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

What's on Rowan Coleman's Bucket List?

We love us some Rowan Coleman. Not only is she a fabulous and talented writer, but she's fun, nice and down to Earth (as you'll see in her bucket list below). We've read and loved all of her books. The Accidental Family, Mommy By Mistake, Another Mother's Life and The Accidental Mother. And now, she's written her fifth novel, The Home For Broken Hearts (pre-order it here) and we were lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy of it! It's a heartwarming story of Ellen Wood, a young widow and mother to an eleven-year-old son who opens her Victorian home to three lodgers when she finds herself on the brink of bankruptcy. And one of her three new "roommates" turns out to be a younger man... And as typical with Rowan Coleman's books, The Home For Broken Hearts is moving and deeply insightful.

And we have 5 copies to give away! Just leave a comment here and be entered to win. The winners will be randomly selected this Friday evening! Good luck!

Now, without further adieu, here's Rowan's bucket list...

1) Dance a tango in Argentina. I love dancing, I love the sexy sultry Argentinian tango, and would LOVE to master that skill one day, preferably in the arms of some swarthy hunk.

2) Live by the sea. It might be because we Brits are an island nation, but for some reason I only ever really feel at home when I can hear the sound of waves breaking on the shore. Work and children have meant that so far its never been practical to re-locate to my beloved Cornwall, find a cliff top cottage some where remote and gaze out at the Atlantic Ocean whilst writing my book - but one day.

3) See an Elephant in the wild. To go on Safari actually and see all the wonderful, rare creatures in their natural habitat. I especially love elephants and I think to see them at home would probably bring me to tears.

4)Drive a fast car. I only got my license four years ago and since then I have been driving a very sensible little Citroen. I love my little car but one day I'd like to have the skill and confidence to drive a very fast car down a very bendy mountain road!

5) Marry my childhood sweetheart, a promise I wrote in my diary in 1987. I fell in love when I was twelve years old with the boy of my dreams, who sat in the row in front of me in class. After three years of not being able to talk to him or look him in the eye I finally realised he loved me back!  Life conspired to keep us apart for the next twenty-five years, but the way we felt about each other never changed.  Finally we are together, have a baby son and in a few weeks time will be married!

To find out more about the incredible Rowan Coleman, visit her website or follow her on Facebook!

Thanks, Rowan!

xoxo, L&L

Watch This, Not That: Pregnancy Edition By Lisa

Since becoming pregnant (I'm 20 weeks!), some of my television watching choices have been more than slightly affected. Let's just say there's certain television programming that I cannot watch and have to stay very far away from. (I'll spare you the details!) Instead, I'd rather focus on the shows my big belly self wants to lounge on the couch and watch.  Basically anything prego, hot man or DIY related!

1. Bethenny Getting Married? Confession: When Bethenney was on The Real Houswives of New York City, she kind of bugged me. I have no idea why, with all the drama queens on that show, she stood out. But then something happened. She got her own show and I immediately saw her in a different light. She got pregnant right around the time I found out I was pregnant. And I felt strangely bonded to her. I'm "older", she's "older". I got married later, she got married later. In fact, we both had whirlwind years- marrying and and getting pregnant within months. I think she's one of those people you either love or hate- but I absolutely love her. I love her zingy one liners and direct approach with people like her lovable, albeit often clueless intern. And I'll admit that maybe I've become a little obsessed- searching for an hour the other day to find the exact stroller she had on the show!

2.Mad Men Since entering my second trimester, I've dreamed about Don Draper (John Hamm), um, more times than I'd like to admit (it's almost embarrassing- almost!). They said "certain hormones" would finally kick in and boy, have they evuh! In the form of having the major hots for one dark and sexy leading man on one of my all-time favorite shows. Now ladies, if you haven't tuned into Mad Men- if for no other reason than to scope out Mr. Draper, you're seriously missing out! But even beyond this sexy drink of water (okay, I need to stop!) the show is fabulous! It's some of the most brilliant writing on television. Not to mention the mean girl crush I have on another series regular, Joan Harris, (Christina Hendricks) because, well, she just has curves in all the right places! I actually didn't discover this show until last year and was immediately hooked. I quickly rented all the seasons until I caught up. And I recommend you do too! But beware, between all the drinking (on the job!) and sexing (with everyone and anyone) the show makes you want to be naughty! (Or maybe it's just me- the drink deprived, hormone surging prego?)

3. DIY Network There's Garage Mahal, Kitchen Impossible and Bathtastic to name just a few. I'm such a die-hard fan that I even watch Man Caves. There's something about the idea that I can lay my own tile that gets my juices flowing.  I blame my obsession with DIY on my pregnancy. I'm nesting, right? Isn't that what pregos do? I feel so empowered by being able to "do it myself" that I'm planning to paint the nursery, install a closet organizer and put together the crib by. my. self. Because if the dude from Turf Wars says I can, then I can.  Right?

xoxo, Lisa

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

What's on Lauren Weisberger's Bucket List?

We've been huge fans of Lauren Weisberger since The Devil Wears Prada. In fact, it's one of Lisa's all-time favorite books (and movies- LOVE Meryl Streep!). And when we got our hot little hands on the advanced reader copy of Lauren Weisberger's latest novel, Last Night At Chateau Marmont (out tomorrow- Tuesday, August 17th- order here) we devoured it quickly, comparing notes along the way about how much we were loving on it. (We think it's her best since Prada.) The premise is juicy and intriguing. Married for 5 years, Brooke and Julian Alter live a busy, albeit private life. Brooke works two jobs to support Julian's dream of making it in the music business. When he finally hits it big and goes from no one to someone literally overnight, they go from spending quiet nights on the couch in their sweatpants to becoming regulars in the gossip pages of the rag mag, Last Night. While Julian catapults to fame, his album tops the charts, he appears on The Today Show and the cover of Vanity Fair and hangs out with Jon Bon Jovi, Brooke starts to question it all. Especially when Julian's schedule prevents him from being home more than one night here and there. Even the rag mags publish reports that there's trouble in paradise. You know the saying, be careful what you wish for? Well this is what Brooke worked two jobs for and this is what Julian's been waiting for, but is it the right thing?

And three of you will be the lucky winners of Lauren's fourth novel, Last Night At Chateau Marmont! Just leave a comment and be entered to win (US and Canada only- sorry- please don't hate us) and we'll randomly select the winners on Wednesday!

And now here's Lauren W's BUCKET LIST...

(In no particular order)

1.  Dye my hair red. Not strawberry blonde, not brunette with “amber” highlights—RED.  I bring it up every time I visit the salon, and every single time my colorist reminds me red hair needs to be touched up every three weeks.  At which point I gasp, sigh, and say “maybe someday.”

2.  Learn another language. Actually, scratch that.  How about “magically wake up one day just knowing another language?”  The actual learning part is the bummer, but I’d give anything to step off the plane and just understand what was happening around me.  Top contenders are Hebrew and Italian because Israel and Italy are my two favorite countries.

3.  Own a Bernese mountain dog. This is not to say that I don’t worship my two nine-pound Maltese, because I do (Mitzy and Stella, if you’re reading this, you’re my favorite girls in the whole wide world).  But every time I see one of those hulking, furry, friendly beasts, I literally drop to my knees and make out it.

4.  Visit Antarctica, Ethiopia, and Mali for the penguins, food, and music festival, respectively. These are my top three destinations, but anywhere far-flung and nearly impossible to reach would do the trick.

5.  Get a four-handed massage. I stare at this on every spa menu in every hotel I visit.  Can you even imagine anything more blissful than not one but two therapists rubbing your back in unison?  I’m dozing off just thinking about it….

To read more about the fabulous Lauren Weisberger, you can follow her blog or catch up with her on Facebook.

Thanks, Lauren!

xoxo,

L&L

5 Things Liz & Lisa Didn’t Know About…Alice Eve Cohen

Every now and again, we like to detour off our normal reading path and go, gulp, more dramatic and serious (but still with a humorous tone of course). And when we read the rave reviews for Alice Eve Cohen's memoir, What I Thought I Knew, that Oprah called "darkly hilarious", we knew we had to snatch up a copy and dive in. And with Lisa being pregnant, she wants to read about all things baby. So Alice's memoir about her surprise pregnancy at the age of forty-four definitely intrigued her (and made her feel a little better about having her first child at the, er, not so young age of thirty-seven). The story: After her divorce, Alice was engaged to a great guy and raising her adopted daughter when she started experiencing strange symptoms. She was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor and rushed in for an emergency CAT scan that revealed the real cause- she was six months pregnant! But this was only the beginning of many pregnancy related shockers that were all the more difficult to deal with since she hadn't received prenatal care and didn't have insurance coverage for her high risk pregnancy. As she tried to wrap her head around what's happening and friends and doctors drown her with advice about ethics, she makes lists called, "What I Know." The best part about this book, as many who have read it agree, is that you feel as if you're reading a diary as Alice skillfully uses humor to tell what could otherwise be a very dark story.

And if you leave a comment today, you'll be entered to win one of five copies of her memoir that People Magazine calls "a gripping story about one of the most wrenching decisions a woman can face."

And now Alice is here! Revealing 5 things that aren't in her fantastic memoir...

1.     There were two Alice E. Cohen’s in my graduating class at Princeton—Alice Eve Cohen and Alice Elizabeth Cohen. I secretly worried that the University admitted me by accident, intending to admit only the other Alice E. Cohen.

2.     In what must have been a previous life, I was part of a band called Music for Homemade Instruments. We built instruments from found objects—pots and pans, cardboard tubes, conduit pipes, you name it—and performed anywhere we were invited to play, including street fairs, National Public Radio, roof tops, and The Smithsonian Institution.

3. I’ve just been hired for an unusual job. My cousin is donating her collection of forty Pre-Columbian flutes to the American Museum of Natural History, and she has asked me to play them for a video the museum will be filming. I know how to play these instruments from my previous life as an ancient Aztec princess. One of the flutes is called the Terror Flute…It was played during ritual sacrifices of ancient Aztec princesses.

4. In another previous life, I wrote for the Nickelodeon television show, Are You Afraid of the Dark?—sort of a Twilight Zone scary show for kids. I didn’t tell the producer that I’m a total wimp, that I’m utterly petrified of horror in any medium, and that the Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes he asked me to watch terrified me. My first published book was an Are You Afraid of the Dark? novel. Until my memoir was published last year, Amazon classified me as a “children’s horror writer.”

5.     In my present life, I’m a card-carrying member of the United Auto Workers, which is very strange, since I don't own a car and barely know how change a tire. But the UAW unionized the part-time faculty at The New School, where I teach playwriting and solo theatre. So if you want your car to learn how to write plays and perform monologues, just call on me!

To learn more about Alice Eve Cohen, visit her website at website or follow her on Facebook.

xoxo,

L&L

Lit IT Girls: How Not to Marry The Wrong Guy

We wish we had met our latest Lit IT Girls, Anne Milford and Jennifer Gauvain, years ago!  Their debut how-to book, How Not to Marry the Wrong Guy: Is He The One or Should You Run? A Guide to Living Happily Ever After could have *really* come in handy during our jackass dating phase.  All we can say is Thank God we never actually walked down the aisle with any of them! While there are hundreds of books about how to find the right guy, there are virtually none on how to detach yourself from the wrong one. So whether you're engaged, in a serious relationship, or a serial dater looking for Mr. Right, these girls can help you decide if you should take the plunge or run screaming in the other direction!

And we LOVE the fact that How Not to Marry The Wrong Guy was originally self-published and then picked up by a major publishing house.  Because you know we're suckers for a good Cinderella story!  And it doesn't hurt that they crush on our girl Emily Giffin and love Grey Goose or a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc. So read on to hear more about why the fabu Anne and Jennifer deserve their Lit IT Girl Crown!

Have a friend who could use their advice? (Not you, of course! *wink wink*)Then leave a comment for your chance to win one of FIVE copies!  We'll pick the winner by random drawing on Thursday night!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: LIT IT GIRLS ANNE MILFORD AND JENNIFER GAUVAIN

1. How long did it take to write your book?

Anne: I started interviewing women who married the “wrong guys” in January of 2000. However, my family and my freelance clients were my priority….so the stack of yellow notepads and questionnaires kept getting shoved back on the shelf in my office. As my three kids got older—and I faced a lull in freelance work—my husband encouraged me to write the book I had been talking about for so long! At the same time, I decided I needed a therapist to help me interpret the interviews and write the book.  I wanted to make sure that the finished product delivered sound and credible advice that was backed up by practical experience. Fortunately, I met the right coauthor! (Part of the deal is that I get free therapy, too!)

