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

Our guest today: Beth Gutcheon Why we love her: Who doesn't like to have a little Gossip in her life?

Her latest book: Gossip

The scoop on it: Loviah "Lovie" French owns a small, high-end dress shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Renowned for her taste and discretion, Lovie is the one to whom certain women turn when they need "just the thing" for major life events—baptisms and balls, weddings and funerals—or when they just want to dish in the dressing room. Among the people who depend on Lovie's confidence are her two best friends since boarding school: Dinah Wainwright and Avis Metcalf.

Outspoken and brimming with confidence, Dinah made a name for herself as a columnist covering the doings of New York's wealthiest and most fabulous. Shy, proper Avis, in many ways Dinah's opposite, rose to prominence in the art world with her quiet manners, hard work, and precise judgment. Despite the deep affection they both feel for Lovie, they have been more or less allergic to each other since a minor incident decades earlier that has been remembered and resented with what will prove to be unimaginable consequences.

These uneasy acquaintances become unwillingly bound to each other when Dinah's favorite son and Avis's only daughter fall in love and marry. On the surface, Nick and Grace are the perfect match—a playful, romantic, buoyant, and beautiful pair. But their commitment will be strained by time and change: career setbacks, reckless choices, the birth of a child, jealousies, and rumor. At the center of their orbit is Lovie, who knows everyone's secrets and manages them as wisely as she can. Which is not wisely enough, as things turn out—a fact that will have a shattering effect on all their lives.

Our thoughts: Gossip explores how dangerous too much information can really be.  We couldn't wait for the secrets to spill out!

Fun fact: Beth has a BA in English lit from Harvard.  You go, girl!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and we'll choose the winners on Sunday April 15th after 6pm PST.  Good luck!

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

1. Stop worrying about having to go to bed with curlers in your hair when you're married. Your hair is fine just the way it grows out of your head and when the time comes, your hair will be down to here, your mother, who has to go to the hair parlor every week to achieve the look she thinks is appropriate, will be horrified no matter what you do, and the guy will think it's amazing that you even know what curlers are.

2. You know all the people where you grew up who think that making a life in the arts is sort of like joining the circus, interesting but not in a good way? They may be true for them, but that doesn't make them right. Just because you've never seen anyone do it doesn't mean you won't be able to do it. There are many worlds to live in undreamt of by your parents. Make the best of where you are, and wait for the cage doors to open; they will.

3. By all means, keep a diary, but as social history, not personal wailing wall. If all that is in it is angst and affect, you'll be embarrassed and never look at it when the mood has passed, though your little brother and his friends will . . . surely you don't think that wee lock is going to stop them? Do you really want them knowing that you and Johnny Meybin have a secret place for leaving notes for each other in study hall? But if you keep a straightforward non-private record of the high points of the days, what you did and with whom, what you ate, what it cost, movies you saw and books you read, you will find it absolutely fascinating in later years and actually useful should you decide to write novels. Or your memoirs. Just don't tell it secrets; tell your friends your secrets, and they'll tell you theirs. It's much more fun, and you'll learn more, about them, yourself, and the world.

4. Don't worry if you don't want what you're supposed to want, or like what you're supposed to like. The people who find the world is their oyster when they are teenagers are often really surprised by what happens next.

5. Whoever said that your youth is the happiest time of your life is either full of it or can't remember what it was really like. Being young is horrible because it's like being a character in a story someone else is writing. It's true your skin and your figure will probably never be better and probably nothing in your body hurts, but other than that, it is much more fun to actually understand who you are and where you belong, and to have your own money and friends and make your own choices even when they're mistakes. Just try not to marry any of your mistakes.

Thanks Beth! xoxo, L&L

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

Kim Wright's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Kim Wright Why we love her: She's so diverse! Today we're highlighting her latest, a historical mystery. But she also the author of one of our favorite women's fiction novels, Love in Mid Air.

Her latest: City of Darkness

The scoop: City of Darkness takes place in 1888 London, where Jack the Ripper roams the streets with impunity and Scotland Yard seems helpless to stop him.   The science of forensics is in its infancy but a few detectives – Trevor Welles among them – recognize that they are dealing with a different sort of killer, a “modern criminal” who chooses his victims at random.  If Jack is to be caught, he won’t be caught with Scotland Yard’s normal methods of deduction for there is no logic to this madness.   The question is no longer “Why was the victim killed?” but rather “How was the victim killed?”  For the first time in the history of detection, science is trumping deductive reasoning. When a twist of fate puts Trevor in charge of the case, he hastily assembles Scotland Yard’s first forensics team:  Davy Mabrey, the first bobby on the scene of the grisliest of the murders, whose working class common sense proves an invaluable asset, Rayley Abrams, a cautious intellectual whose future at the Yard is marginalized due to his Jewish heritage,  Tom Bainbridge, a medical student with aristocratic connections and a secret drinking problem, and Emma Kelly, sister of the Ripper’s last victim who has a troubled past and a gift for linguistics. The team finds an unlikely ally in the form of Queen Victoria herself, who takes an unusual level of interest in the Ripper case and secretly funds the unit.   But will they stop Jack in time to spare Leanna Bainbridge, the young heiress with whom Trevor has fallen madly and improbably in love?

Fun Fact: City of Darkness is the first in a series of three. City of Light and City of Silence are up next.

Giveaway: 5 copies! (It's a medly-3 e-books and 2 paperbacks!) Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm PST on Sunday, April 15.

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

1.     You’re not fat.   Not even close. 2.    Stop sniveling!  Next year at this time you’re not even going to be able to remember that trifling boy’s last name. 3.    Your English teacher is right to make you read all those classics, even if you’re not sure right now exactly why Ahab is chasing that whale or for whom the bell tolls.   Someday you’ll be a writer and you’ll be glad you have that basis.  In fact, all the hard teachers you’re resenting now. …they’re the ones you’ll end up really learning something from and the ones that you’ll remember. 4.    Adulthood is not some place you move to and never leave.   Even when you’re fifty-six, you’ll still be trying new things and learning and changing.  So relax.   This isn’t your one chance to get it right.  Life is going to give you a hundred more times at bat. 5.    You know how much you need your girlfriends?   How everything is okay just as long as you have your posse around you, how anything is endurable as long as you guys can just hang out and be silly and laugh?   Thirty years from now it’s still going to feel exactly the same way.

In light of item four, I’ve just come through a major reinvention – moving from having been published by a Big Six house, to self-publishing and moving  from literary fiction to mysteries.   My new book, City of Darkness is in some ways a radical departure from my first book, Love in Mid Air, and in some ways it’s the chance to circle completely back and return to my roots.  Because I’ve always loved mysteries and always had sort of a sick fascination with Jack the Ripper.   Plus my dad was an antique dealer and I traveled through Europe with him in the summer, so this mystery series is sort of a hybrid of three things I loved as a girl;   crime fiction, history, and travel.

City of Darkness takes place in 1888 London, where Jack the Ripper is pretty much roaming the streets killing prostitutes at will, and Scotland Yard seems helpless to stop him.   The science of forensics is in its infancy but a few detectives recognize that they are dealing with a different sort of killer, a “modern criminal” who chooses his victims at random.   They form the basis of Scotland Yard’s first forensics unit, and in future installments in the series, they’ll travel to high-profile crime scenes in Paris, St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, and New York.   Can you say “Road Trip”?   That’s one of the things that most excites me about the series – that I can use it as an excuse to revisit some of my favorite cities and go to places like Russia and Argentina, where I’ve never traveled.

Which all goes back to the list above, the things I’d like to have been able to tell my teenaged self.   There was a ticking clock in my head throughout my youth and I think I honestly believed that if I didn’t get certain things done by the time I was 25 I never would, that I would fade into some sort of dull adult who no longer had the curiosity and energy to explore the larger world.   Boy was I wrong.   I feel much freer now than I ever did at seventeen.

Thanks, Kim! xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

To find out more about the fabulous Kim Wright, visit her website.

Sarah Pekkanen's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Sarah Pekkanen Why we love her: Her books fit women like the perfect little black dress.

Her latest book: These Girls (Out tomorrow: April 10th!)

The scoop: Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. It’s a professional coup, but her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated.

Cate’s roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss. But snide comments about Renee’s weight send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills—despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she’s heading for real danger.

Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate. Once a joyful graduate student working as a nanny part time, she abruptly fled a seemingly happy life in the D.C. suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby—or why she left everything she once loved behind.

Our thoughts: As BFF's for 25 years, to say we relate to the novel's central theme of friendship is an understatement. Hands down, this is Sarah's best book yet. Our question: How does she keep topping herself?

Fun fact: She was the first author we hosted on Chick Lit is Not Dead over three years ago.

Giveaway: 5 copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, April 15 after 6pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…SARAH PEKKANEN'S THINGS I’D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. You're not as dorky as you suspect you are.  Stand up straighter and smile and talk to some of the people milling past you in the hallway. I promise they're not all laughing at you behind your back. In fact, many of them are every bit as insecure as you. Even the mean girls. Especially the mean girls! Okay, so don't talk to them, but your high school is bursting with interesting, smart, funny, quirky people. One of them, a blonde girl who also loves to write, will become your best friend two decades after you graduate. Go over and say hi to her - you can do it! (I'm nudging my teen self  in the shoulder now).

2. That spiral perm you're saving up for? Oh, dear God, no - back away from the hair salon, slowly, and your 9th grade pictures won't make you cringe forever. I know you think fun, bouncy curls will make a zippy change from your stick-staright hair. But you're going to end up with a head full of frizz, a look that will not be improved upon when your hair begins to grow out and the top half is stick-straight and the bottom half is a mass of frizz. For the next few months, people will come up to you and say, "Oh... you got a perm." And then there will be a long, painful silence as they desperately try to come up with something positive to say about your new 'do. They will be unsuccessful in their attempts. If you really want a change, put more lemon juice in your hair and sit out by the pool. Yes, I realize that doesn't work, but I'm trying to distract you from the perm horror that awaits you.

3. Keep doing sports. You're on the track team and the field hockey team, and there's no better way for a teenage girl to spend her time. You're checking out the bruises on your shins (admit it, you're proud of them) instead of the size of your ass in the mirror, and that's pretty wonderful. You're learning about teamwork, and commitments, and losing when you want to win more than anything in the world, and giving it your all until you're about to collapse. Those lessons that will serve you well throughout the rest of your life.

4. The local Saks Fifth Avenue that hired you as a teen model? Um, one of the first jobs they're going to call you for will involved you putting on a giant, fuzzy, Winnie-the-Pooh costume. You're not really going to understand why, but they're paying you, so it's all good. Except for the fact that you invited a guy to come see you model, and he will instead witness you lurching around Saks dressed as a bear named Pooh. This may not help your reputation.

5. Stay open, stay hopeful, stay positive. And always follow your heart, kiddo. Like everyone else, you're going to have your share of heartache and sadness. But your'e also going to have a really good life.

Thanks, Sarah! xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

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

Susan Mallery's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Our guest today: NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery Why we love her: Girlfrin' writes some smokin' hot books! *sizzle*

Her latest: Barefoot Season

The scoop on it: Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

Our thoughts: Even if you don't normally read romance, we think you'll love Barefoot Season-it reads more like women's fiction.  So give it a try! You can read Chapter 1 at www.barefootseason.com!

Fun Fact: There's a bunch of fab recipes over at her site-check them out!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  We'll choose the winners after 6pm PST on Sunday April 8th.  Good luck!

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

Thanks so much for having me here to celebrate the release of BAREFOOT SEASON! The “5 Things I’d Tell the Teen Me” theme is very appropriate because, although BAREFOOT SEASON is adult fiction rather than YA, the best friends at the center of the story went through a major upheaval when they were teens, and they’re still feeling the reverberation of it now, in their late 20s.

