Alison Pace's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

It's FINALLY here! A Pug's Tale by Alison Pace (well it will officially be here tomorrow but what's one more day, right?). It's a sequel we've been waiting for since we fell for Alison's completely lovable novel, Pug Hill. And ever since we discovered this gem of an author, we've been in love. Because there's no one quite like her. Her writing is smart and funny and even a little bit quirky- in a good way! And she writes about pugs- what's not to love about that? They're like the cutest dogs evuh! A Pug's Tale Synopsis: There are pugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Hope McNeill has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for years, but this is the first time she's been able to bring along her pug, Max. (Officially at least. Previously she's had to smuggle him in inside her tote bag.)

The occasion: a special "Pug Night" party in honor of a deep-pocketed donor. Max and his friends are having a ball stalking the hors d'oeuvres and getting rambunctious, and making Hope wonder if this is also the last time she gets to bring Max to the museum.

But when a prized painting goes missing, the Met needs Hope's--and Max's--help. In her quest for the culprit, Hope searches for answers with an enigmatic detective, a larger-than-life society heiress, a lady with a shih tzu in a stroller, and her arguably intuitive canine. With luck, she'll find some inspiration on her trips to Pug Hill before the investigation starts going downhill...

Sound like a fun read? We think so! And if you agree, just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win one of five copies of A Pug's Tale. We'll randomly select the winners after 6PM EST on Wednesday, June 8.

And now Alison entertains us even more with her fabulous list of Do's (love the perfect schmerfect reference!) and a very important Do-over.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...ALISON PACE'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO'S

1. Let Yourself Say Hokey, Cliched Things Like, Perfect Schmerfect (though, present moment excepted. try not to write them). Always with writing, I believe in putting one foot in front of the other and in not trying to be perfect.  I believe in this with most other things, too.

2. Get a Dog!  This is not just for writers who'd like to write books about dogs.  Really.  Other than solo submarine pilot, writing, the day-to-day routine of it, is one of the loneliest pursuits I can think of (er, um, of which I can think?)  Having a dog with you as you're writing can be not only company but oftentimes inspiring, and always calming.  And I'm a big, huge, tremendous believer in the fact that dogs connect people to the world --from the walks you must take them on, to the people you meet because of them, dogs bring you out into the exterior.  That's a big thing if you're hoping for a career that is so interior.  And I get a lot of thinking done, sorting out of plots and characters and the likes when I'm walking my dog, too.  In my mind, it's win-win-win :)

3. Go Elsewheres! At some point in your life, try to live somewhere where you don't know anyone.  First, you get a lot of writing done at first because you don't know anyone and have no plans.  Bonus!  But also, being in a strange place lets you get to know yourself better and I think, scary as it can at times be, a bit of introspection makes for a *much* better writer.

4. Give Bad Books a Second Chance. About three years ago, I started an essay collection and the first draft was very, very far from what we could call "working." I put it aside and felt tremendously insecure about going back to it.  I started other projects, finished other projects (namely A PUG'S TALE which I hope you enjoyed!) avoiding the unfinished essays. About six months ago I was pretty sure I'd have to scrap the whole project but told myself I'd give it one more no-holds-barred try.  I *just* finished a new first draft of that book and I'm so happy with it and I'm super grateful I dusted it off.

5. But Not a Third.  Let doors close.  I think in writing and in life, it's important to know when something just isn't going to work out.  Listen to the inner voice, and if it's really not going to work out, move on.  There will be other things to write.  There will always be other things to write.

DO-OVER

My Do-Over: I wonder what it says about my commitment to my convictions that I'm needing to mull this one over for a bit?  One thing I'd do over would be not to make staying at home and writing all the time such a big career goal.  I've had a bunch of part-time jobs (teaching, lots of administrative assisting, blogging for a doggy site, which was writing but different) over the course of my writing life and the times when I'm writing and working at something else simultaneously are always, hands down, my most productive and happy writing times.  It took me a little bit to figure that out, so if I could go back I'd learn that sooner.

To find out more about the lovely and talented Alison Pace and her other novels including City Dog and If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend, head over to her website and be sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks so much, Alison!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Andrea Bonior's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

We love our friends.  In fact, nothing makes us happier than sharing a glass of wine (or two, or three...) with our favorite girls.  One hour with them can melt away any frustration caused by works, kids, husbands, traffic, bad hair days or carb bloat! That's why we're excited to have Dr. Andrea Bonior sharing her 5 Do's and a Do-Over today!  Her new book, The Friendship Fix is all about how to keep your relationships with your besties healthy.

It's also the first pick in BookSparksPR Summer reading challenge-have you signed up yet?  What are you waiting for?  (hint...The D Word is a pick later this Summer...)

Here's the scoop on The Friendship Fix: Had enough of that bridezilla? Feeling alone in a new city? Dealing with the trauma of the worst breakup ever—with someone you never even made out with?

We’ve heard the path to fulfillment has much to do with relationships. But while it’s often thought that for young women, it's all about finding the right man, real women beg to differ: It's friendships that are at the heart of happiness. Unfortunately, they’re also at the heart of drama, stress, and sometimes not-so-great escapades after that fifth martini. And, technology, from texting to Facebook, has made all friendships more complicated than ever.

At last comes The Friendship Fix, jam-packed with practical ways to improve your life by improving your circle. From dealing with friends-with-benefits to coworkers from the dark side, from feeling alone to being desperate to defriend a few dozen people, Andrea Bonior, Ph.D. helps you make the most of your friendships, whether they be old, new, online, or in person.

Sound fabulous?  Then leave a comment to be entered to win one of FIVE copies!  We'll choose the winners Sunday June 5th after 6pm PST.

AND...there's an awesome giveaway if you buy a copy!  Check it out here! LOTS of cool gift cards(Banana Republic, SpaFinder, etc) and MORE!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS....ANDREA BONIOR'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

5 DO'S

1.  DO take a risk, to connect with someone awesome. In my early days as a Mom, sometimes I’d get to talking with another mother at a playground and we’d connect really well. But when it was time to leave, I’d be terrified to take any next step in keeping things going.  In fact, even contemplating it made me feel like some sort of stalker, or the platonic equivalent of the slovenly guy at the bar who winks at everyone with breasts. But as The Friendship Fix lays out, there are ways to take the next step without coming on too strong, though it still requires a leap of faith! Thank goodness I finally learned to stick my neck out when it counted, though, as I now have some wonderful friendships that would never have begun if I hadn’t done so (since they were scared too!).

2.  DO step up when you’ve screwed up. For years I’ve been notorious about not hearing my phone. I either don’t notice that it’s switched to silent mode (thank you, poorly-designed iphone cover) or am a victim of the fact that my house’s decent cell service is limited to a shoebox-sized area of our bathtub. Once, I saw a message three weeks after the fact, and it was an old friend needing support. I felt so horrible that I wanted to crawl into a hole and forget the whole thing, and I could only imagine that she had moved on not only from hoping for my help, but from counting on me as a friend as well. I forced myself to own right up to it, though, and to try to make things right, and I’d like to think that we’ve been back on track ever since. As the book discusses, the majority of times that a screwup ends a friendship, it’s the aftermath that does it, not the original mistake. So, face the awkwardness and correct it sooner rather than later. Too often, you might let your embarrassment harden into a polar freeze, and it’s the latter that really ends the friendship.

3.  DO follow your instincts when things feel off. Sometimes your gut is dead-on about a friendship that’s not right for you, but often we feel too guilty to heed it. Years ago, my relationship with a person who I really felt I should be compatible with—we had a lot in common, and she was an admirable person— just seemed to have a lot of trouble getting out of first gear. I found myself not that excited about our interactions, and didn’t really feel like my best self around her, despite us spending an increasing amount of time together. Keeping up with her felt like something to be checked off a list rather than something I was drawn to, and I left our outings feeling drained and irritable. Finally, I faced the fact that we just weren’t a good match, and she had a certain edge to her that just rubbed me the wrong way. Though I felt really guilty at first, I backed off the friendship gently—and ended up feeling much freer as a result.

4.  DO plan a trip with your closest friends. I just got back from a weekend bachelorette party with some of my dearest college girlfriends, at a cabin so remote that the phrase “Make a left on the third dirt road, past the abandoned van that’s been overgrown by weeds” was actually part of the directions to get there. It was quite a difference from the bachelorette parties of our previous decade (other than the reappearance of a certain prank inflatable item named “Willie”—he’s become an heirloom!). But it couldn’t have been more enjoyable, just being alone together again. Whether it’s a Caribbean cruise or a night at a local hotel, going away with your friends is one of the best things you can do for your relationship. And the anticipation of the trip, plus the recollecting of the memories, give you even more bang for your buck.

5.  DO give yourself permission to prioritize your friendships. Life gets busy. Jobs and school and marriage and kids and pets and just general grownup existence—even if all you take care of is a pot of peonies-- can easily take the place of time with friends. It’s so common to feel guilty going to a brunch, for instance, when your daughter has a stomach bug. Or maybe you’ve gotten into a rut of automatically saying no to every happy hour because it’s so much trouble to make alternate arrangements for the evening rush. But you’re a better spouse, coworker, and Mom when you make time for your friends. Prioritizing your friend relationships—which lengthen your lifespan, help ward off depression, and leave you more fulfilled and less stressed—benefits not just you, but everyone in your life as well.

DO-OVER

Do be mindful of casting such a wide net on Facebook. Social networking has obviously revolutionized the way we communicate, and The Friendship Fix discusses in detail many of the pros and cons of its proliferation. One embarrassing example of its shortcomings: it’s easy to get overzealous in your collecting of friends at the expense of actual connecting. A few months after I first got on Facebook, I found myself randomly thinking about an old high school friend of mine—a phenomenal individual who I remembered fondly. I thought about how great it would be to be in touch, how much I wondered what she was up to, how sure I was she was doing something amazing with her life. And then…. I remembered that we were already Facebook friends, and had “reconnected” in the rather superficial, frenzied way that came with the first 200 friend requests when you first join. (“Your kids are gorgeous!” “Your jobs sounds awesome!” “It’s so great to be back in touch!”) I was horrified. Had I been more mindful in my Facebook behavior, I would never have forgotten that reconnection, and would have had a better chance of turning it into an actual emotional reconnection that stood the test of time, rather than that Facebook “friend” that isn’t quite back in my life in the truest sense of the term. There’s room for all levels of friendship in your life, but make sure you’re not fooling yourself about their quality and succumbing to a numbers game.

Thanks Andrea! xoxo, L&L

To read more about Andres, head on over to her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Mommy Monday: Does My Baby Count As a Carry-On?

I was a hot, sweaty mess. My heart was racing. My mind was racing. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so scared...

No, I wasn't about to give birth.

Nope, I wasn't about to walk down the aisle and commit myself to one man for the rest of my life.

And no, I wasn't about to get my first Brazilian bikini wax since the baby was born, er, three months before.

I was about to...

fly half-way across the country with my baby for the first time.

Cue dramatic music from something scary. Like Poltergeist. Or the Exorcist. Or The Nate Burkus Show.

You'd have thought I was preparing for a three-week cruise to the Caribbean the way I packed for my first four-day trip to California with the baby. The poor hubs looked like a Sherpa as he hauled our, count 'em, twelve bags and various baby gear out to the cab. (In hindsight, we should have ordered two taxis as it probably wasn't fair to make the hubs ride on the roof!)

You name it, I'd packed it- and then some...and some...and some.

Diapers? Forget the flight to Cali. I had enough to fly around the world.

Wipes? I could've wiped the ass of every baby within a two thousand square mile radius.

Spare Outfits? My daughter's suitcase could've put Suri Cruise's closet to shame.

But beyond being prepared for anything my baby could need, I was trying to be prepared for what type of traveler she would be.

What if she decided that thirty thousand miles up was the place she should have her inaugural public melt down?

Well it turns out my baby was a perfect angel. The kind that our flight mates remarked on at the end of the flight. Wow, you're lucky. Is she always so good?

But her mommy? Not so much.

Turns out, mommy was the problem. Mommy who was so frazzled going through security that she practically offered her baby up to be body searched. Mommy who got upgraded to first class and after consuming her second glass o' bubbly became obsessed with babbling baby talk at her baby.  Mommy who probably broke some unwritten rule of the friendly skies and changed her daughter's diaper in, wait for it, the seat.

But if one of us had to be annoying, better me than her, right? *wink* *wink*

xoxo,

Lisa

PS: Leave a comment (and make me feel better about being such a "freak") and be entered to win a copy of The Baby Planner by the fabulous Josie Brown. We'll randomly select the winner after 6pm EST on Wed., June 1.

Ask Liz & Lisa: What the hell do we do when we're not blogging?

Yep, it's time to Ask Liz & Lisa again!  We've received so many great Qs-we'll try to get to them all in the very near future.  And because we're greedy lil' beyotches, we still want MORE!  Ask us anything you want!  Email your Q to asklizandlisa@chicklitisnotdead.com.  and if we pick your question, we'll send you a fabulous book!

Today's question comes from Catherine-she'll be receiving a copy of Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner.  But don't fret-if you leave a comment here, you'll be entered to win a copy of Skipping A Beat by one of our fave authors, Sarah Pekkanen.  We'll choose the winner on Sunday, May 29th after 6pm PST.

Hey ladies!

I’ve always wondered what you both do for your “regular” job? You’ve mentioned a full-time gig here and there, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen what it is you both do or where you work specifically. Forgive me if you have indeed told us… I try to read every blog post/email, but sometimes the email sits there until I eventually put it in my “to read” folder and it’s lost in the oblivion forever.

Thanks so much!

Catherine

Thanks so much for your Q, Catherine!  And you didn't miss it, we've never really mentioned what we do in real life.  It's funny, it's always been some weird, unspoken rule that we've had.  But now's a good a time as any to break the seal, right?

We're not sure if we've ever mentioned the fact that we went to college together. And while going to college, joined the same sorority, had the same major(Specialized Communication) AND took all of our classes together. In fact, teachers would often call Liz, Lisa. Although they never called Lisa, Liz? (Cue major identity crisis for Liz! But that's a whole other blog...) So it should come as no surprise that we did our internship together.

At the Family Feud.

Yes, you read that right.  We worked in the contestant department of the Family Feud when Richard Dawson returned that one last time back in the mid-90's.  And in case you were wondering, we DID get a kiss from him. It was a very *interesting* experience that made Lisa decide to pursue a career in television and sent Liz running in the other direction the second she had fulfilled her last hour of the internship.

Lisa worked her way up the food chain on some very cool talk shows. She worked in the television industry for fifteen years and was a supervising producer when she decided to "give it all up" for love and move to Chicago to marry her husband. *cue sappy music*  Now she freelances for a ton of sites, including Real Moms Guide, Barnes & Noble's Unabashedly Bookish blog and Bravado Designs.  And she has her hand full with her new baby too! (A full-time job in itself!)

Liz, upon deciding that she wasn't cut out for TV, figured that she'd make her inner people pleaser very happy by going into outside sales.  Because nothing makes her more excited than to yap, yap, yap with all different people every day.  She works for a large pharmaceutical company and even after eleven years, cannot spell the word pharmaceutical without spell check and still laughs every time her mom calls her for medical advice. (She does realize she has a COMMUNICATION degree, right?) So, the next time you're in your doctor's office and you see a blonde chick walk up with a roller bag, be nice.  It just might be her.

And, of course, we'd love to both be able to write full-time one day. Liz really enjoys her job, but writing books and running CLIND are what she's passionate about.  And you know what?  We have a feeling that one day we'll be able to be here full-time, blogging the shit out of anything and everything that happens. But until then, we'll be stealing time in between everything else to come here and do what we love.

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Amanda Goldberg & Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

We don't know about you, but it's been a crazy month over here at CLIND!  SO many new books and authors that we can hardly find the time to post about all of them.  And today is no exception-we have lovely NYT bestselling authors Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper.  They burst onto the scene with Celebutantes and their latest, Beneath A Starlet Sky, is another fantabulous good time! In BENEATH A STARLET SKY, Lola Santisi—CEO of a struggling fashion line and daughter of Hollywood royalty—is swinging between the fashion world in New York and the real world with her doctor-boyfriend in Los Angeles. Lola is trying to launch designer Julian Tennant’s new dress line, and it looks like they’re about to get their next big break: his wedding dresses have been chosen to feature in the top film at the Cannes Film Festival. They better make a big splash in the sunny Cannes crowds, or else…

For Kate Woods, Lola’s BFF and CAA’s rising star agent, Cannes is all work and no play. Having recently endured a disastrous break-up with Lola’s brother Christopher, Kate is newly single, and focused solely on her clients.

The only thing worse than thinking it was a good idea for Kate to date Lola’s brother, is thinking it was a good idea for Kate to put one of her most loose-cannon clients, Nic Knight, in Lola’s father’s movie. Among Kate’s other mega star clients is Saffron Sykes whose appearance on the cover of Vogue in Julian Tennant could be the difference between Julian Tennant, Inc. weathering the economy or going bust. But when someone throws a wrench in their plans, everyone stands to lose, especially Lola. With her father and brother vying for the same prize, her mother starring in hew new reality show, and one heartbroken girlfriend about to declare motherhood, it’s all on Lola to come up with the answers.

Sound good?  Then leave a comment to be entered to win one of FIVE copies!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday night after 6pm EST. Good luck!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...AMANDA GOLDBERG & RUTHANNA KHALIGHI HOPPER'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO

1. Do cherish and protect friendships with the girlfriends who knew you when you wore that really bad prom dress, had the bad perm and wore the bad blue eye shadow.  These are the women who will feed you when you’re busy feeding the newborn you just brought home from the hospital, when you’ve forgotten to eat because you’ve been at the hospital tending to an ailing parent, and when you’ve lost your appetite because your husband (or boyfriend) decides they’re “going through something”.  These are the women who are the mirrors that make any accomplishment worth celebrating with a good glass of wine, a hug or a good cry.  These are the women who make it worth it.

2. Do find your own voice: it’s been incredibly meaningful for us to find our own mode of expression; a place where we can go that allows us to feel creatively fulfilled.  We come from families of strong personalities.  And it’s been significant for us to be able to stand on our own two feet as women.  Ruthanna: My hope for my daughter, who’s now a toddler, is that she feels the song of her own soul and doesn’t feel the need to impersonate anyone, or get swept away by some of the alienating and superficial images presented by the media.  As Tina Fey said in her “Prayer for a Daughter”: “May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.” Which leads us to…

3. Do get your heartbroken: let it get shattered, busted, tossed to and fro, so that you learn how to expand, put the pieces back together and stretch, so that you figure out who you are, what’s important to you and that ultimately, the love you have for yourself is the one worth fighting for. Which leads us to….

4. Do have a commitment ceremony for yourself! We throw one in our new novel when one of the characters loses her way and loses her truth.  She vows to cherish, honor and love herself, until death do you part!  Which leads us to…

5. Do forgive easily and often. Because life is precious and short and holding onto resentment, as the great Pema Chodron says, is like eating poison and waiting for the other person to die.  Far too much energy is wasted on war, on anger, on waiting for the other person to change or apologize.  Look deep, ask yourself who’s suffering and how in your own way can you help to alleviate pain in the world.  Often this means starting with our own, often this means starting with forgiveness.  Which brings us to…

DO-OVER

Don’t live with regret. We tend to be pretty hard on ourselves.  And what woman’s not?! The beauty of life is that each moment gives us the opportunity to begin again, which means we can go through each of the above Do’s and in each moment treat ourselves to them, make our lives simpler because of them, and become stronger, more fulfilled women through them.  And when we forget, we can begin again, and again, and again.

Thanks ladies! xoxo, L&L

To read more about Amanda and Ruthanna, head over to Facebook or find them on Twitter!

Announcing...THE D WORD!

We've got big news, y'all.  Crazy, super, HUGE news. Our second novel, The D Word, is going to be released as an eBook on Tuesday, June 14th. *jumps up and down and screams Oprah audience style*  And it's going to launch for only 2.99! (Less than a gallon of gas!) And we're still reeling from the fact that some majuh authors have read it and LOVED it! More on that in a minute...

And it gets even better-we are also going to re-release our first novel,  I'll Have Who She's Having as an eBook with a brand spankin' new cover. (And it's RAD, if we do say do ourselves...) The best part?  The introductory price will be .99! Seriously, you can hardly get your daily Starbucks shot of vanilla for that!

For less than $4 you will be able to buy BOTH of our books! And don't fret, they're going to available in ALL of the eBook formats from Apple to Kindle, so no matter what reader or computer you have-you will be able to download them.

Now, of course, y'all know we're going to have some KICK ASS giveaways to go along with our upcoming launch. (hint, hint: think iPad, a DXG camera, and more!) There will be more info about the giveaways as we get closer to our pub date.  But it's safe to say the giveaway whore in you is going to be very, very happy.

So without further adieu, we present to you The D Word by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke....

Jordan Daniels and Elle Ryan thought their lives would become less complicated when they walked away from their respective relationships one year ago. But instead, they find themselves vying for a relationship with the same divorced man.

As a spiritual counselor, newly single mother Jordan Daniels makes her living predicting other people's futures. If only she could foresee her own. A year after filing for divorce from her husband, Kevin, he seems to be the one moving on effortlessly, while Jordan still can't bring herself to fill his old underwear drawer. But it's not until Jordan's polar opposite, Elle steals Kevin's heart, that Jordan becomes convinced she'll be replaced both as a wife and a mother to her five-year-old son, Max.

When Elle met Kevin, the last thing she wanted was another relationship. Especially not with a man with baggage-she already had enough of her own. She left her fiancé, Chase right before their wedding to avoid the imminent D word, something she's convinced runs in her family like a disease. But a year later, she's no closer to becoming less skeptical about marriage. And despite her attachment to Kevin and his son, when Elle sees just how far Jordan's willing to go to win Kevin back, Elle starts to question if she should have left Chase in the first place.

In The D Word you'll walk in the shoes of Jordan and Elle as they discover that sometimes you're not that different from the person who makes you feel the most insecure.

Here's what some of your favorite authors have to say about it:

"Sassy, smart and highly enjoyable, The D Word delivers with Jordan and Elle--endearing and relatable women-in-transition--who you'll be rooting for all the way to their brand new versions of happily ever after!"  -Laura Dave, author of LONDON IS THE BEST CITY IN AMERICA, THE DIVORCE PARTY and THE FIRST HUSBAND

"A thoughtful, witty examination of divorce and the rocky terrain of its complicated and often murky emotional aftermath." -Amy Hatvany, author of BEST KEPT SECRET

“Reading The D Word is like hanging out with two wonderfully flawed friends who make you laugh even when it seems their worlds are falling apart. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have captured these women at a crossroads as they struggle to find love, happiness and fulfillment. You’ll laugh, cry, and at times, want to slap some sense into them. But mostly you’ll root for Elle and Jordan because you know them. They’re just like you.” – Irene Zutell, author of PIECES OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER

A special thank you to Laura, Amy and Irene for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedules to read our book. It means more to us than we could ever express! xoxo + an extra xo!

Okay, so are you ready to see the new cover for I'll Have Who She's Having?  It's such a fun book, perfect for any time you need a solid LOL.  We hope you heart the new cover as much as we do!

Kate's been depressed ever since yet another long-term boyfriend unceremoniously dumped her. When her younger and married sister Kelly convinces her the way to meet a quality man is for the two of them to sign up for a volleyball class, she's just desperate enough to agree. But Kate becomes so fixated on their coach that she fails to see an unlikely but perfect match right in front of her.

Kelly's been less than happy for longer than she wants to admit. She's the one who appears to have it all: the perfect husband, the big house and the beautiful daughter. Despite it all, she feels an emptiness she can't explain and is conflicted when it's her volleyball coach who offers an answer.

I'll Have Who She's Having follows Kate and Kelly as they battle themselves and each other in their search for a happy ending. Through a series of hardships and self-doubt, they both realize they were looking for happiness in the wrong places. It s a novel for anyone who ever secretly let their insecurities get the best of them.

So there you have it.  We are so excited for next month and hope that y'all will follow on on this crazy eBook journey we're about to embark on.  One thing we promise-it's going to be a fun ride with lots of fun content and great giveaways.  Don't miss out! Stay tuned for details on the Ipad giveaway in a few weeks....

A very special thank you to Suni Danielle of Suni Danielle Photography for creating our uh-maze-ing covers. You rock, girlfrin'!

Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment and tell us what you think!

xoxo, L&L

L B Gschwandtner & Karen Cantwell's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

It probably won't surprise you that we have a soft spot in our hearts for writing teams of two who author books together. Because we feel if a couple of people can work together to get a novel on paper without killing each other, they've survived half the battle. (We managed to get through both of our novels with only one cat fight! But it was a good one! Meow!) And majuh bonus points if they are also funny! So when we discovered L B Gschwandtner and Karen Cantwell, co-authors of Foxy's Tale, we fell for them because they made us seriously LOL our asses off when we read their novel. And you know how we like a good LOL! Synopsis of Foxy's Tale: A comic, chick lit tale wherein former beauty queen Foxy Anders, who's fallen on hard times, rents an apartment to mysterious, bumbling Myron Standlish who’s arrived in the city looking for a long lost trunk containing who knows what. When Foxy’s teenage daughter, Amanda hooks up with Nick, a cute guy at school, while getting cooking lessons from Foxy's new assistant Knot, they’re all in for some romance with a dash of suspense and a sprinkle of supernatural.

And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of three eBook or print (up to you!) copies of Foxy's Tale. We'll randomly select the winner after 6pm EST on Thursday, May 19th.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...L B GSCHWANDTNER AND KAREN CANTWELL'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER 

DO'S

1.  Karen: Always wear a bra. If you’re knocked unconscious in an accident, you don’t want your very personal friends, Teensy and Eensy (in my case) or Jumbo and Whopper (in Dolly Parton’s case) to be exposed to the world.

LB: You may also want to consider your panty style of choice. Only a few of us can get away with a string bikini on an emergency room gurney. Just sayin’.

2. Karen: Wash your hands in a public restroom. They might have hidden cameras and you don’t want to wind up on a Today Show segment dedicated to health and hygiene.

LB: Double tie your trash bags. You’d be surprised what can leap right out at you. Eeeewwww.

3. Karen: Clean UNDER the toaster when Aunt Gertrude visits from Niceville, FL. She looks under everything and she’s not so NICE when she spreads the news to relatives about your housekeeping deficiencies.

LB: Take anything out of your closet that you haven’t worn in 2 years and give it to Goodwill. No regrets.

4. Karen:. Tell your children you love them every day. Make sure you keep video footage as well -- you’ll want evidence when they’re adults and say it’s your fault they’re seeing a therapist.

LB: Ignore the impulse to ask anyone: “Do these jeans make me look fat?” Really, that’s between you and your mirror.

5. Karen: Laugh at your own foibles. And laugh at the word "foibles," because let’s face it -- it’s a funny word.

LB: I don’t even know if a foible is good to suggest doing.

DO-OVER

Karen: I would do-over the time I obsessed on things I wanted to do-over. What a waste that was.

LB: I’ve had some hair cuts I would definitely DO over and, looking back at some old pictures, wish I had. Now I wish I could do-over looking back at those pictures.

To find out more about the lovely and talented LB Gschwandtner, visit her website, check out her blog and be sure to follow her on Facebook. To find out more about the equally lovely and talented Karen Cantwell, visit her website and follow her on Facebook.

Thanks, L B & Karen!

xoxo,

L&L

Laura Dave's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

There really are no words left to describe our deep love for Laura Dave. We'll simply say she's the best and that her writing is some of the very best out there. And that we will always look forward to her next book with child-like anticipation. She's just that damn good. So first order of business? Don't even think. Just get your hands on her latest fabulous, insightful, emotional, nail biting, passionate, fantastic novel, The First Husband.(Officially out today!) And if for some crazy reason (because you'd just have to be crazy) you haven't read her other books yet, you must immediately buy, download, check out, whatever your method my be, her debut novel, London is the best City in America and her second book, The Divorce Party. (Both uh-mazing and each optioned to be made into movies by some serious A-listers. Um, can we say Reese Witherspoon & Jennifer Aniston respectively?) Synopsis of The First Husband: Annie Adams thinks she has it all. Her longtime boyfriend, Nick, is on the verge of becoming a successful film director, her travel column is nationally syndicated, and they've got a great dog. Her life finally feels like it is falling into place. Until, out of nowhere, Nick announces that he's reconnected with a woman from his past and he's moving out.

Reeling from Nick's exit, Annie stumbles into her neighborhood bar and finds Griffin, a down to earth chef who seems to be everything she didn't know she wanted. Three months later, they're married. And Annie finds herself in a small Massachusetts town -- completely unmoored and wondering if she's picked a life on the rebound. When Nick returns, wanting a second chance, Annie's stuck: truly torn between her husband and the man she may have been meant to marry.

Sound like your kind of book? Hells yeah it does! Well you know the drill...just leave a comment here and be entered to win one of five copies of The First Husband. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm EST on Wednesday, May 18th.

And we're lovin' Laura even more after reading her 5 Do's and Do-Over (especially after discovering we have a mutual soft spot for that show from the late nineties, Felicity! How hot was Ben???)

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LAURA DAVE'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO

1.     DO Take a Road Trip

I will grant you: The world is full of incredible places to explore. But my favorite kind of trip is one where I never have to see an airport.  My greatest adventures have involved getting behind the wheel of my car (or a friend’s car—I’m not picky!), putting on some great music (recently I’ve found it’s hard to beat The Avett Brothers), and seeing where I end up.  I’ve driven the California coast a dozen times since moving to Los Angeles three years ago.  And one of the most awe-inspiring moments of my life remains driving into Moab, Utah for the first time—and finding myself surrounded by all that orange mountain rock.  There is just something about seeing the world while driving through it. It is a great way to explore somewhere new—and the absolute best way to revisit a place that matters to you. And a person that matters to you.  The great windfall of a road trip is often all those borrowed hours with the person riding shotgun.

Just make sure to establish beforehand that you’re in charge of the soundtrack.

2.      DO Cook For The People You Love.

I came to this lesson late: Cooking can be an act of total and complete joy.  I’m not talking about dishing out six course gourmet dinners every night—unless you are so inspired, in which case, do you want a new friend?

But I’m sincerely saying that I’ve found making something wonderful and nourishing for the people that matter most to me has added a serious contentment to my life.  From heading down to the farmers market for an early-morning run to navigating a new pasta sauce (may I highly recommend this yummy number from Jessica Seinfeld, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment putting a healthy and comforting meal on the table. Added bonus: This contentment often results in someone pouring me a glass of wine.

(Oh, and this is a side DO: when you cook, someone else better clean.)

3.       DO Walk It Off

During a pilot episode of a TV show that will remain nameless (Felicity! Don’t hold it against me—it was a great show!), the main character offered a piece of wisdom that has always stayed with me.  She said: I'm learning little by little that we decide what our lives are gonna be. Things happen to us. But it's our reactions that matter.

I think this is beyond true.  We often face adversity—sometimes in small ways, sometimes in larger ones—but it is how we handle what is in front of us that determines our happiness.  As much as possible, I try to enjoy the good.  And, when the tough comes breaking in, I remind myself: this too shall pass. And it often passes faster (or at least it feels like it is passing faster) if I find a way to walk it off.  Actually taking a walk—tying up some soft sneakers, breathing in the fresh air—is often the best start I find.

