Novelista Girl Read online

  Praise for Meredith Schorr

  “What a fun book. The characters were incredibly well-written. I felt like I understood everyone’s personalities and quirks, almost as if I knew them personally myself. Meredith Schorr is a talented author and I’m glad she has other books out for me to read!”

  – Becky Monson, Bestselling Author of the Spinster Series

  “Sassy, sexy, endlessly entertaining, and full of laughs (as well as some heart-wrenching moments), Blogger Girl is one of those books that keeps you up at night because you can’t wait to see what happens next.”

  – Tracie Banister, Author of Mixing It Up

  “America finally has its own version of Britain’s Bridget Jones!”

  – Books in the Burbs

  “A strong and confident heroine, a sexy boyfriend you can crush on, supportive friends, and plenty of conflict leading to comical results, culminating in a very satisfying ending…Once you start this book, you won’t be able to put it down.”

  – Erin Brady, Bestselling Author of The Shopping Swap

  “A perfect mix of romance, conflict, and humor, Novelista Girl solidifies Schorr’s place among best-sellers Sophie Kinsella and Emily Giffin.”

  – Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, Bestselling Author of Unbinding Love

  “Absolutely brilliant chick lit, I couldn’t put it down, and I highly, highly recommend.”

  – Chick Lit Plus

  “Meredith writes with wit, candor, humor and vulnerability that illuminates the struggles of dating and relationships.”

  — Nancy Slotnick, Author of Turn Your Cablight On

  “The perfect vacation read. The dialogue flows like beer at a beach party.”

  – K.C. Wilder, Author of Fifty Ways to Leave Your Husband

  “I laughed my way through this novel. A must-read.”

  – Chick Lit Plus

  “A witty true-to-life story that will not disappoint you, it is chick lit at it’s very best!”

  – Jersey Girl Book Reviews

  “I am a huge fan of chick lit, but this book was so much more. It has become one of my favorite reads!”

  – The Little Black Book Blog

  “Meredith Schorr is an author to watch.”

  – Tracy Kaler, Founder and Editor of Tracy’s New York Life

  “You won’t forget this delightful cast of characters or Schorr’s sharp, candid insights about the plight of the modern woman.”

  – Diana Spechler, Author of Who by Fire and Skinny

  “I think every woman will relate to Maggie and her friends, no matter her age or relationship status.”

  – Chick Lit Club

  Books by Meredith Schorr

  JUST FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

  A STATE OF JANE

  HOW DO YOU KNOW?

  THE BOYFRIEND SWAP

  The Blogger Girl Series

  BLOGGER GIRL (#1)

  NOVELISTA GIRL (#2)

  BRIDAL GIRL (#3)

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  Copyright

  NOVELISTA GIRL

  The Blogger Girl Series

  Part of the Henery Press Chick Lit Collection

  Second Edition | February 2017

  Henery Press, LLC

  www.henerypress.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from Henery Press, LLC, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Copyright © 2016 by Meredith Schorr

  Author photograph by Clin D’Oeil at Photography by Mayra Ferra

  This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Trade Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-63511-165-1

  Digital epub ISBN-13: 978-1-63511-166-8

  Kindle ISBN-13: 978-1-63511-167-5

  Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-1-63511-168-2

  Printed in the United States of America

  For Susan Goodman—thanks for being such a great mom

  and for inspiring so much material…XO.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To the following people who either directly or indirectly made it possible for me to write Novelista Girl, please accept my heartfelt gratitude and a five-pink-champagne-flutes review.

  Henery Press: Thank you for welcoming me into the Hen House with wide, open arms. To my editor, Erin George, you are amazing and I am truly in awe of how well you pinpoint where my books need extra loving care. I know my novels are in the best hands when I deliver them to you. Thank you to Kendel Lynn for designing the adorable cover. To Art Molinares, Rachel Jackson, and everyone else who had a hand in bringing me into the fold and supporting my journey, I am so grateful and consider myself truly blessed.

  Vicky Sly and Aimee Oravec: Please accept my gratitude for all of your help editing and proofreading the first edition of the book.

  My beta readers: Natalie Aaron, Hilary Grossman, and Samantha Stroh Bailey. Natalie, you know the characters in this series as well as I do and always help me keep them consistent and true to themselves. I am forever grateful to you—your honesty, your keen eye, your time, your friendship. Hilary, Novelista Girl might have been your first beta read, but you nailed it and helped me see where strengthening was necessary. More importantly, you’ve been a true friend since the day we met, and I’m so happy we’ve taken our friendship offline. Sam, I don’t know where to start. Besides forcing me to dig deeper and answering all of my grammar-related questions on demand, you’ve been such an inspiration to me. The passion you possess for writing the best possible book and never giving up knocked me out of my writing funk and kept me going through the very last edit.