So here are 5 things I’d tell the teen me…

1. Stay in touch with your friends. When you graduate high school, you’ll insist that you’re going to stay in touch with your BFFs, and you will, for a while. But then life happens. You’ll move, and they’ll move, and somewhere along the road, you’ll lose touch. You will miss them. No one will ever know you in quite the same way.

2. Stretch and use sunblock. Using sunblock keeps you young from the outside in, stretching does it from the inside out. Do both, and you’ll get carded well into your 30s. (That will become a good thing, trust me. It’s sad when it stops happening.)

3. You don’t have to try everything… People will imply that you’re narrow-minded if you don’t try stuff they want you to try. Sushi or tattoos or motorcycles or whatever. If your gut tells you something isn’t right for you, don’t succumb to the pressure. It’s okay to decide for yourself what you do or don’t want to try. Forge your own path in life.

4. …but don’t let fear stop you! Don’t mistake fear for wisdom. Just because you’re afraid of something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Do a gut check. Dig deep, and ask yourself, do I really want to? What’s beneath the fear – excitement or disinterest? If the answer is excitement, then do it despite the fear, as long as it’s not illegal, dangerous, or ridiculous. Wait, no. You can do it if it’s ridiculous, especially when you’re young. You grow by taking risks. Have faith that you can handle whatever comes.

5. Boys aren’t jerks just because they don’t want to commit. Sometimes they’re jerks, but not just because of that. My friends and I used to get so mad at boys who didn’t want to be our boyfriends. “Fear of commitment,” we said with identical sneers, as if it meant “evil.” But the truth is, a guy has the right to be single, and he should only commit when he wants to. Otherwise, you both end up in an unhappy relationship, and it’s better to be alone than unhappy. They’re not synonymous. If he’s not into you enough to commit, don’t pressure him. Let go and move on. Not every guy is the One, and you’re not the One for every guy. That’s why they call it the One.

Thanks Susan!  xoxo, L&L

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

Allison Winn Scotch's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Our guest today: NYT bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch

Why we love her: Not only is she incredibly talented, she's also funny, beautiful and VERY nice. We are majorly girl crushin'! Not to mention we couldn't agree more with #5 on her list below...

Her latest book: The Song Remains The Same (Out April 12th!)

The scoop on it: One of only two survivors of a plane crash, Nell Slattery wakes in the hospital with no memory of the horrific experience-or who she is, or was. Now she must piece together both body and mind, with the help of family and friends, who have their own agendas. She filters through photos, art, music, and stories, hoping something will jog her memory, and soon, in tiny bits and pieces, Nell starts remembering. . . .

It isn't long before she learns to question the stories presented by her mother, her sister and business partner, and her husband. In the end, she will discover that forgiving betrayals small and large will be the only true path to healing herself-and to finding happiness.

Our thoughts: We LOVED it-our fave book that she's written thus far.  It was thought provoking and had us guessing until the end-we highly recommend you grab a copy asap so you can see why The Song Remains The Same is getting some of the best reviews of Allison's career!

Fun Fact: Allison often profiles celebrities and has interviewed some of our fave celebrity crushes like Scott Speedman and Michael Vartan! 

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday April 8th after 6pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...ALLISON WINN SCOTCH'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. You're On The Right Track: Keep being independent, keep sticking to your guns. Sure, this means that sometimes you have crazy arguments with your father over the state of the world and political affairs, but it also means that you'll know when to stand up for yourself a decade later, when it comes to work, to love, to friendship. You're growing more comfortable with personal responsibility, with emotional responsibility, and both of these will serve you well.

