In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister: Interview, Review and a Giveaway!

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister: Interview, Review and a Giveaway!

I am very happy and very excited to welcome Tracie Banister to the blog today. Tracie is the author of  Blame It on the Fame and  In Need of Therapy . I am glad that Tracie was able to answer a few questions for us today and in the end, there is also a giveaway so stay tuned!

About The Author 

An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play that she penned (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she, also, starred in and tried to direct the production.) Her dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, Tracie decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Her debut novel, the Hollywood-themed BLAME IT ON THE FAME, was released in January, 2012. And she's following that up with the Miami-set Romantic Comedy, IN NEED OF THERAPY.

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Interview

What would you like to say about In Need of Therapy to those who have not read it yet?

In Need of Therapy is a fun, fizzy read about a Latina psychologist who struggles to cope with all the craziness in her life, which comes in the forms of her high-strung family, her demanding patients, and a trio of potential love interests, all of whom are Mr. Wrong. 

How did you come up with the inspiration to write In Need of Therapy?

One day my mother off-handedly said, "You should write a funny book about a female psychologist," and a light bulb went off over my head. It just seemed like such a great idea that was rife with possibilities (What does a psychologist really think when she's listening to her patients' problems? How does her shrink persona translate to her personal life? Is there a downside to being caring and empathetic?) I've always been a bit of an armchair psychologist myself as I took some Psych courses in school and I love to analyze people and give them advice, so I relished the opportunity to write for a heroine who did that for a living.

Pilar, a main character of this story is a psychologist. Did you have to do a lot of research in order to write this book?

I researched specific psychological conditions, like Sudden Wealth Syndrome and Hypochondria that affected Pilar’s patients. And I made sure I had all of my facts straight about what type of education and training Pilar would have needed in order to be in her position. For the psychologist/patient dynamic, I drew from all the stories friends and family had told me about their experiences with therapy and then I put my own humorous twist on them for the purposes of my narrative.

In Need of Therapy had a lot of colorful and interesting characters, like Pilar's mother, Victor and Sara – how did you come up with them and are any of your characters based on people you know or encountered?

My characters are almost always products of my overactive imagination. I definitely don’t know people who are as over-the-top as Luisa and Victor in real life! My inspiration for those characters was telenovelas, which are a guilty pleasure of mine. Victor is a play on all those macho telenovela heroes who relentlessly pursue the heroine and make impassioned speeches about their undying love at the drop of a hat. And Luisa graduated from the same school as all those very strong (some might say, manipulative) matriarchs one finds on telenovelas. The difference between Luisa and those other ladies is that she doesn’t put a hit out her children when they cross her and she doesn’t pay a man to seduce and impregnate her daughter (Yes, those are actual storylines from telenovelas I’ve watched!)  

As for Sara, she grew out of my desire to have a best friend for Pilar who would be a foil for her. Pilar is so tactful and kind-hearted, never wanting to hurt anyone. She was in dire need of someone blunt and no-nonsense like Sara to advise her in certain situations so that she didn’t get taken advantage of.  

How did it feel when you published your first book?

It was both thrilling and terrifying. I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment because I’d been dreaming of being a published writer since I was a child. Seeing a dream realized is an amazing thing! But, of course, I was nervous about what kind of reception my first book (Blame It on the Fame) would receive. I was able to relax and enjoy the process a bit more once I started receiving positive feedback and reviews from readers.

What inspired you to become an author? Have you always wanted to write?

I've always been a writer, going all the way back to childhood. It was just something that was second nature to me, and I loved to share my work with others. I wrote plays that my class performed in elementary school and continued on with essays, multi-part stories, and literary analyses all through my adolescence. I tried to write my first novel in my early twenties, but got distracted by work, social life, etc. Years later, I got back into writing through genre fan fiction (Yes, I'm admitting it! I wrote fan fic for shows like Smallville, Roswell, and Angel. It was great fun and all the wonderful feedback I received compelled me to return to novel-writing.)  

Do any of your characters ever take over your writing?

Of course! They stage mini-revolts all the time, refusing to do what I want them to. It’s quite annoying, but I have to listen to them because they always know best. I am a big believer in not planning every single detail of a book before writing it. I always know where my books begin and end and several crucial points along the way, but I like to set my characters down on the page and let them take me where they need to go. Almost all of the best bits in my books are the things that were born in the moment, not planned in advance.

How would you describe your writing style?

Humorous, entertaining, fast-paced, and perceptive.

Why did you choose the genre you write and what do you like about it?

Chick Lit and I are just a natural fit because I like to write breezy, amusing stories about women and all the facets of their lives (work, family, friends, romance.) I’ve always gravitated towards books, TV shows, and movies that are great escapism and that’s what Chick Lit is – a fun, satisfying diversion that makes your heart happy.

