Mommy Monday: The Art of saying NO by Liz

Repeat after me: Just say no.  Just say no.  Just say no. I'm not sure when I realized that I was a total people pleaser.  It might have been in second grade when I became the teacher's pet.  Or maybe in college when I just couldn't stand to have anybody be angry with me.  Or when, after overextending myself AGAIN recently, my husband informed me that it was time to become friends with the word NO.

But the thing is, I don't like saying NO.  And not just because there's some freaky people pleaser living inside me that probably needs therapy, but because I really DO want to try to do it all. (or at least pretend that I can!) But with two kids, a full-time job and my writing endeavors, adding much else can send me over the edge faster than you can say Lindsay Lohan.

But don't worry, when it comes to my kids, I serve out plenty of the N-O.  For some reason, the people pleaser in me doesn't care if they get mad at me.  Or maybe deep down inside I know that if I don't say NO to them now, I'll pay dearly for it later. But for just about anything else, I'm a complete YES whore.

My college sorority needs an advisor? Sure!  I'm sure that the hour drive to get to campus for events will be worth reliving my glory days, right?

Girl Scout troop needs a co-leader? Sure! Even though I can't control my two children, I'm sure getting fifteen five-year old's to listen to me will be no problemo.  Just don't ask me to sew on any patches.

And it's not just over-volunteering that I have a problem with.  I just dread telling people NO in general-and I have the magazine subscriptions and coupon books and cookie dough to prove it.  It's so bad that Lisa had to have a NO intervention with me recently.  And don't tell anyone, but sometimes she gives me a script on how to say No.  She's my NO coach!

And she's right.  Because often I find myself saying yes to things I shouldn't and over scheduling the sh*t out of myself.  And then sometimes I have to say yes and then NO, which is even worse than just having the balls to say NO in the first place.  So because of that, I've been trying to get my NO on for the last month.  And although I sweated my ass off when I wrote my first NO email, it felt liberating to take control back of my own life.

Need a late night pickup from the airport? Hell to the NO!

You just need one more subscription to win that trip to Europe? No can do!  I've had enough O Magazine to last me a lifetime.

Want me to upgrade my Amex account? No F'ing way-I don't care how cool your concierge service looks!

So as you can see, I'm slowly learning the art of saying no.  But I don't want to go too far in the other direction.  I'll always want to be someone that people can count on when they need something.  Because, like any friend, I really do want to help them if I can.  And I'll never be able to pass someone with  cardboard sign without throwing a couple bucks their way.  But maybe now I'll be better at saying no to the things that ultimately take away from the things that matter most.  And maybe, just maybe, I'll find that elusive balance that I'm seeking. (Yeah right!  But a girl can dream, right?)

How about you? Do you have trouble saying NO?  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of  the bestselling Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler!  We'll pick the winners on Wednesday night. xo, Liz

Exclamation Point Whore By Lisa

If you met me, you'd probably definitely never describe me as happy go lucky or bubbly. But if you were to read one of my emails, you'd think you were corresponding with Suzie f***ing Sunshine!

And it's all because of the exclamation point!

Somewhere along the line, I couldn't write a freakin' email without one. And then it was two. And then, before I knew it, I'd officially become an exclamation point whore.

I couldn't stop.

An email just didn't seem complete without one five of them.

A sentence seemed flat and boring without one punctuating it.

I feared the recipient of my email wouldn't understand my excitement if the email didn't include a. String. Of. Them.

I was addicted.

I felt that the exclamation point was the only way I could get my, well, point across.

But then there were some comments about my very excited emails from those who shall remain nameless (hint: Liz wasn't one of said commenters- she's a total exclamation whore too!) and I was forced to take a long, hard look at my use of a punctuation tool that had grown to become, um, a friend. (Note to reader: I really wanted to put an exclamation point at the end of that last email, but I didn't...)

Was it professional? How many were too many? Could I substitute a smiley face or was that even worse? (more on that in a minute.)

And I tried, I really tried to leave them out of my emails. But at this point, typing them was practically second nature.

So before pushing send, I would attempt to edit. Which could stay and which should go?  But I never felt I could get it right. I needed my exclamation points!!! All of them!!! Damnit!!!

But in an effort to curb my habit, I started to use this guy: :)

But he couldn't replace my beloved exclamation point. Smiley just seemed childish and second best. So I dumped him (but keep him on the back burner just in case) and went back to my first love.

But I will tell you that the situation has improved. I'm not as much of a whore anymore. In fact, I only used 14 in this post (and some of them were deliberately for dramatic purposes) and believe me, I could've used many, many more!

Leave a comment today and you'll be entered to win an advanced reader copy of The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate (in stores October 26th) AND The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes. Let me know if you also blatantly abuse any form of punctuation. Tell me I'm not alone :)

xoxo,

Lisa

What's on Sally Koslow's Bucket List?

It's just about that time of year again.  You know, when you can curl up by the fire with a blanket and read the latest offering from your favorite author. Or if you live in Southern California like Liz does, it might just be more like a tank top and a light throw.  But still, you get the point.  There's no better way to spend a lazy Sunday than with a great book. Which is exactly why we're so excited to have Sally Koslow revealing her bucket list.  As the former Editor in Chief at both McCalls and Lifetime, we loved her fictional take on the magazine publishing world in her debut, Little Pink Slips. (Which was reportedly about her experience working with Rosie O'Donnell!  Juicy stuff!)  So when Sally's latest, With Friends Like These, arrived at our doorstep, we were looking forward to losing ourselves in Sally's smart and sassy narrative.

With Friends Like These follows four friends who meet in the early nineties and become fast friends, despite the fact that they have little in common.  A decade later, their bonds are still strong but they are each struggling with their own issues and discover that sometimes the right decisions are the hardest to make, especially when it comes to old friends and loyalties. With Friends Like These is a fun and sassy read that may also hit an emotional bull's eye for anyone that's ever been less than a perfect friend.

Sound interesting?  Well, you're in luck because we have FIVE copies to give away.  All you have to do is leave a comment and you're entered!  We'll choose the winners on Thursday evening.

So, without further adieu, read on to discover what things the lovely and talented Sally Koslow is dying to do. (pun intended...)

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: WHAT'S ON SALLY KOSLOW'S BUCKET LIST?

1. Put all my pictures, including the ones languishing in my computer, into leather albums so my epitaph can be “Please let me read one more page” instead of “She never archived her 3000 photos.”

2. Get to the 937 novels I haven’t read in my well-thumbed 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.

3. Road trip! Bad Sally has let her license become ossified. After I’ve conquered my fear of driving, I’ll take a cross-country drive whose centerpiece will be the Grand Canyon.

4. Write a rom-com screenplay.

5. Vacation together with my husband, sons and their gorgeous ladies in Italy. Or the south of France. Not picky as long as there’s sunshine, wine and excellent grub.

Thanks so much Sally! xo, L&L

To read more about Sally, head on over to her website. Or you can  find her on Facebook and Twitter too!

What's On Janelle Brown's Bucket List?

We've been reading fiends over the past few months- in search of books that make us happy, that engage us and resonate with us long after we've finished reading them. And that's exactly what happened when we found Janelle Brown's latest novel. This Is Where We Live is set against a backdrop of hard economic times as we follow a young married couple, Claudia and Jeremy through ups (they're aspiring artists, both on the verge of making it) and downs (Jeremy's manipulative ex appears on the scene AND they can't pay their bills). When their inability to pay their mortgage starts to crush the possibility of realizing their dreams, they begin to question their future. It's a book that makes you think, that reminds you what's important and challenges you.

And three of you will win a copy! Just leave a comment and we'll randomly select the winner tomorrow night.

And, btw, if you haven't had a chance to check out Janelle Brown's brilliant debut novel, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, definitely put it on your TBR list! Liz had already read and loved it, but Lisa hadn't. And after devouring All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, Lisa snatched up Liz's copy and was again in awe of Janelle's talent.

We could go on and on, but we'll stop gushing and let you read Janelle Brown's bucket list. That just like her writing, is inspiring.

