Guest Post by Ann Redisch Stampler, author of Where It Began + Giveaway

The fabulous Anne Redisch Stampler joins us today for a brilliant, inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny guest post about everything she knows about true romance! Ann is the author of upcoming YA contemporary novel, Where It Began - a novel that totally blew me away! Enjoy the guest post and be sure to enter the draw for a signed copy of Where It Began!

About the author:
Ann Stampler was born in Connecticut, grew up mostly in Santa Barbara, and has spent her adult life in Los Angeles.  She studied English literature, psychology, and law; is married to a psychologist; and has two children, a journalist and a filmmaker.  Raised in a family of people who loved stories and told them avidly, she has carried on the tradition, retelling folk tales in her picture books, and reflecting on the beginnings of adulthood, and life and love  in LA in her novels.

Where to find Ann Redisch Stampler:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter

About Where It Began:

Expected publication: March 6th 2012 by Simon Pulse

Sometimes the end is just the beginning.

Gabby lived under the radar until her makeover. Way under. but when she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was a the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there.
And Billy's nowhere to be found.
All Gabby wants is to make everything perfect again. But getting her life back isn't difficult, it's impossible. Because nothing is the same, and Gabby's beginning to realize she's missed more than a few danger signs along the way.
It's time for Gabby to face the truth, even if it means everything changes.
Especially if it means everything changes.

Everything I Know About True Romance, I Learned From Pride and Prejudice

by Ann Redisch Stampler

      

            We all know that Pride and Prejudice is the best book ever written, and if you sleep with it under your pillow, you wake up knowing the meaning of life.  Indeed, I realized the true perfection of my agent when she revealed that during college, as a parlor game (Shut up!  Of course people who read Jane Austen play parlor games.  Duh.), she would get people to read her a sentence of Pride and Prejudice, after which, she could produce the next one.

            I, myself, am not a good memorizer.  The only piece of literature I’ve ever memorized is the prologue to the Canterbury Tales.  This was because a professor said that if we did that, we’d get an A on the final and could leave.  Imagine his surprise when I handed in the prologue and left. 

            All right, I’m somewhat literal. 

            Bringing us to how, if you take Pride and Prejudice literally enough, you are perfectly equipped to have a divine romantic existence appropriate for carrying on about at Valentine’s Day. 

            I have boiled this down to the P&P Romantic Rules to Live By:

1.) Just because he’s cute, you’re totally attracted to him, and he’s the 19^th century equivalent of a freaking Navy Seal (Well, at least he had a nice uniform.), it doesn’t mean that he’s The One.  Witness Mr. Wickham.  The man represents a treasure trove of cautionary romantic tips.

2.) Just because he’s telling you the searing story of his life, explaining why he’s so – not unattractively – wounded, it doesn’t mean that he’s opening up to you on a far far deeper level than you’ve ever experience before and is, therefore, now your soul mate.  Indeed, he could be selling you a soul-full of snake oil.

3.) It is a bad idea to make up who you think the potential love-object is, positive or negative.  Consider getting to know him before deciding where he stands in your romantic universe.  Note Lizzie and Mr. Wickham.  Note Lizzie and Mr. Darcy.  I rest my case.

4.) He has to treat other people well; not just you.  What Lizzie learned when she found out about Mr. Darcy’s relationship with the staff of Permberly should be extrapolated (in an inverse kind of a way) to how your guy treats waiters and valet parkers.  Creepy is creepy.  Dump him.

5.) Just because he makes your mother do a happy dance in the front hall, that doesn’t mean he’s Not The One. 

All right, all Mrs. Bennett wanted was for Lizzie to marry money and Mr. Darcy happened to have a vast fortune.  All right, Mrs. Bennett was a menace to society and not someone you’d be happy to take out in public and show around.  But even though this utterly foolish mother thought Lizzie hooking up with Mr. Darcy was the best idea ever, that didn’t make it the worst idea ever. 

6.) Just because he lets his awful family and friends poison his mind against you in an outrageous and pretty much unforgivable way, that doesn’t mean It Wasn’t Meant to Be.  It just means that you and he should, in modern terms, move to the other coast and tactfully unfriend them all.  (Unless they’re Mr. Darcy and are very, very sorry, thereby facilitating the course of True Love.)

7.) Two every-so-slightly ditzy, goodhearted people who think the best of everyone and lack any judgment whatsoever can find true happiness.  It helps if a medium-sized fortune is involved.  Caveat:  In the pursuit of true love, do not turn up your nose at something just because it isn’t angsty.  Screw angsty.  This is Mr. Bingly we’re talking about here.  If he frowns, just show him a puppy.  You know what I mean.  It could work.

8.) Don’t trust your instincts.  Just don’t.  So you hate him the first time you lay eyes on him based on several tiny pieces of evidence that you spin into a hateful whole.    (See Rule #3)  Hating someone for very good reasons doesn’t mean he isn’t the man of your dreams.  Yes, I know this is confusing.  OK, let’s go cinematic.  Think: What if I accidentally hated Colin Firth?  Wouldn’t I want to have trusty Rule #8 to refer to so that I could live happily ever after with him in his stately mansion eventually? 

Of course I would.

Ann generously offered a signed copy of her phenomenal book up for grabs (Thank you, Ann!)

Ends: March 15th

US/Canada

Enter through Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONTEST ALERT:

Ann Redisch Stampler, the author of Where It Began (YA contemporary novel coming up March 2012), is hosting a PRE-SALE Giveaway 

You can score: one of  5 SIGNED copies of Where It Began and some seriously awesome book-related SWAG.

Check it out here:
LINK

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

About the Author

Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.

She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.

You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing