Ellen Shanman – författare

Outspoken playwright Liza Weiler left Yale with everything she thought she needed to make her mark on the New York stage. So why, nearly a decade later, is she still waiting for her “real” life to finally begin? But like any great drama, Liza’s life only needs one good twist. And that’s what happens when she turns her ankle on the way out of a downtown nightspot and falls into the arms of a suspiciously gallant Wall Street prince and a practically perfect ER doc. Suddenly Liza not only has a couple of men in her life, but her play has fallen into the hands of a über-hip theater director. Now Liza’s about to discover how much mess she can make of a seemingly good thing…and how terrifying, slightly tragic, and utterly hilarious a little success can be.From the Trade Paperback edition.

In a smart, sexy, wickedly funny new novel, the acclaimed author of Right Before Your Eyes introduces an unforgettable and irresistibly real heroine: Michaela“Mike” Edwards, a woman who is forced to reinvent herself— and discovers that the biggest risk is not taking one at all….Fiercely independent and seriously lacking in social graces, Mike Edwards doesn’t do sugar and spice. Instead she writes great copy and stays above the fray—until mishandled office politics get her unexpectedly fired. Suddenly the young ad hotshot finds herself doing the unimaginable: moving back in with her widowed father, hiding from her lecherous mentor, rethinking her entire career—and trying to unravel complex feelings for her best guy pal, an Aussie journalist named Gunther.For Mike, a few wrenching twists of fate are leading to a job she never expected: teaching “life skills” to seventh-grade girls. But sometimes the best makeovers are the ones you never see coming. Because with a classroom full of kids who need her, a best friend who’s fast becoming something more, and a family she’s only just discovering, Mike has a few surprises in store…and she’s about to discover that going places in life doesn’t have to mean going it on your own.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Super-artsy New York playwright Liza is stuck in a rut. Her plays aren't paying the bills, and when her outspoken nature leads to the loss of her temp job, she's quickly running out of options. Then, in a dramatic twist worthy of one of her plays, not only is her work suddenly in demand by a young up-and-coming director, but a sprained ankle leads her into the arms of not one, but two eligible men: George, her gorgeous rescuer and uber-rich Wall Street analyst, and sweet-natured Tim, a steady ER doc. With her high artistic principles quickly casting George aside as arrogant and pretentious, Liza returns with relief to her artsy ways, only to discover she's being kicked out of her apartment and her play has been sabotaged. Maybe it's time she opened up her mind to the idea that not everything - or everyone - is quite what they first seem?

Super-slick, super-independent, Michaela “Mike” Edwards is a lady going places. Or so she thinks. Once unexpectedly fired, her career as a young advertising hot-shot is over just like that. Before long she’s doing the unimaginable: moving back in with her widowed father to help make those pesky ends meet - it’s clear she needs to rethink her life. Maybe she should start with trying to unravel those complicated feelings she’s been having about her best guy pal, Aussie journalist Gunther...?