Revell blog tour stop for Stars Collide by Janice Thompson!

Contact: Donna Hausler - Publicity Assistant
dhausler@bakerpublishinggroup.com

New Series Takes Readers Into the 
Glamorous Life of a Hollywood Sitcom 
Celebrity and Her Quest for Love

From author who is a seasoned screenwriter with an insider’s perspective on the entertainment industry, comes the first book Stars Collide in the new series from Janice Thompson, “Backstage Pass.”

In Stars Collide,Kat Jennings and Scott Murphy don't just play two people who are secretly in love on a television sitcom—they are also head over heels for each other in real life. When the lines between reality and TV land blur, they hope they can keep their relationship under wraps.

But when Kat's grandmother, an aging Hollywood starlet with a penchant for wearing elaborate evening gowns from Golden Age movies, mistakes their on-screen wedding proposal for the real deal, things begin to spiral out of their control. Will their secret be front-page news in the tabloids tomorrow? And can their budding romance survive the onslaught of paparazzi, wedding preparations, and misinformed in-laws?

From the sound stage to a Beverly Hills mansion to the gleaming Pacific Ocean, Stars Collide takes readers on a roller-coaster tour of Tinseltown, packing both comedic punch and tender emotion.

My review:

This story was a delight to read, as are all of Janice's books. It was mild in the sense of reflecting the author's tender romantic style, but it was also a fun read, too. I loved the grandma. The author made a sad situation funny by putting a spin on it that makes the reader smile at the eccentricities and put them into perspective. The quotes from movies were fun and an entertaining aspect of the story as well.

As is typical for Ms. Thompson, she interjects a powerful human need into every story. In this novel it was Kat's longing for a relationship with her father. While the emotional damage caused by his abandonment when she was only seven was heartbreaking to process with her, it was realistically portrayed. So was her adjusting to the idea that her grandmother's mind was slipping away. Stars Collide was a well rounded story in all aspects and I never got bored with the story or started skimming through the pages.

Last, I felt like I was on a television show backstage with the characters. While Christian actors are probably infrequent at best in Hollywood, it was still fun to read a fictional story about what that might look like. It was tender and sweet, of course. Scott was heroic and a great guy, too. I liked him a lot. His family issues were realistically done. Nothing about the story felt sappy or forced. Everything felt natural in a toned-down, tender manner. I applaud the author for keeping a story so tame and still so very interesting. It wasn't as zany as the author's Weddings by Bella series, but it was still worth my time. I wonder if Brock Benson (a-hem) will show up in the next novel. If he does, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Stars Collide was published by Revell and released in January 2011. A copy of this book was provided to me by Revell to review for this tour. The opinion expressed above is my own.

Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author and screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson affords an inside look at TV land, drawing on her experiences as a screenwriter. She is the author of the Weddings by Bella series and lives in Texas.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Praise for Stars Collide by Janice Thompson:

"Stars Collide is a fun-filled romp into 
Tinseltown with all its quirks and characters. 
I hope you  enjoy this romantic getaway 
as much as I did."

—Kristin  Billerbeck, bestselling author of
Perfectly Dateless and What a Girl Wants

"A sweet, funny, fun look at Hollywood 
behind the scenes, from a talented author. 
Janice Thompson knows her characters 
inside and out."

—Lisa  Wingate, bestselling author of
Larkspur Cove and Beyond Summer