Flash Giveaway! Beth Harbison's Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger

Giveaway: One print and two audio copies of Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger (Out today!) The scoop: Ten years ago, Quinn Barton was on her way to the altar to marry Burke Morrison, her high school sweetheart, when something derailed her. Rather, someone derailed her—the Best Man who at the last minute begged her to reconsider the marriage. He told her that Burke had been cheating on her. For a long time. Quinn, stunned, hurt, and confused, struggled with the obligation of fulfilling her guests’ expectations—providing a wedding—and running for her life.

She chose running. With the Best Man. Who happened to be Burke’s brother, Frank.

That relationship didn’t work either. How could it, when Quinn had been engaged to, in love with, Frank’s brother? Quinn opted for neither, and, instead, spends the next seventeen years working in her family’s Middleburg, Virginia, bridal shop, Talk of the Gown, where she subconsciously does penance for the disservice she did to marriage.

But when the two men return to town for another wedding, old anger, hurt, and passion resurface. Just because you’ve traded the good guy for the bad guy for no guy doesn’t mean you have to stay away from love for the rest of your life, does it? Told with Beth Harbison's flair for humor and heart, Chose the Wrong Guy will keep you guessing and make you believe in the possibilities of love.

Our thoughts: Funny and highly entertaining--in both the book and audio format--definitely read or listen to this novel when you're at the pool this summer!

Where you can read more about Beth: Her website and Facebook.

Leave a comment to be entered. The winners will be chosen on Thursday, July 11th after 8am PST.

Beth Harbison's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Beth Harbison Why we love her: We love her plots, her characters, her book covers... We just love on her, K?

Her latest: When In Doubt, Add Butter (July 17)

The scoop on it: As far as Gemma is concerned, her days of dating are over. In fact, it’s her job to cater other peoples’ dates, and that’s just fine by her. At thirty-seven, she has her own business, working as a private chef, and her life feels full and secure. She’s got six steady clients that keep her hands full.

There’s Lex, the fussy but fabulous department store owner who loves Oysters Rockefeller and 1950s comfort food; Willa, who needs to lose weight under doctor’s orders but still believes butter makes everything better; a colorful family who may or may not be part of the Russian mob; an überwealthy Georgetown family; the picture-perfect Van Houghtens, whose matriarch is “allergic to everything”; and finally, a man she calls “Mr. Tuesday,” whom she has never met but who she is strangely drawn to.

For Gemma, cooking is predictable. Recipes are certain. Use good ingredients, follow the directions, and you are assured success. Life, on the other hand, is full of variables. So when Gemma’s takes an unexpected turn on a road she always thought was straight and narrow, she must face her past and move on in ways she never would have imagined. Because sometimes in life, all you need is a little hope, a lot of courage, and---oh yes---butter.

Our thoughts: We are suckers for a great story about the search for true love.

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win- we'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, July 22 after 3PM PST.

Fun Fact: Beth's daughter, Paige Harbison is also an author!

Where you can read more about Beth: Facebook, Twitter and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...BETH HARBISON'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. Invent the iPod.  Not the first click wheel one, skip straight to the iPod Touch and reap the rewards of essentially having invented the iPhone at the same time.  Or think of another way to earn money, because financial independence will buy you a lot of peace of mind in your life.  You never, ever want to be dependent on anyone else for anything...and you especially don’t want to be dependent on anyone else for everything.

2. Don’t do things you know are wrong. Even from a young age, lingering regret is possible.  Your parents can’t save you from bad decisions.  No one can.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  And don’t drink and drive.  Had I done the former more often I’d be happier today and had several people I know done the latter, they’d still be alive.

3. Don’t Imagine You Can Save/Tame/Rescue Someone Else.  That’s not you being altruistic, that’s you being a control monkey.  If you find yourself spending a lot of emotional cash trying to fix someone else, ask yourself if you’re doing it for them or if you’re doing it for some sense of accomplishment for yourself.  Then, no matter what your answer, tell yourself to shut up and live the best life you can and let others take care of themselves!

4. Remember What Makes You Happy.  It’s not always possible to “follow your passion” or “do what you love” for a living, especially right off the bat when you’re starting your adult life.  If you’ve always love ventriloquism or - shudder - clowning, that alone is not a guarantee that you’ll make your fortune at it.  But there is no greater treasure than having private hobbies that reliably give you pleasure even when the rest of the world lets you down.  For me this was always reading.  Or writing.  Or painting a room (which I invariably do badly but enjoy nevertheless), or completing some other crafty project (ditto on the sloppiness).  If your Friday Night Date(less) Frenzy can be quelled by a few hours with a good book, you are far less likely to make foolish mistakes in the name of desperation.

5. Do What Makes You Happy.  It isn’t enough to know or remember what makes you happy, you have to do the thing.  Too often, especially as we get older, we hold off pleasure as a “prize” for after we achieve drudgery.  Well, a life of drudgery doesn’t have a lot of room or motivation for pleasure.  Balance your “musts” with your “wants” and if you run out of “wants” don’t feel guilty about finding more!  A truly great life is made of many small happy moments, snapshots along the way, not just big, rare masterpiece moments and prizes.

Thanks, Beth! xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Jen Lancaster's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

We're pinching ourselves. Jen Lancaster on our site twice? In three months? WTF?

Last time Jen was here--celebrating CLIND's 3rd birthday and sharing the 5 things she'd tell her teen self--our website LITERALLY crashed (the most exciting thing to happen to us in a long time!) because y'all flooded it with over 600 comments about how much you CRUSH on her and LOVE her books.

Well, we're prepared (and weirdly excited) that it may happen again. Because she's baaaaack and of course giving away 5 copies of her latest- and if you ask us her funniest (we're Gen X'ers, it was a no-brainer)- Jeneration X and sharing her 5 Do's and a Do-Over, which, of course, are perfection. Check out #4- so amazing and makes us love her even more.

So leave a comment to be entered to win!  We'll choose FIVE winners on Sunday May 13th after 6pm PST.  Good luck!

But first, here's the scoop on Jeneration X: One Reluctant Adult's Attempt to Unarrest Her Arrested Development; Or, Why It's Never Too Late for Her Dumb Ass to Learn Why Froot Loops Are Not for Dinner: In Such a Pretty Fat, Jen Lancaster learned how to come to terms with her body. In My Fair Lazy, she expanded her mind. Now the New York Times bestselling author gives herself—and her generation—a kick in the X, by facing her greatest challenge to date: acting her age.

Jen is finally ready to put away childish things (except her Barbie Styling Head, of course) and embrace the investment-making, mortgage-carrying, life-insurance-having adult she’s become. From getting a mammogram to volunteering at a halfway house, she tackles the grown-up activities she’s resisted for years, and with each rite of passage she completes, she’ll uncover a valuable—and probably humiliating—life lesson that will ease her path to full-fledged, if reluctant, adulthood.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JEN LANCASTER'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

Greetings from the Jeneration X World (okay, National) Tour!  I'm delighted to be here at Chick Lit Is Not Dead again and so pleased to share this latest round of Dos and a Do-Over. Thanks, ladies - you rock!

Although I'm fairly prolific in telling people what they should and should not do, it's nice when my advice is actually solicited instead of, um... offered anyway. (Read: communicated from the front seat of my car by way of the horn and an obscene finger gesture.)  But seriously, if some kid feels it's imperative to post on Facebook while driving and thus endanger my life over a scintillating missive regarding her great distaste for Mondays, then it's MY job to set her straight.

Not just for me, though.

For the future of America.

The topic of the way things ought to be has been weighing heavily on my mind ever since I began writing Jeneration X, a guide to helping reluctant adults everywhere grow up!  (I realize it's difficult to take the great leap to maturity, but I've done all the hard work for you.)  This book is a bit of a throwback to my early work, meaning I've gotten a little too nice in my past few memoirs. But fear not... the bitch from Bitter is back!

And with that being said, here we go!

1. DO stop flying by the seat of your pants.  For the longest time, I let important things like writing a will fall by the wayside.  I didn't want to have to face the idea of my own mortality so I evaded the whole process.  In my head, I equivocated "no will" with "no untimely demise."  But after one particularly turbulent cross-country flight, it occurred to me that I needed more than a cocktail napkin declaring "I leave everything to my pit bull Maisy" if things suddenly went awry.  Didn't want to do one, but I did it anyway.  Now I'm not prematurely aging from the stress of having so many loose ends, which, clearly, is a priority.

2. DO believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, but not in that "I've had zero formal training, yet I'm shocked I didn't make it to Hollywood on American Idol" way.  Dream big, but understand that success doesn't happen by accident.  Put in the effort to cultivate your talent and then you'll be unstoppable.

3. DO your homework when it comes to your bottom line.  Now's the time to take advantage of those lower interest rates, boring though the process may seem.  A quick caveat here - try not to get so wrapped up watching an internet girl-fight before you leave that you barely have enough time to get dressed and, thus, end up throwing on a bra that's too tight and spend the whole refinancing meeting quietly moaning about the shackles binding your chest.  And then also remember that the bank's reflective windows mean you can't see in, but they can see out.  So, when you remove your bra all Flashdance-style in the parking lot, you will have an unintended audience.  I realize this is a very specific example, but trust me when I say the new bank will not be impressed with applicants who strip in the parking lot.

4. DO spread the love.  Over the years, I've learned that my favorite people are other authors.  You'd think that we'd all be ultra-competitive with one another so I was pleasantly surprised at what a supportive sisterhood I've found in wonderful writers like Caprice Crane, Karyn Bosnak, Stacey Ballis, Quinn Cummings, Sarah Pekkanen, Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin, Allison Winn Scotch, Jane Green, and Beth Harbison (and many, many others.) Writing isn't Highlander in that there can be only one.  And this year, at Jen Weiner's suggestion, we're making it our job to champion up and coming authors because it's tough sledding out there for the new gals and we want to do what we can to help them reach larger audiences.

5. DO live in the moment.  I got my start as a writer when I was laid off ten years ago.  In that time while I was searching for a job, I never once just enjoyed the moment.  Granted it's hard to unclench when the wolves are at the door, but I feel like if I'd ever stopped for one second and thought, "For the next couple of hours, I should quit worrying and just appreciate that I don't have eleven bosses telling me what to do," then I probably would have been a lot less intense in my job interviews.  In retrospect, I am very happy with how it all turned out, but I wish I could have cut myself a small break now and again.

And finally...

DO NOT hire the cheapest accountant you can find.  Believe me when I say this is the most expensive lesson I ever learned. Ditto for doctors and lawyers.  These are instances where credentials far outweigh savings.

So... that's it!  Again, ladies, thanks so much for having me and don't forget, it's never too late to unarrest your arrested development.  I know I've crossed over to the dark side of adulthood, but it's clean and nice over here and we never run out of toilet paper...

Thank YOU, Jen!

xoxo,

L&L

To find out more about Jen Lancaster, check out her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Beth Harbison's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

Tomorrow's the big day! It's the pub date for Beth Harbison's latest (and possibly greatest!) novel, Always Something There To Remind Me. You know we love us some Beth Harbison. She's one of our faves because her stories (like this one) take us back in time (in a good way!). Her novels remind us of the fun and funny times from our past (hello- the 80's provide unlimited fodder!) and resonate because they always center around issues that we dealt with ourselves- like first loves... Can you ever really know if love is true? And if it is, should you stop at anything to get it?

Two decades ago, Erin Edwards was sure she’d already found the love of her life: Nate Lawson. Her first love. The one with whom she shared everything--dreams of the future, of children, plans for forever. The one she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Until one terrible night when Erin made a mistake Nate could not forgive and left her to mourn the relationship she could never forget or get over.

Today, Erin is contentedly involved with a phenomenal guy, maneuvering a successful and exciting career, and raising a great daughter all on her own. So why would the name “Nate Lawson” be the first thing to enter her mind when her boyfriend asks her to marry him?

In the wake of the proposal, Erin finds herself coming unraveled over the past, and the love she never forgot. The more she tries to ignore it and move on, the more it haunts her.

Always Something There to Remind Me is a story that will resonate with any woman who has ever thought of that one first love and wondered, “Where is he?” and “What if…?” Filled with Beth Harbison’s trademark nostalgia humor and heart, it will transport you, and inspire you to believe in the power of first love

And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of five copies of Always Something There To Remind Me. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm on Sunday, July 24th. (We'll be on vacay 'til then, yo!)

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...BETH HARBISON'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER...

But before we do, we just have to say, Beth, we're so with ya on #5! And thankful that email and texting didn't exist back in the day-like in college when we were serious dumb-asses- because we would have really been in trouble!

DO'S

1. Do: Be Patient. I am not patient. It makes me crazy for 10-90% of every day, meaning my life would be 10-90% easier every day if I were patient. So, don’t do as I do, do as I say. Be patient. And let me know how that goes. Hurry up!

2. Do: Be kind. You should ALWAYS treat your friends and loved ones and, especially, your children with AT LEAST the same respect you’d give a stranger. It’s amazing how many people forget this golden rule.

3. Do: Your Best. Do your best. It doesn’t matter then how it measures up to what you consider someone else’s best. My best looks a bit shabby next to, say, Mother Teresa’s, but it’s pretty damn good compared to Charles Manson’s. If you’re content with what you’re doing, and you’re kind to people and productive in some small measure, count yourself lucky and don’t worry about being a world-burner. Not everyone’s flash is on the outside. Doesn’t matter. I’m thinking of one person in particular here, but it applies to everyone.

4. Do: Expect the best. If you expect the worst, it always happens. You look for it. You point yourself in its direction in ways you aren’t even aware of. Better to expect the best, and march thataway. Look for three lucky things every day. You’ll always see them, even if they’re small…

5. Do: Invent a breathalyzer machine of some sort that will lock electronics and prevent emailing and texting whilst tipsy. Please. I will invest much money in your company. This is a HUGE money-maker, if only someone with that kind of brain would come up with it!

DO-OVER

Do over: That’s it – do it over if you need to. Again and again and again. If you fall, get up. Get up. Get up. You don’t fail until you quit. Every single one of us needs to be reminded of this – I need it frequently – it’s ain’t over til it’s over. You can quote me on that.

To find out more about this lovely and incredibly talented New York Times bestselling author, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks, Beth! xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Juliette Fay's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

 

Juliette Fay is one of those authors that once you discover her, you're hooked for life (or for as long as she'll keep writing!) Some of our favorite authors including the fabulously talented Beth Harbison and Emily Giffin have raved about Fay and her latest novel, Deep Down True.  Harbison calls it engrossing, touching and immensely satisfying and Giffin describes it as sincere, powerful and heartfelt. And we couldn't agree with them more. Plus, we really love on the cover!

Synopsis:

Deep Down True is the story of Dana Stellgarten, a quintessential good girl whose unfailing "niceness" is acquiring a surprising edge. Recently divorced and running low on funds, Dana has her hands full as the shock waves from her husband's departure reverberate through her family. Seven-year-old happy-go-lucky Grady suddenly develops anger management problems, and twelve-year-old Morgan struggles with an eating disorder as she tries to keep her head above the shark-infested waters of middle school. Then Dana's sixteen-year-old niece, Alder, comes crashing into their lives-literally-carrying with her a mysterious sorrow, yet also bringing an unexpected element of maturity and insight to their tightly-knit circle.

As Dana enters the slipstream of post-divorce romance with Grady's handsome football coach and attracts the interest of the town's charismatic queen bee, she will find that the tension between being true to herself and being liked doesn't end in middle school. Yet, where she least expects to find it, she discovers a true friend- someone who reminds Dana that the points of her inner compass are still there to guide her, even when the territory of her life feels like a foreign landscape.

Definitely take a second to read the first chapter and check out the fabulous book trailer.

And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of five copies of Deep Down True! We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm on Thursday, April 14th.

And now if we can have a drumroll please because it's time for her DO's and DO-OVER (check out the Do-over- we can definitely relate!)

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JULIETTE FAY'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

5 DO'S

1. Do something you love even if you’re not good at it. I always admire the folks who sing loud in church even if they couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Belt it out, my friend! We can’t be virtuosos at everything, but that shouldn’t keep us doing things that deliver that inner jolt of joy.

2. Freak out your kids. Mine think I’m utterly predictable. It’s fun to prove them wrong sometimes, and mess with them a little. One of my favorites is every once in a while I call them in to dinner and there’s nothing on the table but ice cream and toppings. They go nuts. I smile smugly. Everyone wins.

3. Know your short suits. We all have them. Know where you tend to go wrong. Ask a trusted friend if you’re not sure, and accept the answers graciously. Thank her for telling you the painful news that you don’t listen as well as you might, or that those shoulder pads make you look like Tom Brady—and not in a good way.

4. Take pride in your jammies. As my teenage daughter will confirm, I’m no clothes horse. But since we spend a third of our lives in bed, our pajamas should feel and look good. I used to be a T-shirt-and-sweats girl, but no more. Soft, pretty sleepwear is worth every penny, and I believe it actually makes you sleep more soundly, content in the knowledge of your excellent jammies.

5. Show up and help out. If, as the saying goes, fifty percent of life is just showing up, the other fifty is making yourself useful once you get there. If everyone did one small helpful thing every day … just imagine.

DO-OVER

Oh, so many to choose from! I wish I had dated all those “boring” nice boys instead of the “interesting” ones who tended to be a little screwed up. “Interesting” gets boring real fast, and “boring” leaves a generous margin for the element of surprise.

To find out more about the lovely and talented Juliette Fay, check out her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks, Juliette!

xoxo,

L&L

7 Seconds in Heaven With...Robert Rave

We knew when one of our favorite authors and people, Beth Harbison, called Robert Rave's second novel, Waxed, "Charming and hilarious...the perfect summer read and a ton of fun," that we had to check it out. And not surprisingly, Beth was right. Robert's writing is sassy, funny and overall brilliant. And the cover of his book is beyond!  Waxed is the story of three relationship-challenged sisters who work at New York's hottest waxing salon. There's big sis, Carolina, who owns the salon and is caught in a love triangle. Then there's middle sis, Anna, who reluctantly joins the workforce after her divorce. And there's Sofia, a newlywed who doesn't know if she wants the domestic life or the night life. We loved this story about how some women will do anything to look the part. (Um, I think we can all relate ladies! Need we discuss our last Brazilian bikini wax or the endless hours spent getting weaved, plucked and otherwise prodded?) But what we really boned out on was that a story like this was written by a man!

And five of you will be the lucky winners of a copy of Waxed. Just leave a comment and your name will be entered. We'll randomly select the winners this Thursday!

After reading and loving Waxed, we knew Robert Rave would be perfect for our 7 Seconds in Heaven feature. He's a talented writer, funny and, well, easy on the eyes! And we were so right about him! In fact, he had us at Money Can't Buy You Class!

So without further adieu, we'll let you spend 7 Seconds in Heaven with Robert Rave!

1. Quickest way to make me smile? Mention the words “satchels of gold” or start singing "Money Can't Buy You Class" and we’ll be fast friends.  I admit it.  I’m addicted to the The Real Houswives of New York and all of its craziness. Don’t get me wrong, I like high-brow cinema, literature and music too, but sometimes there’s nothing better than a little junk food television.

