Making Headlines
by Jennifer Hansen
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GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
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BLURB:
Working as a TV reporter
has its challenges, but when Rachael Bentley decides to aim high and become a
newsreader, she faces a whole new minefield of explosive scenarios.
Rachel's path sees her
pitched against egos in the newsroom, office politics and corrupt politicians,
not to mention rampant sexism, and a mystery stalker. Juggling a messy personal
life doesn't help, nor does the emotional impact of reporting on life's
tragedies and when it all takes a toll and Rachel starts partying too hard, she
finds herself making the headlines instead of reading them.
Will she survive a world
where dreams are shattered daily and will she find the man who can help her
keep her soul?
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My Review:
It was a pleasant and interesting reading set in the world of television journalism.
Rachel's dream is to make the newsreader on TV. She is working very hard and tries in every way to draw attention to herself. She has a relationship with Tim but now the passion between them is frozen. Also he doesn't work, there's never when she needs him. and recently he has threatened to have serious trouble with the law. Then her new boss is really sexy.
To achieve her dream Rachel is becoming another person. Is this really what she wants? How much is she willing to pay to become a star of television journalism?
It was an engaging contemporary romance, the scenes in the TV studio are well written and it really seems to be in the midst of that chaos. It's intriguing and easy to read, the characters are believable and engaging and there is a veil of mystery to make the story even more enjoyable.
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EXCERPT:
It was late in the afternoon but an early start for Rachel.
She’d come in before nightshift to meet with Tony. He’d always been her mentor,
but now he was leaving she was concerned he might not be as keen to help her
along the career path she so desperately wanted to walk. If only she could get
him to assign her a newsreading shift before he left, she might have a chance.
She walked into his office full of trepidation.
‘Hi Tony, how was Sydney
‘Ah Rachel, good, yes, good. Just in time. Take a seat. So,
what is it you wanted to chat about?’ He half-sat on his desk, tapping a pen
against his palm.
‘Well, firstly, I just wanted to say congratulations on your
new job, though everyone is really sorry you’re leaving. Especially me. I mean,
because you gave me my first break and all … I guess you only have a week or so
left now, and ah … um …’
Folding his arms, Tony smiled as she fumbled to find the
words. ‘Rachel, that’s very kind, but I get the feeling you came here for a
reason?’
She took a deep breath. ‘Yes, I did. Look, you know how much
I want to be a newsreader and I’m just worried with you leaving, that your
replacement might not have the same faith in me that you’ve had. The
opportunity to try reading updates might take another year while the next news
director gets to know me. Is there a chance you could put me on an update
roster before you go?’ She looked at him cautiously.
Tony adjusted his glasses, like he was taking in the changes
to her appearance for the first time. Not that Rachel had done anything
drastic. She’d taken up jogging and lost a few kilos. Perhaps he thought her
nose was too big? She hoped he liked her hair, now that she’d added blonde
streaks to liven up the mouse brown and was making an effort with blow-drying.
It was a challenge trying to look the part but she was doing her best.
‘Right. Okay.’ Tony paused. ‘Well, that’s a bit out of the
blue, but I will see what I can do. Don’t get your hopes up, though. Reporters
usually do at least a year on the road before getting a chance at reading. Good
to see you’re ambitious It’s good to aim high.’ He took off his glasses,
polishing them with the corner of his jacket.
‘So there might be a chance?’ she asked, clutching at the
end of her seat.
‘Definitely a chance. I’ll take a look at the rosters
tomorrow and let you know.’ Tony was already standing, collecting his coat and
briefcase. Her cue to leave.
‘Thanks Tony, that means a lot. Thank you.’ She smiled
gratefully and walked back to her desk, buzzing. Tony was a man of his word so
there really was a good chance she might get her first crack at newsreading.
Her excitement grew as the possibility became bigger.
Rachel had several hours to fill before she was officially
on nightshift. She thought about Tim and picked up her phone. They needed to
talk. Their relationship was about as vibrant as a bowl of porridge. Was she
being paranoid, or had Tim distanced himself from her even more since her trip
to Sydney
She began sifting through a pile of mail on her desk. She
picked out an invitation to the opening night of the musical 42nd Street
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
JENNIFER HANSEN
is best known to TV audiences as the former co-host of Channel Ten’s 5pm news.
These days Jennifer works in radio as part of Smooth FM’s breakfast show where
she reads the news and chats with Mike Perso about all things Melbourne
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Jennifer will be awarding an eCopy of Making Headlines to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
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