And, thanks to Carina Press, we have an exclusive excerpt for those who are anxious to revisit Parker’s writing, as well as three (3) digital ARCs to give away!
For readers who may not want to be spoiled ahead of time, we’ve hidden the excerpt. Just click the pink bar to reveal the text!
“I kissed you. Technically.” Although he’d been a fairly active participant in the whole misguided, shivery shebang.
“It was—” He stopped, obviously intensely uncomfortable.
It was like coming home.
She couldn’t say that. She wasn’t this woman. She was not going to be, for the rest of her theatre career, the actress who got her first big stage break and slept with the director. Some of the less reputable papers had already implied as much, but there was made-up sex and scandal, and there was knowing and living the truth.
There was self-respect.
He was speaking stiffly now, back in his robotic comfort zone. “But I can assure you that it won’t happen again, and it will have no impact whatsoever on your role in this production or any other.”
“It’s okay,” she said quietly. “I know you wouldn’t punish or reward anyone professionally for anything that happened outside of work. You’re not that sort of man.”
That sent a flush of colour into his face. He tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. Apparently realising what he was doing, he swore and took a deliberate step back.
Lily lowered her hand from where she’d instinctively reached to hold on to his fingers. “Maybe we ought to keep some distance between us for a while.”
“Until Monday, you mean, when we go to Oxford together, and then the next four weeks of intensive, occasionally one-on-one rehearsals?”
Well, if he was going to be rational about it.
“You could try being pleasant and malleable,” she suggested. “I’d probably find it a complete turn-off. I didn’t realise I had this penchant for militant men. It’s giving me whole new insights into my personality.”
“Militant?”
“I thought it sounded more polite than ‘bossy.’ No?”
“I’m not bossy.”
He actually sounded like he believed that.
“Okay, Captain Von Trapp. Keep telling yourself that.”
She’d broken the stern director facade again. He was grinning. “Are you sure you weren’t fired from CTV? Because if you talk to Steve Warren like this, I’m surprised you didn’t find yourself falling down an empty lift shaft in the second episode.”
She would never dream of speaking to Steve, or any other director, like this. It was just hard to return to business as usual when she knew what his tongue felt like against the roof of her mouth.
“No, amazingly I left by choice.”
“When do you shoot your final scenes?” Luc seemed to be equally determined to get things back on a professional footing, and finding it as difficult. His eyes kept wandering over her lips and tousled hair.
“End of the week. Then I’m all yours.” She closed her eyes and groaned. “It’s like I’m reading from the script for The Cliché Film, the unresolved sexual tension scene, isn’t it? Do you want to kiss again? I think that was our cue.”
Don’t miss PRETTY FACE by Lucy Parker,
available February 2017 wherever Carina Press ebooks are sold.
www.CarinaPress.com
Copyright ©2017 by Laura Elliott
Now to the really good part: giveaway time!
To enter to win one of three digital ARCs, comment with your favorite stage play or musical. Maybe it’s an old favorite that you watching growing up. Or perhaps it’s something new that you’re excited to see performed. Let us know!
Standard disclaimers apply: We’re not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years of age. Be sure to study your lines and work on those jazz hands! Get those high kicks higher and remember to speak from your diaphragm. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Comments will close at or near 12pm ET on Monday 23 January 2017 and winners will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck!
Update: The winners are Marci, Camille, and Jessica! Congratulations and thanks so much to all the awesome stage/musical talk!
Musical Les Mis, play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Sooo many. Singing in the Rain, maybe, in honor of Debbie Reynolds. RIP
My favorite plays are Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams.
It’s s movie and not a stage production, but Across The Universe was amazing!
Great question for a great giveaway!
It’s a movie and not a stage production, but Across The Universe was amazing!
Great question for a great giveaway!
I like many musicals — one particular favorite is Spring Awakening. Thanks for sharing the excerpt from Pretty Face; I’m looking forward to reading it!
Guys & Dolls – because in high school I was a stage hand for that play and we decided to use real coconuts as a drink holder for one of the bar scenes. We tapped in 3 nails in the bottom to create a stand and thought we were so clever. until the shaking of the stage caused them to tip over & roll around the stage for the rest of the act… we were dying of laughter behind the curtain! the “actors” were not amused 😉
1776 and H.M.S Pinafore, of the musicals I’ve seen. I would LOVE to see Hamilton!
Les Miz. But I would love to see Hamilton and compare.
Such a hard choice! I have to choose Phantom of the Opera. It was in many ways my first musical and I loved it before I understood the words and story.