2. I was raised as a Midwestern “meat and potatoes” guy.  However, within the last couple years I’ve become vegetarian and now I’m pretty much vegan.  I’m not hardcore, but I’m pretty good.  My parents are beside themselves about this.  They think I’ve lost my mind and are completely baffled as to how I could give up a nice steak or cheeseburger.  Theyhave told me repeatedly that it’s time I move out of California and back to the Midwest or at the very least to New York City where I lived for nine years.

3. I have a crazy sweet tooth.  Cakes, cookies, and desserts are my thing.  However, now those sweet-treats are (mostly) vegan.  I make frequent trips to Babycakes bakery for their cupcakes and chocolate-chip cookie sandwiches.  They are seriously incredible—you would never know that they are vegan.  When I feel really inspired, I make their chocolate chip cookies at home.  However, I end up giving most of them away because if left at my house, I will eat every last one.

4. Because of my love of baked goods, you’ll also find me religiously attending Barry’s Bootcamp to work off every last crumb.  It’s probably one of the best workouts that I’ve ever done.  I’ve completely changed my body because of it.  I also have the most random ideas for novels while I’m working out there so I feel like I’m multi-tasking.

5. I have two French Bulldogs that act as my Xanax. I gave them old men names because it totally suits their personalities.  My older dog was named after one of the characters from The Golden Girls.  Completely and utterly embarrassing, I know.

6. I really want to be a Dad. Wow. It’s like I suddenly went from a light-hearted Q&A to filling out a match.com questionnaire. But it is true. It’s one of those things that has really been playing on my mind a lot lately.  I think I would be okay if it didn’t happen for me, but I still like to imagine the possibility.

7. Next up for me is a non-fiction book from St. Martin’s in the fall of 2011. The title keeps changing so become a fan on Facebook or follow me on Twitter to learn more about it.  Right now, I’m writing the outline for a series of books that I’m so beyond excited about I can’t even tell you. I don’t want to say anymore—but I love it.

To find out more about Robert Rave, visit his website and follow him on Facebook. And don't forget to buy Waxed here!

Thanks so much, Robert!

xoxo,

L&L

5 Things Liz & Lisa Didn't Know About...Beth Harbison

Gotta love summer and all the new releases from  our favorite writers these past few months.  Between great books by Emily Giffin, Allison Winn Scotch and Jane Green, our beach bag is getting damn heavy(maybe we can find a hunky lifeguard to carry it for us?). And we'll have to make room for one more NYT bestselling author because the lovely Beth Harbison has a new book out TODAY.  Thin, Rich, Pretty is a must read! (PS: It's also her birthday! What a perfect way to celebrate!) We first fell in love with Beth after reading Shoe Addicts Anonymous and were lucky enough to have her answer 25 Things we wanted to know last year.  Thin, Rich, Pretty is Harbison's fourth novel and it follows three women as they attempt to escape the bitterness of their past. Poignant and funny, Thin, Rich, Pretty is for any woman who remembers that bratty girl who made fun of her but is happy today in spite of it.

And we've got FIVE copies of Thin, Rich, Pretty to give away.  Just leave a comment and we'll choose the winners by random drawing on Thursday evening.  How easy is that?  So don't be shy, leave a comment!

Now let's get to Beth's five things.  If you've never read her books before, we have a feeling you'll be running out to the nearest Barnes & Noble after checking out what she has to say (just the fact that she could pick us up for lunch in a limo OR a Haz-mat truck makes us love her). She had us LOLing. And that's saying a lot because we don't LOL for just anyone...I mean, we might COL(chuckle out loud) occasionally but we're definitely not LOL whores.(Although *someone* (Liz!) has developed a serious snorting out loud problem lately...)

But now, without further adieu-let's give a warm welcome to the ultra-fab Beth Harbison!

