Media Rumors Provide Laughs for Hero of New, Offbeat Novel

BEDMINSTER, N.J., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The hero of the forthcoming novel, "Dancing with Jou Jou" (published by iUniverse) by Barbara Louise Leiding, is a beloved tennis champion known around the globe for his quick wit, impeccable Southern manners, and a voracious appetite for burritos. To camouflage himself from the paparazzi, he zips around in a beat up VW Bug, while the media has a field day speculating on his presumed sexual activities. The rumor is that he must be having multiple affairs with beautiful women. Perhaps even a man?

A line from the first chapter describes the character as having "more product endorsements than Tiger Woods," but the author claims that she did not actually model him on the famous golfer.

"I've never followed sports, especially golf," the author said. "The inspiration for the book was the proliferation of media circuses that pop up from time to time, along with the apparent basic human need to indulge in gossip until the truth is completely unknown. The main characters buy lottery tickets with hopes of financing lifestyles as lavish as those of the rich and famous, then become tangled up in love triangles involving not just lust, but greed."

The plot is set in motion when a sweet-talking con artist ropes his trusting girlfriend into a madcap scheme for swindling a pair of lottery winners out of a fortune. When a diamond heist goes hopelessly awry, a wild chase begins, and the tennis celebrity is swept into the madness. In the process, he becomes romantically attracted to a most unlikely heroine who may -- or may not -- be wanted by the police. Despite the media mayhem, the beloved tennis star proves to be they type of man who can only focus on one woman at a time.

"Even though his personal life is placed under a microscope for the entire world to see, he says he simply does not care," the author said. "In fact, he uses humor to deflect media rumors, firm in the belief that no one's sexual activities are anyone's business, but his own. It's his ability to be indifferent to the opinions of others that makes him a hero. I think few people are as self-confident or secure."

"Dancing with Jou Jou" was the second place winner at the 17th Annual Hawaii Writers Conference. The cover of the book is currently being revised. The official release date is scheduled for 2010. The book can be ordered now directly through the publisher, iUniverse, or any bookstore in paperback (ISBN: 9780595527557) or eBook (ISBN: 9780595628070). It can be ordered through Amazon's new Kindle Store. Page Count: 310. For rights and permissions, contact the author directly. Barbara Louise Leiding can be reached at (908) 642-8963 or e-mail: [email protected].

"Dancing with Jou Jou - A Novel"

Available from: http://www.iUniverse.com, http://www.bn.com, and http://www.amazon.com.

iUniverse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.iuniverse.com.

iUniverse offers a variety of publishing services to help individuals publish, market and sell fiction, poetry and nonfiction books. The company utilizes print-on-demand technology, and is one of the largest self-publishing companies in the U.S. iUniverse is based in Bloomington, Indiana.

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SOURCE iUniverse