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WORK TITLE: Kissing Hollywood
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://monicacollier.com/
CITY: Franklin
STATE: NC
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
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PERSONAL
Born in Franklin, NC.
EDUCATION:Western Carolina University, B.S., 1999. Studied creative writing at New York University.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, graphic designer, and ordained minister. Mountain Commerce, network engineer, 1996-2003; Southwestern Community College (Sylva, NC), adjunct faculty member, 2008; Red Press Co., cofounder (with her mother) and creative director, 2007-. Founder of Where Women Write.
AVOCATIONS:Cooking, gardening, designing stationery, antiquing, photography, hiking.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Monica Collier is a writer of novels that incorporate her Christian principles. She is also a graphic designer and ordained minister. Born in Franklin, North Carolina, Collier earned a B.S. degree from Western Carolina University with a focus on geography and computer science. She also studied creative writing at New York University. After living in various locations, including Paris, she returned to her hometown and continues to live there.
"Unwritten" Series
Collier is the author of the “Unwritten” series. In the series’s first installment, Unwritten: The Extraordinary Life of Caroline Blaine, she introduces the protagonist. Caroline Blaine is an intelligence agent for the U.S. Navy. She is assigned to complete a mission involving missing Navy property, and her partner for the mission will be David Reese, a JAG Corps officer. David and Caroline bond over the course of their dangerous mission, which takes them around the world. Ultimately, the acknowledge that they have fallen in love with each other, and they discuss marriage.
In Unbecoming: The Secret Life of Caroline Blaine Continues, the second installment in the “Unwritten” series, Caroline and David have become decorated officers in the military. They are hoping to leave their life of danger behind in favor of a quieter existence in North Carolina. Now married and enjoying a passionate relationship, the two are looking forward to settling down together. However, a dangerous force from the past threatens to destroy the plans they have made. Caroline and David decide to enter the military again in order to stop the evil that is haunting them.
Kissing Hollywood
Kissing Hollywood, a stand-alone novel, tells the story of Alex Casey, a writer who also caters events. Alex, who lives in North Carolina, is thirty-five years old and has already been through a failed marriage. She is surprised to meet Parker Grey, a twenty-eight-year-old actor from the United Kingdom. The two develop feelings for each other, but Alex is concerned about their age difference and worried about beginning another romantic relationship. Another complication is the paparazzi attention her relationship with Parker is drawing. However, their intense connection and their mutual devotion to God helps them overcome the problems they face.
Critics were divided in their assessments of Kissing Hollywood. In a review of the book on her self-titled website, Jeannie Zelos noted that the book had a “slightly smug tone” and a “slightly preachy feeling.” Zelos also suggested: “The romance between Alex and Parker just wasn’t really believable.” However, a Publishers Weekly contributor described the novel as “inspiring.” The same contributor commented that the plotline, “like the characters, never gets too weighed down with drama or religious jargon.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, March 20, 2017, review of Kissing Hollywood, p. 61.
ONLINE
Jeannie Zelos, https://jeanniezelos.wordpress.com/ (July 10, 2017), review of Kissing Hollywood.
Monica Collier Website, http://monicacollier.com/ (November 6, 2017).*
About
IMG_3112
Monica is a graduate of Western Carolina University, in Cullowhee, North Carolina. She is a published author, ordained minister, and graphic designer.
I’m southern. I’m a night owl. I like my coffee. I suffer CSA on most mornings (cover separation anxiety).
I was born and raised in Franklin, North Carolina, about seventy miles west of Asheville, right above the state line shared with Georgia. I still live in Franklin, in fact. It’s small, warm, friendly, mountainous, at times humid, and very picturesque, right off of the Appalachian Trail. I’ve left it at times, traveling around to see what lies beyond the horizon. Paris called for a while, and I answered. Each time I come back to where my heart is, Franklin. It’s my home.