5 Things Liz & Lisa didn't know about Beth Harbison!

1. That, when asked to come up with five things people don’t know about me, I really struggled to come up with anything.  Then I realized the no one out there really knows anything about me, so it’s not really five things you don’t know about me that I’m having trouble with but five things about me that might be interesting at all.   So, in conclusion, 1. I’m boring.

2. Except, I’m really not boring, it’s just that all the good stuff about me is secret. I can’t tell you the good stuff without being afraid you’ll blackmail me with it later, or that it will come out the night before the New Hampshire Primaries when I’m running for president and my bid for the White House will be completely ruined because my bossy publicist wanted me to get out here and trumpet myself so people will buy my books.  So 2. I’m running for President.  Someday.

3. I’d be a horrible president.  Really. I don’t understand politics that well and I can’t really keep my own money budgeted, so you don’t want me in charge of yours.  On the other hand, if Katie Couric asked me what magazines and newspapers I read, I could answer.  In fact, I would answer.  Because maybe the People Magazine, InStyle, and Allure people would give me a free lifetime subscription which, believe me, would save me lots of money.  Wait!  Did you catch that?  I was being budget conscious.  So maybe I’d be a pretty good president.  Or at least Governor of California.  Except I don’t know what to do about the oil spill, since Certain People laughed at my “lots and lots of cotton balls” idea.  Incidentally, the White House phone operator didn’t otherwise demonstrate any sense of humor at all, so I don’t think she was laughing with me, so much as at me.  So, yeah, 3. I am not the political expert I appear to be.

4. So clearly if the writing thing doesn’t work out, I’m kind of screwed as far as a career in politics is concerned too. It’s too late to join the military, though drab green is my color, and even if the Peace Corps would have me, I think the fact that I’m afraid to walk around my suburban neighborhood at night -- because of all the frogs and rabbits and shushing noises in the trees -- might indicate I’m a bad candidate for jungle living.  I actually have a commercial driver’s license and can legally drive a limo, or bus or non-Hazmat truck, but I also have a driving phobia so the CDL is really just for show now.  Really, my greatest asset seems to be that I’ve eaten at virtually every restaurant in Disney World.  And a bunch of good ones in Manhattan as well.  And D.C.  But what job consists of basically eating in fancy restaurants and going to events?  I know!  4. Would make excellent hired escort Vice­-President.

5. I don’t want to be vice-president! For one thing, I kind of like the idea of living in Florida, at least in the winter, and you just know the media would be all over me for leaving Mass Avenue and going on down to Key West for a few months every year.  President Schwarzenegger might also not be too pleased with me for that, because then he’d get a bunch of heat for begging me to be his running mate.  As he should, actually, because you totally know he’d have strong armed me into doing it because he so desperately needed someone with my charm, intelligence, and lack of easily-imitated-by-Tina-Fey annoying accent to boost his ticket.  When you come right down to it, you just know he begged me, using emotional blackmail like “the children of America look up to you and need your guidance” and “only you can pass a bill allowing dogs to vote”.  And frankly I don’t like being manipulated that way, Arnold.  So, I guess, 5. is: I’m going to just keep being a writer as long as I have readers.  But you probably already knew that.

In which case: I am very grateful to have the opportunity to do what I love every day and get paid for it.  Being a working hired escort writer.

To read more about Beth, check out her Facebook fan page or follow her on Twitter.

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

25 Things Liz & Lisa want to know about Beth Harbison

We make no secret of the fact we have MAJUH crushes on a few, select, Chick Lit writers! So imagine how starstruck we've been when so many of our absolute fav's have candidly answered our hard-hitting questions in our 25 Things Liz And Lisa Want To Know series! So far, we've learned that Megan Crane once worked as a customer service rep, that Allison Winn Scotch's secret talent is singing and Jennifer Weiner crushes on Sarah Silverman. Emily Giffin revealed that she can't live without Starbucks and Sarah Pekkanen admitted she's done some of her writing at a table at Chuck E  Cheese!