2. Say Thank You to Your Boyfriend: You guys won't last. You probably already know that. That by the second day of college, you'll have outgrown each other. But for now, he is wonderful – a loving, kind relationship that will lay the foundation for what you should expect from future relationships. You won't, always. To be sure, you will date some really lousy guys who will ruin you for a few months every now and then when you break up. But your boyfriend…he's a good guy, and he'll teach you what you have a right to expect from a relationship. This will be your Point North as you navigate the sticky dating scene of your 20s.

3. Love Your Body! (And Enjoy Your Boobs!) You have been blessed with good genes, so why do you always think that you're fat? You're not. You're beautiful. Your body will go on to do amazing things: birth two fantastic babies, take you to all different points on the globe, dance until 3AM, run a 10k, and have enough energy to keep up with your growing kids. All of that energy you spend worrying about your body shape can be used for so many better things…writing, happiness, music, love. And enjoy your boobs while you have them – because they are wonderful, and you really won't appreciate them until those two little babies suck the life out of them while nursing, and then you'll look back at your teenage self and be like, "Hot damn, I had great boobs."

4. Sometimes Your Parents Are Right. You'll find this hard to believe, but it turns out, they did a pretty good job. You're fighting with them now but you'll appreciate what they did for you – taught you about the value of hard work, taught you how to raise your kids with a good sense of humor. They've given you a lot of confidence and independence, and maybe it's biting them in the ass right now, but eventually it won't. And right around that time, you'll look at them and think, "Wow. It turns out that they may have known what they were doing after all." I know. Miracles do happen

5. Tweeze Your Eyebrows. Like, seriously, girl. Come on now! That look worked for Brooke Shields and Brooke Shields alone.

Thanks Allison! xoxo, L&L

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

Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Heather Poole

Our Latest Lit IT Girl: Heather Poole Why she’s fit to wear the Lit IT Girl crown: She is funny and we LOVE her insider gossip on the airline industry.  And her not--so-overnight success story (It took years to get her book deal- but her debut memoir hit the NYT bestseller list!) should be an inspiration to us all.

Her debut novel: Cruising Attitude:Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 feet

The dealio on it: In her more than fifteen years as an airline flight attendant, Heather Poole has seen it all. She's witnessed all manner of bad behavior at 35,000 feet and knows what it takes for a traveler to become the most hated passenger onboard. She's slept in flight attendant crashpads in "Crew Gardens," Queens—sharing small bedrooms crammed with bunk beds with a parade of attractive women who come and go at all hours, prompting suspicious neighbors to jump to the very worst conclusions. She's watched passengers and coworkers alike escorted off the planes by police. She can tell you why it's a bad idea to fall for a pilot but can be a very good one (in her case) to date a business-class passenger. Heather knows everything about flying in a post-9/11 world—and she knows what goes on behind the scenes, things the passengers would never dream.

Our thoughts: It's fun and we loved all the inside scoop on what it's really like to be a flight attendant! Perfect Spring Break reading!

Fun Fact: Heather's mom became a flight attendant for the same airline after being inspired by her daughter!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday April 8th after 3pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIT IT GIRL:DEBUT AUTHOR HEATHER POOLE

1. How many agents did you query before you found "the one"?  I never found “the one.”  (Is there even such a thing as “the one?”) No joke, I sent queries to what seemed like HUNDREDS of agents AND publishing houses -- multiple times! -over many years.  HarperCollins, my publisher today, rejected one of my manuscripts not once, but twice!  I have a photo album filled with all the rejection letters I’ve received.  What's interesting is how those letters changed over time.  Quick generic responses printed on plain white postcards eventually turned into one page letters with my name and the title of my book inserted into what I’m sure was a standard form letter and those turned into the same letters with a personal note from the agent scribbled at the bottom of the page.  Eventually I scored an “agent.”  I use that term loosely, because a year later I had to hire a lawyer to get me out of the contract.  My second agent ended up passing away before she was able to sell my book.  In the end I got a book deal without an agent after an editor at a publishing house stumbled upon my blog.

