Book Lovers Inc.
Romance Novel Reviews, Author Interviews, Commentary
Interview: Nicola Marsh + Giveaway!
Nicola Marsh
It’s our great pleasure to welcome Nicola Marsh to BLI today! Nicola is here for the latest stop in her Entangled Publishing Blog Tour to celebrate the release of her latest novel Busted in Bollywood, which was published on December 6, 2011.
A contemporary romance, Busted in Bollywood is receiving rave reviews and is about heroine Shari Jones who is a single, homeless and jobless, Indo-American. Shari agrees to her best friend’s whacky scheme: travel to Mumbai, pose as Amrita, ditch the fiancé her traditional Indian parents have chosen. Simple. Until she’s mistaken for a famous Bollywood actress, stalked by a Lone Ranger wannabe, courted by an English lord and busted by the blackmailing fiancé.
Oh Ho! Doesn’t Busted in Bollywood sound fun and unique?
Lea: Nicola! Welcome to Book Lovers! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here today!
Nicola: Great to be here, Lea. I love reading, writing and chatting about books.
Lea: Nicola can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
Nicola: When I’m not chained to my desk and slogging over my keyboard I’m busy running around after my two young boys. Or curled up with a fabulous book!
Writing is my dream job, but I got sidetracked for a while, working as a physiotherapist for 13 years before finally putting pen to paper. Once I started, I couldn’t stop!
Lea: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?
Nicola: A typical writing day consists of doing school drop off, then coming home and setting my preschooler up with tasks so I can tackle my inbox/blog/social media.
My actual writing ‘day’ kicks off at 8.30pm when my kids are in bed. I try to write solidly for 2-3 hours.
My early books were planned but these days I’m a pantser all the way! When an idea shimmers into conscious, I jot down notes, write up a rough 2 page outline, then off I go. Getting to the end is half the adventure!
Lea: What can we expect of Busted in Bollywood?
Nicola: Busted in Bollywood is a mix of contemporary romance/romantic comedy/chicklit/women’s fiction. It’s one of those ‘outside the box’ books, with strong main characters and equally strong secondary characters that threaten to steal the show (Aunt Anjali is my favorite!)
A bit like a Bollywood flick, it has a little of everything.
Lea: Your website is excellent, very comprehensive and appealing to readers. I noticed from your website that Busted in Bollywood was inspired by your love of Bollywood Movies. Please share a little more about the impetus for your novel and touch on what attracts you so much about Bollywood films.
Nicola: My dad introduced me to Bollywood movies a few years ago and I became hooked on the razzle dazzle: the music, color, drama, theatrics, romance and the sheer spectacle.
I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great to recreate some of that Bollywood magic in a book?’ So I did!
Lea: Shari sounds like quite a quirky, but kind heroine, whose heart is in the right place in helping her friend. But why does Shari agree to get involved in this crazy scheme? lol
Nicola: Shari has recently been through a break-up, one she’s still embarrassed about. Her best friend Rita has been there for her through it all, including letting her crash at her apartment for three months.
So when Rita proposes her outlandish scheme, Shari feels she owes her BFF. Posing as Rita for two weeks in Mumbai and dumping Rita’s betrothed seems like a small price to pay for her friend’s loyalty.
Lea: So, our heroine lands in Mumbai and what happens next? (She asks with bated breath.) lol
Nicola: Shari is thrust headlong into deception, intrigue, secrets and mayhem!
Lea:Sounds like all around good fun!
Shari does find romance, can you please talk a little about the hero of Busted in Bollywood Nicola?
Nicola: For some reason, when Drew Lansford strutted into my imagination, he looked like Hugh Grant so I had to give Shari ‘a thing’ for the English actor.
However, Drew is aristocratic, loyal and a pull-no-punches kinda guy. He doesn’t stand for Shari’s theatrics, he lays his heart on the line and he sends her food rather than flowers.
What’s not to like about a guy who knows his girl so well?
Lea: Can readers look forward to an HEA at the end of your story?
Nicola: Well…without giving too much away…I do write romance so…let’s just say it’s not too far-fetched to assume Shari has a HEA.
Lea: What can readers expect next from the desk of Nicola Marsh?
Nicola: I have a Harlequin Romance releasing in January, WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? (The book kicks off with the heroine chained to the hero’s precious housing development display!)
Then in February my next Harlequin Presents Extra, INTERVIEW WITH THE DAREDEVIL is released, with a George Clooney look-a-like hero. Enough said. 🙂
Lea: Please summarize Busted in Bollywood for us twitterstyle (in 140 characters or less).
Mayhem & magic in Mumbai, new start in New York City, big, beautiful Bollywood. Romance, laughs and a foodie frenzy. Hilariously scrumptious!
Lea: Now can you please tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?
- You want to smile.
- You want to live vicariously through the heroine who gets the hot guy.
- You want a taste of flirtatious fun.
Lea: Congratulations on your new and upcoming releases Nicola, and thank you again for spending time talking with us today, I thoroughly enjoyed chatting about Busted in Bollywood.
