Stacey Ballis - Room For Improvement

P R A I S E FO R

SLEEPING OVER

Sleeping Over is a snappy tale of love lost, gained, revamped, rehashed, and true friendship through thick and thin... a remarkable chick lit novel... Dont let this entertaining tale pass you by.

Romance Reviews Today

Fans of relationship dramas will appreciate this fine, character-driven tale.

The Best Reviews

Sleeping Over will have you laughing, crying, and planning your next girls night out. This is the first novel I have read by Stacey Ballis, but I guarantee it wont be the last!

Romance Reader at Heart

Ballis presents a refreshingly realistic approach to relationships and the things that test (and often break) them. Balliss sophomore effort will please readers who want something more than fairy-tale romance.

Booklist

The characters were real, unique, and quirky, and each had their own situations to work out and emotional issues to overcome. Each womans story drew me in and made me want to keep reading.

Chick Lit Books

This is one of the most entertaining chick lit novels Ive read in a long time! In short, this engaging story delivers everything you ask from a great read: it makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you feel. Sleeping Over gets my highest recommendation.

Romance Divas

Four stars. Ms. Ballis has written an excellent story of love and friendship between five life-long friends, this is one author we need to hear from again.

The Romance Readers Connection

Not your average chick-lit novel. Four Stars. A Romance Reviewcontinued...

P R A I S E FO R

INAPPROPRIATE MEN

An insightful and hilarious journey into the life and mind of Chicagoan Sidney Stein.

Todays Chicago Woman

This is the ultimate read for women everywhere... Flare.com

Balliss debut is a witty tale of a thirtysomething who unexpectedly has to start the search for love all over again.

Booklist

Stacey Balliss debut novel is a funny, smart book about love, heartbreak, and all the experiences in between. Chatelaine.com (also named Inappropriate Men one of their Seven Sizzling Beach Reads for 2004)

Without compromising the intelligence of her readers, Ballis delivers an inspiring message of female empowerment and body image acceptance in her fun, sexy debut novel.

Inside Lincoln Park

Cheekily comic... Sidney Stein is a heroine to cheer lustily for, because that is how she lives her life: in grand style, and refusing to settle.

Bookpage

Inappropriate Men is wickedly funny, fresh, and real.

Curvy Novels

Without a doubt, Inappropriate Men is one of the best books of 2004. Stacey Ballis has a way with words. Effortlessly, she makes them exciting and pulls the reader into the life of one of the most engaging characters ever created, Sidney Stein. A Romance Review

For an insiders look at dating and relationships, with all the laughs and wit you could want, Inappropriate Men by Stacey Ballis is a wonderful choice for your reading pleasure.

Romance Reviews Today

room for

improvement

s ta c e y ba l l i s

b

BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), Cnr. Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright 2006 by Stacey Ballis.

Portrait of Young Man Positioning Artwork on Wall by Hill Street Studios / Getty Images.

Text design by Kristin del Rosario.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in vio

lation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The B design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ballis, Stacey.

Room for improvement / Stacey Ballis.

p. cm.

ISBN: 1-4362-8397-3

1. Women interior decoratorsFiction. 2. Chicago (Ill.)Fiction. 3. Reality television programsFiction. I. Title.

PS3602.A624R66 2006

813'.6dc22

2006041780

This book is dedicated with love to my grandmother, Harriet Jonnie Ballis

Whose adventures in decorating have beeninspiring me my whole life.

Now where did I put that can of spray paint?

This book is dedicated to the memory

of an extraordinary woman,

Cindy Bandle

Who was my gentlest of readers,

who lent me her favorite writers

and took the time to read mine,

who always bought the perfect gifts,

who always winked at the right moment,who was the consummate hostess, colleague, and friend.

I miss you very much.

Opening nights are not the same.

acknowledgments

There are always many people to thank, and very little room to thank them in. And since friends and family are about the only people who ever read these things, and you all know who you are, Im just going to stop with the actual naming and say I love you, and if you didnt know that without reading the acknowledgments page, then you arent paying attention. (Special welcome to my new goddaughter Charlotte Charley

Boultinghouse, who is the most perfect pink confection ever.

You may not read this book until you are twenty-one.) The people who always get the actual name recognition are Mom and Dad, cause they are the coolest, and they buy the most books anyway, so they should get their names in them...

STEPHEN AND ELIZABETH BALLIS, so there. (Actually, based on sales alone, I should try and figure out how to put their names on about every page... ) My sister, Deborah Ballis, because she is my not-so-gentle reader and always tells me the truth, and because she would probably smack me in the forehead if I didnt put her name here. My grandmother, Jonnie Ballis, Queen of Kvelling, which she does beautifully, thanks for always facing my books! My ridiculously fabulous agent, Scott Mendel, who takes such good care of me. My editor, Christine Zika, for her faith and good humor. The entire Penguin family for letting me be a teeny tiny little fishlet in your very lovely pond. Hans and Gabe for keeping my heart rate up, and Marcel for keeping me company.