I am delighted to hand over my blog today to Mari Jane Law, author of Love & Pollination. Shortlisted for Choc Lit’s 2019 Search for a Star competition, Love & Pollination is described as ‘a whacky romantic comedy’ . Traditionally published by DuBois Publishing, a small press in the UK, Love & Pollination is available to buy HERE
[ About the Book ]
Perdita Riley is facing the greatest dilemma of her life. Why had she taken Violet Freestone’s advice on how to make herself look more alluring? It led her into the arms of a womaniser. And now Perdita has to deal with a huge setback. Actually, Setback Number One isn’t huge yet, but it won’t be long before it is.
To cheer herself up, Perdita goes shopping, where an extraordinary encounter deposits her, literally, into the lap of Saul Hadley. She would like to stay there, but Setback Number One is going to get in the way.
Will she find a way to deal with what has happened? Can she manage the complications of her growing attraction to Saul?
This hilarious situational romantic comedy will keep you gripped until the very end
[ Guest Post by Mari Jane Law ]
Hi Mairéad, thanks so much for having me as a guest today.
I’m a UK author who loves all things funny, cats and dark chocolate; loving laugh-out-loud romcoms, I endeavoured to write one myself.
Faith schools in Britain are exempt from teaching about sex and relationships which gave me the opportunity to have an extremely naïve protagonist called Perdita whose convent upbringing and Catholic schooling does not adequately prepare her for the outside world. My own experience of Catholic schooling inspired my character.
In Love & Pollination, Perdita is taken in by a womaniser and falls pregnant. But she has creative problem-solving skills to help her cope. For example, in denial of her impending motherhood, she is unable to use any words related to having a baby, drawing on botanical references instead. Perdita’s eccentricities – and how they play off other characters – made the book a lot of fun to write.
Joining a writers’ group and receiving regular feedback improved my writing – and it’s great when other writers laughed out loud at my scenes. Having manuscripts critiqued through the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme has been of enormous value too. I wholeheartedly recommend the scheme to any aspiring romantic novelist. Getting my first book out there for the world to read, should it so wish, was one of the scariest yet most exciting times of my life.
Here are some of my favourite quotes from Love & Pollination:
Perdita says, very sadly: I wanted to believe that my first date had been burgled, that my second date’s babysitter had been rushed to hospital and that my third date had had a meteorite land on his roof because, if these things weren’t true, it meant my dates were running away from me. That there was something wrong with me. (Perdita works out the reason for their hard-to-believe excuses later on in the tale.)
‘I found out later he’d… been to bed with every available woman under the age of fifty,’ Perdita explained. Then she added, ‘But I might have been misinformed. He might not have had any cut-off point.’
I’ve made two mistakes,’ Perdita said forlornly. ‘The first was to sleep with a man who doesn’t like virgins, the second to sleep with a man who does – after I’d slept with the man who doesn’t.’
Gavin (who isn’t as bright as his partner, Luke): Next time let’s hope it’s with a man who appreciates the gift of virginity.
Saul (Perdita’s love interest who’s noticed her odd behaviours): Is it always going to be this entertaining when we go out together?
‘Perdita’ was coined by Shakespeare in, The Winter’s Tale and means ‘lost’. The Perdita in Love & Pollination was orphaned as a baby and she certainly felt lost. I think in life, we are all striving to find something or someone that is special and makes us feel like we have found our place in the world and in a special someone’s heart. Love & Pollination has a very happy ever after ending and it would be great if everyone else could find theirs too.
Purchase Link – Love & Pollination
[ Bio ]
“I’m a UK author who loves all things funny, cats and chocolate. I love laughing and being around people who make me laugh. I love reading including emotionally-touching funny books, watching TV comedy series and laugh-out-loud films.
I hope those who buy or borrow Love & Pollination have as much fun reading it as I had in writing it!
Love & Pollination is – hopefully – the first in a series of whacky romantic comedy novels. My main protagonists have humorous behaviour, quirky personalities and demonstrate sharp, witty dialogue, and I adore them.”
You can find out more about Mari Jane Law at www.marijanelaw.com
Twitter – @MariJaneLaw1