Janelle Brown's Bucket List:

1) Go to Africa. When I was 20 years old, my parents took me on a safari in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Watching hippos play and listening to lions roaring at night outside my tent and drinking sundowner G&T: Paradise. Been dreaming of returning ever since.

2) Learn to speak Spanish. It's ridiculous that I live in Los Angeles– and in a neighborhood with a strong Mexican population to boot-  and my year-old child speaks more Spanish than I do. (I learned German in high school, which turned out to be a fairly useless language in my everyday life.)  2b) Learn how to roll my "r's" – a necessity skill for Spanish, and one I have never mastered.

3) Eat at The French Laundry. It's the best restaurant in America (or so the critics say), up in Napa. A foodie paradise. Actually, let's amend this to: Eat at the five best restaurants in the world. Why settle for just one?

4) Read all the great French and Russian authors. I've never read War and Peace, nor Remembrance of Things Past. This shames me.

5) Visit the bottom of the ocean in a submarine. I'm too chicken to scuba dive (even snorkeling makes me panicky), but I'm fascinated by the ocean. I would love to see the ocean floor close up without having to, you know, swim with sharks and eels and octopi.

To learn more about the talented Janelle Brown, visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

Thanks, Janelle!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

What's on Adena Halpern's Bucket List?

For us, there's almost nothing we like better than discovering a new author.  And when we find out that author has already written three books? We just *might* jump up and down like giddy schoolgirls.  *just maybe*

So when the fantastically talented Laura Dave told us about Adena Halpern and her latest novel, 29, we snatched up a copy immediately. And we found it funny, engaging and sweet (the perfect combo).  After finishing this page-turner with the perfect cover in just two days (and seriously wanting more!), it's exciting to know that we will get more because 29 and another of Halpern's novels, The Ten Best Days of My Life have been optioned by 20th Century Fox to be made into movies.  In fact, Amy Adams (Lisa has a major girl crush on her) is set to play the lead in The Ten Best Days of my Life!

In 29, Ellie Jerome is a young-at-heart seventy-five-year old who's done just about everything to stay young.  On her birthday, she wishes to be 29 again for just one day and wakes up the next morning to discover she's morphed into her gorgeous twenty-nine-year old self!  The sheer joy of being young again prompts Ellie to consider living her life all over-even if it means she'd have to leave all of her loved ones behind.  We think you will love 29- a story that reminds us why we all should live our life without regrets. And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of FIVE copies.  We'll randomly select the winners on Thursday night.

And you know what else we love?  Adena's bucket list!  Like 29, it's fun and sassy and left us wanting more.  We loved that she wants to pay it forward and set up a couple that gets married (Like Adena, Lisa met her husband through a mutual friend who set them up!) and that she wants to change someone's life.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: WHATS ON ADENA HALPERN'S BUCKET LIST?

1. Have Mr. Valentino design a gown for me. I don’t care if I have no place to wear it, I’ll wear it to the supermarket.  I’ll be the best-dressed woman in the frozen foods section.

2. Change/save someone’s life. Of course I’ve volunteered my time and given money to those in need, but one of these days I’m going to do something huge.  I want to be one of those people who offer to pay a stranger’s college education or buys them a house or pays off all their debts.  That’s something I’m definitely going to do one day.

3. Get a sandwich named after me. Though my husband thinks it should be ham on rye, heavy on the ham (hardy har har), I think it should be something more ladylike, dainty, like a tea sandwich with watercress and smear of cream cheese… and a spicy pickle for flavor. 

4.  Set up two people on a date who eventually get married. That’s actually a pay it forward thing.  A mutual friend set up my husband and me on a blind date. We’ve been married for three blissful years.  I’d call our friend every day and thank him, but he’d think I was crazy.  I think extending his good deed to someone else is the best way of repaying him.

5. Receive an award. I never win anything.  One year I won the Oscar pool between my friends and I. You would have thought I won an actual Oscar I started heaving with elephant tears, literally heaving.  I wouldn’t be picky about my award either.  Any old award is fine.  I’ll accept it in my Valentino gown!

Thanks Adena! xo, L&L

To find out more about Adena and her latest novel, 29, head on over to her website.  You can also buy 29 here.

Wedding Photo No No By Lisa

I have to admit, My wedding day was pretty damn perfect.(Thank GAWD considering all the time I spent planning it!) And even though there was a crazy rainstorm that rivaled a monsoon just the day before,  I woke up to bright blue sunny skies on the big day. (All my praying to the Universe paid off!)

I had planned every detail- from "hiring" the perfect MOH to picking the color of the frosting on the mini cupcakes. But I wasn't obsessed, I swear! In fact, for a Type-A'er, I was strangely laid back. There may have been a minor panic attack when our ceremony didn't start exactly at 2:00,(Sorry about that Liz!) but other than that, I was just happy to be getting married. And I was so relieved that, after months of research, I'd found the perfect photographer that would capture the moments I'd look back on for years. Because I really needed someone who would get me my "money shot" on the beach (pictured left). Okay, so *maybe* I was a little obsessed about that too...

So you'd think by now I would  have moved mountains to be surrounded by my  fabulous wedding pictures that say so much about the best day of my life....

Um, not so much.

So I scoffed at the idea of having the photographer make me a "wedding album" because I thought I would have mine done in the day after the honeymoon. Right? I was chapter photographer in our sorority! I was organized. I didn't need help...

Well, it's been seven months and two days (but who's counting) since I said "I do" and I still don't have a single wedding photo adorning my wall or taking up real estate on the front of the refrigerator, let alone a coffee mug or mouse pad. I guess I can now be grouped with the people who have thousands of photos sitting on their digital camera and, gulp, never print them out! (In my defense, I did manage to get mine downloaded to iPhoto...)

I realize I've been a little busy being a newlywed and being pregnant and all, but I've been telling myself I'll get to it since the day I received the link from the photographer. But one month lead to another month and before I knew it, I was six months pregnant, seven months married and wedding photo-less.

Well lucky for me, Snapfish came to the rescue. Snapfish is celebrating September Photo Book Month and helped me complete my wedding album. (Here's a link to my photobook!) It took about ten minutes to create an 8x8, 20 page book. All I had to do was upload the photos and they made the book for me!  They have a variety of photobooks from 8x11 custom cover books to 12x12 signature photo books and even 2x3 mini books. And today, one of you will win a $50 gift certificate to make your own book! Just leave a comment and we'll randomly select the winner Friday night.

So thank you, Snapfish, for helping me correct my wedding photo no no and helping me make a photo book of my special day. Now I just have to get some pictures in some frames...Maybe they can help me with that too?

xoxo,

Lisa

Play Nooky with Liz & Lisa

We were thrilled when so many of you flipped for Liz & Lisa this past summer.  Y'all were amazing- we reached our goal of 1000 new "likes" on our Chick Lit is not Dead Facebook fan page in record time and named not one but TWO top fans who each received a YEAR OF BOOKS.  You heard that right.  So not only did we give a away a bangin' Flip Slide HD camera, we also gifted two very deserving fans with TWELVE books from authors we've had on the site in 2010.  Not to mention our Friday book giveaway. And being the complete giveaway whores that we are, we loved every minute of it! Which is why we're about to do it again!

Only this time, instead of flipping for us, we're hoping that you, your Facebook friends and your Twitterverse will come play Nooky with us. That's right, as soon as we hit 3530 "likes" on our Facebook page, we'll be randomly choosing one lucky fan to win, a B&N Nook- our favorite ereader!

And there will be a lot of other ways to win too. We'll also still be giving away a book each "Nooky Friday" and will be crowning yet another "Top Fan"!

And the best part of all?  It's so damn easy to win!  Want to know how?

Just give us your friends.

Your Facebook friends that is. All you have to do is “encourage” (you know… bribe, force or even threaten) your Facebook friends to “like” our Facebook page. Just one little click of the mouse. Because our little hearts flutter each time someone hits that little like button. (I know, we have issues...)

