Alison Rose Greenberg's lucky year...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Talitha Kauffman Photography

We're pleased to welcome Alison Rose Greenberg to CLC today. Her debut novel, Bad Luck Bridesmaid, released this week and it sounds like a fun story that we definitely want to check out soon. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have FIVE copies to give away!

Alison Rose Greenberg is a screenwriter who lives in Atlanta, but is quick to say she was born in New York City. While attending The University of Southern California, Alison took her first screenwriting class and fell head over heels. A journey from screenwriting led to marketing jobs, before coming full-circle back to her first love. Alison speaks fluent rom-com, lives for 90’s WB dramas, cries to Taylor Swift, and is a proud single mom to her two incredible kids and one poorly-trained dog. 

Visit Alison online:
Website * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
After ten years, three empire waist dresses, and ZERO successful marriages, Zoey is left contemplating if her own ambivalence towards marriage has rubbed off on those she loves. And when she turns down a proposal from her perfect All-American boyfriend, Rylan Harper III, she and Rylan are both left heartbroken, leaving Zoey to wonder: what is it exactly about tying the knot that makes her want to run in the opposite direction? But then Zoey’s best friend announces that she’s marrying a guy she just met (cue eye roll) and Zoey will be a bridesmaid. Determined to turn her luck around, Zoey accepts her role and vows to get Hannah down the aisle—all the while praying her best friend’s wedded bliss will allow her to embrace marriage and get Rylan back. But as the weekend goes on, Zoey is plagued with more questions than answers. Can you be a free spirit, yet still want a certain future? Can you have love and be loved on your terms?

"What do you get when you combine a lovable but complicated woman, her well-intended but somewhat flawed mission to marry off her best friend, and a stubborn falcon? A compulsively readable, witty, and humorous novel about the pursuit of a happily ever after...with oneself. Prepare for a night-in of reading!" 
- Tif Marcelo, USA Today bestselling author of The Key to Happily Ever After

"If I had to describe Bad Luck Bridesmaid as a drink, it would be an elderflower champagne cocktail--sparkling, fizzy, smart, and utterly charming. I recommend that you enjoy them together!" 
- Sam Tschida, author of Siri, Who Am I?

"Bad Luck Bridesmaid is a romantic romp, complete with a witty, unfiltered heroine who you just know would give the most entertaining (and scandalous) toast at a wedding - that is, if the bride and groom could ever make it through their “I do’s.” 
– Laura Hankin, author of Happy & You Know It

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you? 
I’m a screenwriter, so Bad Luck Bridesmaid began as a short story that I intended to adapt into a movie, but very  shortly after I expanded BLB into a manuscript it led to a wonderful experience with St. Martin’s Press.  

How is Zoey similar to or different from you? 
Zoey has my voice, snark, and love for cursing. Like Zoey, I have worked in marketing in New York City, I live for 90’s  music, my soulmate parents have been married for a long time, and I also moved a few times before I hit my teen  years. However, I’ve never been Bad Luck Bridesmaid—for each wedding I’ve been asked to be a bridesmaid in, the  engagement has ended in marriage (phew). Yet similar to Zoey, my views on “forever” are complicated. Even though  I’m a rom-com enthusiast who loves a great HEA, after going through a divorce, I personally share and celebrate Zoey’s marriage hesitations and find them refreshing! I can also see marriage through Hannah’s optimistic lens.  

If Bad Luck Bridesmaid were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles? 

I wrote the screenplay for Working Title Films this last year, and since hopefully a Bad Luck Bridesmaid movie will  become a reality, I might have to stay mum on who my choices would be ☺. However, I will say that when writing the  novel, I continually pictured Zoë Kravitz as Zoey—but who doesn’t picture Zoë Kravitz as the MC of everything? 

Who was your role model when you were growing up? 
Buffy Summers. Sydney Bristow. Nora Ephron.  

If we were to visit you, what are some places you would take us to see? 
Here in Atlanta I would take you to walk the Beltline in Inman Park. We’d make a stop at Illuminarium, which is a huge  room that you step into and are transported to another place—VR without the glasses. It is currently an incredible African safari! We’d browse vinyl at my favorite record shop, Criminal Records. We’d visit the Botanical Garden,  which is always evolving and so well-kept—located adjacent to Piedmont Park. If you're a history buff, the 130+ year old recently restored Cyclorama painting at the Atlanta History Center depicts the Battle of Atlanta, and it is really  something to see. We’d get our coffee fix at either my local spot Crema, or the Riverside location of the  Chattahoochee Coffee Company—which overlooks the Chattahoochee River. I lived in Los Angeles for 6 years, and I  can confidently say that Atlanta’s Umi rivals the best sushi LA has to offer—so we’d go to Umi for dinner. If you’re the  open-minded and adventurous type, a late-night visit to the legendary Clermont Lounge—which is a female-owned  strip club that’s been running since 1965—is a must (trust me). If you prefer to dance it out like Zoey, Jonny’s  Hideaway, a retro nightclub, is a one-of-a-kind experience on the dance floor that you’ll need a full day to recover  from. 

What is your go-to comfort meal? 
Homemade Bolognese and a glass of red wine… followed by an entire bag of popcorn for dessert.

Thanks to Allison for chatting with us and to St. Martin's Press 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. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends January 18th at midnight EST.

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