4.   Do Make New Mistakes

For a long time I thought if I played my cards just right, I could avoid making mistakes: No more keeping my mouth closed when it matters most, no longer saying yes when I mean no.  No more unnecessary parking tickets because me and quarters apparently have issues.  But the hard lesson to learn is that if you are going to be involved in your life, you’re going to make mistakes. You simply can’t avoid it, at least some of the time.  But I’ve tried to follow a mantra I recently learned: since you’re going to make mistakes the key is to make new ones.  Learn and explore and forgive in an entirely new ways.  (As an example: just yesterday, instead of the keeping my mouth closed, I spoke up and said the exact wrong thing!)  In all seriousness, this is what I try to do now, as much as possible: I try to learn from what’s happened, truly learn from it.

And then go screw up in brand new ways.

5. DO Agree With Each Other Whenever Possible

One of the greatest things about writing the kind of books I do is that I get a chance to sit down and talk to so many amazing people about their relationships and families.  When I started working on The First Husband, I visited with a couple who I’d first met years ago while finishing my first novel.  I knew this couple was special from the start.  Not only had they been married for forty years, but they still loved and enjoyed each other so much.  I asked them what their secret was.  The wife told me very simply: “Well I listen very carefully and whenever possible, I look for reasons to agree with him.”  Then her husband said: “I do the same.”

In honor of them, this is my final DO.  Agree with each other whenever you can.   Not only does it make the world a little easier, it makes it a whole lot better.

DO-OVER

Don’t Expect One Size To Fit All

I don’t mean this in terms of clothing.  When I was younger, I used to think that there was a right way to go—a safe college, a safe path.  It was just a matter of picking correctly.  But, I’ve learned that what is right for one person can be completely wrong for another.  It isn’t about what makes sense on paper, or makes sense to the group at large, it’s what makes sense to you.

So, for my do-over, I’d tell my teenage self this in a way she could hear it.  (I’d probably have to get her on the phone.)  And, when I did, I’d tell her to trust herself more.  She could make a decision—or several—that might be confusing to the outside world—but, if it felt right, she should be brave enough to follow it freely.

Oh, and while I had her, I’d also tell her not to buy that enormous striped sweater just because the saleslady promised her it only came in one size.  Even if she was telling the truth, she also wasn’t. So I guess I also do mean this in terms of clothing.

To find out more about the incredibly talented Laura Dave, head over to her website, follow her on Facebook and Twitter. And don't forget to BUY HER BOOK.

Thanks so much, Laura!

xoxo

L&L

Jennifer Belle's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

The Seven Year Bitch is back bitches! This time in paperback! And if you didn't read it the first time 'round (or even if you did), it's time to snatch up a copy and dive in. We loved, loved, loved this sassy novel. And we thought our favorite magazine, EW, summed it up perfectly: “A fun ride...The heroines of Jennifer Belle’s wry comic novels often feel like a cockeyed cross between Cosmo girl and Woody Allen muse, and...Isolde Brilliant is no different. [Isolde] flirts with infidelity and navigates satiric set pieces (fertility-challenged nannies, bad playdate mommies) like a Baby Bjorne-toting Alice in a kook-infested Wonderland.” —Entertainment Weekly

Synopsis: What’s a fabulous New York City girl supposed to do when she finds herself fantasizing about the grim reaper more than she fantasizes about her husband? When she can’t help but give him the finger on the set of Sesame Street? And when she doesn’t exactly hope for a safe landing when he goes away on business?

No, ex-hedge fund manager and new mom Isolde Brilliant hasn’t got the seven-year itch — taking care of her baby and husband and having a growing suspicion that she’s living life in captivity has turned her into a seven year bitch.

That’s New York author Jennifer Belle’s deliciously provocative phrase for the boredom, anger, and hurt that can creep into even the best of marriages — and affect even the most saintly of wives. Belle delivers a dead-on, raw, and hilarious novel about motherhood and marriage, and discovering the life you have is exactly the one you wanted.

Want to win a copy? Well you know the drill by now. Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win one of five copies of The Seven Year Bitch. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm on Monday, May 16th.

We love Jennifer- the way she writes and the way she thinks. Like coming up with the ingenious idea to create buzz for her book by paying actresses to read her book in public! Check out the video here. And the way she approached her 5 Do's and a Do-Over which, just like her books, are a must-read. (Liz can especially relate to #4! You might recall her post entitled, birthday blunder.)

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JENNIFER BELLE'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO

"I will never understand people who say they have no regrets. I have a million regrets. I would have rather written Five Do-overs and one Do, but here is what I’ve come up with"- Jennifer Belle

1.      DO travel as much as you possibly can and put yourself in as many miserable, uncomfortable and even dangerous situations as possible. Along the same lines, but having nothing to do with travel, DO date at least one sociopath for the great sex, but don’t let it last more than a year.

2.      DO something you’ve never done like learn to drive or learn to ski. I never did either and I’m constantly made to feel guilty about it. Every single time I go to a party my husband finds a way to tell people that I don’t know how to drive.

3.      DO try never to hold a grudge. I personally am a terrible grudge-holder, and can’t forgive or forget anything sometimes for years. In fact, an old boyfriend gave me the Indian name “Chief Holds-A-Grudge.” I have also let go of friendships I should have fought harder to keep. Recently I was on a radio show with Alex McCord from the TV show Real Housewives of New York and she said the key to her great marriage was never going to bed angry. I said, “Really? I go to bed angry almost every single night.”

4.      Along those lines, DO tell your husband or boyfriend exactly what you want for your birthday or anniversary. I always ask for a night alone in a hotel. I mean, alone without him. On my last anniversary, we couldn’t afford a hotel, so I made my two sons sleep in bed with my husband, and I slept in my son’s bed all by myself with the door closed. Heaven!

5.      DO save your money and don’t waste it on restaurants and clothes and cabs. I have absolutely no money in the bank because I spend it as soon as I get it. DO however invest in a great Norma Kamali bathing suit and LuluLemon workout clothes so you’ll feel good on the off-chance you decide to go to the beach or work out.

DO-OVER

DON’T let your dog sleep in bed with you. My husband can’t even give me a two-second backrub without my dog thoroughly investigating what’s going on in his bed. This is why my dog plays an unfortunate part in all of the sex scenes in my new book.

Watch the book trailer for The Seven Year Bitch here. And to find out more about the hilarious and very talented Jennifer Belle, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Sarah Dessen's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

In case you haven't noticed, May has been a HUGE month for great books. (Which is appropriate considering it's also International Chick Lit Month-head on over to that site if you haven't already for tons of giveaways!)  So it's understandable that we are crushin' on a TON of writers right now! One of them is the wonderfully fantastic NYT bestselling author Sarah Dessen-her latest novel What Happened to Goodbye(her first in two years!) just came out and we have a feeling it's going to shoot up the bestseller list faster than Lindsay Lohan's next stint in jail.  We LOVED it and have a feeling that y'all will too.  It's the kind of YA that us old people(ie people over 18) like too!  And the fact that she's a fellow Fanilow and reality TV addict?  Totally. Awesome.

In What Happened to Goodbye, Dessen tells the story of Mclean, a high school senior who has taken up the practice of assuming a new identity in each of the four towns she's lived in since her parents' bitter divorce. Living with her Dad and estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

Want to win a copy for yourself? Then just leave a comment and be entered to win!  So freakin' easy, right?  We'll choose the winners on Monday May 16th after 6pm PST.  Good luck!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...SARAH DESSEN'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

"When I first got this assignment, I immediately went all neurotic. (This isn’t hard for me, as my default setting is partially neurotic.) Five Dos and One do-over sounds simple, but I am more full of things I wish I hadn’t done than those that I have. Maybe this is because I am so neurotic?

Anyway. Despite my issues, I love a challenge. So here we go…" - Sarah Dessen

DO'S

1.  DO trust your gut. While I often waffle with indecisiveness about everything from what to eat for breakfast to which shoes to wear, when it comes to the Big Stuff I’ve learned to listen hard to that one, true inner voice. When I was eighteen, I was a hot mess in so many ways. High school was not a good time for me, which is probably why I’m still writing about it. All I wanted was to get out of my hometown as fast as possible, so I accepted the first college admission I received and headed off to a state school forty-five minutes away, where I promptly decided to be an advertising major. Within a week or two, I knew I’d made a mistake. I was miserable, hated my classes, and yet I knew that leaving would signal the biggest failure of my life. (It’s bad enough to drop out of college, worse when your parents are academics. The shame! I can still taste it.) In the end, though, I decided that admitting I’d made the wrong choice was better than wasting a year of my life, so I returned home. There, my parents insisted I sign up for a class at the local university. I’d always liked to write, so I picked creative writing. From the moment I sat down in that class, that first day, and looked at my professor, Doris Betts, I knew I was in the right place. Finally. It just took a detour---and being quiet---to realize it.

2. If you really want something and fail the first time getting it, DO try again, even if it scares you. This is a huge one for me. A few years ago, after much thought, my husband and I decided to try for a baby. Like most people who had spent a bulk of their lives worrying about preventing pregnancy, I figured this would require very little effort on my part. I was wrong. A year later, we’d had no luck, and I started making the rounds of specialists. Eventually, I got a little help from a fertility drug and got the little plus sign on the stick. Success! I was so happy, I immediately told all my friends and family and began making preparations. At eight weeks, I went for my first ultrasound. I peered at the screen, so excited but there was…nothing. The pregnancy hadn’t progressed past the first couple of weeks. I was devastated. It seemed so unfair to try to hard for something and finally get it, only to immediately have it slip away. It was almost embarrassing, although I know that doesn’t make sense. Anyway, I swore I wasn’t going to try again, that I didn’t have the strength for another disappointment. But then, as the weeks passed, I couldn’t shake this image of me with a baby in my arms. I wanted it so much, enough to---just barely, sometimes---outweigh the fear. Two months later I got pregnant again. And while it often felt like I was holding my breath the entire nine months, the day my daughter was born was hands-down my happiest. I cannot imagine my life without her, and I’m grateful every day that I faced down everything that scared me to get her here.

3.  DO have boundaries. Although my parents are from New York and Baltimore, respectively, I was raised in the South. Somehow---although clearly not genetically---I ended up with the Disease to Please that is very common around these parts. You know the symptoms, even if you are from the Arctic Circle: you have trouble saying no, want everyone to like you, and thus often resemble a doormat. This wasn’t a huge problem for me until my late twenties, when I began teaching undergraduates at my alma mater. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my students. But I needed to be an authority figure, not a friend, something I figured out too late once they started interrupting me in class, handing in everything late, and sobbing on my office couch about their boyfriend problems. When it comes to teaching, you can come in hard and then soften up, but if you start soft, you never recover. It look me a few semesters---and a few verbal smack downs---to realize this, but once I did, I think we were all better off. I will admit, though, that even at age forty (gulp!) this is one I still struggle with. It is one thing to draw a clear line between myself and a class full of students, another to do it with friends, family and work colleagues. Each time I waffle, however, I think of the chaos of my classroom that first semester and know the alternative is much, much worse.

4.  DO take pride in the things you love. I’ve spent a lot of my life---or maybe it just seems that way---feeling like I have to justify my various guilty pleasures. One example: television. I love it. I have a weakness not only for really good shows, like Friday Night Lights, Modern Family and 30 Rock, but also for morning TV (I’m a Good Morning America junkie) and just about every franchise of the Real Housewives on Bravo. And don’t even get me started on America’s Next Top Model and Jersey Shore. (Really: I could go on for DAYS.) For a long time, I felt like I had to keep all of this quiet, since Real Writers and Serious People only watch PBS, if they even have a TV at all. They are certainly not on the treadmill, talking back to some woman in Orange County who is all blinged out, driving her Range Rover. But what I have learned, over time, is that life is short. If something makes you happy, don’t question it: just be glad it’s there and soak it up. This same thinking allowed me to finally expose my iTunes music library, which I had always hidden from my music hipster friends when they came over. “Is that Barry Manilow?” they say, and while I used to die a little inside, now I proudly nod and crank up “I Write the Songs” even louder. We can’t all like the same things. How boring would that be? So give me my Housewives and Barry, and you can have Masterpiece Theatre and Bright Eyes. Everyone wins!

5.  DO embrace your flaws. For years now, I’ve been embarrassed about my teeth, which are slightly crooked. They’re not awful, but not perfect like most of my friends who, unlike me, had braces. For years, I was so self conscious that I never showed my teeth when I smiled, opting instead for a close-mouthed look that always made me look both smirky and like the Hamburgler. It was worse than my crooked teeth, not that I was willing to admit this. In fact, it took my officemate at UNC, Phyllis, a straight-shooter from West Virginia, to set me straight. After a photographer came to take my picture for a campus magazine, she shook her finger at me. “Smile!” she said. “Really smile! You look so much better when you do!” I did not want to believe her, but she insisted, even taking some shots of her own when I wasn’t posing to try and prove her point. My insecurity about my teeth persisted, though, to the point that I even went for consultations about getting adult braces. But when they pushed the paperwork at me, all I could think of was Phyllis, who by then had passed from breast cancer. The last time I’d seen her, she pointed at me with that same finger and said, “You keep smiling.” So I do. With my mouth open, crooked teeth out there for the world to see. Do I love them? No. But they are part of me, and will stay just as they are.

DO-OVER

Whew! Okay, that wasn’t so hard. Now for the Do-over. I have a lot to choose from, but top of my list is this: I wish I’d traveled more. I’ve always been a homebody---I still live in my hometown---and for years I was afraid to fly, which limited where I could go even when I did get up the nerve or money to leave. But I wish, WISH I had done study abroad when I was in college, backpacked across Europe, or drove across the country with my girlfriends. I wasted so much time being afraid of anything other than what I knew! It makes me crazy.

I know, I know. I can still do all of that, and most likely I will, when my daughter is older. But I’m a mom now, I have a career, a mortgage, responsibilities. I missed that window when all I needed was a passport, a duffle bag and courage. If I could go back, I’d shake my finger at myself just like Phyllis, insisting I go to Italy, Rome, Greece, see all the places I’ve only visited in movies and books. Maybe I’m able to say that because I am older, and have forty years behind me now. But I believe that given the chance, I’d take that other path, the one that led over an ocean to somewhere far, far away. At least, I like to think so.

Want to read more about Sarah?  Then head on over to her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks Sarah! xoxo, L&L

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

Seriously you guys, we are drooling over all these books about food!  We don't know if it's because we've both been practically starving ourselves for Liz's vow renewal in Vegas later this month or if we just have a major food book fettish, but some of our faves in the last year have been delectably delicious to read! And The Bake-Off by Beth Kendrick is no exception. We fell in love with her last year when she sent us Second Time Around and couldn't wait to get our hand on her latest.  It's yummy fun that we highly recommend you indulge in! (It's fat free too!)  Run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy today for your next weekend getaway.

And the best part?  Beth has written a ton of books so if you are just discovering her, you'll have lots to choose from to read next!

Suburban soccer mom Amy has always wanted to stand out from the crowd. Former child prodigy Linnie just wants to fit in. The two sisters have been estranged for years, but thanks to a series of personal crises and their wily grandmother, they've teamed up to enter a national bake-off in the hopes of winning some serious cash. Armed with the top-secret recipe for Grammy's apple pie, they should be unstoppable. Sure, neither one of them has ever baked anything more complicated than brownie mix, but it's just pie-how hard could it be?

Want a copy?  Then leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners randomly on Monday May 16th after Noon PST.

And we think you'll love her Do's and a Do-over.  And having had the pleasure of meeting her, we can attest that despite what she claims in her Do-over, she is a VERY cool girl.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: BETH KENDRICK'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

Do:

1. Try making a cake from scratch. Break out the eggs, butter, flour, and channel your inner confectionista. I could barely boil water when I started writing The Bake-Off, and by the time I handed in the manuscript, I was making apple pies that could rival Martha Stewart’s. If I can do it, anyone can—trust and believe! Plus, you can tell yourself it’s “more healthful” than store-bought pastry or cake from a mix because there are no artificial flavors, colors, or unpronounceable ingredients, and therefore, you should feel no guilt about helping yourself to a second piece. Bon appétit! (Cookbook suggestions for beginners: Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible, Cindy Mushet’s The Art and Soul of Baking.)

2. Host theme parties. Suggestions to get you started: “fashion victims”, “hideous holiday sweaters”, “famous couples from cinema”. This takes the pressure off guests feeling like they have to look red-carpet ready, plus the themes encourage mingling. And it’s a great excuse to force your significant other to don a trenchcoat and re-enact the Lloyd Dobler boom box scene from “Say Anything”.

3. Find something to nurture. A garden, a dog, a child, a friend in need, an elderly relative…anything that clicks with your personality. Caring for and tending to another living being benefits you both in so many ways.

4. Spend a day being a tourist in your hometown. Put on some comfortable shoes and hit the museums, landmark restaurants, and tourist traps. (And don’t forget the souvenirs. You can always host a “tacky shot glass party” later.)

5. Cultivate weird holiday traditions. When my husband and I first got engaged, we would spend Christmas and Easter dashing around to 4 or 5 different family celebrations. By the end of the day, we’d be frazzled and hungry, so we’d hit a fast-food drive-through on our way home. Our holiday schedule has changed over the years, but we still like to cap off the festivities with French fries. (And nothing says Mother’s Day like a chocolate milkshake!) Holidays are all about rituals, so go ahead and create your own—even if they make no sense to anyone outside your family.

Do Over: When I was a sophomore in college, I got my bellybutton pierced. (This was during the height of the late 1990’s piercing and tattoo craze.) For reasons that remain unclear, I thought poking a little hole through my flesh would somehow transform me into a cool girl. My roommate had hers pierced, and she was the last word in cool, so I figured I’d follow her lead. Except, my roommate was also the kind of girl who could get away with wearing black leather pants and furry leopard-print jackets to her 8:30 a.m. geology seminar, and I…was not. I was the kind of girl who spent her Friday nights doing statistics homework in the library. But somehow, I got it into my head that a little steel ring would imbue me with irresistible magnetism and mystery. I had to take out the ring when I was in grad school, because I was working in a neuropsychology lab doing MRI studies, and you can’t wear any metal near the MRI machine. (Again, not a problem an actual cool girl would have.) The hole in my skin never closed up. But I’ve come to love it, because it reminds me to be true to myself. Leather pants and leopard print is just not who I am. I wasn’t a cool girl in college, I’m still not cool today, and you know what? I’m cool with that.

To read more about Beth, check out her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks Beth!  xoxo, L&L

Wendy Wax's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

Can we just pat ourselves on the back for a second and say that we're really lovin on our 5 Do's and Do-Over feature? It's been uhmazing to get such great advice from some of our favorite authors including Sarah Pekkanen, Kristin Hannah and Jen Lancaster. And now we get to add the immensely talented Wendy Wax to that list! (And she has some powerful advice- more on that in a minute.) But first...since The Accidental Bestseller, we've been hooked on Wendy's writing and are always giddy with anticipation as we wait to see what she comes up with next. And with Ten Beach Road she wowed us again. First of all, when we look at the cover of Ten Beach Road it makes us think of Summer- in a good way! Not in the OMG, we have to sqeeze our booties into bikinis way, but in an I'm excited to lounge by the pool with a cocktail and pretend I don't have a spare tire (Lisa) kind of way.  And then when we read Ten Beach Road, a powerful novel about friendship, trust and love, we were inspired and excited to tell y'all all about it.

Synopsis: Madeline, Avery and Nikki are strangers to one another, but they have one thing in common.  They each wake up one morning to discover that their life savings have vanished, along with their trusted financial manager…leaving them with nothing but co-ownership of a ramshackle beachfront house.

Madeline Singer is a homemaker coping with empty-nest syndrome and an unemployed husband. Avery Lawford is an architect—or was, until she somehow became the sidekick on her ex-husband’s TV show.   And professional matchmaker Nikki Grant is trying to recover from her biggest mistake…

No on is going to save them but themselves. Determined to fight back, they throw their lots in together and take on the challenge of restoring the historic beach house to its former glory. But just as they begin to reinvent themselves and discover the power of friendship, their secrets threaten to tear down their trust, and destroy their lives a second time…

And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of FIVE copies of Ten Beach Road. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm on Wednesday, May 11.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...WENDY WAX'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO'S

1.      Do try to see the positive. I didn’t come wired this way, but my goal is to become a ‘glass is half full’ person instead of a ‘half empty’, or ‘always-holding-a- dribble-glass’ kind of person. I’m drawn to positive people, and I’d like to be one of them!

2.      Do study or travel abroad if you get the chance. My six months in Florence as a college student were filled with constant challenges, but I learned a lot, much of it about myself. And if you’re single, go ahead and date that Italian guy that you need a dictionary to communicate with. I still remember my Italian boyfriend, Umberto, with fondness and, frankly, sometimes not knowing what they’re saying is a plus.

3.      Do embrace change. Life is too short to settle for less than you want or deserve in either your professional or personal life.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert was right! After years of being attracted to ‘bad boys’ I finally said yes when a ‘nice’ guy asked me out. We just celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary and based on my father-in -law’s maxim that ‘the first forty years are the most difficult’ we’re only fifteen years away from Nirvana.