So…for every 1,000 people who click that “like” box (with the thumbs up sign) located on the top of our fan page, we will enter them and you (you’re automatically entered if you’re already a fan) to win a B&N Nook (retails for $149). Named "One of the Ten Best Gadgets" in 2010 by Us News & World Report, it will be the ultimate stocking stuffer this holiday season. And with it’s built-in wireless connection, you can download over a million titles in less than 60 seconds! (How’s that for instant gratification?) When we hit our goal, we'll randomly select a winner. Once the winner is announced, he or she will have ten days to claim the Nook!

Here’s how you can help us get from 2530 to 3530 fans (That’s the magic number!):

1. On Facebook and haven't "liked" us yet yet?  It’s okay, we’re not judging.  Just click here or on the Facebook icon located on the upper right side of this page (right below the “connect with us” banner).

2. Suggest the chicklitisnotdead.com page to your friends on Facebook.  How?  By clicking “suggest to friends” underneath our Liz & Lisa coffee cup photo located on our Facebook fan page.  It’s the easiest way to personally ask people to come on over and join the fun.  And it just takes a minute!

3. Go to your Facebook profile page. In the status box, write an “encouraging” message asking your friends to become a fan of our Chicklitisnotdead.com page on Facebook. Make sure to tag chicklitisnotdead.com in your status update. (In case you don’t know, to “tag”, you simply type @ and then chicklitisnotdead.com and chicklitisnotdead.com will come up as a live link in blue.)

3. Be sure to tell your friends that in exchange for simply “liking” us, they have a chance to win a Nook. Because, let’s be honest, everyone wants to know what’s in it for them! And who doesn’t want to win something?

4. And for you overachievers (you know who you are!) you can always tweet a link to our Facebook page as well. Be sure to include our handle @Lizandlisa because we’ll be watching and looking for our top fan (more on that in a minute).

And don’t forget that we’re planning a giveaway every Friday. If you’re on Twitter, RT any of our “Nookie Fridays” tweets and/or tag us in your Facebook status and you’ll be entered to win the prize we’re giving away that day.  This Friday, we’re giving out a copy of Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook.

And last, but definitely not least, we’re also honoring our top fan. The fan that goes above and beyond to help us reach our goal. We’ll announce that winner after we reach our goal. And, don’t worry, there will be another fantabulous prize for that person too.

So let’s get tagging and tweeting so we can give this Nook away!  We were blown away by your support during our Flip for Liz & Lisa campaign.  You have no idea how much we appreciate all of you.  Thank you so much!  Now can you please do it again? =)

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Birthday Discombobulation by Liz

I've always had a love/hate relationship with my birthday.  Love the anticipation, hate the possible letdown.  And even though I'm not one of those people that needs a huge celebration each year,  I still always dread the inevitable birthday discombobulation. From the L&L  dictionary:

Birthday Discombobulation(birth-day dis-come-bob-you-lay-shun) The heightened sensitivity that one's birthday won't be the best day of the year.  Usually associated with erratic behavior, tears and possible temper tantrums.  Can be intensified by "milestone" birthdays.

C'mon, admit it-you've all had this at least a few times. Especially as more birthday candles keep mysteriously appearing on your cake each year. (How am I thirty-seven already? And when did all these damn wrinkles show up?)  For me, Birthday Discombobulation (or BD as I like to call it), usually starts a few weeks before the big day.  And it's often triggered because the Type A'er in me really, really wants to be in control  what we do that night.  Which should work out fine, right?

Well it would, except for the fact that there's a super secret sensitive beyotch lurking inside me that wants my husband to:

A) Read my mind about what I'd like to do.

B) Then plan it exactly the way I would.

And most importantly:

C) Buy me a gift that I didn't ask for but have always secretly wanted (mind reading also comes in handy here...).

Should be a piece of cake, right?  Um, no.  Not really.  The reality is that many of us make it impossible for our significant others to succeed in pleasing us on our birthdays.  In fact, last year, I had a MAJUH BD meltdown over a necklace (long story!  But you can read about it here).

And the lesson learned from that fiasco?  If you want to have a fabulous birthday, you need to cut the people around you a bit of slack. Well, okay, maybe that's what I should have learned. Because, here we are, less than one week from my bday, and I can feel the BD trying to take hold of me again. And I.  Must. Fight. It. Off.

They say self-awareness is the first step.  And now that I know this sh*t is about to take over my birthday again, I've developed a four-step BD avoidance plan.

Step One: Tell the hubs where I want to go to dinner that night. You know, somewhere fun, but not too loud, but not too quiet, that is really chic, but also not too expensive.  Somewhere with enough beautiful people to make me feel cool about being there, but not  so hawt that I feel fat and old. Oh, and no, I don't have anywhere specific in mind. See? I made it easy.

Step Two: Upgrade from birthday happy hour with the girls to full night GNO.  Well, okay, maybe my super fabulous friends put this into effect.  But either way, birthday GNO is the BEST! Say it with me: G-N-O, G-N-O!

Step Three: Fly your best friend in. Well, okay, maybe Lisa is already flying in that day for something else. But I'm going to pretend it's just for me.

Step Four: Realizing what a complete ass I sound like when whining about BD. And the fact that my husband practically needs a Xanax prescription each September to get through this time?  Not cool.  (In my defense, I do RAD stuff for his birthday every year!  So at least I'm not a BD hypocrite.)

Now I'm clearly ready for birthday success, right?  The first hurdle?  This coming weekend with the hubs. And I can just feel that THIS will be the year that I conquer BD.  And if for some reason I don't, well, I'll drown it in Grey Goose.

And since it's almost my birthday, I feel like giving something away.  How about two signed copies of our debut, I'll Have Who She's Having? It just won best debut novel over at Chick Lit Plus! Leave a comment here to enter and I'll choose a name on Friday night.

And to all my fellow Libra's, here's to BD-free birthdays!

xoxo, Liz

Maternity Monday: Nesting In Overdrive!

I had heard this thing called "nesting" happens to you when you get pregnant. And I figured I wouldn't be immune- being somewhat of a *cough* *cough* anal retentive control freak anyway. But I (or I think I can safely speak for my husband) never in my wildest dreams imagined that it would hit me so hard and fast. Let's just say before I nested this past weekend, I'd never cleaned an oven... It all started innocently enough, when I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and announced to no one in particular (although the hubs probably wished he could've avoided my speech as it was Saturday morning) that I'd be making Thanksgiving dinner- that night. I dragged my big belly self out of bed and went into the kitchen to take inventory. But it was then that I noticed how raunchy and unsightly the inside of our refrigerator was. How had I let it get so bad?

Before I knew it, those long rubber ill-fitting yellow gloves were out and the cleaning frenzy was on like Donkey Kong. Once I figured out how to get in position to actually be able to clean (turns out one can sit rather easily on a child's step stool!).  I went off. Scrubbing and scouring and simultaneously gagging at certain unidentifiable stains and spots I found lurking within (I'll spare you the details).

And the refrigerator then led to the stove. How? I have no freakin' clue. But when my own scrubbing and scouring weren't enough to tackle it, I popped on something called the "self cleaning" button. Who knew? And then I moved on to the baseboards. Yes, baseboards. I haphazardly squatted and ran my duster along the edges while making a mental note to paint them. How did they get so dirty? And non-white?

I was a site as I frenetically moved from corner to closet to under every surface including the couch (ahhhh) and cleaned like I'd never cleaned before. I was like Molly Maid on crack as I mopped and vacuumed and removed rugs and window shades to be professionally cleaned. I was like Superman with X Ray vision as I noticed dust that I'm quite confident the non-prego human eye could not discern.

Midway through my cleaning frenzy, I started to freak out that I was harming the baby by inhaling cleaning products, so I made a trip across town to Target to get "green" everything. I was truly out of control.

But I marched on until exhaustion took hold (I'm proud to report I cleaned the entire house before I had to call it quits) and it was time to make that Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, I made it. Even after all that. The mashed potatoes were from scratch but the stuffing was from a box. And the pumpkin soup, well, let's just say it wasn't a big hit. And turkey? Well, that didn't happen either. But I was still happy with my poor man's "prego" Thanksgiving. And the fact that the house was spotless. In fact, we could've eaten that dinner off the kitchen floor- had I been able to get my pregnant self down there, that is.