Jennifer: Within days of our first meeting we were sending writing samples back and forth via email.  Our first draft probably took about one year to complete. Our self-published version, How to Marry the Wrong Guy, was released in May of 2009. After Broadway Books (Random House) picked it up, our editor gave us about 8 weeks to edit and tweak the second version.

2. How long did it take you to get your book published? What were your rock bottom moments along the way?

After hearing so many horror stories about finding an agent, we decided to go for it and publish it ourselves. We literally maxed-out our credit cards paying for printing, our website, graphic design, etc.  Our husbands were extremely supportive even though our newly-founded publishing company was broke!  (It really does pay to marry the right guy!)

The first edition was launched in May of 2009. A fairy godmother placed it in the hands of the man who would eventually become our agent. He watched as we received a lot of local (and some national) media attention and believed that he could help us bring it to a wider audience. He suggested some changes and we wrote a revised proposal/outline in July and August. He shopped it to several publishers and we ultimately sold the North American Rights at auction in October 2009. We know we were really lucky…but it’s also a perfect example of that old saying: Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Jennifer: I don’t know if I would call it “rock bottom” but there were certainly days when I just could not find my creativity and would sit and stare at a blank screen for hours.  We also planned a huge release party at a local indie book store.  The first printing was completely wrong and had to be re-done.  We weren’t sure we were going to have books to sell!  There were typos that we missed and we just had to go to print regardless.  It was pretty nerve-wracking, especially being the perfectionist that I am.

Anne: I think there were two rock bottoms for me. The first was when another author agreed to give me some advice and she told me no less than 15 times how much she hated our title. I finally had to say—politely of course—that while I appreciated her advice, she was not in my target audience and I wasn’t going to change it. She was pretty harsh and it really brought me down. Good thing I didn’t listen to her because that title was the first thing that caught our agent’s attention! The other time was when we participated in a “pitchapalooza” event at our local book festival. We had one minute to pitch our book to a literary agent/author in front of about 50 other people. I was so disappointed that we didn’t win the big prize—a meeting with an agent at a renowned literary agency. We went out and drowned our sorrows over several plates of tapas and a pitcher of sangria. We didn’t let it stop us, though. We picked ourselves up and kept moving forward—and it paid off!

3. How did you get teamed up with your publisher? Why did you feel your publisher was a good match for you?

Our editor at Broadway Books, Hallie, received the pitch letter and proposal from our agent. From the beginning, she believed in the book and advocated on our behalf. We were so thrilled that our editor, marketing rep and publicist were smart and fabulous single women living and working in NYC. They shared our mission and did a great job marketing and promoting How Not to Marry the Wrong Guy. They had such great ideas—it was a wonderful collaboration all the way around.

4. Knowing what you know now about publishing your first novel, what would you have done differently?

It was an amazing journey—and we are excited to see what happens next. We don’t think we would do anything differently. However, if we had known how much work was involved in the distribution, sales and marketing of a self-published book (on top of our families and our day jobs) it might have scared us off.  We are glad that we were so clueless!

5. What did you do to celebrate your book deal?

When we received our first advance check, we treated ourselves (and our husbands) to dinner at Tony’s, one of the nicest restaurants in St. Louis.

Jennifer: The day the book hit stores nationwide; I surprised Anne and took her to the Four Seasons Hotel for a massage and rooftop lunch.  We never treat ourselves to such indulgences and it was such a wonderful day!  Then it was back to reality, cleaning our houses and driving carpool.

Anne: I was a nervous wreck the day of our auction and must confess that I ate about eight  mini “100 Grand” candy bars as I waited for the bids to come in! 6. Who is your writer crush?

Jennifer: Easy.  Liz Gilbert.  I was reading Eat, Pray, Love right before I met Anne and I was instantly attracted to her writing style and a bit jealous of her ability to travel without any hesitation.  I immediately wanted to go get fat in Italy, live in an ashram and visit the places in Bali that she described.  I felt like a cyber stalker, wanting to know everything about her.  I longed for the spiritual connection she described happened to her while she meditated.  I meditated a lot while I was writing and had some of my most creative moments while doing so.  Would love to thank her for that some day!

Anne: I have three writer crushes right now. Jen and I went to see Emily Giffin at a fab event at Saks Fifth Avenue a few weeks ago.  She was gorgeous, smart, and funny. I envied the huge turnout of adoring fans (not to mention the great books she keeps turning out!)  Another crush is Susan McBride. She’s a St. Louis-based author (most recent book: The Cougar Club) who has been a huge source of advice and inspiration for us. My non-fiction crush is Amy Spencer, the author of Meeting Your Half Orange. Her optimistic approach to dating is wonderful and I am recommending her book to everyone who wants to find the right guy (once we help them get unstuck from the wrong one, of course!)

7. What's your biggest distraction or vice while writing?

Jennifer: Definitely chocolate and wine are my biggest vices while writing and otherwise!  Writing at home is a huge distraction.  I would try to sit down and write and then think about the six loads of laundry that were sitting in the basement or the junk drawer in the kitchen that needed to be cleaned out.  Needless to say, writing is much more fun than cleaning!

Anne: Ditto on the chocolate. I have even gone so far as to have Jennifer drop a candy bar off at my home office window! (Which she does with a smile—love her!) My other vice is the internet—I can’t stay off Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. Lately I have started going to the resource room at the library to unplug.

8. GNO drink of choice?

Jennifer: Vodka tonic (Grey Goose) with extra lime!

Anne: Perfectly chilled Sauvignon Blanc

9. Favorite trashy TV show?

Jennifer: Maybe I should have included this as my biggest vice!  Pretty much any show on Bravo but especially Housewives of the OC, and New York, and Patti Stanger’s Millionaire Matchmaker are my top choices.  I love observing pop culture and relationships.

Anne: I hate to admit it but I can’t resist Tori and Dean or the Kardashians. I really miss Kendra, Bridget and Holly living under one roof, too! I love you Puffin!

10. What celeb would you love to have a Twitter war with?

Jennifer: Difficult to narrow this down to just one!  Any of the male celebs who have come out recently, cheating on their wives like Tiger, Jesse James, Larry King, John Edwards, in fact, I think John Edwards was the worst behaved so I would love to have a few words with him!

Anne: I don’t want to get in a mean Twitter war, but I would love to send some relationship advice to Kourtney Kardashian, Tori Spelling and Heidi Montag just to name a few. Oh wait, I might get mean with Kate Goesselin!

Thanks Jennifer and Anne!  xoxo, Liz & Lisa

To read more about How Not To Marry The Wrong Guy, head on over to their website or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

What's on Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin's Bucket List?

We've been having so much fun this past year learning more about all of our favorite authors!  First, there were 25 Things we were dying to get the answers to.  Then we wanted to discover 5 Things we didn't already know about these fabulous women. And because we didn't want debut authors to feel left out, we began giving out our Lit IT Girl tiara to the best of the best.  But even after we learned all these things, we still found ourselves wanting to know MORE.  Because, well, we're just greedy like that.  So we came up with a new feature that we think will be a lot of fun! THE BUCKET LIST.

That's right. It wasn't enough to learn 5 things.  Now we MUST know what our favorite authors want to do before they die.  Because not only are we greedy, but we're pretty damn nosy too.

And to kick it off, we've got Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, one of our all all-time fave writing teams.  Seriously, the writer's crush we have on them is OFF THE CHARTS.  And since they did such a incredible job of kicking off our 5 Things feature, we thought they'd be the perfect choice to lead off with their Bucket List.

Why do we love Emma and Nicola so much?  Well, it could be the fact that they've written a few of our most beloved books like The Nanny Diaries and Nanny Returns. Or the fact that they were kind enough to interview us over at Sheknows.com last year. But they're also super nice, funny and love Tina Fey as much as we do!  And they've even written a sassy YA novel to satisfy Liz's secret love for the genre. C'mon, what's not to love?

Speaking of Nanny Returns, it comes out in paperback tomorrow.  So if you didn't run out to find out what happened to Nan when it first came out, here's your chance to catch up on what the X's have been up to.

And OF COURSE we have FIVE copies to give away! Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winner by random drawing on Wednesday night.  Sorry, but this one is for US residents only. =(

So without further adieu, Liz & Lisa are very proud to present our very first Bucket List!

EMMA AND NICOLA'S BUCKET LIST

1. Meet Angelina. Because, well, why not?

2. Meet Tina Fey. Because we love her. And so Nicki can ask who cuts her hair.

3. Go to Asia. We're really not picky about where. But we both feel we didn't do enough traveling before becoming moms and want to make up for it now. You know, when it's really hard.

4. We're both pretty wussy, so you're not going to find anything like skydiving on this list. We don't think accidentally dying while in pursuit of exciting life experience is noble. But maybe a nice hike through the Grand Canyon?

5. Go to a spa. We've been talking about doing this since 1995 and have yet to so much as get a pedicure together.

Thanks so much Emma and Nicola! xoxo, Liz & Lisa

To find our more about these lovely and talented women, head on over to their website or hit them up on Facebook and Twitter.

Watch This, Not That: Kid’s shows edition by Liz

I never thought I'd be the type of parent who would beg my kids to watch TV so I could have a moment of peace.  Rather, I had always thought I'd spend my evenings doing puzzles and teaching my little angels to read with Hooked on Phonics or some other smarty pants thing like that. And I NEVEH thought that I would *gasp* actually come to ENJOY some of these shows.  But like with anything, if you are subjected to it day in and day out, you start to develop an affinity for it. (Also my reasoning as to why I enjoy Nickelback so much!)

But I'm willing to admit that I've come to not only tolerate, but actually like a few of my kid's shows.  And if like me, you've found yourself *forgetting* to change the channel when Yo Gabba Gabba is on, I'd thought I'd let you know which ones won't make your eyes bleed.

Watch This:

Johnny Test: I didn’t want to like Johnny, I really didn’t.  My kids accidentally discovered him in an rare moment of live TV watching and then I decided to look the other way on the Y7 rating(oh, c’mon, I’m sure those things don’t mean anything anyway, right?).  They quickly grew ADDICTED to little Johnny, his scientist twin sisters and talking dog.  But lately I find myself sitting each morning as we get ready for school, little shoes in one hand, actually WATCHING Johnny Test.  I *may* have even watched one when there were no children within a ten mile radius of the house. (Shh!)

Greek: I’ve already come out of the closet and admitted that I’m a closeted YA fiction lover, so it may not surprise you that I also have love for Teen TV.  ABC Family's Greek is a fun and frothy look at college life. And now the creators of Greek have combined my two secret loves, YA fiction and TV with a new Greek book-Double Date by Marsha Warner!  And we have THREE copies to give away! Just leave a comment here and be entered! We’ll select the winners randomly on Thursday night.

Honorable mention: HotWheels: BattleForce 5: Um, is it weird that I have a crush on the guy that drives the red car?

Not That:

Bakugan: Don’t get it.  Don’t get the show, don’t get those lame little balls my kids made me buy that open when they land on a piece of paper.  And REALLY don’t get why my three- year -old feels the need to yell “BAKUGAN STOP! BAKUGAN ROLL!” all the time.  Who comes up with this stuff?  and why the hell do my kids like it so much?  All I can say is that it was erased from my season pass faster than you can say Conveyor Belt of Love.

The Wiggles: Sorry Wiggles lovers. Four grown men driving around in a big red car and singing about their body parts is just too much for me to handle.  And those songs!  So damn catchy that I find myself singing them around people over the age of five, which Is, Just. Wrong. I'll have to find another way to teach my kids about their heads, elbows, knees and toes! And is it just me or is Captain Feathersword kinda creepy?

Honorable mention: Dora The Explorer: Hey amiga, can you please find a shirt that covers your tummy?  Porfavor?

What kid's shows are YOU watching?  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of Greek: Double Date to satisfy your inner teen!

xoxo, Liz

Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Jenny Nelson

In case you haven't noticed, we LOVE books. But what you may not have known is that we also LOVE food. So when we find a great book about food, we get pretty damn excited.  Which is why we're so happy to have debut author Jenny Nelson as our latest Lit IT Girl. Her novel, Georgia's Kitchen, comes out TODAY. And we've been crushing on her since the day we were lucky enough to read an advanced copy! In Georgia's Kitchen, Thirty-three-year-old Georgia Gray is a soon-to-be married head chef until, well, she’s not. The story takes place in New York and Tuscany and will capture you instantly- sucking you in until the very last page. Trust us, this book is a must-read for any woman who’s ever nursed a broken heart, been kicked when she was down, and needed to look inwards to find the strength to persevere (um, that’s all of us!). Click here to get your copy!

And we loved Jenny's background too. She was part of the founding team of iVillage.com and is senior producer at Vogue.com. How cool, right?  And we think you'll love her as much as we do after reading about her journey to publication.

And because she's so damn awesome, Jenny also has an incredible launch week contest! When you order Georgia’s Kitchen the week of the book’s release (Aug 3-6^th), and email your receipt to jennynelsonauthor@gmail.com, you’ll be entered to win this fantastic giveaway.

What are the prizes, you ask? Well, let us tell you!

A basket full of books! Everyday Italian by Giada DeLaurentiis, After You by Julie Buxbaum, Super in the City by Daphne Uviller, She’s Gone Country and Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter, Girls in Trucks and Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch , I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert!

Magazines! You'll also be entered to win a one year subscription to the food magazine of your choice: Food and Wine; Bon Apetit, Fine Cooking or Everyday with Rachael Ray!

AND a $50 gift certificate to Crate & Barrel!

So what are you waiting for?  Head on over to Barnes & Noble RIGHT NOW and get your copy! Want more details?  Then head on over to Jenny's facebook page!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: LIT IT GIRL:  JENNY NELSON!

How many agents did you query before you found "the one"? So many I can’t even count. I essentially went to Agentquery.com and searched for any agents based in New York who were accepting new submissions in women’s fiction. I started with any agents I’d heard of, then moved on from there. One day I sent out ten queries. I was way too impatient to wait for any of them to respond before sending out my next round, so my mailbox was very quiet for a long time before – wham – I started getting deluged by, at first, rejections, then some interest and by the end, I had a bunch of offers. I’m convinced that perseverance – and a really good query letter – is key.

What was your rock bottom moment during the process? I never received a totally devastating rejection letter and I didn’t come close to landing my dream agent only to have her change her mind at the last minute, so nothing truly terrible happened during the process. The first few rejections hit pretty hard, but after that I toughened up and began looking at it as a game – how many rejections will I get today? How many requests for partials? For fulls? It was sort of fun to keep a running tally.

How long did it take to write your book? Years. It’s hard to say exactly, because when I first started it wasn’t a full-time thing – I wrote whenever I could sneak it in while caring for my twin daughters. Once I finished the manuscript I spent a long time revising it, and after I signed with my agent, still more time revising it. Let’s just say this day has been a long time coming!

What did you do to celebrate your book deal? I jumped up and down with my kids for a while and then went to dinner with my husband at our favorite Italian restaurant. We brought along a very special bottle of wine we’d been saving for just such an occasion and ordered (and ate!) a ridiculous amount of food.

Knowing what you know now about publishing your first novel, what would you have done differently? I think I would have really cranked it out, allowed myself to write a first draft that was just that – rough and unpolished. Hopefully I’ll bring this lesson to book number two!

Who is your writer crush? Sebastian Junger. A man who courts danger, can string together a mean sentence and looks like that can do no wrong.

What's your biggest distraction or vice while writing? Email and the internet, no question. I’m a big online shopper (and a big returner too!) and I spend way too much time looking for the perfect fill-in-the-blank for myself, my daughters, my husband, my house, my mother, etc.

GNO drink of choice? My old reliable is a glass of Sancerre, but lately I’ve been bitten by the cocktail bug. I recently had an amazing Pisco Sour, but I’m partial to anything with champagne in it. Prosecco with a splash of St. Germain is another fave.

Favorite trashy TV show? Just one? I love the Real Housewives New York version, but the D.C. one looks like my cuppa tea and I’ll definitely be watching that. Bethenny Getting Married, Top Chef (which I don’t consider all that trashy), and The Rachel Zoe Project, which starts up again the same day Georgia’s Kitchen comes out.

What celeb would you love to have a Twitter war with? Oh, this is a toughie. Mel Gibson? That Spencer guy? Laura Ingraham? Truthfully, I’m not a good enough tweeter to win any sort of war, and I’m a pacifist to boot!

Thanks Jenny! xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Become Jenny's tweep on Twitter here and become a fan of Georgia's Kitchen on Facebook here.

8 Things Liz & Lisa didn't know about...Julie Metz

We love memoirs over here at Chick Lit is not Dead,  especially the ones that read like good fiction.  You know, when you have to keep stopping and reminding yourself that these things ACTUALLY HAPPENED to the author! When Liz picked up Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz in Target a few weeks ago, she was immediately drawn to Julie's amazing story. Because let's face it ladies-there's a part of us that loves to read about other people's dirty laundry!

Julie's life changed forever when her husband collapsed in her kitchen and died in her arms, leaving her a single mother in a small town.  But that was only the beginning-she soon began to find out that he had hidden another life from her.  Her narrative is honest and insightful, her storytelling pitch perfect.  And as we did many times, you'll wonder what the hell you'd do if it had happened to you. You'll cheer for Julie as she begins to pick up the pieces of her broken life and rebuild.

But don't just take out word for it-Perfection quickly became a NYT bestseller upon it's release. AND Oprah thought Julie's story was so compelling that she invited her to be a guest!  In fact, Julie's episode is re-airing this Friday, July 30th.  Make sure to set your Tivo! Or you can find it here.

And we're so lucky that she's sharing not five, but EIGHT things we didn't know about her.  And we were excited to discover that, like us, she has more books than she knows what to do with.  And wait until you find out at what age she got her drivers license!

We also have three SIGNED copies to give away to our fabulouso readers. You know what to do-just leave a comment and we'll select the winners randomly this Friday evening.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: 8 THINGS LIZ & LISA DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT...JULIE METZ

1. I move houses more than I'd like...and every time I do...like now...I wish I didn't own quite so many books. But once they are unpacked it's like seeing old friends again.

2. I never really had a granny, but my old kitty Sweetie Pie kind of takes her place. She's a bit dottery but absolutely lovable, and still likes to show up for meals, ours most of all and always has something to say.

3. A lot of readers ask me when someone will make Perfection into a movie...the answer is, soon. I just sold the film option, so stay tuned!

4. I like telling my daughter a story about college, how we stole tea trays from the dorm kitchen one winter evening, and went sledding. Some apricot brandy was involved.

5. As a young woman I loved traveling alone and was surprisingly fearless. I still remember so many of the people I met on European trains and the chocolate covered cookies we shared—cheap and filling.

6. I finally quit smoking at 34...it took at least ten tries.

7. I learned to drive late, at 27. I have been to a hypnotist on two occasions hoping to overcome my fear of city driving.

8. I have a bit of a green thumb that always surprises me. I think it's because I talk to the plants. My mom always said it worked, so I have continued the tradition.

Thanks Julie! xoxo, Liz & Lisa

To read more about Julie, head on over to her Facebook page or find her on Twitter.

Writing Wednesday: Jennifer Colt Tells All About Publishing

It's that time again... Writing Wednesday where we "talk shop". And today we wanted to let someone else do the yapping for us (sometimes we get tired of hearing ourselves blog!) Plus, we crave inside scoop about the biz as we shop our manuscript and anxiously await representation, praying we make more desktops than slushpiles (so far, so good although we did recently suffer one rejection that really bummed us out). So today we decided to give Jennifer Colt, the author of The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills: A McAfee Twins Novel, the floor. She's been published by a major publishing house, she's tried self- publishing and she's been independently published (and not necessarily in that order).  And now she's on to e-books. And we wanted to know if she could pick only one type of publishing, which would it be?

And Jennifer has graciously offered to give away FIVE signed copies of her latest novel, The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills! (We'll randomly select the winners this Friday!) It's a story that the Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat Pray Love says she got a big kick out of and can't wait for the next. The premise? Terry and Kerry are identical twins and private eyes who run Double Indemnity Investigations where they keep tabs on philandering husbands, among other things.  But before they know it, they find themselves the number one suspects in a kidnapping investigation. All while they act as glorified babysitters to the Hollywood megastar they're accused of stealing. JUICY!!

And now, here's Jennifer!

L&L: You've done it all- what are the pro's and cons of each type of publishing?

JC: This is a loaded question! It would take pages to answer fully, but here’s basically how it breaks down:

1) Major publisher: They have money and market clout, but they’ll probably spend neither on you if you’re a first-time author. You will need to do most of all the marketing and promotion on your book.

If you’re lucky enough to be picked up by a major publishing house, it means you’ve been championed by an individual editor and vetted by an acquisitions committee, and that the art, marketing, and publicity departments now have a stake in your success. Reviewers will be more likely to give your book a shot. Booksellers will not shun you the way they sometimes do self-publishers (they won’t roll out the red carpet, either – you’re still an unproven quantity).

But it’s important to understand that you will still do most of the shlepping, pitching, and self-promotion. Even established authors like Barry Eisler say they spend 20% of their time on writing, 80% on promotion.

If your sales are good, the publisher will take notice and likely spend/expend more effort on your behalf going forward. If you’ve started out as a paperback author, they may give you a promotion to hardcover!

2) Independent publishing: Most people should not do this the first time out. The print-on-demand business is now so sophisticated, the marketing and distribution so good, there’s no need to lay out the extra monies on physical books that you’ll have to inventory.

That said, if you want to do it I can help you. I’ve started a business now called writerrevolution.com. There are advantages to going this way, such as having your own ISBN and being treated as a real publisher, but you have to be very committed to it. It’s time-consuming and costly, and you should know exactly where your market is and how many books you can sell. (Again, that’s something I can help you identify.)

3) Self-publishing: This is the way to go for many people. It in no way prevents you from being picked up by a major. If you have a great book that is well presented, if reviewers have nice things to say about it, you are in virtually the same position as a first-time author who has a publishing contract, except that you haven’t received an advance. However, your individual royalties will be higher.

If your book or series is a success, you can be sure you’ll be considered by big publishers. You’ve done a lot of the legwork, and they can ride on what you’ve already accomplished in the way of introducing your work to the marketplace. I consider it to be like showcasing your independent film at the film markets. If it’s well received and there’s a defined market for it, a major distributor may pick it up.

In the case of apps like Kindle, you can price your book in such a way that people will be more likely take a chance on you as a new author. It’s a way to build a readership. By now I suppose everyone knows the story of JA Konrath, but in case you don’t…

Joe Konrath (aka Jack Killborn) is a real pioneer in this area. He had so many unpublished manuscripts lying around that, after first offering them for free on his website, he took advantage of the new Kindle technology to sell them at under $2.00 per download. He claims that his slasher book Serial was downloaded more than 70,000 times. With all of his Kindle offerings, he’s making much more money now than he did with the traditional publishers. Plus, Amazon is now playing the role of publisher, offering him an advance on his next book.

Full circle, anyone?

Times have changed and they continue to change, very fast. You can get whiplash trying to keep up.

Notwithstanding the foregoing…

DON’T LISTEN TO ME.

I mean it. I have to get a little woo-woo on you here and say that only you know what’s right for you to do. Consult your gut. Take it out to lunch; have a frank discussion with it. Maintain a “beginner’s mind” and forget the experts. They (we) can only tell you what our experience is and was. Who knows what’s in the cards for you? It’s all a learning experience.

L&L: How did you get an agent AFTER you self-published?

JC: I’ve done all of the above in terms of publishing. I started out in the dark ages of POD with iUniverse, using such bad covers it’s excruciating to see them still up on bookseller sites. (I didn’t yet understand that with the Internet, whatever you do will be there forever.) While writing the series, I queried agents. I didn’t get any interest from them, but I continually sent the finished books out to review sites.

I got some great notices, so I cribbed catchy phrases from them for a new query letter, which finally got me the attention of a terrific agent. (It’s important to target your queries to agents who work with your type of writing. Do the research and give them what they’re looking for only.)

Because I hadn’t expected to hear from her so soon, I had fibbed a little and said the third book, The Vampire of Venice Beach, was ready to go. She panicked a little when she learned that it needed more work, but I didn’t cave. I knew I had to finish it properly so I made her wait.

Then she took the books out to auction – what an exciting day! She called and emailed me several times during the day to update me on the bidding war. At the end of the day we took the offer from Broadway Books, which was the highest.

What bothered me was that they kept calling the series a “trilogy.” I was busy writing the fourth book at that time, and certainly wanted it to continue. I was afraid they’d make me wrap up all the storylines at the end of the third book but they didn’t. I guess they wanted to leave their options open.

In the end, the books didn’t earn out, meaning that they never went into profit. Instead of letting them die (I couldn’t let them snuff out my characters!) I published the next two books on my own.

I’ve really been missing my girls, the McAfee Twins. I keep getting mail from fans wondering where the next book is. I think I’ll write a sixth and do the CreateSpace/Kindle thing with them. The problem is finding the time!

L&L: What are you working on now?

JC: I have an abiding interest in all matters spiritual. That’s how I spend my spare time, reading and contemplating those things, so I’ve finally decided to write a book about them. I’ve dubbed it a “spiritual memoir” because it’s the story of how I’ve learned to integrate these ideas into my experience over the course of a lifetime. It’s almost finished.  (I mean the manuscript, not the lifetime!)

Don’t be frightened by the subject matter – the book is a hoot. The tentative title is Minor Mercies & Big-Ass Miracles. I go into some detail about the techniques I’ve used in obtaining a book deal, etc., such as affirmative prayer, visualization, etc. I know everyone’s heard about that stuff ad nauseam, but I’ve kept a journal for thirteen years that tracks their effectiveness. For instance, I include a copy of the mock press release I wrote for myself before I even had an agent, alongside of the actual press release that came out nine months later. The real press release mirrors my fake one almost verbatim, including the advance amount.

I especially want to get this book out there because I think it could help people who are struggling. (And who isn’t these days?) I’d better go get to work on it now!

For more information about Jennifer Colt, head over to her website!

Lit IT Girls: Debut Authors of Feng Shui Love

Okay, so you know how we love us some feng shui.  In fact maybe we're more than a little obsessed with all things fountain, crystal and sage. Lisa believes it was feng shui that led her to her husband and Liz can be known to go ape sh*t if someone so much as blinks at the fountain in her wealth corner. So when we discovered a book called Feng Shui Love by Joni Davis and Lisa Hyatt, we were smitten. The cover is sassy, the story is wildly entertaining and it's written by two women! Can you think of a better combo? *wink* *wink*

We couldn't! And that's why we asked these two debut authors to be the next Lit IT Girls featured on Chick Lit Is Not Dead. (Oh, and we also couldn't resist the fact that they're also Housewives fans!)

We fell in love the story and know you will too. Lily Chamberlayne is on her second honeymoon when her heart gets ripped in two by her husband (some romantic trip, huh?). Turns out, her hubby was having a very cliche' affair with his trashy assistant. So Lily, the eternal optimist searching for true love, packs up and moves in with her childhood friend, Brooke, who's also newly single. Throw Lily's eccentric feng shui loving mother into the mix (she shows the girls how to get the men they want by simply rearranging some furniture) and and you've got laughter, love and lots of available men!

And if you leave a comment you'll be entered to win one of FIVE feng shui prize packages which include an autographed copy of Feng Shui Love , a Feng Shui Love t-shirt, a crystal heart for your love corner and a bagua card bookmark! As usual, we'll randomly select the winners in two days (this Thursday).

Now, here's our Lit It Girls, Lisa & Joni:

1. How long did it take to write your book? FOREVER!!! Originally we thought we'd just whip it out in a few months, but then divorces, single motherhood, dating again, long procrastination breaks, and unproductive writing retreats to the beach all seemed to keep getting in the way... In the end, maybe 3 years?? We lost track.

2. How long did it take you to get your book published? What were your rock bottom moments along the way? Our situation was a little unique, Joni is an Entertainment Attorney and after reviewing multiple client book deals, we decided to go with an independent publisher the first time out of the gate, and luckily Joni ran in the same circles with the head of our publishing company, who had expressed interest in the story before we were even finished with it. As for the rock bottom moments, one in particular was when we actually sent the wrong final draft file back that was ready to go to print. It ended up being distributed at our book launch, and included a rather embarrassing typo. The sentence was supposed to read something like "I'd be so much more excited for you if I didn't feel like crap" but with all the final editing back and forth, it ended up reading "if I didn't feel like I have to crap". We can still hear Joni's sister's words ringing in our ears, "Girls, I told you not to use that word at all, that's what you get for not changing that crap!" Fortunately it was just a very small preview amount slotted for our party and has since been corrected... Thanks Dave!

3. How did you get teamed up with your publisher? Why did you feel your publisher was a good match for you? We actually met with him early on by chance, and had the opportunity to regale him with some of our funny feng shui stories of how our main character was using it to revamp her life, and he said if we ever finished it to let him know!  So I guess you could say we had him at hello.

4. Knowing what you know now about publishing your first novel, what would you have done differently? We should've had more of a web presence before the book was even released. Heck, we should have more of a web presence now! Your site has definitely inspired us, we're making a mid-year resolution to get on it!

5. What did you do to celebrate your book deal? We both immediately put the book cover photo in our wealth and fame areas!

6. Who is your writer crush? Lisa: For me, there are just too many to narrow down to one.  Joni: I know it's an extreme departure from chick lit, but I'd have to say Edgar Allan Poe. I've been to his house, I can recite Annabelle Lee by heart, and I've even turned my daughter into a big fan. When it was her turn to choose in kindergarten story time, she brought The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe. The teacher laughed watching her struggle to carry it in!

7. What's your biggest distraction or vice while writing? It doesn't take much, we're both Pisces. It's in our nature to be easily distracted!

8. GNO drink of choice? Any red wine will do for us. We're just happy when we can still get together for a GNO.

9. Favorite trashy TV show? Real Housewives any city, Rock of Love, and we can't wait for The Ultimate Merger. Donald Trump as a matchmaker?? ...That we've got to see!

10. What celeb would you love to have a Twitter war with? Honestly we can't imagine twit war-ing with anyone since we're both extremely non-confrontational, not to mention technologically challenged.

To get more scoop on Feng Shui Love, check out the Facebook page!

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Maternity Monday: Can’t Touch This By Lisa

I recently announced that I'm pregnant (felt so good to come out of that closet!). In fact, I'm 17 weeks today (due January 3rd) and becoming more and more shall we say "amazed" by the things that my body is doing. And because it's always great to have another excuse reason to spout off about something, Liz & I decided I should write a regular feature called, "Maternity Mondays."

So... I'm hoping all you moms out there will weigh in and remind me that I'm not alone in this- that you went through it too! Oh, and I'll definitely be hitting y'all up for some advice (don't even get me started on stroller selection!).

So, without further adieu, here's my first major, er, prego "observation".

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Can't Touch This.

