Nicola Harrison has something great to show us....plus a book giveaway

Today we are pleased to welcome Nicola Harrison to CLC. Her latest historical fiction novel, The Show Girl, published this week. Melissa enjoyed it a lot and has a review over at Goodreads that you can check out. Thanks to Kathleen Carter Communications, we have TWO copies to give away!

Nicola Harrison is the author of two historical fiction novels, Montauk and The Show Girl (August 10, 2021). 

Born and raised in England, she moved with her family to Southern California when she was 14. She is a graduate of UCLA and received her MFA from Stony Brook. 

Prior to writing novels she worked as a fashion journalist in New York City and now lives in Manhattan Beach, California with her husband, two sons and a high-maintenance chihuahua named Lola. (Bio courtesy of Nicola's website.)

Visit Nicola online:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:

It's 1927 when Olive McCormick moves from Minneapolis to New York City determined to become a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. Extremely talented as a singer and dancer, it takes every bit of perseverance to finally make it on stage. And once she does, all the glamour and excitement is everything she imagined and more—even worth all the sacrifices she has had to make along the way.

Then she meets Archie Carmichael. Handsome, wealthy—the only man she's ever met who seems to accept her modern ways—her independent nature and passion for success. But once she accepts his proposal of marriage he starts to change his tune, and Olive must decide if she is willing to reveal a devastating secret and sacrifice the life she loves for the man she loves. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Nicola Harrison brilliantly captures the last gasp of the roaring twenties in this indelible story of love and ambition.” 

–Jamie Brenner, author of Blush

“Harrison beautifully portrays the trials and tribulations of a Ziegfeld Follies dancer in her new novel, which is brimming with juicy details of Roaring Twenties New York City. Fans of City of Girls will adore this exploration of love and ambition.” 

–Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

"Harrison has created a heroine so complex and endearing, so utterly fearless and full of life, that readers will not be able to forget her. THE SHOW GIRL is a story as intricate and dazzling as one of Ziegfeld’s legendary revues." 

–Lynda Cohen Loigman, USA Today bestselling author of The Two-Family House and The Wartime Sisters

“A delicious and entertaining exploration of the life of a Ziegfield girl with Harrison’s trademark ability to plunge the reader deep into the experiences of her characters. The Show Girl is a fast-paced and engaging read that will leave readers giving a standing ovation to Olive and to all women who choose to live life on their own terms.” 

–Susie Orman Schnall, author of The Subway Girls and We Came Here to Shine

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?

It was a huge honor when Fiona Davis wrote a quote for the back cover of my book that said, “Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls will love this exploration of love and ambition.” I mean, who doesn’t want to be compared to Elizabeth Gilbert! But truthfully the biggest compliment is when I receive a note from a reader who says that they connected deeply to my characters or they tell you a story about their childhood, or a family member that relates to the story. When you make a connection like that with a complete stranger, that’s the biggest compliment. 

What kind of research did you do in order to bring The Show Girl to life?
I read a ton of books about the Ziegfeld Follies and about New York City in the roaring twenties. I was specifically fascinated with the story of Doris Eaton Travis who at 14 years old was the youngest girl in the follies. She lived to be 106 and performed on the New Amsterdam theater stage for her 100th birthday leading a conga line of 24 dancers. She wrote a book called The Days We Danced that talked about her performances and her theatrical family and it was instrumental to me in getting a sense of the world.  

Another book that helped me immensely was called The Ziegfeld Touch which not only gave great insight to the fascinating showman’s life, it also detailed every single show, the dates it ran, who performed in it, which numbers were included, along with pictures of the performers of stage and the copies of the programs. 

I planned our family vacation to White Pines Camp in the Adirondacks so I could immerse myself in what would have been Olive and Archie’s summer getaway. Oh and just for a bit of fun and to get into character, one evening my friend and I dressed up in 20’s attire and went to an underground speakeasy party in NYC where everyone was in costume, there was live jazz, dancing and flame throwers. 

If The Show Girl were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Oh, well that would be fun! I think Emma Stone or Anya Taylor Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) would make an excellent Olive, and maybe Hugh Jackman for Archie. 

What is your favorite Broadway musical?
I absolutely loved Moulin Rouge – that’s my current favorite. But also Hamilton, of course, and Dear Evan Hansen – I sobbed the entire way through, it struck a lot of chords for me. 

What is something you learned about yourself during the pandemic?
I learned how much I need to write, and how important it is to my sanity. In those first few weeks when we were on lockdown and I had a 10-year-old trying to do a very disorganized remote school and a one-year-old who was into everything, I couldn’t write at all and I felt desperate and terrified that I would never be able to write again. I realized how it has become a part of my identity and how much it fulfills me to be able to create on the page. After a while my husband and I figured out how to work two-hour shifts with the kids so that we each had time during the day to work and that saved me. I also learned how to play tennis and now I’m obsessed!

Where is your favorite place to spend money?
There are two places. One is Vuori – during the pandemic I discovered they make the most comfortable, most flattering joggers ever, and then I realized that pretty much everything they make is the same way. My husband feels the same and it’s quite embarrassing when we go out and realize (too late) that we are both dressed in Vuori head to toe! The second place is Pages, my local books store here in Manhattan Beach. Nothing makes me happier than to browse the books, see some of my favorite authors' books and support local businesses. 

Thanks to Nicola for visiting with us and to Kathleen for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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Giveaway ends August 17th at midnight EST.

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