Cat Lavoie author of Messing with Matilda author Q&A and blog tour stop

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Messing With Matilda by Cat Lavoie
Published by Cat Lavoie on April 4, 2018
Genres: Chick Lit, Romantic Comedy

   

As a professional organizer in New York City, Matilda Hart wages war against chaos and clutter on a daily basis for her clients—and she vows to never let it invade her own well-ordered world. 

But when her boyfriend decides to deviate from the path she’s been planning for them, Matilda's perfectly structured life begins to crumble. She reluctantly finds herself back in the tiny hometown she fled a lifetime ago—determined to lay low and avoid running into anyone she used to know. So why is she reconnecting with her former best friend and putting up with the bridezilla antics of Amber, her high school nemesis? 

When Matilda is tasked with keeping the bride-to-be’s heartbroken ex away from the ceremony, she discovers she has history with the man who’s trying to sabotage the wedding. Matilda quickly realizes that teaming up with cute and quirky—but hopelessly devoted—Silas Flynn could be mutually beneficial. He needs help wooing the woman he considers the love of his life and Matilda can't pass up the chance to finally get back at the meanest of the mean girls by assisting Silas in his attempts to disrupt her wedding. 

Will everything go according to plan for this mismatched pair? Or will working so closely together make uptight Matilda and laid-back Silas lose sight of their common goal? 

One thing's for sure—things are about to get messy.

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About Cat Lavoie

Cat Lavoie is a chick lit writer from Montreal, Canada. She loves writing fun and quirky romantic comedies and is the author of BREAKING THE RULES, ZOEY & THE MOMENT OF ZEN, PERI IN PROGRESS and MESSING WITH MATILDA.

A fan of all things feline, Cat loves cats and hopes to someday have a house full of them in order to officially become a crazy cat lady. (But one or two cats will do for now.)

If she isn’t reading or writing, Cat enjoys listening to podcasts (mostly comedy and true crime) and watching way too much TV. She fell in love with London many years ago and hopes to go back one day. Cat is currently at work on her next novel.

To connect with Cat and find out more about her books, visit CatLavoie.com and follow @CatLavoieBooks on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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 Author Q&A
1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
I wanted to write a story about two completely mismatched characters who need to work together for
a common goal. I love a good “opposites attract” story—and so laid-back Silas and uptight Matilda were born.
2. When did you take up writing?
I’ve been writing my entire life—I used to scribble stories in my notebooks at school and I started countless short stories that I never finished. But, in my early twenties, I decided to take it seriously and write a novel.  
3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
I created the fictional town of Messina, Connecticut in my second novel, Zoey & the Moment of Zen. That setting is especially important in Messing with Matilda since Matilda is not very fond of her hometown—it represents a past she doesn’t want to revisit. Unlike Matilda, I’m quite fond of Messina and look forward to setting more stories there.
 4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
Definitely Silas. He’s quirky and adorable and I loved writing dialogue for him. 

​5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?

Keep writing—everything will eventually fall into place.

6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
I have a hectic day job, so I write whenever I can. I try to get a lot of writing done during lunch breaks and weekends.

7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
I’m a plotter. I need to have a plan before I start writing, but if the story takes over and leads me in another direction, I’m willing to toss the plan.

8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
In recent months, I’ve loved Tracie Banister’s latest, Izzy As Is, and The Royal Treatment by Melanie Summers. I also quite enjoyed The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn.

9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
I’m in the early stages of plotting and doing research for my next novel. Even though I’m sad to leave Matilda and the gang behind, getting to know new characters is so much fun!

10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
I’d tell them… believe in yourself and your story. Write the story you want to tell and don’t worry too much about what’s going to happen after “the end.” And, of course, keep writing!

MESSING WITH MATILDA EXCERPT

I don’t want to go home. Facing an empty apartment—one I now know I’ll be living in for the foreseeable future—is too much to handle right now. But I can’t stand on the sidewalk forever while strangers walk around me giving me annoyed looks. I can’t be mad at them—if the situation were reversed, I’d be one of those strangers wondering why the idiot in the black cocktail dress isn’t moving.
So I start moving.
Since home isn’t an option, I decide to walk to Hart Your Space and partake in one of my favorite activities—ordering office supplies. My newest obsession is colorful paperclips and I feel like ordering two boxes today—look at me being all reckless with money. I also have a few follow-up appointments next week and I should look over my notes again just to make sure I’m adequately prepared. I could schedule a lunch date with Dr. Paxton too, but none of these things are urgent and just thinking of the word “date” makes me want to throw up what little dinner I ate.
I take out my phone and see a new voicemail from my mother and two emoji-filled texts from Evie with a series of hearts, keys, and question marks. It’s like she knows something’s going on. Ignoring my messages, I fish my headphones out of my bag and connect them to my phone. Inserting the tiny white buds into my ears, I open up the podcast app on my phone and find the episode I was listening to earlier. The smooth voice of the narrator blasts into my ears—blocking out most of the traffic noise and the random conversations of the people walking past me—and I sigh with relief.
“It was a gruesome crime scene, and I was the first police officer who responded to the call. Even twenty years later, I can still remember every single detail. They are etched into my memory, and I still become emotional when discussing the events of that day.”
You wouldn’t think that listening to Crime Stalker with Jake Deno—a podcast about an NYPD homicide detective and his most memorable cases—would have a calming effect on anyone, but I’m completely fascinated by it, downloading each episode onto my phone as soon as it’s released. I listen to it at the gym, during my commute when Evie isn’t with me, and when I need to become immersed in someone else’s gory reality to escape my own.
#
Forty-five minutes later, I’m a few steps away from my office, and I’ve already decided that I’m taking a cab home when I’m done here. My feet are killing me, and I can’t wait to collapse on my desk chair and kick off the uncomfortable shoes that are giving me blisters. If I had known I’d be storming out of my date with Arthur, I would have worn the orthopedic shoes he prescribed to me after diagnosing me with flat feet, or pes planus as they say in the foot business. The heel is so chunky, it would have been perfect to throw at Arthur’s head when he started talking about Fiona and Boston. I try to forget about those two idiots as I rip the buds out of my ears.