C.J. Murphy

"C.J., you've got another marriage proposal. Looks like maybe two or three of them, if this envelope with somebody's unwashed lucky socks sticking out are any clue. What does that make, fourteen this month?" My editor strode into the tiny closet that served as my office with a whole pile of envelopes and a couple of boxes.

I felt my lips curl. "Socks? Yuck. And some idiot thinks I'll marry him after that? And it was only nine before today, so don't exaggerate." Slouching back in my totally-not-ergonomic desk chair, I scanned my desk for an inch of free space. Bingo! I lifted my shabby running shoe (and the foot inside of it) from its resting place on top of the pile of old magazines I like to call "research material" and crossed it over my right foot, which had pride of place on top of my college Webster's.

(It helps my status in the office if I at least pretend to look like a real reporter, instead of what I really am: somebody who makes fun of herself, other people, and the human condition for a living. Or, as my brilliant agent Steve calls me: a humor columnist. He ought to know, I guess. He just got me a sweet syndication deal.)

Copyright 2005, Alesia Holliday

THE NAKED TRUTH is the brainchild of my brilliant editor, Cindy Hwang. She came up with the title concept and got the gang together - Donna Kauffman, Beverly Brandt, Erin McCarthy and me -- and basically did what brilliant editors do. She let us play.

The four of us came up with the idea to all use the word "naked" in our novella titles, and I think we had fun with that, too. The idea of The Naked Truth popped an idea fully formed into my mind: a columnist for a newspaper who is a total tomboy, after growing up in a family of all boys, and so she "deciphers and translates" Guy Speak into something the rest of us (read: Normal Women) can understand.

Since C.J. had made a brief appearance in NICE GIRLS FINISH FIRST, she was demanding her own story. I really had fun with it!

C.J.'s best friend, and the paper's resident fashionista, Paola, owes her beautiful name to my publicist at Berkley. I loved the name so much I HAD to put it in a book. The "real" Paola, the talented and enthusiastic Paola Soto, loved the result, so that was a "whew!" moment for me.

Why not? Sometimes you just want to have fun, and what better time than when you're invited to a Naked Guy party? With hunky reporters, extreme makeovers, and fortune cookies of death, THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT GUYS is more fun than I ever thought I'd have at my keyboard. I hope you enjoy it, too.

"Four fine contemporary novellas"

" Seattle Times columnist C.J. wonders how to persuade investigative reporter Hugh that she wants him when he seems to see her as one of the guys. She lays her heart out in her columns, but like all men he misunderstands that changing the oil may prove love to a guy, but women need the Grand Gesture. . . . These four contemporary novellas focus on Men Are from Mars; Women Are from Venus as misunderstanding between the genders lead to fun lighthearted romantic frolics."
-- The Best Reviews

"A four-rose read!"
-- Romance Reader at Heart

"This was for this reviewer, by far the best story in the anthology. It made this reviewer laugh out loud and was so romantic and heart-warming. A little wacky, CJ gives the masculine world a big surprise. Her column is down to earth and hilarious. A little reminiscent of Sex In The City, this story will certainly grab the reader. One of the things that clinched it for this reviewer was…dare this reviewer say it? The hero reminded the heroine of Gerard Butler…swoon! A sexy, sassy read and a wonderful plot, Ms Holliday has written a winner."
-- Valerie, LovesRomances.com

"What does it really take to succeed in love these days? Authors Erin McCarthy, Alesia Holiday, Donna Kaufman, and Beverly Brandt tackle the question in this lighthearted, romantic anthology about modern love . . . Getting back in the game was never so entertaining."  
-- Ginger Curwen, The Barnes & Noble Review

"THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT GUYS -- I really got into this story. Ms. Holliday's style of writing is so fun and vibrant, the characters seem to be people you would know or work with yourself. I loved watching C.J. try to juggle her feelings between two men and not knowing which way to act."
-- Jen Hill, Roundtable Reviews

"A four-rose read! "
-- Romance Reader at Heart

"THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT GUYS by Alesia Holliday has columnist C.J. Murphy undergoing a makeover to become something more than just "one of the guys". She's totally attracted to a fellow worker, but she's gained the attention of a sports star as well. Can she manage to find the real C. J. before she loses the one guy who really cares about her?

I really got into this story. Ms. Holliday's style of writing is so fun and vibrant, the characters seem to be people you would know or work with yourself. I loved watching C.J. try to juggle her feelings between two men and not knowing which way to act. Hugh is great as the co-worker, although Aaron is a little over the top as the sports star, but equally good is the interactions between the three."
-- Jen Hill, Roundtable Reviews