4.      Do listen to your mother – at least on occasion. I spent a lot of my life rebelling and, in fact, when my entirely suitable husband asked me to marry him, right after I said yes I may have actually added that I hated to make my mother that happy.

It’s amazing how much smarter your mother seems after you become one.

5.      Do open your mind. Step outside your comfort zone. Find new things that interest you. It sounds so obvious, but it can be hard to do. I doubt I’ll ever take up wildlife medicine or hang gliding, but I’m thinking about finally learning golf (one of the many things I rebelled against as a teenager) or rowing, or... I don’t know, but just thinking about what I might try next is invigorating.

DO-OVER

For me, this ties in to becoming a ‘glass is half full’ person. I think we all need to be able to appreciate and accept ourselves right now, in the moment. This photo was taken on Pass-a-Grille beach (where Ten Beach Road is set) about 25 years ago. Today I think, hmmm, not bad. (Okay, actually I would kill to look like this now!) At the time I was wishing my thighs weren’t so fat.

To find out more about the lovely and talented Wendy Wax, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks, Wendy! xoxo,

L&L

Rachel Gibson's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

Today we're ecstatic to have New York Times bestselling author Rachel Gibson.  Her latest novel, Any Man of Mine is the perfect book to throw in your tote the next time you go on vacay or staycay. Think beachside on Memorial Day Weekend or while lounging on your own lanai (a.k.a. your back porch!). It's sassy, fun and the perfect book for anyone craving a little romance. Synopsis: What happens in Vegas...doesn’t always stay there...Autumn Haven’s Las Vegas “to-do” list said to catch a show and play the slots-not wake up married to a sexy jerk like Sam Leclaire. The first moment she saw him eyeing her like a luscious piece of the dessert buffet, her usually responsible self told her run. And she did-right into the wildest fantasy weekend of her life. But Monday morning jolted her back to reality and before she could say “pass the coffee” Sam was gone.

Now a successful wedding planner, Autumn hasn’t clapped eyes on the heart-breaking hockey superstar for over two years… until she organizes his teammate’s “Special Day,” where Sam makes a BIG play to pick up where he left off! But she has vowed any man of her plays for keeps. Is Sam the man for her or does she banish him to the sin bin forever? Read an excerpt of this juicy novel here. And also check out her THIRTEEN other novels here.

And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of five copies of Any Man of Mine! We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm EST on Friday, May 6th.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...RACHEL GIBSON'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO

1. Do drive with the top down and the music up. Driving on a country road with the top of the car down and the music cranked up feels like freedom to me.

2. Do take time to celebrate.  Some times when life hands me a gift, I am so wrapped up in my day to day life that I forget to stop and celebrate.  A month or two passes before I realize that I forgot a milestone.

3. Do remember the camera and snap a lot of photos. I love to look at old photographs, and a forgotten camera is a missed opportunity to relive great memories. An opportunity that you can never get back . Snapping a lot of photos is equally important because if you’re like me, you only look good in one out of ten pictures.

4. Do splurge on shoes.  I am a shoe-a-holic and love beautiful shoes.  My weight might fluctuate. My jean size might go up and down, but my shoes always look good on me and never make my butt look big.

5. Do fill your home with flowers. Filling my house with deliciously fragrant flowers makes me happy.

DO-OVER

The zebra print dress, fishnet stockings, anklets, and five-inch pumps I wore in the eighties.  I thought I was hot, but sadly I was not. One of the few  times I wish I’d forgotten the camera.

To find out more about Rachel Gibson, visit her website and follow her on Facebook.

Thanks, Rachel!

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Ask Liz & Lisa: Which Came First, The Blog or the Book?

Our inbox has been fillin' up with tons of questions from y'all. THANK YOU! (Our email address is asklizandlisa@chicklitisnotdead.com) This week, we selected a question from Erin who will be winning a copy of Uncharted TerriTori by Tori Spelling! And if YOU leave a comment today, YOU'LL be entered to win a copy of The Baby Planner by Josie Brown. We'll select the winner after 6pm EST on Thursday, May 5th.

Now here's Erin's question...

Dear Liz and Lisa,

Your blog is a must read for me...though since I started following you I have this INSANE list of must-read books I fear I will never conquer! Q: what came first? this blog or your first book? how did this blog come about?

Well, Erin, first of all- you will conquer the TBR list, don't worry! (If it makes you feel any better- you should see our bookshelves!)  And unlike the whole chicken and the egg thing, your question has a very simple answer.

Our first book.

Because wayyy back when we first decided to write a novel, there were no such things as blogs because that little thing called the internet didn't even exist yet.

Yup, we're officially old.

We were still wearing boxy sorority t-shirts and high-waisted jeans (not the chic kind- the reall, really bad mom-jeans kind). And thinking about keg parties and midterm exams.

And even though we talked about writing a novel, seeing that actual book come to life was many a year in the making. It was like one of those projects that you keep putting off. And off and off. Until suddenly it's been ten years.

Yup, it took us a decade to start writing.

And finally, one of us- in this case- Lisa- said so eloquently, either we sh*t or get off the pot! And the concept of I'll Have Who She's Having was born. Although it was originally called Single Minded and had some characters that later hit the cutting room floor including a hilarious Brit named Mack.

And after we finished our labor of love, it was Liz who said we should create a website and blog.  And we won't even get into the part about how Liz had to explain to Lisa what a blog was! Oy vey! But alas, Chick Lit Is Not Dead was born. (Check out our inaugural post here. Let's just say we've come a long way!)

And two years later, another book later (The D Word- exciting announcement coming soon!) we haven't looked back! It's been more fun than we could have imagined as we've flown by the seat of our pants with really no plan other than to provide good, solid (and hopefully funny) content. And all of y'all who support us have made this all worth it. We couldn't do it without you! *cue sappy soundtrack* maybe something like That's What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick- and we'll try not to think about her horrible diva behavior on Celebrity Apprentice as we listen!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

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

There's a reason why the fabulous Jen Lancaster has a bazillon-million Facebook fans.  She. Rocks!  And we're as giddy as little schoolgirls at a Justin Bieber concert about the fact that she's sharing her Do's and a Do-Over today here at CLIND! Jen's bestselling memoirs are freakin' hilarious.  Now, with If You Were Here, she makes her fiction debut and we couldn't be happier about it.  In fact, when we discovered that If You Were Herehad more John Hughes's references than a VH1 special-we were SOLD.  Because nothing makes us happier than waxing nostalgic over the movies we grew up with.  And we gotta love anyone that, like us, drooled over Jake and that damn Porsche in the movie Sixteen Candles.  Too bad our "Jake Complex" led us to make some very unfortunate dating choices growing up!  But hey, we don't know about you, but there's still a spot for him and his Porsche on our short list. *wink wink*

And we loved If You Were Here-it's a fun read that will have you LOLing in every chapter!  A perfect pick-me-up after a long week!

If You Were Here follows Amish-zombie-teen- romance author Mia and her husband Mac (and their pets) through the alternately frustrating, exciting, terrifying-but always funny-process of buying and renovating their first home in the Chicago suburbs that John Hughes's movies made famous. Along their harrowing renovation journey, Mia and Mac get caught up in various wars with the homeowners' association, meet some less-than-friendly neighbors, and are joined by a hilarious cast of supporting characters, including a celebutard ex- landlady. As they struggle to adapt to their new surroundings- with Mac taking on the renovations himself- Mia and Mac will discover if their marriage is strong enough to survive months of DIY renovations.

Sounds fun, right?  We have FIVE copies to give away!  Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  Doesn't get much easier than that, people.  We'll choose the winners on Friday May 6th after 6pm PST.  Good Luck!

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

5 DO'S

1. Be prepared. No one will fight harder for what you want than you.  Doing your homework gives you the confidence to fight.  Take job hunting, for example.  When people are asked to come interview, most applicants read the employer’s website and can parrot back the company’s mission statement if asked.  But if you want this job, dig deeper.  Work harder than your competition.  Research the organization in-depth.  Read trade journals.  Gain some perspective on how this employer has the competitive advantage, or what they might need to improve it.  Become well-versed in how legislation/lobbyists are changing the corporate landscape.  Take inventory of your personal strengths and practice explaining how these skills dovetail into the organization’s very specific needs.  Yes, it’s a lot of extra effort.  But if you’re properly prepared, the employer will snap you up if for no reason other than to keep their competitors from hiring you.

2.  Be charming. The above only works if you can do it all with a genuine smile on your face.  Life is a lot like one of my favorite reality shows - Survivor.  Yeah, it’s important to excel at challenges and carry your own weight around camp, but ultimately positive social interactions win the game.  Boston Rob always goes far because he’s smart and he’s strong, but being funny and cute has been of equal importance.  (Maybe he hasn’t won the million yet, but his charm is what keeps CBS asking him back.)

3.  Embrace failure. Despite your best efforts to be both prepared and charming, bad things still happen.  Learn that failure doesn’t define you; recovering from failure does.  When I was laid off from my executive job, I thought my life was over.  Yet during my jobless tenure, I discovered that I didn’t actually like working a boring corporate desk job.  If I hadn’t failed at being an executive, I’d never have had the opportunity to pursue a more creative line of work.  To pass the long, empty days home alone, I wrote scathing blog posts about being unemployed, only to discover that the act of writing fueled me.  Documenting the story of my failure turned into writing Bitter Is the New Black and the rest is history.

4.  More Ferris, Less Cameron.  Ferris Bueller said it best – sometimes you need to take the day off.  Life does move pretty fast sometimes, and if you don’t, say, steal your dad’s vintage Ferrari to cruise around the city on occasion, you might miss it.  Goof off once in a while.  Spend a long, leisurely afternoon with Real Housewives on the TiVo and some Ben & Jerry’s.  You might be surprised at how productive you’ll be if you allow yourself a minute to recharge your batteries.

5.  Charlie Sheen is not #winning.  Ever. Despite Sheen’s deplorable behavior, there are still women out there – clever, confident, capable women – who honestly believe they can change him.  And yet his string of unhappy ex-wives and girlfriends begs to differ.  Sure, it’s always exhilarating to date the Charlies of the world, but ultimately the stress of loving a bad boy is going to break your heart and make you wrinkle prematurely.  A nice guy will give you a happily ever after whereas a bad boy will make a few unhappy months feel like an eternity.  Choose wisely – there’s only so much Botox can fix.