So ladies.. please leave a comment- tell me I'm not alone! (Even if you're lying!) And be entered for a chance to win a $25 Target gift card!

xoxo

What's on Belinda Carlisle's Bucket List?

When we heard that beloved Go-Go's front woman Belinda Carlisle was writing a tell-all book, we nearly squealed with glee. And when we found out that she'd be sharing her bucket list with CLIND, we channeled our inner GoGo and danced around the room to We've Got the Beat. (C'mon you know you would too!) I mean, what self-respecting child of the 80s didn't worship the Go-Go's?  To us, they defined a generation and were our first foray into "rock" music and fashion (Liz STILL listens to their Beauty and The Beat weekly on her iPod!).  And although we weren't quite able to pull off leg warmers and fluorescent belts the way those girls could, at least we were trying to get our inner "mod" on.

Belinda's memoir, Lips Unsealed, is filled with all the wild stories that her fans are dying to hear.  Stories about the band's crazy days on tour with bands like The Police and Madness and the fabulous parties and people to whom the Go-Go's had exclusive access.  But more than that, this candid memoir reveals the gritty flip side to the glitz, as Belinda shares her private struggles with abusive relationships, weight and self-esteem, plus a thirty-year battle with drug and alcohol addiction.  It's also a love letter to her lifelong friendships with the other member of the Go-Go's and to her son and husband, who led Belinda to sobriety.  We have a feeling that you won't be able to put it down!

And...we have THREE copies to give away to lucky readers.  Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win!  We'll choose the winners on Monday evening.

But for now, read on to discover the top five things Belinda has on her Bucket List! (Hint: She loves to travel!)

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: WHAT'S ON BELINDA CARLISLE'S BUCKET LIST?

1.  Four-wheel driving in the uyuni desert in Southwest Bolivia

2.  To travel on the Siberian Express

3. Trek to Mt. Everest base camp

4. Do 10 days of Vipassana (silent meditation) in Rishikesh, India

5. See Tiahuanaco and Lake Titicaca

Thanks Belinda!  L&L

To read more on Belinda, head on over to her Facebook page or follow her on Twitter!

What’s on Beth Kendrick’s Bucket List?

With the kids heading back to school and leaves beginning to fall off the trees, there's no denying it any longer-Summer is OVUH!  And while we love Fall (Liz is SO ready to bust out her new black jeggings!), we're lamenting the end of  "beach read season".  Which is sort of strange since we didn't make to the beach as much as we would have liked and when we did, had zero time to read! But rest assured, we still read plenty of light and fun books we LOVED this summer.  One of them? Second Time Around by the lovely Beth Kendrick- her seventh novel. When a group of old college friends inherit a million dollar windfall, it gives them the second chance to live out the dreams they left behind to pursue more practical things after graduation.  Almost overnight, a professor, a bartender, a copywriter and an administrative assistant reinvent themselves as a novelist, an event planner, a pastry chef, and a bed-and-breakfast owner.  Fun and entertaining, Second Time Around is a perfect escape after a long week. We loved it!

So it's no surprise that we loved Beth's bucket list too!  We're happy to discover that we're not the only ones who secretly dream of being a surf goddess or are fixated by The September issue.  But don't take our word for it-check out Beth's list for yourself!

AND...we have FIVE copies of Second Time Around to give away! Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win! We'll pick the winners on Thursday night.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: BETH KENDRICK'S BUCKET LIST

1. Learn to Surf I took one lesson five years ago and I want more!

2. Acquire matching bedroom furniture When my husband and I first bought our house, this was at the top of our to-do list. But somehow, between re-plumbing the bathrooms, installing new windows and battling the freakishly resilient weeds in the backyard, we lost sight of our goal.

We just celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary and our bedroom is still a hodge-podge of battered antiques, IKEA castoffs, and random piles of books (mine) and half-empty water glasses (his). I’m not even going to get into the curtain situation. (Of course, it goes without saying that my toddler’s bedroom is straight out of a Pottery Barn Kids photo shoot. So wrong.)

3.  Watch the Chicago Cubs win the World Series Actually, I would like to be the Cubs’ starting pitcher for the final game in the series, but I would settle for watching from the bleacher seats. Go Cubbies!

4. Visit Cinque Terre When I was a headstrong lass of 20, I spent a semester in Florence, Italy. While there, I had the opportunity to take a day trip to Cinque Terre, which is a cluster of seaside towns that is supposed to be breathtaking and picturesque and basically a Merchant Ivory film all rolled up with sunshine and gelato.

I wouldn’t know.

I turned down the chance to see it so that I could hole up in my bedroom and work on my grad school applications.

(Bangs head against desk.)

My reasoning was that I’d go see it next time I was in Italy. You know, because it’s always so easy to traipse off to Europe whenever the mood strikes you.

(More head banging. Ow.)

Also on my must-see list: Ayers Rock in Australia, the Northern Lights in Alaska, and the legendary underground jail cell at Disneyland. (Rumor has it that when you get your mug shot snapped, you stand on a pair of painted Donald Duck feet. I’m dying to see it. Yes, I’m eleven years old.)

5. Go shopping with Grace Coddington (the creative director of American Vogue) I just watched the documentary The September Issue, which follows Anna Wintour and her editorial staff as they prepare Vogue’s most important issue of the year, and I have a total girl-crush on Ms. Coddington. She seems funny, spirited, and brilliant--the kind of person who makes high fashion playful and accessible instead of intimidating and exclusionary.

Plus, I need a fashion intervention. Badly. The great thing about being a writer is that I work at home, in ratty old yoga pants if I so desire. The not-so-great thing is, my leaving-the-house wardrobe has been whittled down to a scant 4 or 5 outfits consisting of boring black shirts, dark denim, and flip flops. While the idea of jazzing things up with bright belts and statement necklaces and bad-ass boots appeals, I find excursions to malls to be overwhelming and stressful. (It does not help that I have the aforementioned toddler singing “Help Me, Rhonda” at ear-shattering decibels while I browse the racks.)

The time has come to call in a professional. I want Ms. Coddington to take me under her wing and school me on mixing textures and tell me whether someone with my body type should be caught dead in skinny jeans. If Vogue ever decides to do a feature on author makeovers, I’m first in line. Call me, Grace!

Thanks so much Beth! xo, L&L

To learn more about the fabulous Beth Kendrick, head on over to her website and be sure to check out her Facebook page.

Mommy Monday: Deceptively Delicious? by Liz

I've always believed that, like wild animals, small children can smell fear from a mile away. And I'm not talking about the fear of flying or clowns or being terrified that I'll have a muffin top when I wear my favorite jeans.  I'm talking about the fear that the kids won't eat what I make for dinner.

And the more I fear, the less they eat.  It's like they can smell my desperation, my insane desire for them to enjoy whatever I've been slaving over in the kitchen.  That they'll say "Yummy Mommy!" rather than "Eww, this tastes like poo poo!"

I never questioned my cooking skills before I inadvertently became a contestant on Top Chef: Mommy Edition.  In fact, the Italian in me could be quite cocky when it came my abilities in the kitchen.  But when my kids turned three and became mini food critics, I began to wonder if I had what it takes to please their picky palettes.

That's why, in a moment of desperation, I purchased Deceptively Delicious by  Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) last week.  Lured in by the promise of happy mealtimes, I bought into the theory that pureeing veggies and hiding them in a bowl of pasta or grilled cheese was the way to go.  That if I forced encouraged my five-year-old to help prepare the meals she might be more likely to eat them.

And, being the Type A'er I am, I threw myself into Project "Eat your damn food!" with abandon.  Jessica was kind enough to let me know all of the kitchen items I was missing and gently scolded me in her book for not using whole wheat flour and breadcrumbs.  And after a very expensive trip to Whole Foods, I too was ready to grind every vegetable in the house into oblivion. It was so easy! she declared.  She and Jerry puree very Sunday evening after they put their perfect children to bed while watching Seinfeld reruns! Okay, maybe not the last part.

But after spending THREE hours in the kitchen pureeing my ass off, I started to think Jessica had misled me a bit.  That maybe she didn't realize that I'd be working in a small galley kitchen with a old cuisinart rather than a ginormous space filled with Viking appliances, sub-zero refrigeration and a Magic Bullet.  Or that I'd actually be the one doing it. (C'mon, does this beyotch really want me to believe she doesn't have even a part-time chef?)

But I was determined.  And after bagging and marking and dating each and every bag, I was ready to conquer my kid's eating habits.  Because if Jessica Seinfeld could get her kids to eat tofu nuggets with broccoli puree secretly hidden in it, then DAMNIT, so could I!

But as tasty as those tofu nuggets sounded(not!), I decided to start with the tortilla cigars.  Because anything with cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a tortilla couldn't be that bad, right?  Even WITH the yellow squash and carrot puree hidden deep within.

I was giddy with anticipation (or maybe just delirious from working in a hot kitchen for three hours) when I took the cigars out of the oven.  I  had tasted them and they were damn good- you would never know that there was secret nutritional value lurking inside. And after initially turning their noses up at something new like they usually do, I was able to threaten them with time out lovingly convince them to take a bite.

And guess what?  I didn't hear the word "disgusting" uttered the entire meal.  Although my five-year-old did declare halfway through that she didn't like them as much as she originally thought. But I didn't care.  I decided then and there that it had all been worth it.  That it really didn't matter if Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld had never pureed a sweet potato in their life or if they had a housekeeper that cleaned up the ridiculous mess that pureeing made.  Because my children ate something new and liked it.

And I believe that my daughter was more willing to try it because she had helped in the kitchen.  Like she finally knew what it felt like to work your ass off only to have your children do their best Gordan Ramsey impersonation.

So one small victory for mom.  I'm moving on to butter noodles with yellow squash and chicken soup with cauliflower next.  From now on, instead of smelling fear, my little animals with breathe in my deceptively delicious creations. And whether Jessica sits on the couch reading US Weekly while her housekeeper slaves away or if she has a date each Sunday night with her Magic Bullet, it doesn't really matter.  Because for one night, I was Top Chef of my own kitchen again.

xoxo, Liz

5 Things Liz & Lisa didn’t know about Sweet Valley High!

Back in the 80's there were a few things you could always count on-that Lisa would be wearing high tops and a jean jacket and that Liz would have a big, fat scrunchy in her hair.  Oh, and that we'd both have our noses in the latest SVH book! The Sweet Valley High series had it all back then. Liz used to dream about naughty Bruce Patman(Is that where she developed her bad boy infatuation?), while Lisa was more of a Todd Wilkins kind of girl.  We giggled as they switched identities to mess with people and held our breath when Elizabeth was kidnapped. (We always did love the dramz...)

Long story short, we loved it!  In fact, we may go as far to even say that SVH was our first foray into chick lit.  And look how that turned out!

So imagine our excitement when we discovered that the fantabulous Francine Pascal was writing a sequel to our beloved Sweet Valley High. Fast forward ten years and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood in Sweet Valley Confidential (St. Martin’s Press), due out in March 2011.

We're dying to know if Liz is on the corporate fast track or if Jess has become a hot mess.  If Liz has become a total Facebook whore or if Jess is addicted to You Tube. And we're not the only ones, even blogger Perez Hilton is excited to see what these beyotches have been up to!!

And exclusive to Chick Lit is not Dead readers, Francine was nice enough to give us a little refresher course in all things Sweet Valley in preparation for the sequel.  We also have THREE SETS of Team Liz/Team Jess T-shirts to give away to five lucky readers. Just leave a comment and we'll pick the winners on Friday night.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Elizabeth and Jessica back at Sweet Valley High, by Francine Pascal

I wrote Sweet Valley Confidential for my fans who after all this time, are still curious to know what has become of the twins and their friends. I was curious myself. These characters were so close to me for years and I found that I wanted to delve into their reality as adults and discover who they turned out to be. Just like the people we went to high-school with there is a curiosity about where they are now and what they’re doing. I wanted to give my fans the opportunity to visit Sweet Valley one more time.

1. Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield were perfect size six twins, identical in every way—the same honey-and-sunshine hair, the same aquamarine eyes and a perfect, even feature.  The exception was that Liz’s face often wore a concerned expression in contract to Jess’ look of playful triumph.  Both mirrored who they really were.  Elizabeth worried too much and Jessica not enough.

2. Four minutes older than Jessica, Elizabeth seemed years ahead in maturity and she was more sensible, thoughtful and always there for the friend in need or the underdog. Additionally, she was organized, controlled and studious.  The perfect sister who sometimes bemoaned the fact that couldn’t let go and have a little more fun. She was always covering up for her sister and sometimes not so willingly.  Her constant defense of Jessica caused her to have more than a few fights off screen with her equally perfect boyfriend, Todd.

3. Jessica was the most popular girl at Sweet Valley High. As head cheerleader, she dated all the hot boys and most of the bad ones, too, and probably defined the term “frenemy.”  Jessica was adventurous, always looking for the next big one, sometimes even scaring herself.  Enviable in many ways, Jessica was a risk-taker with a “come hither” quality that fascinated.  But sometimes it fascinated the wrong people and then she had to run to her sister for help.

4.  Both girls had the advantage of fabulous looks. Jessica certainly made more use of them than Elizabeth. But it helped both of them. Always more career-oriented, Elizabeth loved writing for the school newspaper, The Oracle. Even in high school she knew she wanted to be a journalist. Jessica was obsessed with fashion, glamor and social status and had no idea what she would become.  Sometimes she worried about that, but then she would find a new boyfriend and all was well again.

5.  While both girls had many friends, Enid Rollins was Elizabeth’s best friend and Lila Fowler was Jessica’s. Liz was a one guy girl and that guy was always Todd Wilkins. And, as far as she was concerned, it would always be that way.  As for Jessica, she dated just about every popular guy including Bill Chase, Ken Mathews and, of course, Bruce Patman and was always looking for the next one.  Sometimes she wondered if she would ever find the right one and be able to stop looking.

Click here to "like" SVH on Facebook. Want a sneak peak of Chapter One release of 2011’s most anticipated book? Visit SweetValleyTenYearsLater.com.

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Writing Wednesday with Allison Winn Scotch: The Agent Hunt-How long is TOO Long?

As many as you know, we've been on the agent hunt for the last couple of months.  And while things seem to be going pretty well (keep your fingers crossed!), we've often been asked the question: How long is TOO long to hunt for an agent? And who better to answer that question than NYT Bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch?  After all, she answers Qs like this one every day on her fantastic Ask Allison blog and she's a must-follow on Twitter. And, well, because we totally crush on her and are dying to hear her expert opinion!

So please welcome the lovely and talented Allison to Chick Lit is not Dead!  (Oh, and don't forget to check out her latest novel, The One That I Want! You'll love it!)

The Agent Hunt: How Long Is Too Long?

How long should it take to get an agent? Is there a certain point when an author should move on to writing another ms?

This is such a personal question and one that doesn’t have an exact answer to it, but I’ll give it my best shot. I’d say that on average, most authors who land agents end up querying between, say, 35-70. Which obviously is a huge, huge range. Some get lucky (and by lucky, I don’t mean actual luck involved – they’ve done their homework and also have a good manuscript), and land one much sooner. Some will query up to 100. Some won’t stop until they’ve queried every last agent they can possibly dream of. But in general (again, with no hard figures to back this up), I’d say that up to about 70 is average. For my initial query hunt, I probably went through about 40. When that agent and I parted ways, I was much better-informed about the process and also had a much stronger manuscript, so I think I only went out to about 15.

So how do you know when to throw in the towel? Again, I’m not ever going to tell someone specifically to throw in the towel, but I do think you reach a point when you have to accept that it may not happen for this manuscript. It’s not a failure, it’s a learning process, and I can almost promise you that your next manuscript will be stronger. So just when do you hit that wall? I’d say when you’ve gotten little positive feedback about the manuscript, when you really haven’t gotten many viable bites or interest, when you’ve exhausted nearly all of the agents to whom you’d be well-matched (remember, a bad agent is worse than no agent at all)...well, if all of these things have happened, and you’re still unrepresented, I’d say move on.

I think it’s really easy to keep going for the sake of it, but that’s not what’s going to be best for your career and your book. It’s a very, very emotional thing – accepting that this book might never be published, but again, try to look at it as a learning process rather than a failure. That’s what I did when my first manuscript (with that first agent) never sold. I realized that I had a wonderful opportunity to go out there and write something better. So I did. Eventually, with a new agent, that manuscript sold at a 4-way auction, and to this day, I’m grateful that I wrote the initial ms that never sold: it taught me how to be a better writer, and the agent query process taught me a lot about what I’m looking for in an agent.

Last words of advice: please be sure to do A LOT of research so you’re actually querying the right people. Look in the acknowledgment section of books that are similar to yours. Sign up for Publishers Marketplace. Check out Agent Query. The more you know, the smoother your agent hunt will go. Also, please, please, please be sure that your manuscript is ready to actually be read by the pros. This means that your first draft IS NOT the one to query with. Your fifth might be. Finally, hone your query letter to best represent your voice and spark some interest. There are some good ones floating around on the web to serve as examples.

With all of these things, I’m hopeful that you won’t hit 70-100 queries and still come up short. Good luck!

Thanks so much Allison!  xo, L&L

What’s on Joanne Rendell’s Bucket List?

*Taps Megaphone* *Clears throat* *Shouts*

CALLING ALL READERS LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE, ENTERTAINING & FASCINATING NOVEL!

Today Out of the Shadows hits stores. It's the third novel by one of our favorite authors and people, Joanne Rendell. And because Joanne has been such a great help to us during our search for an agent, we'd like to take a moment to get our booties up on the highest surface and shout, THANK YOU, JOANNE!

Before Out of The Shadows, Joanne wrote the brilliant Crossing Washington Square and the fantastic The Professors' Wives' Club. And now, she's outdone herself with Out of The Shadows. Who wouldn't be grabbed by this description on the back of the book?  "A long-lost journal will open the door to the past. For one woman, its secrets will hold the key to her future."

We loved the story of Clara Fitzgerald who's struggling with the recent loss of her mother and a career that seems to be going nowhere fast. Meanwhile, her fiance's scientific research is taking off in an exciting new direction and although she's happy for him, Clara can no longer deny that their relationship isn't exactly headed in an exciting new direction. So Clara throws herself into a research project that will end up changing her life. Before she passed, Clara's mother was convinced that there was a link between their family and Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. With the help of her reluctant sister, Maxie, and a retired scholar, Kay, Clara begins to search for answers. And as the three women search through long- lost journals and letters, Clara gets more answers than she bargained for.

And five of you will win a copy of Out of The Shadows! Just leave a comment and we'll randomly select the winners this Thursday! Good luck!

So we read the book. We loved the book. And then we read Joanne's bucket list and were amazed to discover that Joanne has other talents, including being an artist! (Where does she find the time?) Wait until you check out the hilarious video made with her son (with a stuffed dog as the star!) and the comic book cover she designed. Um, Joanne, if you didn't already know this, we are in AWE.

And now here's Joanne's Bucket List...

1. Drink a margarita in Mexico. I adore Mexican food. I eat black beans and rice almost every day. My husband and I named our son Benny after a fabulous Tex-Mex place in New York City called Benny’s Burritos (which has especially great margaritas). But I have never been to Mexico.

2. Become a happy, bouncy runner. I try and run every other day and have been doing so for the last seven years. The thing is I never seem to improve. I still plod along, not really enjoying myself (unless I have a great chick lit/women’s fiction audiobook on my ipod). I would love to be one of those sweat-free, bounding runners who overtake me all the time of the Brooklyn Bridge.

3. Become a major motion picture director. Okay, maybe this is a slightly overblown bucket-list aspiration, especially as I have absolutely no connections in Hollywood and zero experience in proper film-making. However, I do love making movies with my seven year old son using a bottom-of-the-range digital camera and stuffed dog who is happy to be our star. Here’s our biggest production so far entitled, "Rume's Grand Day Out." If you want to waste more of your precious time, you can check out more of our movies at my son's blog.

4. Become a bestselling comic book artist. Yep, another rather overblown dream! Realistically, though, I would settle for just finishing my own comic book one day. I’ve always liked drawing and illustrating, although I’m definitely an amateur with no training. This summer I signed up for a week long comic drawing class and “Fiona Feminista” was the result. One day I’ll do more than just the cover!

5. Meet Mary Shelley. Hmm. There is a slight technical difficulty here because Mary Shelley is dead, of course. Maybe I can make do with meeting her ghost. I always loved Mary Shelley’s most famous book, FRANKENSTEIN. It’s a wonderful gothic novel, but it is also very thoughtful, touching, daring, and extremely prescient too – even now, two hundred years after it was written. As I started doing research for my new novel, OUT OF THE SHADOWS – a story about a woman who thinks she may be related to Shelley - I discovered so much more about the intriguing author. She was fiery and smart, outspoken and thoughtful, a non-conformist and a caring mother. She faced many tragedies in her life, including the early death of her husband, the famous romantic poet Percy Shelley. But she was strong too. She survived and she wrote many books and she learned to live a full life as a widow. Most people know the story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, but fewer people know much about the amazing woman who wrote the original novel. In OUT OF THE SHADOWS, I wanted to bring Mary Shelley out of the shadows of the monster she created.

To learn more about the lovely and talented Joanne Rendell, head over to her website, follow her on Twitter and check out the page for her book on Facebook.

Thanks, Joanne!

xoxo, L&L

Blackberry Blues by Liz

So y'all know how much I love Barry Blackberry.  In fact, I just about died when I went into radio silence for 48 hours earlier this year.  And although I know they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, I found myself dreaming of another after my Barry came back to me. For some reason I just couldn't get Droid off my mind.

And it wasn't fair really.  Barry had always been there for me with lightning fast email and an easy to use typepad-I could practically text with my eyes closed! He was solid and dependable, the kind of phone that wouldn't ever let me down.

That's why, at first, I attempted to ignore Droid's cool apps and incredibly fast internet.  And I tried not to look when the person next to me was watching the latest cool YouTube video on him.  I'm fine with Barry.  I don't some trendy phone.  Barry's always been there in good times and bad.  Show some loyalty damnit!

And I swear, I didn't mean to drop Barry in the parking lot that day.  And what was I supposed to do when it was clear I needed a new phone?  I was due for an upgrade, right?  When the lovely Verizon salesperson asked me what phone I wanted, I meant to say Blackberry, I really did.  But for some reason the word DROID came out of my mouth.

And thus began the most frustrating 24 hours of my life.

I was practically drooling by the time when I got Droid home. I couldn't wait to have some alone time with him.  That's when I discovered that my other electronic boyfriend wasn't happy at all with my new purchase.  That's right.  Mac and Droid hated each other immediately.  Mac didn't want to give up his contacts or update his calendar for Droid.  Clearly, he had more loyalty to Barry Blackberry than I had realized. But after three agonizing hours of negotiations, I finally found a way for them to share their information.  But neither of them seemed pleased about it.

The next morning, Droid and I were quarreling again, this time over email.  Droid didn't think it was necessary to put any history in my email replies.  I, on the other hand, felt this was VERY important. And let's just say Lisa was less than thrilled with this new development and I became tired of receiving a What does this mean!  or WTF are you replying to! response to every reply.  And don't even get me started on my inability to form a cohesive sentence on that touchscreen or the creepy way it would say "DROID" when I got a text message. (Seriously! How freakin' narcissistic can you be?)

That's when I knew Droid had to go.

Part of me was sad.  I had barely had time to use my new Yelp app or Facebook to my heart's content.  But I only needed 24 hours to convince me that I had made a huge mistake letting Barry go and I knew one thing for sure. I had to get Barry Blackberry back asap.

I sped to the nearest Verizon store, hoping to find a way to beg for Barry's forgiveness.  To tell him that I'd gladly take his internet speed and poor selection of apps over that fancy schamcy Droid.  That Droid had made me feel all of my thirty-six years. That I'd do just about anything to see that little star letting me know I had email again.

But like the class act he is, Barry took my betrayal like a man.  In fact, he even introduced me to his hunky older brother Storm.  He felt like his push screen would really make me happy.  And as usual, he was right-it did!