I’ve been inspired creatively since a young age. I’m an only child and spent much of my time around the company of adults. Writing came naturally to me, believe it or not, after being absorbed into the likes of Shakespeare, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Edgar Allen Poe, at the age of eleven. Even though life has taken me down paths I didn’t expect, my passion for writing never faded. True, writing did take a back seat while the messy bits of every day were tempered with prayer and quietness. Life is the messy bits. Without living we cannot write. Inspiration comes through living.
Muse Watson and Monica Collier
Monica met Muse Watson, Mike Franks on NCIS, at the Gideon Media Arts Festival. Muse’s performances inspired the character of Jack Madison in Unwritten and Unbecoming.
If I could say anything to you it would be to follow what God has given you a passion for. He will never lead you astray. My passions have taken me through many vocations. I’m interested in everything. Cooking, wine, gardening, aromatherapy, flowers, designing stationery, old books, antiques, cultures, and photography (I retired from weddings after eleven years). I always return to writing.
You may find me wondering around a trail, one of the gardens at Biltmore Estate, trying to stuff my curly hair underneath a hat, teaching on the benefits of essential oils to a church group, or speaking on the lost art of letter writing. Eventually you’ll see me writing if you pay attention long enough. I carry a red barrel Parker jotter pen, my preferred writing instrument, with me at almost all times. Journals, or scraps of whatever I can find, are usually not too far beyond my fingertips, lying in wait for the next thought to be committed to paper. There is truth and freedom in writing. Words are powerful. Use them wisely to bring life and encourage others.
Biography
Monica Collier is a southern bestselling romance and military fiction author. She writes heartwarming romantic suspense, with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Monica's emotional journeys are geographic, family oriented, have strong female characters, and incorporate Biblical principles in modern life. Her books have been recommended by active and retired military personnel, Pastors, professional women and several print venues. She is the founder of Where Women Write. When she's not writing, Monica enjoys helping others navigate the writing and publishing world through author programs via Red Press Co., her publisher, and traveling as much as possible.
Monica Collier
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Novelist, Publisher
Red Press Co. New York University
Asheville, North Carolina Area 340 340 connections
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Writer. Book designer. Foodie. Southern girl with a taste for all things French. When I'm not writing, I'm
thinking about writing and the story line for my next novel.
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The Power of the Pivot - Emily Breedlove
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Want to get your company in front of 120+ powerful women leaders of Asheville? We have one more table in the Resource Fair for the Nov 7th Tenacious Tuesdays, along with New Belgium Brewing, JB Media Group, LLC and JB Media Institute, LLC, Lenoir-Rhyne University Asheville, Mountain BizWorks, and more! Contact me to secure it...
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Experience
Red Press Co.
Novelist, Creative Director
Company NameRed Press Co.
Dates EmployedJan 2007 – Present Employment Duration10 yrs 11 mos
LocationFranklin, NC
Direction of my own work as a novelist; scouring queries to discover new talent; design of company resources, client resources; marketing for the company, my own novels, and clients; speaking on publishing; encouraging others to pursue their own writing
Southwestern Community College
Adjunct Faculty
Company NameSouthwestern Community College
Dates EmployedJan 2008 – May 2008 Employment Duration5 mos
LocationSylva, NC
Utilize Creativity In Lesson Plans, Encourage & Guide Students, Teaching (Digital Signal Processing &
Computer Architecture)
Mountain Commerce
Network Engineer
Company NameMountain Commerce
Dates EmployedApr 1996 – Dec 2003 Employment Duration7 yrs 9 mos
traveling network engineer
Education
New York University
New York University
Field Of StudyCreative Writing
Dates attended or expected graduation 2017
School of Professional Studies
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Degree NameBS Field Of StudyGeography: Economic Development & Land-use Planning; Computer Science
Dates attended or expected graduation 1994 – 1999
QUOTED: "inspiring."
"The plot, like the characters, never gets too weighed down with drama or religious jargon."
10/20/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1508547899281 1/1
Print Marked Items
Kissing Hollywood
Publishers Weekly.
