believing she can do it all, with the help of her family, she worked on her first novel during the late hours of the night while balancing the rest of her life during the day. Her hard work paid off, as her first novel, My Mr. Manny, will be published August 2013.
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