SINGLE IN SAN DIEGO: BETWEEN BOYFRIENDS OFFERS AN ESCAPIST ROMP FOR READERS

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Between Boyfriends, by Sárka-Jonae Miller, San Diego

Review by Miriam Raftery

February 18, 2013 (San Diego)--Between Boyfriends hit three Amazon best-seller lists the week after Valentine’s Day, ranking #9 for humor books, #11 for humor e-books and #54 for women's fiction.  Written by San Diego-area resident Sárka Jonae Miller, this book is the ultimate chick-lit read—a light-hearted romp focused on the travails of Jan, a college student dumped by her boyfriend, an SDSU student.  The moment proves an epiphany, as Jan resolves to stop dating and find fulfillment as a single woman.

Raised in pampered privilege, Jan’s problems soon get worse when she loses her parents’ financial support and must learn to be a self-sufficient.

After  two days spent  wallowing in a a self-pitying stupor  following  the breakup with her boyfriend, Jan awakens in her apartment. Appalled upon looking in the mirror, she whacks her hair with manicure scissors. Then she clears out the medicine cabinet of souvenirs from losers she has dated, determined to rid herself of ghosts of boyfriends past.

Her friend, Lisa, can relate. Not a cat person, Lisa is none-the-less  stuck with Reminder, a plump orange tabby given to her by her ex-boyfriend.  The author observes wryly, ”Apparently cats weren’t returnable without a receipt. The Tabby was supposed to be a reminder of her boyfriend’s affections, but instead had reminded Lisa how much she preferred being single.”

Nichole, another friend, insists that Jan is just between boyfriends. But Jan insists she has given up on dating—though maybe not on sex.

After a night of boozing with friends, Jan concludes that drinking is not a suitable substitute for dating.  She decides to take massage therapy classes. But here’s the rub:  upon finding out that Jan is not attending classes at SDSU, her mother cuts off Jan’s college funding—forcing her for the first time in her life to find a job.

Jan’s efforts to be self-sufficient careen from angst to hilarity. Every woman who has ever entertained  a secret fantasy to make an ex-beau sorry for dumping her by looking drop-dead gorgeous when next they meet will relate to this anecdote.

Forced to take work at a dog grooming parlor, Jan wrestles with Princess, a nippy and irascible Pomeranian.  After nearly suffocating the pampered pooch by accident, Jan brushes the dog to shining perfection, adding trimmed, pink-painted  toenails and a pink bow atop its head.

“She looked ready to win a dog show,” Miller writes of Princess.  “Jan, on the other hand, looked like she’d gotten into a fight with a hurricane…. Her hair was everywhere. Much of it was wet and stuck flat on her head. Several pieces were sticking up like plants reaching for the sun. Her face was red from exertion, her smock was wet and covered in dog hair, and several fingers were accessorized with Band-Aids.”

Just imagine Jan’s chagrin when Princess is claimed by her owner’s son:  Mike, Jan’s former boyfriend.

Fortunately life goes on and Jan’s outlook brightens.  The book takes us through San Diego’s steamy clubbing scene as well as glimpses into the tony country club set . Through it all,Jan adapts , gaining confidence as she moves closer to fulfilling her dreams. 

The novel has an element of autobiography, Miller is a former massage therapist and personal fitness trainer. She is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and now writes novels as well as health articles for major websites. 

To find out how long Jan holds out on dating, whether she reconciles with her perfectly appalling parents,  or how she escapes the dog grooming malaise, you’ll have to buy a copy of this entertaining chick-lit romp, Between Boyfriends

To buy the book on Amazon, click here.

For more information see the author’s website:SarkaJonae.com and the Between Boyfriends blog at BetweenBoyfriendsBlog.com. Miller also writes a natural health and fitness blog, NaturalHealingTipsBlog.com. You can also visit her fan page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter, @boyfriendsnovel. Her Wattpad profile is here.

Two of Miller's stories set in San Diegio were selected for Wattpad's launch of its new chicklit category Feb. 11 to March 11.  Wattpad was started in 2006 and is often called the "YouTube for e-books."

Stories will be hosted at WeLoveChickLit.com for the month, and then moved permanently to Wattpad.com/chicklit. The launch will include work by Marian Keyes, plus 70 additional stories from top Wattpad writers. Included in the bunch will be Miller’s Blood is Thinner Than Cashmere and the first two chapters of Between Boyfriends.


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Comments

Book Deal!

I'm happy to announce that Booktrope Publishing has offered me a book deal and will be republishing Between Boyfriends! A paperback should be out in September or October. They are also going to publish the sequel. More details are on my Between Boyfriends blog. I'm also releasing the entire book on Wattpad where people can read it for free. Every Friday, I'll post a new section. 

Publisher

A publisher has requested the full manuscript of "Between Boyfriends" for consideration. A literary agent is reviewing chapters too. Wish me luck, San Diego :)

Win one of 22 FREE Copies

Anyone would like to WIN a copy of my #9 best selling novel can enter to win through my blog here. The 22 winners also receive a download of Taylor Swift's song "22" on March 22. Enter daily through Rafflecopter. Great odds. 

Amazon

Thank you very much for the positive review. It feels wonderful that a San Diego magazine appreciates my San Diego-based novel. A free preview of Between Boyfriends is available on Amazon, Amazon UK, and Amazon. CA. We plan to release a paperback version in April :)

Sarka-Jonae