So I'm happy to say Barry and I are back together. Even Mac seemed pleased that he had his old buddy around to share information with.  And while I may still get a little butterfly in my stomach everytime I see Droid, I know now that looks can be deceiving.  Barry Blackberry has my heart forever!

Or at least until Verizon gets the iPhone.

Maternity Monday: Husband vs. Body Pillow

I'm having an affair. It's sordid and naughty but not at all clandestine. In fact, my husband knows all about it. He downright hates it, but he's given in to my demands and lets me have my boyfriend. He even lets him share a bed with us... I never meant for it to happen. But I fell deeply and madly in love with my body pillow. It's sick and twisted, but it's true. And I blame it all on Liz.

When I first became prego, Liz told me if I did nothing else during the next ten months, I needed to get my ass down to Bed Bath & Beyond and buy a body pillow. I laughed. That naive, never been pregnant before laugh and asked her why on Earth I'd need such a thing.  Just trust me on this. You're going to need it.

Ironically, it was my husband who bought BP for me. The first trimester was rough. I was constantly nauseous. Food was my enemy. And already plagued with neck problems before pregnancy, sleep became almost impossible. And the hubs wanted to be there for me. He was a true superstar. Was there anything he could do for me? Anything?

Well, you could get me a body pillow.

A what?

A body pillow. You know those really, really long pillows? Oh and by the way, I'm under strict orders from Liz to get it soon.

When he first brought BP home,  I eyed him suspiciously.  It was not love at first sight.

What am I supposed to do with it? It's bigger than I am! I cried to Liz.

Wrap your body around it. You'll figure it out. *Dial tone*

So I did. I wrapped my legs around it. Draped my arms over it and squeezed. And I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep (if you don't count the 7 times I got up to go to the bathroom.) The next morning, I discovered Matt clear on the other side of the bed, hanging onto the edge for dear life. The body pillow and I smack in the middle, blissfully in love.

That was the beginning of my husband's war with BP. And understandably so. I would never tolerate a life-sized piece of cotton stuffed with cotton stealing my husband from me. I can barely handle when, after weeks of watching me selfishly channel surf, he finally gets to pick the TV line up and hungrily fondles the remote.

I've since found BP shoved under the bed, coverless and naked shivering in the laundry room and suffocating between a pair of bed sheets in the hall closet. And even though I hate that my lover and my husband can't get along, I guess I can understand why. The hubs has taken a major backseat to BP...

At night, do I wrap my arms around my husband and cuddle close? Um, no. I reach for BP instead.

Guess who gets smacked in the face with BP every time I groggily fling him aside and amble out of bed to pee? (*Sorry honey for the time his zipper scratched your face*)

And when it comes to laundry, BP's cover goes straight to the front of the line.  Even if that means the hubs has to wait to get his ONLY decent pair of athletic socks cleaned in time for his next flag football game. Play barefoot I say, because I have a hot date with a clean BP while you're out playing weekend warrior.

And even though BP could never replace my husband (well maybe on the very coldest of nights), I do cherish our time together. And I wonder if after my pregnancy is over, he'll still want me the way I'll still want him. Or will he move onto some other prego chick? *sigh* Maybe it will be for the best if he does dump me for another round-bellied bimbo. I'm not sure the hubs would let this "threesome" go on for very much longer anyway.

xoxo, Lisa

Market Value By Liz

Have you ever decided to take a leap of faith?  And when you did, have you ever fallen flat on your face? When we spontaneously decided to sell our house this past Spring, we had champagne wishes and caviar dreams.  But six months later, we were still waiting for our happy ending...

It all seemed like such a great idea in the beginning.  Let's sell the house that we've painstakingly remodeled for the past seven years. Yeah!  And then, let's move into a RENTAL!  Because I'm sure we'll be able to find a quaint little beach cottage to lease that will welcome with open arms our two hyper kids, two drooling dogs and stinky guinea pigs, right?

Um, maybe.  But we could worry about that later.  First, we needed to sell our house in this sh*tty market.  So after a weekend of stripping it of any defining picture(God forbid the prospective buyers see what we look like!) and shoving our closets full of anything that dared to reside on ANY surface, it was on like Donkey Kong.

I mean, who would be able to resist our hardwood floors and custom paint?  Our tiled yard with timed lights in the planter?  We had NO DOUBT that buyers would be in a bidding war faster than you could say Donald Trump.  Which is probably why we refused to listen when the local agent told us to list 30k lower than we did.  What did he know, right?

Um, apparently ALOT. Or at least a lot more than we did.

And by the time we finally swallowed our pride and lowered the price, it was too late.  We had already popped our proverbial cherry in the local market. Our listing had desperation written all over it and we were subjected to ridiculously lowball offers.  We were so OVUH!

And no amount of St. Joseph prayers, running horses pictures(don't ask), or bowls of lemons could get our house-selling mojo going.  It. Was. Depressing.  Not to mention a huge pain in the ass to make the time each morning to both straighten my hair AND leave the house looking show-worthy with two kids under six. And did I mention that frizzy hair makes me cranky?

So after six months, we finally decided to throw in the towel. And I'm not gonna lie, the Type- A girl in me felt like a failure.  But as much as I had daydreamed of renting a little beach cottage and giving up the responsibility of home ownership, I also felt relieved to stay.  Or at the very least, to be able to have a damn picture of my kids on display and leave a dish in the sink occasionally!

But in the end, this control freak realized that some things in life are just out of your hands.  So, instead,  I've decided to focus on all the things I WON'T MISS about being on the market:

• Keeping my house looking like a f*cking museum.  You know it's bad when you beg your five-year-old to watch another episode of Spongebob so she won't pull out crayons and messy paints to make you a picture. *bad mommy*

• The feedback.  For some reason I took it personally when they hated on my galley kitchen or dogged my floorplan.  Why didn't they just go ahead and tell me that my ass looked fat in those jeans too?

• The lovely agents who bring their clients back unannounced at 8pm to get "one last look" at the granite in our kitchen.  Because we always have everything under control at bath time, right? *cue VERY awkward twenty minutes involving naked children*

• The ego-bruising realization that no one thinks the ginormous surf mural in my daughter's room is half as rad as I do. Um, hello!  Pink Surfboards!  What's not to like?

• Open houses. For some reason, it bothers me that half the neighborhood has walked through my house. Like my house is some dirty slut with an STD that no one wanted. Like we're the herpes house or something.

• The crazy paranoia.  I can't tell you how many times I got to work and SWORE that I'd left my Hanky Pankys on my bedroom floor.  Hmmm...on second thought, maybe that would have made the house more appealing!

xoxo, Liz

How To Tell A Woman By Her Handbag: 5 Things Liz & Lisa Didn’t Know About Kathryn Eisman

Have you ever wondered what your handbag says about you? Did you know that the kind of purse you carry is directly linked to your personality (or "purse-onality" as bestselling author Kathryn Eisman calls it)? Maybe your bag of choice pegs you as a drama queen, self-indulgent or a people pleaser. Well, Kathryn can tell you with frightening accuracy what kind of person you are based solely on the purse you throw over your shoulder, clutch in your hand or lug into the office every morning. She's written the incredibly fun and very insightful  How To Tell A Woman By Her Handbag. (She's also the author of How To Tell A Man By His Shoes. We could probably all learn a lot from this one too, ladies!)

And you know we were dying to know what our purses revealed about us. So we emailed Kathryn a picture of each of our handbags, but did not tell her which purse was Liz's and which was Lisa's. Let's just say the results were dead-on! (remember that "frightening accuracy" remark above?)

Black Bag:

This person is unpretentious and hard working. They have a slightly rebellious nature and don't like to be told what to do (nor do they need to be because they are so very capable). Even though they come across as very strong, they are very sensitive and live in their head. The stay away from competitive women because they are already so hard on themselves that anyone one else adding more pressure on them would just be a pain in the backside.

They can be very tough on themselves and should give themselves a few more pats on the back. They like to feel empowered and like an 'equal' in a relationship- but it's very important that they let a man look after them from time to time. As I say in the book, "asking for help is a fundamental part of being self sufficient".

