Always the wedding planner,
never a bride, Elliot Lynch is famous for orchestrating the splashiest weddings
in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father’s sloppy management practices
leave them on the brink of bankruptcy, Elliot will do whatever it takes to save
the family business. When asked to appear on “The Marrying Type,” a reality TV
show about the people behind the scenes as couples exchange I dos, she says yes
to the invasion of privacy (and the hefty paycheck that comes with it).
With a camera crew
capturing every detail of her life, Elliot faces her most challenging contract
yet: planning a wedding where her ex is involved in every part of the process.
Add in a lazy assistant, liquor-loving bridesmaid, and rival planner
encroaching on her turf, and Elliot’s wedding season goes from high-end to
high-stress.
Forced to confront her
past, Elliot must live out her troubled present on national TV if she has any
hope of saving her future.
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“12 Things About Laura”
1. My first favorite books growing up were the Little House series
by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'm pretty sure I was drawn to them, because they were
written by a woman named Laura about a girl named Laura. Can we say vanity?
2. Unless you went to high school with me, you probably don't know
(but might have guessed) that I was a total band geek. I played oboe, English
horn, alto saxophone (badly), and percussion. Every fall, I still get an urge
to play a marimba on a football field during the halftime show. (Though I never
would have called it that during high school.)
3. My first true love was Prince Eric, but after I realized it was
a long-shot for us to make it (he is a cartoon) my 3-year-old self broadened
her horizons. That's how I simultaneously ended up "dating" Leo from
church daycare and Brandon from down the street. (Don’t worry, they both knew
about each other, and they were totally fine with it.) I was the only girl
invited to each of their McDonald's Playland birthday parties, and I didn't let
my pouffy dress interfere with having just as much fun as the boys. I also
successfully won over both of their mothers during private iced teas and chats.
Little Laura had game.
4. Football brings out a sappy side of me. I cry during movies
like "Remember the Titans" and "Jerry Maguire" and after
tough losses. What can I say? I'm a devoted Huskers and Packers fan.
5. I'm currently no longer speaking to my former imaginary future
husbands Benedict Cumberbatch, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling, and Aaron
Rodgers, who all wronged me with other women (quite publically, I'll add) in
2014. At least I still have Fassy and Clay Matthews, or I'd be despondent. I’m
currently accepting applications for imaginary future husbands, so let me know
if you’re intriguing and interested.
6. I'm torn between wanting to live on a Colorado Mountain, a
Washington State shore, or in a London flat. I suppose I'll stay put in
Nebraska until I can decide.
7. I met my high school fangirl crush J.C. Chasez backstage at a
cable TV awards show in 2008. Despite my best efforts to seem adorable and
available, our meeting only resulted in a nice conversation and not running
away together.
8. I prefer Colonel Brandon to Misters Ferras or Willoughby in
Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. This is heavily influenced by the
1995 movie starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Sure Hugh Grant and Greg
Wise are dishy, but Alan Rickman is so cool.
9. One of my greatest wishes is to visit all 50 states during my
lifetime. I've made it to 29, but need to get a move on the other 21.
Incidentally, if you live in one of these yet-to-be visited places and want to
help a girl out, let me know.
10. My cats are named Jane and Bingley after the characters in Pride
and Prejudice. My sister and I were actually searching for an Elizabeth and
Darcy. The kitten goddesses knew better and we happily found ourselves settled
with the most beautiful cat in the county and a most agreeable orange tabby,
who is worth more than 5,000 pounds per annum.
11. In college I was briefly addicted to the show "Whose
Wedding is it Anyways?" In addition to freaking out my then-boyfriend,
this is probably what led me to write The Marrying Type.
12. While compiling this list in a laundromat (that's how I roll)
I spent 20 minutes inadvertently eavesdropping on the woman next to me, who
happened to be planning a wedding. During our time together, I learned that she
doesn't want an updo or big rose bouquets, her bridesmaids will be in all black
(or maybe not, she can't decide), the men won't wear ties, her mother is
driving her crazy, and she doesn't care who is paying for it, this is HER
wedding so everyone, including her mom, can just deal.
About the Author
Laura Chapman is the author
of The Marrying Type, Hard Hats and Doormats, and the Autumn and Tuck series, which appear in Merry & Bright and A Kind of Mad Courage. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and
her cats, Jane and Bingley. Until she fulfills her dream of landing a British
husband or becoming a Disney princess, you can find her in a bar penning her
next novel.
Connect with the author at:
