Christina George's shades of African Grey & a book to give away

 **Giveaway is now closed**

Introduction by Tracey Meyers

Even though I studied Public Relations in college and pursuing a career in publicity was always in the back of my mind, I never would have imagined I'd be doing book publicity - and enjoying it as much as I do.

As a twenty year veteran in the world of publishing, I bet Christina George would have some good tips for someone like me who is just getting their feet wet in this world.  After all, I can only imagine Christina has seen and done it all.  These experiences have inspired her debut novel, The Publicist.   In this book, readers get a front row seat to world of publishing through the eyes of Kate Mitchell, a publicist for a highly respected New York publishing house.  Christina admits that some of the stories in her book are true, but she's not saying which ones because mystery is good, right?!?

With a love for books, publishing and authors, Christina continues make a name for herself as a top-notch publicist, and is setting the stage for a successful author, too!

Please give a warm Chick Lit Central welcome to Christina George!

You can find Christina at her website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Christina has FIVE e-books of The Publicist to share with some lucky readers anywhere in the world!

First off, tell us about your awesome book, The Publicist, and what inspired you to write it…
Well, I’ve been in publishing for a long time, as a publicist I’ve been a lot of authors and a lot of stories and I felt like there was a story to be told here. How a book comes to market (which isn’t always an exact science) how authors are sometimes overlooked and how some egos can really get out of control. But moreover it’s really about those of us who love the industry and battle for its integrity.

In one sentence, what was road to publishing like?
For the author it can often be harrowing, surprising and a bit frightening – for those of us in publishing it’s shifting sand (at least right now) because so much is changing.

How close does your story relate to what the publishing world is like in real life?
Very. In fact all but one of the stories actually happened to me during my career. Though the story of Mac and Kate is fictional, the life and stories that surround Kate are true.

What are your biggest motivations to write? What keeps you going?
My biggest motivation was the story, I wanted to tell this story and it’s funny, at some point when you’re writing fiction you fall in love with these characters and you are compelled to keep writing about them. In fact I just finished Book Two of The Publicist and was really sad to see Kate and Mac go….

Who is your favorite animal in any chick lit novel?
I loved the dog in Must Love Dogs, loved it because he became a conversation starter for the main character.

If you were to include an animal in your next novel, what kind would it be and what would you name it?
I loved the cat that Kathleen Turner had in Romancing the Stone – and I love that scene when she finishes her book and celebrates with her cat, Romeo. I’d love a beautiful white cat named Charlotte for the spider in Charlotte’s Web (which I loved as a kid)

What is the funniest thing you've ever seen an animal do?
We used to have an African Grey parrot when I was growing up and he was *very* animated, often yelling obscenities at the TV when people would start arguing. One time, we had guests over who stayed a bit long and the bird started saying “Bye, bye now” over and over, our guests finally got the hint. :)

What is your favorite rare or exotic animal?
African Grey! They are such smart birds, I love them!

Special thanks to Christina for chatting with us and sharing her book with our readers!

How to win The Publicist:
Please comment below with your e-mail address. (Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.) 

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: What is your favorite rare or exotic animal?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
5. Follow us on Twitter and/or Pinterest.
6. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

Giveaway ends January 20th at midnight EST