And the Winner of a signed copy of EXIT THE ACTRESS is...

Thanks to all who stopped in and entered. I wish I had more copies to give away. Without further ado, the winner of EXIT THE ACTRESS is...

Michelle The True Book Addict!!

Congrats Michelle. Please email me your address and I'll get the book out to you. If the winner doesn't respond in 48 hours, another will be choosen. Winner was selected randomly, using Random.org.

Toodles!

Book Talk and Signed Book Giveaway: Exit The Actress by Priya Parmar.

Title: Exit The Actress
Author:Priya Parmer                                      
Publisher: Touchstone/Simon and Schuster
Format: Paperback Original
ISBN: 978-1439171172
Price: 16.99 Pages: 440 
Release Date: February 1, 2011

I met Priya through the world of blogging. She's a fellow blogger at The Plum Bean Project and Exit the Actress is her first novel. We began to communicate via our blogs and by email and when she learned I was going to England, she proved to be a great resource. She spends a great deal of her time between London and Hawaii. Naturally I was interested in what her book was about and anxious to get my hands on it. I simply loved the cover and couldn't wait to dig into it when she requested her publicist send me a copy. It's a historical novel that's based on real people and Priya did extensive research in England before writing the book. Let's check out the blurb on the back of the book...

While selling oranges in the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, sweet and sprightly Ellen "Nell" Gwyn impresses the theater’s proprietors with a wit and sparkle that belie her youth and poverty. She quickly earns a place in the company, narrowly avoiding the life of prostitution to which her sister has already succumbed. As her roles evolve from supporting to starring, the scope of her life broadens as well. Soon Ellen is dressed in the finest fashions, charming the theatrical, literary, and royal luminaries of Restoration England. 

Priya reading and signing at Borders, Park Ave, New York

Ellen grows up on the stage, experiencing first love and heartbreak and eventually becoming the mistress of Charles II. Despite his reputation as a libertine, Ellen wholly captures his heart—and he hers—but even the most powerful love isn’t enough to stave off the gossip and bitter court politics that accompany a royal romance. 
Telling the story through a collection of vibrant seventeenth-century voices ranging from Ellen’s diary to playbills, letters, gossip columns, and home remedies, Priya Parmar brings to life the story of an endearing and delightful heroine. 

My Selection for Waiting on Wednesday: Exit the Actress by fellow blogger, Priya Parmar!!

Happy New Year everyone. Welcome back to my favorite meme! Waiting on Wednesday is the great idea of Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Each week we list what book we're anxious to sink our teeth into. This week, I'm going for something different. Exit the Actress is a historical novel. It's written by a fellow blogger: Priya Parmar! This is her first novel and she's being published by the Simon and Schuster imprint, Touchstone.

Priya is an absolutely delightful girl. She was a great help to me when I took my trip to England this summer and indeed, she's in London right now doing research on her next novel. I don't usually gravitate toward books like this, but beyond my curiosity about checking out Priya's writing, I was intrigued by the lush cover. Who is this woman and what's her story?

Priya had her publicist sent me a copy. I know Ellen "Nell" Gwyn, the protagonist, narrowly escapes becoming a child prostitute, developes a romance with a King and has to negotiate bitter gossip and vicious politics. That's good enough for me. Exit the Actress received an enthusiastic thumbs up from another author by the name of Phillipa Gregory. You may be familiar with her work: The Other Boleyn Girl.

I'm looking forward to delving into this one. It's a definite change from my usual YA sensibilities. Anyone else willing to stretch themselves and try something different?

Exit the Actress releases February 1, 2011

Toodles!