264.12 (Mar. 20, 2017): p61.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Kissing Hollywood
Monica Collier. Red Press, $28.95 (220p)
ISBN 978-0-9793869-2-3
In this inspirational and inspiring romance, North Carolina writer and caterer Alex Casey falls for British actor Parker
Grey, who's visiting her town to celebrate a friend's engagement. Collier infuses a sweet innocence and old-fashioned
values into this contemporary, which has two flawed protagonists trying to move past a boatload of issues: media
gossip, past mistakes, and Alex's minor preoccupation with being 35 to Parker's 28. Both Alex and Parker have their
share of issues, but they're also both refreshingly positive and appealing. Their attraction to each other is gradually
developed and based on common values, such as their mutual interest in improving their relationships with God. The
few displays of physical affection are modest. The plot, like the characters, never gets too weighed down with drama or
religious jargon. The natural evolution of the protagonists reinforces the theme of faith and destiny and also the power
of personal choice, making this an uplifting read. Agent: Carolyn Martin. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Kissing Hollywood." Publishers Weekly, 20 Mar. 2017, p. 61. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA487601779&it=r&asid=69791c1a9bfb769ac830974184020290.
Accessed 20 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A487601779
QUOTED: "slightly smug tone" "slightly preachy feeling."
"The romance between Alex and Parker just wasn’t really believable."
Kissing Hollywood, Monica Collier
Kissing Hollywood, Monica Collier
Kissing Hollywood by [Collier, Monica]
Genre: Literary Fiction, Romance
OK – if I’d looked at Monica’s profile info I’d have passed on this, seeing that her novels incorporate Biblical principles. I’m not anti-Christian, appreciate that Faith is a huge part of many people’s lives, but whenever I find it in novels it always seems to have a slightly smug tone to me, an “if you only believe in Him life will work out fine” and that’s exactly what I felt here.
I know others love this book and this form of story, but I don’t. However I didn’t see that before, the book doesn’t carry the usual Christian tag so I’m reviewing on that basis.
If I’d have enjoyed the novel more I could have got past the religious bias, I don’t have strong feelings against it, but the story itself just didn’t really work for me.
I found the romance between Alex and Parker just wasn’t really believable, nothing to do with the age gap, just that I didn’t feel that magic connection, that sizzle of attraction I needed.
Then Alex…Superwoman or what? She’s a hard worker for sure, but as well as running a cooking blog, she bakes for a friends bakery, waitresses, stands in for Top Chefs all over the country ( probably the world!!) when they need to be away from their restaurants. She knows everyone it seems, but not content with dominating the catering world she also has film connections, and its through that which leads her to Parker.
He’s another multi talented person, actor, director and producer of the latest work he’s doing…and he brings Alex on board pretty swiftly where she ends up advising the actors, helping with scripts, directing, translating…not forgetting overseeing the full interior renovating of his huge home for a photo shoot in a week. You name it she does it, was the feeling I got! Its exhausting just listing it, and it just didn’t feel real for me. No-one can be that good at so many things.
Then when the drama hits, she just leaves, and I was thinking “what about her contract? She can’t just walk out” and I felt such a petty issue, a real mountain out of a molehill drama.
I really wanted to like this book it sounded perfect for me from the description but the way it played out didn’t work for me, then throw in that slightly preachy feeling and it was one that was a fail for me.
As always though others love it, we all want different things and this could be just the story you want.
Stars: Two, sorry, one that just wasn’t right for me.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers
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Tags: Christian romance, contemporary, contemporary romance, Kissing Hollywood, love story, Monica Collier, romance
About jeanniezelos
I'm an avid reader, love my kindle and I have my head in a novel for hours daily : ) Mum used to say I'd read toilet paper if it was printed- it wasn't, so i had to contend myself with the back and sides of the cereal packets. I've always Needed to read and we had few books when i was a child hence my penchant for reading anything including adverts then... I review mainly contemporary, erotic and paranormal romance books though dystopian and urban fantasy also appeal. I'm currently rated around the 300 mark on amazon.co.uk for my reviews. I try to keep them structured and to say what I do and don't like about a book so other readers can use my review as a guide to whether they may enjoy the book.
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