Aug 29, 20237 min read

Dating Little Miss Perfect by Cassandra O'Leary. Guest Post And Giveaway!!!

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!

To learn more about this book, read more about Cassandra and get your copy just keep reading.

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@LittleMissPerfect @CassandraOLeary @GuestPost @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @CoverReveal @Spotlight @BlogTour @BooksOnTour @Goodreads @Amazon @AmazonKindle @Bookstagram @Bookblogger

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.

Dating Little Miss Perfect by Cassandra O'Leary. Guest Post And Giveaway!!!

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