No, I'm not looking back on the 80's and getting all warm and fuzzy inside at the thought of MC Hammer's hit tune (although the song still has quite a ring to it!), this is the track that plays in my head every time my husband remarks on my gargontuean post-prego ta ta's. (They were a 32DD pre-prego if that tells you anything!)

It seems like every time my freakshow, Jenna Jameson breasts are exposed, my husband is there. It's like he has radar. I step out of the shower, there he is! I change my shirt, oh hello, honey! I remove my bra because it only makes my tits hurt more, yup, he's there yet again.  Wide eyed, tongue wagging, wanting me to throw him a bone.

Damn those are HUGE

Wow, they just keep getting bigger, don't they?

Um, can, I pleeeease touch them?

I look at his puppy dog eyes. He's like a kid in a candy store, wanting it all. And I try to find the right way to say...

Um, no honey you can't. Unfortunately, they are for display only. Because not only are they sore as sh*t, but the day I first hit the toilet and lost my lunch, I'm pretty sure I lost my sex drive too. And the last thing I need right now is your mits all over my achy, nauseous, tired junk. But I love you...

As I watch his face fall while he mentally tries to calculate the last time he touched any part of my body (I don't even want to do that math!), I think that all I need is a pair of those hideous parachute pants that Hammer used to wear (hey those could double as maternity wear!) and it definitely would be Hammer time!

Woh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Can't touch these (at least until next trimester!?)

xoxo, Lisa

Writing Wednesday: Holly Christine on 5 Things You Need Before You Self-Publish

To self-publish or not to self-publish? We're sure every aspiring writer has considered this question at one point or another (including us!). But let's face it, self-publishing hasn't always had the best reputation. And for a long time, has been treated like the redheaded stepchild of the publishing world.

But lately, it seems like it's receiving a better reception from most people. And that more and more authors are doing it. And we wanted to know why. So we asked Holly Christine, author of Tuesday Tells it Slant to give us the scoop on self-publishing and why she did it. And to fill us in on the 5 things anyone needs to know before they do too. (Plus, we're giving away 5 copies to 5 lucky commenters. You know the drill, we'll randomly select the winners & announce the results... Friday!)

Tuesday Tells it Slant is the story of Tuesday Morning who has always been a little... different. She's kept a diary since 1989 and while researching for her senior seminar paper on Emily Dickinson's Transcendental tendencies, reads a poem that will change her life.  And not just her future. Tuesday changes her past. We all have secrets and skeletons in our closets, but Tuesday has managed to clean hers out with a pen and a diary. It's a fun read!

So here's Holly....

Five years ago, I wrote my first book. After I clicked “save,” I printed it twice, sent a copy to my college roommate, and placed the other copy in my nightstand drawer. Some people say that the first book you write is like releasing your inner demons. Mine fell into this category.

Four years ago, I wrote my second book. I called it The Nine Lives of Clemenza. It was a story about one soul’s journey through nine lives. The kicker was that she could choose to live as whatever form of life she desired. She was air, a part of the Northern Lights and human to name a few. It was unique, not your average tale of reincarnation. As most writers probably feel, I thought that I had struck creative gold. I followed the traditional path. I researched agents and waited for responses for a year. As the rejections piled up, I set my creative side on simmer for another full year. Two years after completing TNLC, I read through it again with truly fresh eyes. I enjoyed it. I made myself laugh and I made myself cry. And I wondered... couldn’t I evoke these emotions from another reader? I did a bit of research and decided to self-publish.

After having some success with TNLC, self-publishing seemed like a no-brainer to me when I finished writing Tuesday Tells it Slant. I knew a handful of self-published authors that were recently picked up by major publishing houses (specifically authors that made their work available for Kindle), and I no longer felt like I was committing literary suicide. After three edits, I formatted for Kindle and within 48 hours, she was live.

Self-publishing takes a few things: a network of writers for support and critiques, some formatting knowledge, a business attitude, some marketing knowledge, and courage.

A network: Search Twitter for author or writer and join online communities of like-minded creative people. I also recommended starting or joining a writer’s group. Doing so will prepare you for the reviews, aid in the writing process and also help to make your work as perfect as it can be before the self-publishing process begins.

Formatting: Creating and prepping a document for publishing is not a one-day project. There are specific spacing requirements that correlate to book size and length. Photoshop and Microsoft Office knowledge is a must. All On-Demand presses give spacing requirements based upon the book size and length. Follow them, and you’ll be happy with the end result. eBook formatting requires moderate Office knowledge. If you find yourself in a slump, there are many online services that offer proper eFormatting for a fee. Check out CreateSpace and Lulu for paperbacks and Amazon’s Digital Text Platform and Barnes and Noble’s new Nook publishing tool for eReaders.

A business attitude: You started your own business the moment you clicked “Publish.” Because you are the author and the publisher, it is probably best to get a separate tax identification number for your royalty earnings. It is very important to keep track of any expenses that you incur, such as giveaways, shipping fees, review copies, and marketing materials. At the end of the year, it will be much easier to tally up your data. This attitude may force you to set aside your creative side for a while. Finding the balance between artist and business owner is the key to making it through this journey at the soul level.

Marketing: The tricky side of self-publishing is the marketing. You made it available... now how can it reach a reader? Thousands of people self-publish every day, and making your work stand out from the rest is no easy task. Use your creative side to explore different marketing options. Create a Facebook fan page for your work or yourself as an author. Set up your own website and blog. Call local bookstores to set up signings. If you can’t do this on your own, and many can’t, hiring a publicist can help to spotlight your work.

Courage: The most terrifying part of making your work available is finding the courage to face a review... especially when you self-publish. Not only did you create the words and the story, you may have created the cover, acted as editor and more. Developing a thick skin, while cliché, is a must. The flip side of this is the praise. You receive a good review and you hold your head higher that day. Someone sends you an email and writes that your words changed the way that they felt about life. You smile. You might even cry. Knowing that you did all of it yourself is rewarding. You should be proud.

For most, the whole I just wrote a novel bit is the easy part. Courage, research, and knowing your limits will help to fine-tune your approach to self-publishing. It’s not necessarily a last resort anymore. You don’t have to worry about shelling out thousands of dollars. You can do it for free and, if you’re still set on finding a traditional publisher, you can use your sales as proof to your book’s potential.

Thanks so much Holly!  xoxo, Liz & Lisa

For more information on Holly Christine, check out her website or follow her on Twitter