THE DO-OVER

Do not do it yourself. You know how your hairdresser makes a simple bang-trim look effortless?  Like, so easy that anyone could do it?  Including yourself?  And so you tried?  And had to wear a hat for a month?  You see, your stylist is a trained professional and she cuts bangs all day, every day, for fifty-plus weeks a year.  You cannot replicate this.  Do not try.  A while ago, my husband and I took this lesson to heart, only instead of cutting our own hair, we wanted to rehab a house after watching HGTV.  We rationalized, “Hey!  That’s not so hard!  We could rehab a house!  And I could write a memoir about it!”  And then I remembered the last time I cut my own bangs and those were the longest eight weeks of my life, so we didn’t buy the fixer-upper.  Instead, I let my character Mia give home renovations a whirl in my novel If You Were Here.  And when the first toilet came crashing through the ceiling in her office, I bet Mia wished she’d heeded my advice.  Leave it to the professionals.  You’ll thank me later.

To read more about the hilarious Jen Lancaster, head on over to her website or find her on Twitter and Facebook!

Thanks Jen!  xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Kaira Rouda

Happy Launch to the amazingly talented, Kaira Rouda! Her debut novel, Here, Home, Hope is a must-read for any woman who's ever thought about changing her life. Which, let's admit it, is pretty much all of us!  We'll admit that we've each had a "mid-life" crisis meltdown (or five!). So when we read, Here, Home, Hope, we were seriously LOL'ing  (and you know it takes a lot to get a real LOL out of us!) as we thought about our own lives.

So Liz was beyond honored to be asked by Kaira to blurb for her book.

And here it is... (so official!)

“A must read for anyone who's had their own mid-life crisis, Here, Home, Hope reminds us that it's never too late to reinvent ourselves.” – Liz Fenton, author of I'll Have Who She's Having, The D Word and creator of Chick Lit is not Dead

Synopsis of Here, Home, Hope: Kelly Mills Johnson is a 39-year-old mother and wife stuck in the rut of her middle-American suburban life.  A routine relationship with her lawyer husband, two uber-successful businesswomen for best friends to envy and an all-around predictable existence motivate Kelly to reinvent herself.

In an often-times humorous manner, Kelly begins diving into new projects (armed with Post-it notes and a Things to Change list), revisiting old memories and rediscovering passions.  Whether she is taking care of the anorexic teenager dumped on her doorstep, making up with an old high school friend or avoiding the boozy advances of her divorced neighbor, Kelly’s insistence on moving her life in a new direction and finding the perfect blend of home and career is inspiring and entertaining.

And if you leave a comment here, you could be one of the five lucky winners of a copy of Here Home Hope! We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm EST on Wednesday, May 4.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIT IT GIRL: KAIRA ROUDA

1.  How many agents did you query before you found "the one"?

Yes, well that is the question. I looked back at my files and I would guess, since 1997 – the year I first started querying literary agents – that I’ve approached/pitched about 300. That’s funny, actually. And sort of depressing if you let it be.

My first agent very much believed in my manuscript, WARNING. We met at the Antioch Writer’s Workshop and we had it sold, too, to a huge editor at a big house. The famous editor actually called me. I’ll never forget it. She loved the book. The next day, she died in a taxi in Manhattan. I didn’t have a contract.

My second agent was wonderful. I found her because she was in the same literary agency as my nonfiction agent who represented REAL YOU INCORPORATED. My second agent helped me understand what was selling, what the basic structure should be. She helped me draft the very first version of what is now HERE, HOME, HOPE. But she was, as all agents are, extremely busy. When we didn’t get a hit, she needed to move on.

So, the answer is, I haven’t found the one. Would I love to have a partner to guide my career and to help me through the next book, to help place it and make it better? Absolutely. Will that person come along? I don’t know. I guess it all depends on whether HERE, HOME, HOPE resonates with people – whether readers like it and want to read more. I hope that happens. I hope an agent comes into my life. It’s tough going it alone, it really is. But, given the choice of going it alone, or never going for it – I decided to go for it.

I’d love “the one” beside me.

2.  What was your rock bottom moment during the process?

December 13, 2010. I’m not kidding. I realized it is all up to me. I’m publishing my first novel with a small press and I don’t have an agent. I don’t have a big six publisher. For the first time in my life I don’t have a full time job. I have four kids – one in college and one about to go. I had that ….oh my goodness what are you thinking moment. It comes back, quite often. But I’m trying to climb out of the bottom.

I know I’ve written the best novel I can. I’ve done the best I can. I’ve partnered with the best publisher, publicist, event planner and support folks I can. My family is behind me. I have hope.

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

About 2 ½ years.

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

With a bottle of champagne and a walk on the beach with my husband, my biggest fan.

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

I truly believe things happen when you’re ready; if I had been ready sooner, I would have published the novel sooner. That said, I wish I would have had the confidence to publish the novel sooner.

6.  Who is your writer crush?

Jenna Blum. She’s an adventurer, an author of amazing range and a great supporter of other authors. That said, I’m also enamored with Eleanor Brown, Beth Hoffman and, from a very far distance, Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult who stick up for women writers whenever they can. Love that!

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

My new puppy, Tucker. I cannot stop smiling at him. He is a living, walking Teddy Bear.

8.  GNO drink of choice?

Dirty martini. Stuffed olives. But most of the time, it’s Chardonnay. California, preferably.

9.  Favorite trashy TV show?

Housewives of ______ fill in the blank. I am fascinated, but not usually remembering to tune in. When I do, love it. I do have Bachelor/Bachelorette moments, too.

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

Whichever celeb happens to be denigrating women at the moment…pick one. There are many. That sounds snarky, but it drives me crazy. We need to stand up for ourselves, for other women. Stick together.

Thanks so much for having me here!

You're welcome, Kaira! xoxo, L&L

For more information about the incredibly talented Kaira Rouda, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

Daphne Uviller's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

We love a good mystery.  In fact, Lisa's secret nickname is PI Spice!  Don't even try to get one past her-her ability to sniff out when something's fishy is, in the words of Barney Stinson, legendary! (And can be somewhat annoying if you are the fishy-havin' person...) So we're thrilled to have Daphne Uviller sharing her Do's and a Do-Over on the site today!  She burst onto the scene with Super in the City and her heroine from that novel, Zephyr returns in her second sassy mystery,Hotel No Tell. It's a lot of fun! Perfect  to read while you're laying out at the pool and relaxing.

The smart and sassy detective Zephyr Zuckerman is now armed and undercover in a Greenwich Village hotel where mysteries—from garbage-grabbing guests to the reservation system—lurk around every corner. Now working as a junior detective with the New York City Special Investigations Commission, Zephyr’s gone incognito as a concierge to find out who laundered a hundred grand off the hotel books—and why. But the discovery of a prone, flush-faced guest gasping for air in room 502 only hints at the sinister goings-on inside this funky establishment. While the rapid response of the fire department leads to a sweaty date with a smooth-talking, rock-climbing rescue worker, Zephyr finds herself even more hot and bothered by an attempted murder on her watch. Could the smart-mouthed Japanese yenta across the hall know more than she’s telling? How are cryptic phone calls from a mysterious corporation linked to the victim in 502?  Under pressure and overwhelmed, Zephyr soon finds that a concierge cover is no protection in a place where crime, like the city itself, never sleeps.

Sound fun?  Um, YEAH it does!  And there's no "mystery" about how to get your own copy. Just leave a comment and you'll entered to win one of FIVE copies!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday May 1st after 6pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: DAPHNE UVILLER'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO'S

1.  Take a break from the books. I took a leave of absence in college, a full year off between sophomore and junior years, and lived in London. I was lonely and depressed and have never before or since turned to art for comfort the way I did that year. Museums, theater – both were cheap for students, and I immersed myself completely. Then I’d return to my cold flat and spew the worst nonsense into one journal after another. But it was the first time in my life I was writing without worrying about being graded or edited. Which is exactly what a writer needs to do to in order to create the essential lousy first draft. Thank you, London!

2.  Follow the fun. When I could swing it financially, I took whatever job sounded interesting, even if it didn’t seem part of an overarching plan. Three years in law enforcement? Really fun, and fifteen years later it turned into fodder for Hotel No Tell. The unpaid internship at The Paris Review? I learned that I wasn’t yet ready to write fiction professionally, and turned to journalism.

3. Sleep around. Okay, that’s a bit of steamy overstatement, but I made the most of the three years between the end of a long-term relationship and meeting my husband. Those dating adventures gave me great stories, taught me loads about adult emotion and relationships – essential for a storyteller – and made it crystal clear to me that there is no other man out there who makes me as happy as my beloved does.

4. Honor the umbilical cord. In my twenties, I was sorely tempted to move to L.A. and pursue television writing, a potential career I was passionate about. I made a difficult and  conscious decision to pass up Hollywood in order to stay east, to be near my parents. Not just near – downstairs. I chose to be a low-paid print writer and remain in the city I love with two of the best people I’ve ever known. And then, whaddya know – the result of that decision became fodder for Super in the City, my first novel. (Nothing and no one is spared.)

5. Pay it forward. I met and befriended Elizabeth Gilbert while I was at The Paris Review (see Follow the Fun, above). I tentatively asked her about a career in writing and by way of answer, she invited me to her upstate home for the day, made a stew, and took me hiking. “There’s plenty of work to go around,” she assured me, and proceeded to share half a dozen professional contacts. Ever since, I have tried my best to be equally kind to aspiring writers.

DO-OVER

Turn up the music. I played the flute for ten years, and I kept at it mainly so that I could continue to return to my summer music camp, a place I adored. But I stopped playing in college and it is one of my few but big regrets. I sorely wish I’d kept it up. Playing a musical instrument makes the world a bigger, more beautiful place.

To read more about Daphne, head on over to her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks Daphne!  xoxo, L&L

The Royal Wedding: To watch Or Not To watch?

We've been BFF's for over two decades, so sometimes it seems like we've almost morphed into the same person.  People often comment on our similar speech patterns, our common likes and dislikes and our shared penchant for really, really bad reality TV.(You're Cut Off marathon, anyone?)  But there's one issue that we VIOLENTLY disagree on.  An issue that is threatening to tear our twenty-three year friendship apart. The Royal Wedding.

While Lisa is triple checking that her DVR is set and getting her tissues ready, Liz is rolling her eyes and wondering how Kate Middleton's dress design is making headline news (isn't the fact that a tank of gas now practically costs more than a bottle of really good wine more interesting?!)  And after Lisa publicly called Liz out on Facebook as a Debbie Downer: Royal Wedding edition, we decided to take it to the mat blog to make our cases.  And we'll leave it up to you to decide who's right! (and yes, we take bribes!) 

Leave a comment to tell us what YOU think and we'll choose someone to receive a copy of Poor Little Bitch Girl by Jackie Collins on Sunday night after 6pm PST.

LISA: HELLS YEAH, I'LL BE WATCHING!

Thirty years ago, I watched Princess Di marry Charles. It was live. There were no such things as digital recording devices. I couldn't forward through the boring parts or rewind to catch something again. I just had to watch. And all I remember is loving every minute of it. I remember Diana's dress with its big poofy sleeves and the train that seemed to stretch for days. I remember being wide-eyed with excitement that I was watching history in the making. (Even though I admit I was also pretty darn excited about this new thing I'd heard about called MTV which debuted just a couple of days later.) I didn't know it then, but 750 million people were watching that royal wedding me.  That's a mother truckin' lot of people, people! So, um, yeah I'll be watching this royal wedding too.  And not just because it's history in the making again. But because I care about the really important stuff like what she'll be wearing, how she'll arrive(horse drawn carriage? convertible? what celebs will be there? Becks and Posh? Elton?).  Now don't get me wrong, after a lot of sleepless nights with a new baby, I'm not thrilled about the early wake up call. But yes, I'm going to wake up (the DVR is only a back up) and soak it all in- LIVE. Take that, Liz Fenton!

LIZ: EFF THE ROYAL WEDDING!

Before you even ask, yes, I watched Diana watch down the aisle so many years ago in her ridiculously long train and loved every minute of it.  Fortunately for me back then, there was no such thing as a 24 news cycle.  My eyes weren't bleeding with hours and hours of coverage on everything from the royal cake to Kate's shoes.  I was able to turn on CNN and catch up on all of the actual events of the world that mattered, like Japan's recovery and the growing conflicts around the world, rather than be force-fed the details of the royal wedding parade route.  It's not that I'm William and Kate hater.  I think Kate seems down to earth and I have no doubt she'll make a beautiful bride.  And even though Harry always been my fave of the brothers(he just seems so naughty-I always love the bad boys...), I'm cool with William. But it's the over-coverage that's sending me screaming in the other direction.  The desperateness of every single organization to make EVERY FREAKIN' DETAIL a major news story and exploit ANY possible comparison of Diana and Kate. That it's a major effort to avoid it because of the infiltration of every aspect of my life-Facebook! Twitter! My favorite morning radio show! So because of that, I must boycott.  Although, even this wedding grinch must admit that I'm pretty damn curious about her dress.  Lisa, you have permission to email me a picture!  And P.S.-stop tagging me in your Facebook posts about it!

Will you be watching?  Tell us!

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Diana Spechler's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

We're giddy with excitement. Our cheeks are flushed with joy. Our hearts are beating faster. Because we've fallen in love- yet again. Diana Spechler is our latest crush. When we read her latest novel, Skinny (out today!) we were beyond impressed. And we're not alone. Some of our favorite authors, Allison Winn Scotch, Laura Dave and Janelle Brown have all given Skinny majuh praise! What especially intrigued us about Skinny is it's loosely based on Diana's real life experiences making it an even juicier read. Synopsis: In the aftermath of her Orthodox Jewish father's death, twenty-six-year-old Gray Lachmann finds herself compulsively eating. Desperate to stop bingeing, she abandons her life in New York City for a job at a southern weight-loss camp. There, caught among the warring egos of her devious co-counselor Sheena, the self-aggrandizing camp director Lewis, his attractive assistant Bennett, and a throng of combative teenage campers, she is confronted by a captivating mystery: her teenage half-sister Eden, whom Gray never knew existed. Now, while unraveling her father's lies, Gray must tackle her own self-deceptions and take control of her body and her life.

Watch the book trailer here.

And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of five copies of Skinny! We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm PST on Thursday, April 28th.

We're thrilled to have Diana on the site today and love her 5 Do's- especially #3. Neither of us ever thought we'd be ever see the inside of a yoga studio but Lisa started yoga when she was pregnant and has fallen in love with it and Liz has recently started getting her downward dog on and isn't lookin' back!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS....DIANA SPECHLER'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER DON'T

DO

1. DO change things up. At 31, I’ve lived in more than ten towns and cities, sometimes just for brief stretches. My mother, who, despite infinite electronic alternatives, still keeps a Roll-A-Dex, has a dozen “Diana’s address” cards.

I’ve loved the adventures—traversing the country, living for days on gas station snacks and Subway veggie six-inchers, learning that one region’s rummage sale is another region’s garage sale is another region’s yard sale, and turning every place into my comfort zone. And then leaving.

Recently, I was shocked to open my mailbox and find a jury duty summons. I pressed a palm to my chest and whispered, “How did they find me?” as if I were a Wild West outlaw on the lam. I wondered if it was time to move again.

2.  DO give yourself permission to do the art you want to do. So many of us, yearning to be creative, take jobs that promise “opportunities for creativity,” when what that really means is that you’ll write memos.

If you want to dance, dance. If you want to do a leaf rubbing, grab a leaf. If you think you have a book in you, take a writing class at night and get started. Everyone’s entitled to create freely. The nicest thing I do for myself is ignore the voices in my head that yell, “You suck! Get a job! No…a real job!”

3.  Do yoga. I used to think that yoga was for wimps, that if I didn’t bench-press, I wasn’t worth my salt. Okay, I never bench-pressed. But I must have fancied myself some kind of jock, running for miles and miles as my bunion grew and whined and protested. Yoga is a sanity-saver. A bunion-saver, too. Also, it’s not for wimps.

4.  DO own red high heels. I just got a pair. Peep-toe. They make life better. (Don’t lecture me about my bunion.)

5.  DO buy books. If you are a voracious reader (yay for voracious readers!), I understand that you might not be able to afford three new books a week, but at least buy one every month or two. Books are my go-to gifts for birthdays and holidays. Even when there’s no occasion, if I love a book, I buy a few copies and give them to friends. If I feel like doing something nice for myself, I buy a guilty-pleasure book—one of those I have no business reading if I still haven’t read Mrs. Dalloway or Crime and Punishment.

Just buy books. We can’t let television win!

DON'T

DON’T go through your twenties without learning how to properly apply makeup. I made this mistake, and now I don’t have the patience to learn. Old dog, new tricks, or something like that. I have no idea what to do with my face, except stare at it in the mirror and wish I were married to a makeup artist.

For more information about the lovely and talented Diana Spechler, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks, Diana!

xoxo,

L&L



Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Sarah Jio

Girl Crush Alert!  We're so excited that our latest Lit IT Girl pub day is finally here!  Because we read an ARC of Sarah Jio's fantastic debut a few months ago and have been crushin' on her bigtime ever since.  And Sarah is also a successful freelance writer-she is the health and fitness blogger at Glamour.com! We're thrilled she's accepted out Lit IT Girl crown, and we have a feeling she's going to rock it better than Kate Middleton! Already in it's THIRD printing before it's release, The Violets of March(out tomorrow, Tuesday April 26th) is women's fiction at it's best: a fun escape with a dash of mystery and a spoonful of romance.  We raced through this enchanting novel and think that you will too!

In The Violets of March, A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.  Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

Trust us on this one-you will enjoy this book!  And we have FIVE copies to give away!  You know the drill-just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win!  We'll choose the winners on Wednesday night after 6pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: SARAH JIO: LIT IT GIRL

1. How many agents did you query before you found "the one"? My agent story is an unusual one. I had been working with a great, established NYC agency, but after my agent left to pursue another career outside of publishing, I decided to take the leap and find a new agent, rather that work with her replacement, who had little experience with women’s fiction. I’m so glad I decided to take that scary risk and look for new representation, because it led me to Elisabeth Weed, my agent extraordinaire, who I believe has a bit of magic in her fingertips. And, I got lucky and didn’t have to do a big search. A magazine writer friend of mine, Allison Winn Scotch, kindly introduced me to Elisabeth, and I knew she was a great fit for me. We worked together to make THE VIOLETS OF MARCH sing, and then she sold it in less than a week at auction. I know writers who are uncertain about and unhappy with their agents, and I just feel so fortunate to work with someone who is so talented, hardworking and genuinely fun and enjoyable to collaborate with.

2. What was your rock bottom moment during the process? Every writer will tell you that editing a book can be painful and grueling. After I began working with my agent, she provided detailed edit notes and suggestions about how to improve my novel. The work I had to do was substantial and required a lot of rethinking of characters, plot and execution. There were a few times that, honestly, I stared at my computer screen and thought ‘how the heck am I going to do this? I better just throw in the towel right now.’ But I kept at it because I believed in the story and in my dream of publishing a book. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on myself!

3. How long did it take to write your book? Initially, I wrote the first draft very quickly—as in a few months. But the editing process took close to a year.

4. What did you do to celebrate your book deal? Nothing special, which sounds really lame, I know. But I had two young children at the time (I have three now), and going out and doing something big wasn’t an option. But, I do have a funny story about my German book deal (VIOLETS will be coming out this fall from Heyne, a division of Random House in Germany). I got an email on my Blackberry from my agent while I was on the cereal aisle at Trader Joes. I had a 3 year old in the back of the shopping cart, and a 1 year old in the front, and I scrolled through the email on my phone frantically to read the details of the deal. I nearly passed out with excitement right in front of the instant oatmeal. I think I threw a bottle of good wine in the cart to take home for that night (but you know Trader Joes—nothing too fancy!).

5. Knowing what you know now about publishing your first novel, what would you have done differently? Yikes, I don’t know. I’m still learning so much, and I feel so fortunate that—so far—things have gone very well. I adore my editor, my agent, my book’s cover, and I’m proud of the story inside the cover. There’s so much about publishing that is out of the author’s control, however, and I’m learning to roll with the punches.

6. What's your biggest distraction or vice while writing? Facebook, Twitter, repeat.

7. Who is your writer crush? Camille Noe Pagan, who, coincidentally, is also a debut author! Her book, The Art of Forgetting, is out in June from Dutton. Funny thing, Camille and I share an agent and an editor. We’re also the same age, write for the same magazines, and were just pregnant at the same time. Clearly, she’s my East Coast twin. And I adore her for encouraging me and supporting me through the pre-publication process. I also happen to think she’s a phenomenal writer.

8. GNO drink of choice? Dirty martini. Extra dirty. Extra olives.

9. Favorite trashy TV show? The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. It’s a shameless Monday night ritual—the one night I do not write.

10. What celeb would you love to have a Twitter war with? Hilarious question. A Twitter war with any celeb would scare my pants off, I’m afraid. I’m a little shy. But I’ll just say that a back-and-forth with Charlie Sheen would sure be interesting, wouldn’t it? I’d stop short of calling myself a rock star from Venus, though.

Want to read more about the fabulous Sarah Jio?  Head on over to her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks Sarah! xoxo, L&L