Check out this absolutely gorgeous looking and sounding book!!! I'm gutted I couldn't squeeze a review in but read on for a guest post!
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Book Description
On an anonymous online dating app, LittleMissPerfect meets HotAussie007 and it’s love at first click.
In real life, a smart but spiky woman in STEM, research scientist, Dr Eden, meets a laid-back Aussie
marketing manager, Finn, at the big pharma company where they both work in California. They're
forced to compete for special projects funding, and both their jobs are on the line.
Eden just wants to win at science and in life. It's not happening! She can't stand Finn's too-cool-for-
school, nice guy act, or his delectable forearms that keep invading her space. While Finn is stupidly
attracted to Eden, when she's not telling him off, he isn't free to pursue her. He's stuck in the worst
position in his professional life, and doesn't see a clear way out. He can't tell her the whole truth
about what's going on at work or in his personal life. . . or it could all blow up in his face.
When they realise the truth about their online alter egos, dating is off the table. Can they ignore
their inconvenient attraction, and work together to take down their unethical boss? Or will intense
rivalry cause their IRL work lives and online love lives to collide and explode like a science experiment
gone wrong?
Note: Dating Little Miss Perfect is an updated take on You've Got Mail for lovers of online dating
romcoms, with added science, cupcakes and old movie references! This new release from award-
winning author Cassandra O'Leary is a stand-alone contemporary romance novel of approximately
97,000 words.
Guest Post
I’ll Have What She’s Having
Inspiration from Movies
By Cassandra O’Leary
When writing something new, I sometimes get flashes of scenes in my head that are really visual.
Sometimes I ‘hear’ characters speak in my head, in quite distinctive voices. This may be a clue that
I’m a visual learner or have a strong ear for dialogue, or I’m losing my grip on reality. Just joking, I’m
sure it’s that storytelling has seeped into my brain over the years in various forms.
Instead of being tied down to a specific plot point or structure, I need to go with it and see where
that inspiration takes me. I recently binged a whole lot of newer teen movies and TV series, and not
just because my kids were watching. They are often fantastic for shorthand notes on pop culture. I’m
a pantser, and I tend to collect inspiration and snippets of ideas the way some people would collect
plant cuttings and hope they grow when transplanted. Movie inspiration can be a writer’s best
friend.
One thing I enjoy in my writing is to draw on the virtual movie catalogue in my head. I’m a huge
movie fangirl, and even completed a minor in Film and Television Studies as part of my
Communications degree back in the day. Like many of us who ended up as writers, I inhaled movies
and TV as a kid and my obsession continues to this day. From the golden years of Hollywood and
musicals my mum introduced me to, from Hitchcock to John Hughes and Tarantino and of course, all
iterations of Star Trek, I have a wealth of inspiration to draw from.
“She was yar…”
Character inspiration
Sometimes when I start to think about a new character, I liken her to a movie character. In my latest
novel, Dating Little Miss Perfect, my main character, Doctor Eden, is seen at the start of the book as a
cold, glamorous but remote figure. I drew inspiration from Grace Kelly’s character in the movie
musical High Society, where she refers to herself as a ‘cold goddess’ and laments her ability to attract
and keep a hot man (I paraphrase!) or someone to knock her off her pedestal. This helped me get
into her head, and also gave me a window into how other characters see her. In a comedy writing
context, she was also the ‘straight woman’ surrounded by people doing silly things.
In contrast, the hero, Finn, is an action man, sporty and non-academic, wanting to save the day. I
drew my inspiration there from Chris Hemsworth as Thor…because why wouldn’t I? Then, I had a
good opposites attract situation brewing. I also had to look at lots of photos of Chris Hemsworth. It’s
a hard life!
Once I had visual clues about my characters, plus an understanding of the types of people I was
dealing with, their voices and dialogue became a lot easier to write.
“I’ll have what she’s having”
Dialogue inspiration
Sometimes a line of dialogue is such a stand out in a movie that it becomes a symbol of the movie or
even a meme. The famous line directed at Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally is so good because it’s
unexpected, and delivered deadpan. It’s also a great use of an observer making us (the audience)
realise just how ridiculous the situation is.