  To my “real-world” friends: Ronni Candlen, Jenny Kabalen, Abbe Kalnick, Hilda Black, Julie Marie Shinkle, Shanna Eisenberg, Jennifer Baum, Jennifer Levin, Marisa Glaser, Elke Marks, Megan Coombes and many more. You are my gladiators in suits, the folks I’d risk my life for in a zombie apocalypse, and the best vacation and drinking buddies in the land. Although I don’t see you all in equal measure, each of you is so special to me and inspires so much of my writing.

  To Alan Blum: You may not be here with me anymore, but I’m never without you. You helped shape my voice and my sense of humor, and made me a better person. I owe so much to you, and that debt will never be paid. I love and miss you more than I can express in an epic ten-book series novel. Stay tuned for a book inspired by our friendship. It’s coming!

  To my family: Marjorie, thanks for being my sister, my sometimes-shrink, and my best friend. And thanks for giving me Sarah, Joey, and little Sarah. To my oldest sister, Melissa, thanks for encouraging my love of reading way back when I would have rather ridden my bike, and for Jared, Emily, and Olivia. To my brother, Jim, who will buy this book but probably won’t read it, thanks for being one of the best men I’ve ever known, and for loving me. To my mom, words cannot express how much I love you and enjoy being your littlest M. No amount of nosy questions a
bout my love life will ever change that. To my dad, our path has not always been smooth, but I love where we are right now. Thanks for all of your encouragement.

  My fellow Beach Babes: Eileen Goudge, Francine LaSala, Julie Valerie, Jennifer Tucker, Josie Brown, and the aforementioned Samantha Stroh Bailey. I cherish our annual beach vacation and all of the Twitter/email exchanges in between. You are among the most gifted, witty, supportive, loyal women I’ve ever known (and often dirty and foul, but in the best way possible).

  Deborah Shapiro and Laurie Buchanan: Thanks for making my “day job” a fun and supportive place, even as I work toward my goal of someday writing full time.

  And, finally, to book bloggers everywhere who inspired the Blogger Girl series: Your support means everything to me! Special shout-outs to a few who have been on my side since practically the beginning: Kaley Stewart, Aimee Brown, Bethany Clark, Melissa Amster, Samantha Janning, Marlene Engel, Isabella Anderson, Ashley Williams, Mary Smith, and Kelly Perotti. And to the members of my street team, including Lily Barrish, Rebecca Moore, Lindsey Lowrimore—thanks for consistently cheering me on and spreading the word about Kim and the Gang.

  Chapter 1

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Subject: Re: Query—A Blogger’s Life

  Dear Ms. Long,

  Thank you for your interest in Knox Literary. While I found the premise of A Blogger’s Life interesting, I’m afraid I wasn’t sufficiently intrigued to ask for more at this time. Because this business is so subjective, and opinions vary widely, we encourage you to query other agents.

  After all, it only takes one.

  Best of luck on your journey to publication.

  Libby Knox

  Knox Literary

  I let out a deflated sigh before resting my head on my boyfriend Nicholas’s shoulder. It was a Sunday afternoon in early December, and after a late lunch, we had come back to my place to watch television. Well, I was watching television—a romantic movie on the Hallmark Channel. Nicholas was doing work. As the in-house attorney for a cosmetics company, he often took work home with him.

  Nicholas stopped typing furiously on his laptop. “What’s the matter, Kimmie?”

  With my eyes closed, I responded, “I got another rejection from an agent.” Making it fourteen total for my chick lit novel, A Blogger’s Life. When I gathered the courage to write a novel—a complete manuscript with a beginning, middle, and an end, as opposed to a partial story that I shoved in the back of my closet unfinished—I knew the journey to publication would be difficult. Now, I was thinking “impossible” was a more befitting adjective.

  Giving my hand a gentle squeeze, Nicholas said, “I’m sorry.”

  I opened my eyes and sat up. “Me too.”

  “It’s just one agent. Did you know Kathryn Stockett received sixty rejections of The Help before she got an agent?”

  I jerked my head back in surprise. “I did know that. How did you know that?”

  Nicholas smiled. “I did some research after your last rejection.”

  I kissed his cheek and ran my palm up against his ever-present five o’clock shadow. “How nice of you.”

  “I’m a nice guy.” Nicholas paused for a beat. “For a player, that is.”

  When I first met Nicholas a little over a year ago, he was an attorney at the New York City firm where I work as a legal secretary. He was single, successful, hot, and flirtatious. Naturally, I assumed he was a player when we first hooked up. Either that, or out of my league. What would someone with his credentials want with me—a measly legal secretary with a nice rack? When Nicholas gently suggested my dreams might extend beyond book blogging to book writing, I worried maybe he was the one who wanted me to be a writer so I would be “good enough” to hang with all of his successful friends. I was blinded by my insecurity, but after some soul-searching, I concluded he was right, and I was wrong—something he enjoyed reminding me of on a regular basis. It had been almost six months since our reconciliation, and sometimes I still had to pinch myself to confirm that the guy I adored—the one who not only caused my knees to go weak and the butterflies to dance in my belly whenever he touched me, but also made me laugh and encouraged my dream to be a published author—was equally crazy about me. I was in love big time, but too chicken to be the first to say the words.