Nicola: Thanks for having me here, Lea, it has been fun!
Where to find Nicola:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Blog
About Busted in Bollywood:
Shari Jones needs to get a life. Preferably someone else’s.
Single, homeless and jobless, Indo-American Shari agrees to her best friend’s whacky scheme: travel to Mumbai, pose as Amrita, ditch the fiancé her traditional Indian parents have chosen. Simple.
Until she’s mistaken for a famous Bollywood actress, stalked by a Lone Ranger wannabe, courted by an English lord and busted by the blackmailing fiancé.
Life is less complicated in New York.
Or so she thinks, until the entourage of crazies follows her to the Big Apple and that’s when the fun really begins.
Shari deals with a blossoming romance, an addiction to Indian food and her first movie role, while secretly craving another trip to the mystical land responsible for sparking her new lease on life. Returning to her Indian birthplace, she has an epiphany. Maybe the happily-ever-after of her dreams isn’t so far away?
Buy Links: Amazon; B&N; The Book Depository, Entangled Publishing
Entangled Publishing has generously offered a print copy of Busted in Bollywood to one lucky commenter! 🙂
All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about Nicola’s interview or a question for her!
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)
Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email in blogger profile or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).
*Please Note* This giveaway is open to USA and Canadian Entries Only!
Giveaway ends on Saturday, December 17, 2011; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.
Good luck!
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22 Comments
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| 5 Stars: Perfect! I Love It! | |||||||||
| 4 Stars: Awesome Book! | |||||||||
| 3 Stars: I Liked It! | |||||||||
| 2 Stars: Not bad, but maybe not for me. | |||||||||
| 1 Star: Didn't like it! Did Not Finish it. | |||||||||
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Not entering the contest!
Thank you for the interview Nicola, I really enjoyed reading it, and your book sure sounds original and fun! On the wishlist it goes!
Oh Nicola I love the premise of your book and it seems like it would be a fun read. In writing comedy scenes in books does your own humor shine through? I would love to win Busted in Bollywood. my blog address is http://lmpreston.blogspot.com
Great interview—-I must plead ignorance to Bollywood movies. Am not a movie fan, so don’t know anything about them.
kissinoak at frontier.com
Wow, this book sounds amazing!! And your characters sound fantastic! Well, any guy who looks like Hugh Grant is winning in my book 😉
I can’t wait to read this!
Thanks for placing Busted in Bollywood on your wishlist, Aurian 🙂
Great question, LM. I think writing romantic comedy can’t be forced, it’s part of an author’s ‘voice’ (style). When I wrote Busted in Bollywood, I didn’t deliberately set out to be funny, the characters and the storyline evolved that way. I chuckled at the one-liners as I wrote it 🙂
Bollywood movies are filled with colour, drama, romance, music and theatrics, Estella. Fun!
Thanks Chelsea, enjoy! 🙂
I loved this interview! How do your ideas for your books come to you, Nicola? Are they free thoughts that just flow, or do they come in dreams / daydreams? I catch myself daydreaming all the time, but only because of great authors like you who put the ideas in my head in the first place, haha!
Thanks for the giveaway chance – would LOVE to read this book, sounds awesome!
the title was great and the cover wow i like it lot and would pick it off the shop store shelf id you get trading card or bok mark made of the cover
I love the title (great to keep my title!) and cover too, Desiree. I must look into trading cards and bookmarks, just haven’t had time!
I would love to read your book. It sounds very good. I loved your interview. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
Thanks for the lovely interview! Your book sounds so interesting and fun! I really like Bollywood movies. They are so colorful and I love the music and dancing. Reminds me of the older US movies in the 50/60s where they were common and in style. I love those and that’s why I like the Bollywood movies 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the interview, Gena 🙂 My ideas usually come to me in that half-dreamy/half-awake state (it actually has a name, the hypnologic state). It may be an idea for a book, a title, a first line, a first paragraph, and the rest flows from there!
Thanks Victoria, it was a great interview (Lea asked fab questions!) 🙂
You’re right, Erin, movies of that era were packed with music and color, it’s why I love them too!
Congratulations on your release, Nicola. Busted in Bollywood sounds great. I can relate to Shari’s crush on Hugh Grant. He is easy on the eyes!
Thanks Erin.
I think he’s one of those actors who’s aging gracefully.
This book sounds like a lot of fun! I love Bollywood movies. My family thinks it’s funny but I do try to catch a few a year on our local international station.
jepebATverizonDOTnet
That’s exactly what they are, Jen, pure fun!
Whoa….this is an awesome giveaway….I do love the story and the cover was great. And I believe Busted in Bollywood will make me smile and laugh alot 😀
And I love love love Bollywood movies. Actually, I have 3 favorite Bollywood movies, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham and Mohabbatein. I assume that you had already watched it too 🙂
Amel, I love watching Bollywood movies but I’ve been so busy this year I haven’t had a chance to watch any! I miss them.
Planning to remedy that over the holidays, thanks for the recommendations 🙂