Blog Tour:Never Mind The Botox by Penny Avis and Joanna Berry, review and Q&A

Publisher: Matador
Release Date:11 Jan 2012
Source: Publicist

Never Mind The Botox is a four book series about four woman who all work in the high-profile cosmetic surgery business the Beau Street Group. Each book reveals how the women cope with one of the most glamorous but challenging deals of their careers, and the dramatic impact it has on their personal lives. With a briefcase in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, can they navigate their way through a surreal world of boob jobs by day and intrigue by night and still keep their own love lives on track?

In this second book, the spotlight is on Rachel Altman, who works for a prestigious accounting firm and is working to discover the valuation of the business, and any skeletons in the closet that might affect that. When she discovers that some famous clients of the clinic come into the clinic under different names and different paychecks as well, and some things are not quite as clear in this case as it should be, and Rachel is on top of it to find out what is happening here. Rachel is constantly led astray by her party-loving boyfriend and heading into work hungover and/or late constantly.Director promotions are coming up soon and she needs to turn it around soon but with intrigue whirling around her from all directions her stress levels raise a little too much..

This was a fun read with an excellent plot, altough I had took a little while for me to get into the story.The book focuses on both sides of the woman potrayed in the book, both the professional hard working side and their free time when they go out and have a good time (sometimes a little too much..). I really think this series is Britain’s own Sex and the City. I think it’s a great concept with four books of four woman working on the same side, but each with their own story and point of view. I liked how there where a few side stories woven into it and how it ended. Original and a must read for every chick-lit fan!

Q&A with Penny Avis and Joanna Berry

Could you tell us a little about both of you?
Penny is an accountant, who was a corporate finance partner at Deloitte and Joanna is a lawyer, who was an intellectual property and media partner at Eversheds. We are what you might call ‘city slickers’ turned authors.

How did the idea of a novel around plastic surgery started, and how where the characters created?
We knew we wanted to write about young professional women working on a deal, as that is both our backgrounds. We wanted to make the business background really fascinating for our readers, so we went for cosmetic surgery as it seemed so ‘now’. The characters were created in several brain storming sessions, often in lovely hotel bars over a cup of coffee or the occasional glass of champagne!

What's it like to write a book together? What is the process like?
Really fun! Our process involved us meeting regularly to develop the characters and plot out the stories for the four books, before we started writing anything. We then drafted our ideas into a central story plan and a four book synopses, along with detailed character descriptions. This was our ‘drafting bible’ if you like. Only once we were totally happy with it, did we start writing.

What are your passions other than reading or writing?
Our families, spending time with our friends, holidaying together and buying lovely frocks for any event we can think of!

What are your favorite books, which authors have inspired you the most?
We were inspired by lots of people but Helen Fielding, Allison Pearson and Sophie Kinsella were all big influences for us. Penny loves books that inspire her daughter to be outgoing and confident like Pippi Longstocking and Jo is a big lover of the classics, such as the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen.