Jennifer Shirk on her THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME!

I asked author Jennifer Shirk over to tell us a bit about her latest release The Role of a Lifetime, so here she is....


- What inspired you to write The Role...?

Well, it’s basically about a Hollywood actor who thinks an Academy Award will make his career complete, but a divorced preschool teacher and her young daughter teach him there’s more to life than just playing make-believe.

I was inspired to write this story by just a simple scene. I was at the playground with my daughter when one of the mothers I was with almost got stuck in a slide. Right then and there I knew I had my opening chapter. I just needed to create the characters to make it work. When I wrote The Role of a Lifetime I was very involved in the preschool scene so of course that was a big influence in creating my heroine too.





- Did you research Hollywood stars etc?

Not at all! Except names. I did Google a lot of Hollywood actors because I wanted my hero to have a strong name but nothing too unusual.



- What research did you do for Preschool?

My kiddo was in preschool at the time and I would observe a lot there! I would even write down snippets of things some of the kids said. I gained a lot of great book fodder there, plus laughed a lot. J



- Did you use your own life examples (children etc) for your story?

YES. When I was writing my story, my kiddo spotted a bug in the corner of the room and yelled, “Bug!” and wouldn’t stop pointing at it until I got up and “took care” of it. Well, I used a little of that in one of my scenes. J



-Tell us about The Role?

It’s a romantic comedy about an actor, Ben Capshaw, who does some “training” at a preschool for an upcoming movie role.  He becomes enamored by a young teacher and starts to question the objective he’d originally laid out for his life. But this woman’s been burned by an actor before, so Ben has his talent cut out for him convincing her he’s not just looking for a temporary part in her life—but one for a lifetime.

Thanks so much!!

The Role of a Lifetime

Blurb

There’s more to life than playing make believe.
Sandra Moyer has a good reason to distrust actors. She was once married to one who left her and her child. However, she’s desperate for publicity to help her struggling preschool. Hollywood playboy Ben Capshaw’s request to access her classes to prepare for a role is an offer she can’t refuse.
Sandra second guesses herself on that decision until she sees Ben in action with the children. Her apprehension turns to wonder, and then to feelings she’d thought were closed off forever. Yet how can she trust that what she’s seeing is real?
As a boy, Ben learned that acting was the answer to everything. The role he’s up for now will enhance his career and, he’s sure, secure his happiness. But spending time with Sandra and her daughter stirs up emotions that—for once—aren’t pretend.
Ben’s ready for a lifetime role as husband and father—if he can convince Sandra not to typecast him.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Jennifer Shirk around the web:

Facebook       Twitter               Blog

33 comments:

  1. I absolutely LOVE the premise of this story. And the title is spot on. Perfect.

    Congrats, Jennifer.

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    1. Hi Maria,

      Thanks for coming by to read this post!

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  2. Sounds like a movie in the making!!

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    1. Hello Karen,

      Yes, that was what I thinking- just like a movie!

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  3. Sounds awesome! Thanks so much for the tip :)

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  4. I am a teacher myself, so I'm always interested in books with teachers as protagonists. And a Hollywood actor to boot? How can you go wrong with that???

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    1. Hi Shelley,

      No way! An actor and a teacher, you just can't go wrong!

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  5. Replies
    1. Hi Jennifer,

      Welcome and thanks for the post!

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  6. The Role of a Lifetime looks excellent! Thanks for sharing this great interview with the author. I can't wait to read this one :}. I just finished another fun romance book called, “Jan’s Excellent Romance: Applesauce and Andy” by Lindsay Hall. This a humorous fiction romance novel, which takes place in a cafĂ© in Long Island, NY. The characters are well crafted and the story kept me reading until the very end. It's a perfect read for summer. http://www.lindsayhallromance.com/

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    1. Hello Lauren,

      Thanks for the introduction to the book. Will check it out!

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    2. You're welcome, Nas - enjoy!

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  7. Thank you ladies, for a wonderful interview! I enjoyed hearing how Jennifer came up with ideas for the book. :)

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  8. Lovely interview, ladies!!! Love the story about "bug!", Jen. Too funny. I bet you have enough stuff in the folder to write a picture book one day. *wink*

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  9. This looks like a great book. The idea would also work on the silver screen. Best of luck. Thanks for reading about my memories.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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  10. It was fun to read about how you used real-life examples in your book. :) Great cover, too!

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  11. What a cool premise. I was a theatre major in college and many of us swore we'd never marry an actor.

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  13. Stuck in a slide and dealing with a bug. Who knew kids and playgrounds could be so inspirational???? This was a fun interview!

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    1. I know! You never know when inpiration will strike. LOL

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  15. It sounds like a wonderful read. I love the premise.

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  16. I love the premise of this. Ben ends up feeling something real for a woman who distrusts actors. That makes for an awesome story.

    Have a great weekend.

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  17. Fantastic interview, ladies - it sounds like a wonderful read!

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  18. Lovely Romance Reader! Yay for Jennifer Shirk!! Huge huge congratulations with her novel - I really like what inspired her to write that first chapter! True life is such an inspiration! Yay!!!

    Take care
    x

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  19. This is a great interview Nas and Jennifer! D.

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  20. Congratulations on your book Jennifer. It sounds brilliant. :)

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  21. This sounds like a sweet romance. Will definitely check it out and recommend it to my mother, who's a total romance fan. Maybe I'd even read it myself. :-)

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