What's more romantic on Valentine's Day than a woman named Juliet (and a giveaway)?!?

***Giveaway is now closed***

Introduction by Melissa Amster

We are thrilled to have Juliet Madison visiting today! I met her on Facebook within the first year of Chick Lit Central's existence. I saw that she was an author and wanted to interview her for the blog, but she told me that she wasn't published yet. I told her that as soon as she was, I would love to feature her. Well, that day has finally come! Her debut novel, Fast Forward, was recently published and I'm already reading (and enjoying) it! It's similar in concept to 13 Going on 30, but more like "25 going on 50!"

I'm not the only one who gets to dig in to this delicious (and oh-so-funny) story. Harlequin AU has TWO e-books for some lucky readers anywhere in the world! In addition, as this is part of Juliet's blog tour, she has an Amazon gift card giveaway going on!

Juliet Madison is a naturopath-turned-author with a background in dance, art, internet marketing, and perfume sales (a.k.a. spraying people with perfume in department stores). These days, she prefers to indulge her knack for multiple careers by living vicariously through her characters. She likes to put said characters into extraordinary situations and take them on a challenging journey to discover their true passion and inner strength, weaving in some laughs, tears, romance, and sometimes a touch of magic along the way. As a result, Juliet is a proud member and volunteer with The Romance Writers of Australia.

Living near the beach on the beautiful south coast of New South Wales, Australia, Juliet spends her days homeschooling her son and running her internet business, and her nights writing fiction while doing her best to avoid housework.

Since she's here on Valentine's Day AND has one of the most romantic literary names, we've asked her a few holiday themed questions. I think you'll enjoy her answers! (One of them made me cry...but in a good way!)

You can find Juliet at her website and blog, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

What did you do to celebrate when Fast Forward was published?
Apart from general squealing and jumping about in excitement, I had an online launch party with some writer friends who brought virtual wine, flowers, and gourmet food! It's so nice to have a network of writers who are so supportive and fun :)
I also had a celebratory lunch out, and on the launch day, I put a candle on a cake and got my son to make a wish relating to my book. I can't tell you what he wished for though, or it might not come true ;)

What is the inspiration behind Fast Forward?
My first inspiration for Fast Forward came about when I was reading a book where a character acted beyond her years, and I thought it would be fun to write about a character ageing suddenly and jumping ahead to the future. I remembered movies like 13 Going On 30/Suddenly 30, Big, and 17 Again, but in all of these, the character becomes a ‘desirable’ age - youthful, energetic, successful, attractive...etc, so I thought it would be great to do the opposite - take a beautiful young character and make her an age she doesn’t want to be, in a life she doesn’t want to be in. In this case, a 25 year-old model becomes a 50 year-old housewife overnight.
I also wanted to explore the changing perception of beauty as women age. I wanted to show that beauty is way more than appearances; it’s about embracing our individual selves and letting our uniqueness shine through.

What is one item you must have available to you when you're writing?
Apart from the obvious - a computer or my trusty Alphasmart NEO (a portable word processor that's great for writing fast without distractions) - it would have to be my story outline. A list of plot points for the scene or chapter I'm going to be working on so I know what's going to happen. This is usually a few scribbled notes on scrap paper or in my 'writing ideas' journal. Then I can let the words flow and glance back at the outline to make sure I’m keeping on track.

If Fast Forward were made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Oh that would be awesome. I would love Tina Fey to play the ‘older’ version of my main character Kelli because her comic ability would be brilliant for the role. For Kelli's husband in the future who was the resident geek in high school, I'd choose Steve Carell. I loved them both in Date Night and they would be great together as Kelli and William.
Another actress I think would do a great job as Kelli is Christa Miller who played Jordan in Scrubs. She'd be a hoot!
And Melissa McCarthy would be awesome as Kelli's younger sister, Kasey.

What is your favorite Valentine's Day memory?
I’ve been raising a son on my own for years and Valentine’s Day seems a very distant memory for me! So I’d have to say my favorite memory is today. Being here on Chick Lit Central, on Valentine’s Day, celebrating my debut novel - perfect! I started reading the blog when I first got into writing and wondered if I’d ever be lucky enough to be featured on here as a published author. I was inspired by the interviews and book reviews and thought, ‘I’m going to get there one day’, and here I am! :)

What is the funniest Valentine's Day card you have ever received?
I don’t know about funny, it’s more cute than anything - a Valentine’s card from my son when he was little telling me he loved me (I think Grandma helped him!). As soon as he could write he’d write the funniest things in cards, and once, he drew an arrow pointing to the pre-printed message in the card and next to it he wrote: ‘what this says’. ;)

What is your favorite romantic movie?
Ooh this is a tough one! There are so many great romantic movies. One of my favorites is Titanic - I just love the whole 'people from opposite worlds/forbidden love' theme and the fact that their lives are in danger. So much tension, drama, and passion.
Can I mention a few others? I love The Holiday, Dear John, Leap Year, and Serendipity too. Oh, and how can I forget, for this special day - the movie Valentine’s Day :)

Who was your first crush?
Jon Bon Jovi (who’s with me on that one?). His poster took pride of place on my bedroom wall in the eighties. Oh, and I also have a vague recollection of telling a boy in second grade that I loved him. It never went beyond that, I think I scared him off girls for life!

Thanks to Juliet for a wonderful chat and to Harlequin AU for sharing Fast Forward with our readers!

How to win Fast Forward:

Please tell us a funny Valentine's Day story (silly card, crazy date, odd tradition, etc.)

Please include your e-mail address or another way to contact you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted towards this prize or the gift cards.

Giveaway ends February 20th at midnight EST.




How to win a gift card from Juliet Madison:
To go in the draw for a $25 Amazon gift card, forward your purchase receipt to fastforwardbook (at) gmail (dot) com - replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .

To go in the draw for a $50 Amazon gift card or the runner up prize of a $25 gift card, leave a comment on this post with your email address. Comment on other blogs during Juliet’s February blog tour for more entries into the draw!

Giveaway ends March 1st.