Les Miserables, Cabaret, A Chorus Line… it’s so hard to choose just one!
Yay for another Lucy Parker!
It’s funny; I just had this conversation with my dad after he saw La La Land. My first love was Bye Bye Birdie, but now I’d say my favorite is Les Miserables. Saw it on broadway as a kid (dragged along by my musical-loving dad) and was bored to death but I would kill to see that performance again, as an adult.
Wow, hard question, since I generally only see things live once. I liked The Drowsy Chaperone. But if you count soundtracks, then maybe Rent, Les Mis, and Chicago should be in contention, too.
Les Miserables followed by Tommy
Blithe Spirit
I don’t have a favourite… but I really enjoyed “Legally Blonde” far more than I ever expected! I’m going to Hamilton next month so that may be a new fav!
Richard III is my all time fave. But a few years ago, I saw The Gatz, which is basically one person reciting The Great Gatsby (the entire book! from memory!!) and a few other people acting things out. It was incredible and so, so impressive. It was a really memorable performance and a really special NYC memory for me.
I loved Act Like It!
I saw Les Mis as a child and still remember it, which is miraculous as I don’t remember much else from age 9.
I loved the first revival of She Loves Me on Broadway. And Gods of Carnage and Wit are two of the best plays I ever seen produced. But really, I’m looking forward to five years down the line when I can finally finagle tickets to Hamilton,
Singing in the Rain!!
Les Miserables. Absolutely love it. My sister-in-law have a tradition when we get together to sing along loudly to the soundtrack and play cribbage. Our family tells us to keep the day jobs.
So many answers!
Favourite TV musical: sound of music
Favourite musical I’ve watched live: phantom of the opera
Musical I’m really looking forward to watching this year (already have tickets!): book of Mormon
Musical I really want to watch but haven’t gotten around to yet: lion King
It’s so hard to decide. I love bits and pieces of a ton. I was just in West Side Story, so in the fall, that was my favorite. Now, auditions are coming up for Into the Woods, so that’s my favorite. 🙂
Probably a tie between Hamilton and Much Ado Bbout Nothing
Probably a tie between Hamilton and Much Ado About Nothing
I, too, have been fixated on Hamilton for months. Even if the only songs I can really sing along to are King George’s.
One of the first Broadway musicals I ever saw was Pippen. No idea if it would hold up now but it was magical to me at the time.
As my first, Cats will always hold a place in my heart. Les Miz was incredible. And I’m dying to see Hamilton!
Musicals? Gigi.
Plays? I like the Women. They talk about men, but they are never there. I don’t like the cattiness and it is a product of its time, but they find groups where they are accepted unconditionally. There was a staging on Broadway years ago that was shown on PBS with the costumes by Isaac Mizrahi. Just watching for the clothes was fabulous.
The play version of Steel Magnolias has always been one of my very favorites.
My favourite play is the importance of being earnest. Hilarity is always ensured and everyone I know who has seen it has enjoyed it.
I really liked the musical “Elisabeth”. It was a great hit in Austria.
So many options. Today, my favorite is The Phantom of the Opera. The organ music was Glorious!!!
Movie musical: Singing in the Rain, stage: Cats
Kristina from Duvemåla, by ABBA greats Björn and Benny. I’ve sen IT performed once and listened to the score a gazillion times!
I’m partial to Shakespeare, and one of my very favorites to watch or listen to is Much Ado About Nothing. Benedict and Beatrice!
Loved Calamity Jane with Doris Day.
My personal favorite is 1776. My niece and I can sing the crap out of it!
I vote for the classic Shakespeare “Much Ado about Nothing”. Shakespeare did witty repartee and feisty women really well. I like that Benedick was not ready to kill his friend even at the urging of this love Beatrice. He remains reasonable and supportive. He listens to her and believes in her assertion that Hero is innocent of Claudio’s assertions of infidelity.
He’s the perfect hero–clever, honorable, patient, fierce, and supportive of his lover. Every woman should aspire to a Benedick!
Although Hamilton is putting up a wicked fight, my top spot still belongs to The Phantom of the Opera. While studying abroad, I was in Edinburgh for one single night and they had a tour of PotO running. I literally walked into the ticket office, a poor college student living abroad, and shoved all the money I currently had at the lady and asked if I could get a ticket for that night. I got the last open seat, it took all my money, and I was literally as far back from the stage as you could get, but I was absolutely entranced the entire night. It was well worth every penny/pence I paid.