  I playfully punched his arm. “Are you ever gonna let that go?”

  Nicholas flashed me a sexy grin. “Not likely.”

  I shook my head in mock annoyance. Inching closer to him on my loveseat, I draped one of my legs over his and sighed. “Maybe I should have tried to publish Read My Mind first.” A Blogger’s Life was technically my second novel. I had given up writing Read My Mind in high school only to pick it up and finally finish it ten years later. Although Read My Mind was the novel that qualified me as a “finisher,” I ultimately decided to shelve it and pursue A Blogger’s Life instead.

  Crinkling his brow, Nicholas asked, “I thought you said this one was much better.”

  Rubbing the opal pendant on my necklace, I said, “Do you not think so?”

  Nicholas shook his head. “I can’t say. I haven’t started reading it yet.” Probably noticing my face drop, he added, “I promise I will soon.”

  “It is better, but apparently, chick lit is dead among traditional publishers unless you’re an established author in the genre. Young adult paranormal, on the other hand, is hot.”

  “Considering how many fans Pastel Is the New Black has, I’d say chick lit is pretty hot too.” Patting my knee, he added, “Almost as hot as its founder.”

  Nicholas was correct that my book blog, Pastel Is the New Black, had thousands of followers. Unfortunately for me, none of those fans were literary agents, as far as I knew. “Why couldn’t I have written A Blogger’s Life ten years ago when chick lit was on fire?” I whined. Considering I didn’t even know what a blog was when I was nineteen, it was a rhetorical question.

  “It is what it is, Kimmie.” Nicholas ran one hand along my thigh and then slowly up to the zipper on my black skinny jeans. “Anything I can do to make you feel better?” he asked.

  “You can try, but it will be hard.”

  Placing my hand over his crotch, he said, “It’s very hard, but you’re worth it.”

  There was nothing I wanted more—besides an offer for agent representation—than to get down and dirty with Nicholas right then and there, but I was so behind on book reviews for my blog. I also wanted to make some revisions to my agent query letter based on suggestions from one of my author friends. And I knew Nicholas was swamped too. I decided a compromise was in order. “How about we do it in an hour?”

  Nicholas frowned and tugged at my zipper. “But I want to do it now,” he said, adopting the bratty entitled voice of Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

  Sliding away from him, I said, “It’s called delayed gratification. You should try it.”

  Nicholas got up from the couch and stood in front of me. Extending his hand, he said, “You don’t want to make my brown eyes blue. Do you, Kimmie?” He frowned, drawing my eyes to his full and completely bitable lower lip.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” had become “our” song the night we got back together. I sang it to him at karaoke in a grand gesture when my two best friends, Bridget and Caroline, dared me to stop moping about and write my own happy ending.

  I reached for Nicholas’s hand and allowed him to pull me to a standing position. “I don’t want anything of yours to be blue,” I said as my eyes dropped down to his groin.

  Leading me to my bedroom, he said, “That makes two of us.”

  As promised, Nicholas made me feel better. He had mad skills. But even as I writhed in ecstasy beneath him, I wondered if my fifteenth rejection letter had already landed in my inbox
.

  “Can I tell you how much I hate the commute downtown from here?” Nicholas asked later that night. He was sitting on the edge of my queen-sized bed and stood up to pull his jeans over his hips.

  I gazed at his lean but muscular chest and reached forward to run my pointer finger up and down the happy trail of dark hair that extended from his belly to the button of his jeans. “Why don’t you stay over?” I might have been preoccupied with catching up on my blog a few hours ago, but now I just wanted more Nicholas.

  “I don’t have work clothes here, so I can either go home now or stay and stop at my place before work first thing tomorrow.” Crinkling his nose, he added, “But the thought of getting up extra early to go downtown just to go back to midtown is not at all appealing.” He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my lips. “Sorry, Kimmie.”

  I reclined against my headboard and sighed. “I suppose I’ll do some reading. The exciting life of a book blogger.”

  Nicholas narrowed his eyes at me. “You love reading.”

  “Not as much as I love…” You. Not as much as I love you. “…spending the entire night with you.”

  “Then why don’t you move in with me?”

  I sat upright. “Wha-what?” My heart was beating rapidly, and I wasn’t sure if it was due to excitement about possibly cohabitating with Nicholas or terror at possibly cohabitating with Nicholas. What would my parents say? I was almost thirty, and my younger sister was already married. They wouldn’t say anything.