The Pursuit of Happiness by Melissa Rae Madison

Tay Bellagio, a former tomboy from rural Pennsylvania, has finally achieved the life of her dreams, or so she thinks. She’s a successful lawyer for a top law firm in Philadelphia, making more money that she ever imagined. She has a group of dear friends and a loving extended family, and the attractive bartender at the local Irish pub has just asked her on a date. She has everything she wants, except happiness. Why is Tay so miserable? Maybe it’s her boss, a power-hungry partner at her firm who thrives on humiliating his subordinates. Maybe it’s her friends, who are getting fed up with her diva attitude, or her family, who thinks she’s pulling away from them. Maybe it's the bartender, who thinks she’s shallow. Or maybe it’s because the life of her dreams is becoming a nightmare. When family obligations and an ethical dilemma at work crumble Tay’s carefully constructed world, she has to take another look at her dreams and ambitions and decide what she wants out of life. And to her surprise, it may not be what she’d planned.
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Do dreams ever inspire your writing? What did you last dream about?

I dream frequently, and in vivid detail. Sometimes one of my characters will appear in a dream and say or do something that I hadn’t considered, and that goes into my writing. They let me know if I’m missing something.

When did you first start writing? And when were you first published?

I started writing as soon as I could read. I carried around a notebook everywhere I went, and my greatest fear was that, like Harriet the Spy, someone would find it and read it. If you don’t count legal journals and articles (and who would?) I wasn’t published until this year when I took the leap with The Pursuit of Happiness.

What is it about 'chick lit' that appeals to you the most? Do you read other genres?

I love the generally positive outlook chick lit has on the world. Chick lit covers a wide variety of topics, but my favorite chick lit books are light and humorous, the kind where the worst disaster facing our main character is an embarrassing gaffe at work or a disastrous date. Maybe it appeals to me so much because I also like to read horror and suspense, anything with a dark twisted side. I need the light to balance the dark.

Can you tell us a little about your latest book?

My most recent book, The Pursuit of Happiness, is about a woman who thinks she knows exactly what she needs to get in life in order to be happy. Once she reaches that goal, though, she finds it isn’t all she hoped it would be, and she has to try to figure out where she went wrong. Oh, and her boss is a psychopath, which adds a little fun.

What inspired you to write it?

One day I realized I could finally look back on some of my experiences as a young associate attorney and laugh, and that was enough to get me started. Tay’s experiences are fictional, but there are some little nuggets of truth here and there that I think any lawyer will recognize. Or, for that matter, anyone with a boss…

Have you ever spotted anyone reading your books anywhere?

Not yet.

Who designs your covers?

I designed this one, but for future books I plan to use a friend who’s a talented graphic designer. She also makes a great lemon cake.

If your latest book was made into a film, who would you cast?

Give her ten more years and I think my niece Jillian would make a terrific Tay, but until then Emma Stone be terrific. And Channing Tatum would make a smoking hot Dean.

What's your favourite Chick Lit book that made it to the big screen?

The Silver Linings Playbook. Who says men can’t write chick lit? The Philadelphia setting is a bonus.

What were the last two books you read?

Jane Eyre (again!) and Swept Up by Kayla Dawn Thomas.

Name one female author who you think deserves to be better known.

Stella Leslie. Just thinking about some of the lines in Fat Bald Jeffmake me giggle out loud.

Where do you write?

Where don’t I write? At my desk, on the couch, in bed, at Starbucks, at the dojo…

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? And did you follow the dream?

I wanted to be a writer but much like my main character, I took the “safe” path and went to law school instead. It’s taken me many years (how many, I’m not telling) to get back to writing.

In the movie of your life, who would play you?

photo credit: brixton21 via photopin cc

Kate Winslett if I’m feeling confident. Yeah, let’s say Kate Winslett.

Speed Round...

Top drink to make you tipsy? Tequiiiiiilaa…..

Shopaholic or shopadon't? Shopaholic.

Sky high heels or closer to the ground? Close to the ground.

E.L. James or Jilly Cooper? Jilly Cooper.

Cry baby or tough cookie? Tough cookie who cries easily.

Exotic beach or enchanted forest? Either, if I can take a book.

Melissa Rae Madison, a partially reformed lawyer, is formerly from Pennsylvania but now lives in sunny Southern California, where she regularly laments the scarcity of really good cannoli. When she's not writing or lawyering, she enjoys reality tv marathons, sugary cereal, and being bossed around by her pushy Siamese cat. 

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