The Louis Vuitton Bag:

They are essentially a romantic and even a little idealistic. Some may call them a 'dreamer' but they've actually got their head firmly screwed on. She likes to take charge and is not a wall flower by any stretch of the imagination. She loves to have a good time and their greatest fear is living an ordinary life (by this they mean emotionally neutral and without the highs and lows of life). They are a very loyal friend and have high expectations of others from friendship (because they give a lot of themselves, they also demand a lot of their closest friends).

Playful and up for a laugh...sometimes life has offered them the odd 'reality check' and while it's a lot to take for someone like this...ultimately they know that all good and bad things are good...because through them is emotional growth (something they are passionate about). This girl looks like she's playing by the rules, but makes them up along the way.

And here's what she said we have in common: Both are go-getters and are more practical than they realize. They are both multitaskers- although the black has slightly more on her plate of late. They are warm and friendly, but both of them are the type of people that get better the more you know them. They seem very open, but in truth they don't share everything with the world, and are essentially quite private (although they may never admit this).

And today, we have FIVE COPIES of How To Tell A Woman By Her Handbag to give away! Just leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win. And we'll randomly select the winners this Thursday! Good luck!

And now, here's 5 1/2 THINGS LIZ & LISA DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT KATHRYN EISMAN….

1)      I FREAK PEOPLE OUT WHEN I DO “HANDBAG READINGS”. I have the uncanny ability to read someone’s personality (or as I say Purse-onality)  just by looking at the handbag they’re carrying. Whenever people hear about the title of my book, they immediately ask for a “bag reading”. Now, some 4,000 readings later, I can honestly say that I’ve never been wrong. I’ve done it in business meetings, on dates, at dinner parties and on live TV (like NBC’s TODAY Show). Each time- people quietly freak out because I can see things like; where they went to school, what they’re like in a relationship, if they were an only child, and what their greatest passions are. Often, I freak myself out with how accurate they are!

2)      I’M AN AUSSIE- I moved to New York at the age of 21 on a whim and never went home. I actually grew up on the beautiful beaches in Sydney, Australia and visit home over the holiday season to escape the northern hemisphere winter when Sydney it at its blue skied and crystal water best. I am now based in West Hollywood, CA and absolutely adore living here. But at the end of the day I’ve got a very self deprecating Australian sense of humor, which basically means I’m constantly making fun of myself!

3)      I’M AN “ANCHOR WOMAN” BY TRADE- I was the on-air features reporter for NBC in New York for nearly four years and had my own daily entertainment show in Australia. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing everyone from President Clinton to Sarah Jessica Parker, George Clooney to Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Cameron Diaz to Daniel Craig. The best part of being a reporter is visiting other people’s lives and discovering what makes them tick, and what obstacles they’ve had to overcome. That access has helped me better understand people in general and has really helped me research my books.

4)      I STARTED OUT IN A BIKINI- I started modeling in Australia at 17 years of age and was constantly booked on swimsuit and lingerie jobs. I always had a bikini in my bag to run off to castings between classes. It was a fun and crazy time because there I was walking down a catwalk at Fashion Week in designer bra and panties, when I hadn’t even been see in that level of undress by my own mother! You learn to sort of disconnect from your body in order to protect yourself. Now I am a “big sister” and the ambassador for SISTER2sister, a charity that mentors at risk teenage girls. It’s really important for me to make sure teenage girls have someone they can talk to, because I remember the feeling of being trapped somewhere between being a girl and a woman.

5)       I’M ON A MISSION- I believe people reveal themselves in details. We’re not the grand declarations of who we say we are, we’re certainly not what we tell the men in our lives- we‘re the little details that we don’t think anyone will notice;  our  bags and shoes, the way we hold ourselves, how we answer the phone. My mission is to help other women break these unspoken codes and see the world through a fresh perspective.

5 1/2) I AM OBSESSED WITH MY MAINE COON KITTEN- I recently adopted Samson from a shelter but before I met him I was NOT a cat person at all! Now I spend way too much time snuggling with him, instead of writing my next book. He sits and snoozes all day on my lap (and sometimes on my head) and at night he's a little devil - but it's love. He grows bigger everyday and will probably be over 20 pounds of pure mischief when he's fully grown...I can't wait!

To get your own handbag reading, check out Kathryn's website! And to order a copy of How To Tell A Woman By Her Handbag, click here.

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

What's On Jane Porter's Bucket List?

When we got our mitts on an advanced reader copy of She's Gone Country (debuts today- buy a copy here!) it was love at first read. *Sigh* There's just something about the way Jane writes that makes us feel like we're sitting right there in the scene. (And that's saying a lot because it's hard to keep our focus for long- especially Liz who can often have the attention span of a gnat!) We've been a huge fan of Jane Porter since Flirting With Forty and were excited to crack open her latest. She's Gone Country is the story of former Sports Illustrated model, Shey Darcy, who moves back home to Texas with her three teenage sons after her husband tells her he's in love with someone else. Enter Shey's ex-crush, sexy Dane Kelly (don't you just love these names?) a national bull riding champ (Lisa pictures a Tim McGraw type--ooh, ahh!) and the drama begins to unfold. It's a beautifully written, compelling story about a mother trying to do her best raising her sons after divorce while also trying to figure out what she deserves in life.

She's Gone Country makes you want to buy some cowboy boots and head down to Texas... or at the very least, a country western bar for some two steppin'!  In fact, Jane's running an amazing contest for those who want to experience their inner cowgirl- yee haw! Click here for the fun deets!

And for some lucky commenters, we also have 5 copies of She's Gone Country to give away! Y'all (y'all seems appropriate considering the book) know the drill. We'll randomly select the winners this Wednesday! Now, here's Jane!

5 Things on Jane Porter's Bucket List....

I'm a travel junkie. It's my poison. I literally work so I can plan my next trip and so everything on my bucket list is related to a new travel adventure. So the top 5 on that bucket list would be--

1) Go to Morocco!

Spend a month exploring Morocco from the coast to the cities to the Atlas Mountains. I've written 5 romances set in Morocco so actually going there would be heaven.

2) Visit Dubai.

Another place I've used as a setting that I'd love to visit in real life. How does reality compare to my sheikh inspired fantasies? Could I even afford to the hotels? And where are those great shopping deals?

3) Do a luxury African safari

I spent a year living in South Africa at 17 and studied African lit while attending UCLA so Africa is definitely in my blood. I'd love to go to Botswana, Zambia or South Africa for one of those decadent Out of Africa type safaris where they set up tents and you eat by candlelight with real china and crystal. I'd wear wonderful khaki clothing that would make me look like Katherine Hepburn and then at night slip into a lovely chiffon like dress that would catch on the thorn bushes. I know, I know not very eco travel friendly but I love the idea of finally being interesting and glamorous.

4) Take one of those round-the-world cruises that last 180 days with my man.

In all honesty I don't think my surfer guy would enjoy being cooped up with me on a cruise ship in a small cabin (or even a large cabin) for 18 days much less 180, but I love being on a ship at sea and picture myself sitting on the deck wrapped in something or other (soggy beach towel?) reading great fiction and fascinating biographies while taking in the fresh salt air.

5) Greece - all of it

I want it all. A month in an Athens apartment. A couple weeks sailing from island to island, and then a couple weeks on different islands to really understand the country and the culture. And because I have a wonderful guy, I'm not looking for another, but what is a bucket list without one lustful thought? If I'm actually going to embrace all of Greece, I'd really like to have a gorgeous Greek male in his prime, that's blessed with broad shoulders, thick dark hair (on his head, not his back) who gives me the slow, smoldering once over. Ah, heaven.

And that's my bucket list. Rather sad because there's no mountain climbing involved, no heli-skiing, or sweating in a hot yoga hut. I'm not trying to learn a foreign language or come up with a cure or make the world a better place. I'm just spoiling me. Not at all altruistic but it is my list and heck, it all sounds really really fun.

It sounds fun to us too, Jane. (And if it makes you feel any better, our bucket lists would be all about spoiling ourselves too!)

To find out more about the fabulous Jane Porter, visit her website, and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa