Tour + Review + Guest Post: Red Carpet Day Job by @TashCotter

Red Carpet Day Job by Tasha Cotter

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Most residents of New York City don’t have to wrestle
their skirts from beneath roosting chickens, or clean
egg yolk off their stilettos each day before work. But Sophie Waldrop does, thanks to the organic egg business her boyfriend Scott runs from their 5th floor walk-up. Though they were high school sweethearts, nothing can make up for Scott’s inattention now. Finally, Sophie works up the courage to send him and his chickens packing.

Then Sophie’s boss introduces her to Nick Jackson, the hottest up-and-coming actor in Hollywood. When Nick asks her to go to a red carpet awards show with him, Sophie can’t believe her luck. She never expected to meet Nick, let alone like him. And she certainly never expected him to like her, too.

When her dream job lands in her lap, Sophie rejoices that her hard work has finally paid off. But she soon finds out that being a busy agent to the stars is nothing compared to being Nick Jackson's new girlfriend. Tabloid tell-alls, Nick’s hectic schedule, persistent leading ladies, and Sophie’s own promotion and career ambitions further complicate their fairy-tale romance.

Can Sophie and Nick make their love last, or will their relationship be more like the paparazzi’s camera flashes—fast, bright, and fading?

   Sometimes you just have to indulge in a sweet romance that'll sweep you away, and Red Carpet Day Job is just that! There's enough humor to keep it lighthearted, and I loved the way this book made me feel. It's a guilty pleasure read that I couldn't say no to!

  Tasha Cotter writes in such a way that you can't help but be swept up in the story. The descriptions are vivid and instantly put you alongside the characters. Speaking of characters, oh my gosh! They all felt so real and authentic. And they'll keep you guessing! I loved getting to know all of them, but enjoyed Sophie so much. She's the type of girl I wanna have a glass wine and chat with!

  Red Carpet Day Job is the romantic adventure you've been waiting for, love addicts! Read it for yourself and find out if you're Team Nick or Team Scott. Either way, you'll fall in love with Red Carpet Day Job!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Top 10 Movies by Tasha Cotter

First! A word of caution on this list!

I don’t actually watch a LOT of movies! I’m more of a Hulu/ sitcom binge watcher (I’m a long-time devotee of shows like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and The West Wing) BUT I’m gonna give this my best shot. Here we go…

The Talented Mr. Ripley -- This is hands-down one of the best movies, ever. I’m dead serious. The casting is perfect: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Matt Damon. Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel, the movie takes place in New York and Italy. It’s gorgeous to watch and I absolutely love watching Ripley turn and turn until he becomes this murderous monster, no longer recognizable to anyone. Not even himself.

Little Women -- Because I’m a die-hard fan of the book, it was only natural that I would fall in love with the movie -- and nothing beats the Winona Ryder version, btw. In my mind, Jo March will always look like Winona Ryder and Laurie will always be Christian Bale. This movie brought the book to life in such a great way for me.

Christmas Vacation -- This movie is something my family watches Every. Single. Christmas. At least once. Some people like Will Ferrell’s Elf, some are all about It’s a Wonderful Life….I’ve always loved this movie. I like to laugh, what can I say? Chevy Chase is at his best. My favorite character? Cousin Eddie, of course.

The Royal Tenenbaums -- This movie took a while to grow on me, but the more I see it, the more I love it. I just love Wes Anderson movies, in general (it was hard not to include Moonrise Kingdom on this list). There’s something about his use of color and cinematography that just appeals to me. I love the narrative of this movie and I came to adore these characters. Anderson infuses them with whimsy and comedic charm. I can’t resist.

Amelie -- I immediately loved this movie when it was first assigned to me in a college french class. I think I was spellbound by the bright colors, dazzling cinematography, but more than anything, by the narrative. It’s the story of a woman who ultimately decides to do something daring with her unremarkable life. What’s the movie about? It’s about how life will surprise you. It’s about destiny. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Montmartre is the setting for such a dream-like story.

High Fidelity -- I’m a big Nick Hornby fan and so when I found out about this movie, I had to see it right away -- I loved the book. I thought John Cusack was the perfect Rob Gordon. He’s an underdog. He’s an anti-hero. I loved how the story follows a guy who was obsessed by music and how he’s writing about his top 5 break-ups (including the one in-progress). And then there’s Jack Black! Is there anything better than when Jack Black performs on stage? I don’t think so.

Lost in Translation -- I knew this movie was special the first time I saw it. I generally really, really like Sofia Coppola movies. They’re artistic. They’re gorgeous. And they also go deep within whatever world they’re inhabiting (and BONUS: there’s usually a terrific soundtrack). For me, the magic of this movie is in the casting: Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray are perfect together, set adrift in their own lives, finding themselves there and not there, together, in Tokyo.

Jurassic Park -- I was only nine years old when this movie came out, but it changed my life. It really, really did. I saw it multiple times in the theatre and then begged my parents to let me get the VHS. I was always a science nerd in school. I shopped at the Discovery Channel store. (I actually owned a t-shirt displaying the cats of North America, for some reason.) I took all the high level science courses in school. So this movie kind of ruled my life. I wanted to be Sam Neill, digging up dinosaur bones in some far off place.

When Harry Met Sally... -- Because I love to laugh and because I’m a sucker for a good love story, this movie just clicked with me. Billy Crystal is phenomenal and I love the way he makes Meg Ryan laugh in the movie. You can just see over the course of time they stay with each other. They never forget. Their story is so good and so funny. And when I first saw it, it was an unusual story. Not the kind of love story I was used to seeing. And I liked that. The movie takes a long view of love. (Isn’t Nora Ephron an absolute genius?)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- This is a more complicated pick for me. I’m including it on this list because it shook me up when I first saw it. I was twenty years old and with a group of my best friends. This movie made me feel something I hadn’t in a long time. It’s hard to say what that was, exactly, but the movie made me feel. It made me cry. And think. And laugh. I can’t really even watch the movie again because of how powerful it was for me. But I listen to the soundtrack (Jon Brion -- another creative genius) all the time and when I do, I’m twenty again, sitting in that dark theatre with my very best friends and we’re all young and in love with life and trying to grow up and figuring out how to do that.

We sat in comfortable silence, lost in our own thoughts. The splash of the water in the fountain echoed off of the buildings around us. The steady hum of traffic and the occasional toot of a horn in the distance added its own music to the night. It was beautiful. Tiny fairy lights that had been strung on the trees sparkled against the skyscraper backdrop.

Nick looked so sexy, so at ease, sitting beside me. I fished out my phone and snapped a picture of him. He arched a brow.
“I just wanted something to remember this moment by,” I shrugged.
“How about a better picture then?”
I thumbed open the photo gallery, and clicked on the picture I’d just taken. “Nope. This one’s perfect.” And it was. He looked relaxed, comfortable. Not posed or stiff as he often looked in movie posters.
“Well, I think I should have one of you too, then. Smile, Sophie.”
I faced him, a genuine smile curving my lips. It had been so long since I’d felt this happy—too long. And it had also been too long since I’d visited this place. It used to be my favorite place in the city. When had I stopped coming?
“Penny for your thoughts.”
“I was just thinking how much I love it here.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my pulse point. “I usually don’t, but tonight I do. Must be the company I’m keeping.” He picked up my hand and squeezed gently. “Tell me something more.”
“I used to dream of living here in the Big Apple, doing my dream job―a talent agent to the stars.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I pictured what it would be like.”
“And what did you see?” He pressed a kiss to my temple.
“It looked a lot like this, right now. Sitting under the stars, happy at the end of the day.” I peeked up at him. “I’ll never think of Union Square the same again. It’ll always be special, because of you.”
He pointed at the fountain. “You know, a very famous couple once jumped in there?”
“Really? Who?”
Nick got up and walked toward the fountain. “Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald. They were the stars of their day, you know. The King and Queen of New York. They did it just for the hell of it. Isn’t that incredible?”
“It is. But I don’t believe you.” I lingered on the bench for a moment, enjoying the night, and then followed him to the edge of the fountain. Nick crossed his heart. “It’s the truth. I swear.”
“I don’t know. It sounds like you’re making it up.”
“Maybe I should push you in. Create our own moment so some future couple can argue about it. It could be like that scene from The Princess Diaries 2.”
“Maybe you should. But, if I were reenacting that scene, I’d do it a bit differently.”
“Oh, yeah? What would you do?”
I grinned and set my hands on his shoulders. “This.”
I shoved him backward, and he bumped into the low edge of the fountain. He reached for me, but I danced away. He lost his balance and fell into the fountain with a loud splash.
He stood, water streaming over him. His almost-transparent shirt revealed a six-pack that most guys would kill for. Heat rushed over my skin, burning away the chill of the night air.
“You do realize you’re going to pay for that, right?”
“Yeah. I certainly hope I do.”

Tasha Cotter is the author of That Bird Your Heart (Finishing Line Press) and Some Churches (Gold Wake Press). A graduate of the University of Kentucky and the Bluegrass Writers Studio, her work has appeared in or is forthcoming in NANO Fiction, Verse Daily, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. You can find her online at www.tashacotter.com or on twitter @TashCotter.