Another great example is the line “As if!” uttered by Cher in the movie Clueless. This modern, teen
version of Jane Austen’s Emma is hilarious and set in the now of the time period. It wouldn’t work if
the character spoke in the formal cadence of a Jane Austen heroine, unless you were doing it for
laughs, as in Lost in Austen.
I recently re-watched His Girl Friday, an old workplace (newspaper office) romcom starring Cary
Grant, and I love the rapid-fire delivery of dialogue in movies like that. It’s harder to achieve in a
novel, but sometimes I like to use the effect of characters cutting off each other’s sentences or
speaking in a way that’s almost combative, but still funny.
As a romcom novel writer, I aim to develop at least one or two lines that are quotable. I hope I’ve
succeeded but do let me know!
California Dreamin’
Setting and style inspiration
When working out where to set my novel, Dating Little Miss Perfect, I drew on some real-life visits to
locations around the city of San Diego such as the shopping strip in Del Mar, California and the
coastline at La Jolla, but also TV series Veronica Mars and movies including Roman Holiday for the
scenes of the heroine riding a Vespa scooter.
I wanted the book to have the vibe of a relaxed beach setting, but also a busy place where people
still work and go out to lunch and drive around town. Palm trees and sunshine plus the highway
running along the coast are an important part of this story’s setting.
Also, I used the ‘look’ of Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor as inspiration for my heroine’s style, as she’s
a fan of vintage inspired fashion. This after hours look contrasts with Dr Eden’s straitlaced scientist
appearance at work.
My full movie inspiration list for Dating Little Miss Perfect is included below:
“You’ve Got Mail” (1998), starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
“Cleopatra” (1963), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
“High Society” (1956), starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra
“Vertigo” (1958), dir. by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Kim Novak and James Stewart
“To Catch a Thief” (1955), starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant
“Dr. No” (1962), starring Sean Connory and Ursula Andress
“Thor” (2011), starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman
“The Avengers” (2012), starring Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, etc.
“Roman Holiday” (1953), starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck
“Charade” (1963), starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant
“When Harry Met Sally” (1989), starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal
***
Dating Little Miss Perfect is a quirky take on You’ve Got Mail, featuring online dating, a rivals to
lovers workplace romance, cupcakes, old movie references, a prickly scientist heroine and a laid back
Aussie marketing manager (who may look like a Hemsworth).
Available now from major online bookstores in ebook and paperback – books2read.com/DatingLMP
Find out more about author Cassandra O’Leary at her website – cassandraolearyauthor.com
Author Bio
Cassandra O’Leary is an Aussie romance, romantic comedy and women’s fiction author, corporate
communications escapee, avid reader, and film and TV fangirl.
In 2015, Cassandra won the global We Heart New Talent contest run by HarperCollins UK and her
debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was released in 2016. Cassandra was also a finalist in contests run by
AusRom Today, Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of Australia. She has indie
published several titles including a romcom story collection, Hot In The City and standalone novel,
Dating Little Miss Perfect.
You'll find Cassandra in Melbourne, Australia, chasing her two high-energy mini ninjas and drinking
excellent coffee with her superhero husband.
She is a proud member of Romance Writers of Australia, the Australian Society of Authors and the
Melbourne Romance Writers Guild.
Read more at cassandraolearyauthor.com
Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cass_oleary
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandissima/
Website: https://cassandraolearyauthor.com/
Purchase Links
Universal link – https://books2read.com/DatingLMP
Amazon UK – https://amzn.eu/d/7nL3Yd2
Apple Books-https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6445728242
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dating-little-miss-perfect-cassandra-oleary/1143074326
Google Play Books – https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=uSiuEAAAQBAJ
Giveaway
Giveaway to Win 3 x ebooks of Dating Little Miss Perfect (Open Internationally)
Please note that the ebook will be distributed by BookFunnel.
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shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the
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