Guest Author: Gemma Halliday

Thanks so much to the Fierce Romance ladies for letting me crash their blog today. I totally dig these authors, so I’m thrilled to be here!

My Hollywood Confessions Blog Tour still has a few stops left, so please check out my website for links. I’ll be giving away more prizes at each stop! (Including gift cards, free books, cameo appearances, and Hollywood Headlines collectibles!)


Hollywood Confessions explores the sexy, scandalous, and sensational world of Hollywood through the eyes of tabloid reporter, Allie Quick. Allie has high aspirations - much higher than reporting on the latest celebrity gossip for the L.A. Informer, Hollywood's most notorious tabloid. But if she's going to join the ranks of the real reporters, she's going to need a headline worthy story under her belt. Luckily, she gets just that when the producer of the trashiest reality shows on TV winds up murdered, and Allie convinces her editor, Felix Dunn, that this story has her name written all over it. Between an aging dance-off judge, a family with sextuplets and triplets, and the star of a little person dating show, Allie has no shortage of reality stars to question. But when she finds herself falling for her prime suspect, Allie's relationship with her editor is suddenly on the rocks, and her life is in danger. This is one deadline Allie can't afford to miss!

One of my biggest challenges with this book was creating a likeable heroine in Allie. This is the 3rd book in my Hollywood Headlines series, each one focusing on a different fab female reporter at the L.A. Informer. In the first book HOLLYWOOD SCANDALS, Allie was a minor character, brand new at the paper, and not the heroine, Tina’s, favorite person. In fact, I think Tina refers to her as Annoying Barbie, Blondie, The New Chick, and a bunch of other words I can’t repeat in polite company. Basically, Tina thinks Allie only got her job because their editor is a sucker for blondes in short skirts and tight tops. And she’s not happy about it.

In book #2, HOLLYWOOD SECRETS, the heroine is Cameron Dakota, the paper’s photographer. And her opinion of Allie isn’t a whole lot better than Tina’s. Cam thinks Allie is a bit nosey, a bit sneaky, and will do just about anything to get a story. And she’s pretty sure that Allie is sleeping with the boss.

So, when I sat down to write book #3 I was both excited to finally let readers see things from Allie’s point of view, but also a little nervous. Even my own mother said, “You’re writing about Allie? Why? We hate her.”

But, personally, I felt sorry for Allie. See, while she dreams of joining the ranks of the Diane Sawyers of the world, Allie’s relegated to the TMZ beat, reporting on teen-ebrities’ latest designer Chihuahua purses. Not really fair, considering she graduated at the top of her class from UCLA’s journalism school. And while her lack of experience might be one factor in the journalism world not taking her seriously, the bigger factor lies in three little numbers – 36,26,36. A California blond bombshell, she has a hard time getting anyone to see past her looks – even though her I.Q. is an even more impressive number than her measurements. Somehow the old boys club of serious journalists isn’t clamoring to let her pink-wearing self into their ranks. And neither are the other girls. The truth is, Tina and Cam never really gave Allie a chance. As Allie puts it, “, it would have been nice to have someone show me the ropes—or at least where the ladies’ restroom was.”

But Allie’s a fighter. She is determined to make it in the journalism world, on her own if need be. She has nothing against the other girls at the paper, but if they want to play rough, she can wrestle a story down with the best of them – even in her hot heels and pink skirts. ;) (Oh, and as far as sleeping with the boss goes… well, let’s just say it’s complicated.)

While she was a bit of a challenge, I honestly think that Allie is one of my favorite heroines I’ve written so far. And I hope people enjoy her story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Hollywood Confessions is available now in both print and ebook! And since this is the 3rd book in the Hollywood Headlines series, today I’m giving away an Amazon.com or BN.com gift card (winner’s choice) worth $15 so that one lucky winner can either download the first two books in the series (priced at $.99 and $3.99), or purchase the first book in print (priced at $12.99). All you have to do to enter is post a comment below about one of YOUR favorite heroines. I’ll pick a winner at the end of the day and post her/his name at the end of the comments!

Happy reading!

~Gemma Halliday
http://www.gemmahalliday.com
HOLLYWOOD CONFESSIONS
available now in:
Paperback Print
Kindle
Nook
Ebook