Are you working on something else right now?

I have a couple of things in the works. In June, my Austen-inspired short, The Marrying of Margaret, will be released in an anthology called “Austen Asides.” This is my first Regency story, and I’m really excited to share it with everyone. I’ve already started work on the first book in a Regency series that I’m hoping to release after my next Chick Lit.

The Chick Lit novel I’m currently working on is about two sisters who are polar opposites and live in San Francisco. I can't say anything more without getting spoilery, but I can promise plenty of comedy, romance, cute guys, and even cuter dogs.

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister

Published July 19th 2012  
ebook 

Series: Standalone

Genre: Chick-Lit
Source: Courtesy of the author in exchange of an honest review.
 Amazon | Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads

Lending a sympathetic ear and dispensing sage words of advice is all part of the job for psychologist Pilar Alvarez, and she’s everything a good therapist should be: warm, compassionate, supportive. She listens, she cares, and she has all the answers, but how’s the woman everyone turns to in their hour of need supposed to cope when her own life starts to fall apart?

While working hard to make a success of her recently-opened practice in trendy South Beach, Pilar must also find time to cater to the demands of her boisterous Cuban family, which includes younger sister Izzy, an unemployed, navel-pierced wild child who can't stay out of trouble, and their mother, a beauty queen turned drama queen who’s equally obsessed with her fading looks and getting Pilar married before it’s “too late.” Although she’d like to oblige her mother and make a permanent love connection, Pilar’s romantic prospects look grim. Her cheating ex, who swears that he’s reformed, is stalking her. A hunky, but strictly off-limits, patient with bad-boy appeal and intimacy issues is making passes. And the sexy shrink in the suite across the hall has a gold band on his left ring finger.

When a series of personal and professional disasters lead Pilar into the arms of one of her unsuitable suitors, she's left shaken, confused, and full of self-doubt. With time running out, she must make sense of her feelings and learn to trust herself again so that she can save her business, her family, and most importantly, her heart.

I don't know if I can stop gushing over this book long enough to write a decent review but here it is! Of course when Tracie came to me to read and review her book I couldn't pass up on the chance. Not only was the premise promising but it has been a while since I last read an awesome chick-lit and was a little starved.

In Need of Therapy was exactly the book I needed to fix this craving need. Pilar Alvarez is a new psychologist and she is everything her patients need, warm, compassionate and supportive. Pilar is also strong, independent and very sassy. So as Pilar struggles to keep her new practice together her own life slowly starts to crumble apart, answering to the demands of her younger sister who has a wild child streak in her and her beauty queen/drama queen mother who is not only obsessed with her own fading looks but getting Pilar married off before she becomes a 'Spinster'.

Pilar's choice in the love department look grim, with her ex-boyfriend Victor who cheated on her and now is swearing that he is a brand new man that missed out on their love, is also now stalking her. A bad-boy patient who keeps making passes and a new hunky psychiatrist next door that has her heart beating fast but also wears a nice big gold wedding ring.

Pilar's journey was fun, witty and craft. Tracie Banister does an amazing job with making the story flow, entertaining and full of parts that made me giggle and kept me going! I loved Pilar she was an amazing character and so was her array of colorful patients and people around her. I couldn't stop laughing when her mother set her up on a disastrous blind with a man who was very much concerned about what her body fat is and getting her a trainer – talk about a date from hell! She obviously cares for her patients, as throughout the book she went out several times out of her way to help them. Even if she was a bit of a push over when it came to her sister Izzy and the pile of trouble that she literally dumped on Pilar's front door.

Victor, Sara, and Pilar's mother were all funny characters. I loved Sara and her spunky dialogs, she was a woman on a mission and she'd derail everyone in her way to get her way, every time she popped into the book she was not disappointing! Victor and his stalking tendencies and the way he kept popping in had me giggling as well, his outcome nearly had me falling out of my seat!

Yet you cannot help but root for Pilar, in hopes that her practice makes it, in hopes that she would find a way to deal with her mother that keeps pushing her into marriage. In hopes that instead of finding all kinds of Mr.Wrongs she would finally find that mister right. Her friendship with Ford the married Psychiatrist was heartwarming, and I couldn't help but root for the both of them! Delightful entertaining read that is surely now one of my favorites. I cannot wait to see more from this sweet author.

                                                              

And now onto something for the readers!

This contest will run from January 25th, 2013 until February 03, 2013
This giveaway is open Internationally.
Entrant must be 18 years of age or older
Just enter the Rafflecopter below
Winner will be contacted by Email and will have 24 hours to respond.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway