Just finished reading...

My Own Personal Soap Opera by Libby Malin.

Libby was kind enough to send me this book (sign up for her newsletter or friend her on Facebook for a chance to win a copy of one of her books!).

Frankie McNally has the job of her dreams: head writer for the soap opera Lust for Life. Having watched it since she was a kid, she knows its history very well, and she just happens to be a talented writer, to boot.
But when her producer introduces her to Victor Pendergrast, from the company who sponsors the show, and asks her to show him around, she has no suspicion that Victor will be joining her staff.

It turns out that Victor's elderly Great-Aunt Augusta is the only reason that Pendergrast Soaps has continued to sponsor the low-rated program; she loves it. Augusta's health is failing, and Victor, a marketing expert, thinks that improving the show's ratings is the only way to persuade the rest of the company's Board of Directors to continue the sponsorship, which in turn (he hopes) will have a positive effect on his Aunt. Frankie finds that she and Victor will be working together closely.

Meanwhile, a storyline about a jewel thief sparks a copycat; Frankie's ex-husband publishes a memoir barely disguised as a novel; and Luke Blades, the injured star of Lust for Life moves in with her whilst he recovers.

Oh, to top it all off Frankie finds herself very attracted to the tall, handsome, older Victor, and Luke suddenly seems to be making a play for her.

Libby is well-characterized as a young woman who thinks she's in over her head, but is more talented than she knows. Yes, the plot is a bit over-the-top, but her story is so much fun that it doesn't matter.

Aside: one of the minor characters in the book is named Iris Carrington, who was a character on Another World, which I watched for a while. I'm not knowledgeable enough about soaps to recognize any other names; I did Google a few, but got no suitable hits.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and plan to read more of Libby's books.