And now we're proud to add another incredibly talented and funny Chick Lit author into the 25 Qs mix! (Anyone who calls Chick Lit the "beaujolais Nouveau of literature" is our kind of gal!)  Most recently, BETH HARBISON absolutely rocked our socks with HOPE IN A JAR. (Lisa devoured it in one day and immediately told Liz to stop everything she was doing and read it too!)  People Magazine called it Chick Lit with heart and soul and we couldn't agree more. Beth's previous books, SHOE ADDICTS ANONYMOUS, SECRETS OF A SHOE ADDICT and her contribution to the collection of short stories, AFTERBIRTH (stories you won't read in PARENTS magazine), are all must-reads too!

We're excited to announce that we have FIVE copies of Beth's latest book, HOPE IN A JAR, to give away! To become the proud owner of this fabulous novel, all you have to do is become a fan of Chicklitisnotdead.com on Facebook and leave a comment about the beauty product you absolutely cannot live without. (Lisa can't leave the house without putting Laura Mercier Secret Concealer on the set of "luggage under her eyes" and Liz isn't human until she slathers Dermalogica Super Rich Repair on her "lizard-like skin!")

So, without further adieu...*Cue drum roll*

Chick Lit is Not Dead presents.... 25 Things Liz and Lisa want to know about Beth Harbison!

1.  Inside my purse, you'll discover: credit cards, Nars Dolce Vita lipstick, one of those little magnifying glasses with a light that I can never find when I need it, gum, a broken MAC compact, a stun gun.

2.  My secret talent is: roller skating

3.  If stranded on an island, the five things I could not live without are: soap, sunscreen, my Kindle, wireless internet, and, I don't know, some sort of boat?

4.  On my nightstand you'll find: water from last night, Lego, a book I haven't read, a People Magazine I'm halfway through, and ear plugs so I don't have to kill my husband for snoring and keeping me up.

5.  When I grew up, I wanted to be: famous!  Like, a famous actress, revered by all.  What happened?!

6.  My worst job: at an office where they didn't appear to need me so there was never anything to do except TRY to look busy, which was nearly impossible -- it was a banner day when someone wanted filing done.

7.  My comfort food: macaroni and cheese with a crispy Ritz top.

8.  The location where I write: my office at home.

9.  Three songs on my IPOD's most played list: Careful (Guster), Viva la Vida (Coldplay), Party in the USA (Miley Cyrus) (don't judge me!)

10. If I was on the cover of US Weekly , my headline would read: Writer Discovers Stun Gun Cure for Husband's Snoring and Restless Legs.

11. The three books that make me think of my childhood: The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart; Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne; any Trixie Belden book.

12. My favorite Chick Flick: French Kiss or Only You (Robert Downey Jr. one)

13. My favorite Chick Lit book: Twenties Girl, Sophie Kinsella

14. My "must see" TV: Real Housewives of absolutely anywhere; True Blood; The Office

15. My Starbucks order: this time of year it's the Caramel Apple Cider

16. My favorite curse word: Fuck

17. My celebrity man crush: Jon Bon Jovi.  Man, I need a new one.

18. My celebrity girl crush: Paula Deen

19. My writer crush: Quinn Cummings

20. My last meal before execution: Icebox Cake (Nabisco famous chocolate wafers and whipped cream)

21. Three words to summarize my book: Friends, 80's, men

22. It took me ______to write my book: 6-7 months

23. My book's original title: it was always HOPE IN A JAR

24. Right now, I'm working on: ONE TEQUILA SHOT AWAY (from Making a Mix Tape and Driving Past His House)

25. Chick Lit is alive & kicking because: it is the beaujolais Nouveau of literature - fresh, new, always current, meant to intoxicate not to make you think or cry, though sometimes it does all three.

To read even more about the awesome Beth Harbison, head on over to www.bethharbison.com!

xoxo