2. What's a line from your "favorite" rejection letter?  An agent who’s famous for being snarky once scribbled a personal note at the bottom of one of those generic rejection form letters that after reading my book about flight attendants she hoped to never have me on one of her flights.  HA!  I should mention the book was about a serial killing flight attendant.  I called it Stewardeath.  Almost every agent who read the manuscript said they liked the voice, but wished I could make it more “fun.”  I stuck to my guns and....well...you guessed it.  I never sold it. That’s when I started blogging.  The book business is a business after all, so I figured if I could get a following and be able to show just how many people come to my blog, maybe, just maybe, I could sell a book.  10 years and 7 million hits later an editor from HarperCollins read my blog and asked if I'd be willing to write a book for them about flight attendants. 

3. What was the hardest part about writing your debut novel? Finding the time.  I'm a flight attendant.  I'm also a wife and mother to a five year old.  There were times I thought I might have a nervous breakdown because I wasn't going to make my deadline.  When I was writing I'd feel guilty about not spending time with my family.  When I was spending time with my family I'd feel guilty about not writing.  I think the hardest thing for most writers is not giving up.  Being patient but also persistent.  Recently someone asked me for writing advice.  I told him to just sit down and start writing.  It can’t be that easy, he wrote back.  Certainly there’s more to it, he added.  That’s when I informed him that it took me 10 years of writing every single day to get where I am now.  He was shocked.  Another writer came up to me at a conference to let me know she’d been querying agents for six months.   She couldn’t believe she didn’t have a book deal yet.  I tried not to laugh.  Most people get discouraged if they don’t sell their book within a year - one year! It took me ten.

4. What is the best/worst advice you received while you were trying to break into the book biz?  A passenger who turned out to be a television show writer once told me there's no such thing as writers block, that writing is work and some days are just harder than others.  If writing were easy all those people who say they’re going to write a book someday would have already written it.  You have to put in the time.  Every.  Single.  Day.  Doesn’t matter if all you have is an hour each day and it takes 10 years to get to those oh-so-precious two little words, The End.  That time is going to go by anyway, so why not have a finished book to show in the end?

5. How did you celebrate your book deal? I didn't. In the beginning of my writing career I dreamed about  launch parties and celebrating at a special restaurant in Beverly Hills. I read about in People Magazine, which turned out to be right next door to my second agent’s office.  But when my book finally published, just spending time with my family without feeling guilty about not writing was celebration enough.   To be honest, writing a book is so much more than the final product.  People have no idea what it truly takes to not only write a book, but then also sell the book, and then market the book to readers I never dreamed my book would make the New York Times bestseller list, but it did, and I still didn’t celebrate.  I did, however, stare at the newspaper for a few hours in an effort to let it sink in.  It still doesn’t feel real.

6. Who is your writer crush?  Walter Kirn, the author of Up in the Air.  But we have very little in common.  I’d be afraid to actually meet him in real life.  Recently I’ve become fascinated with Marguerite Duras, author of The Lover.  If she were still alive today I’d reach out and try to contact her.  Her life story is so interesting.  Someone should make a movie about it.  The writer I’d most like to have lunch with is Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones’ Diary, which is the best chick lit book ever written!  I’d love nothing more than to channel some of her creative energy.

7. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book, what would it be?  One of those worst case scenario books.  The one that focuses on deserted islands.  I’m practical like that.  If I could have two books, I’d add Madame Bovary to the list.  I love that book.

8. What's on your iPod right now?   I'd rather tune in to Pandora.  My favorite "writing" station is Everything But the Girl.

9. What's your #1 stress reliever?  Running or walking on the beach.  Just getting outside and breathing fresh air.  Listening to moody girly music also helps.  I like songs that feel raw, songs that are more about the lyrics than the music.

10. Who/what would you place in the center of the Entertainment Weekly bullseye?  What’s that? I’m Googling "Entertainment Weekly bullseye" now.

Thanks Heather!  xoxo, L&L

To read more about Heather, find her at her website or on Facebook and Twitter.

Traveling with a toddler: 5 things I'd change next time (if there is one!)

So we just returned from our family Spring Break vacay. And it was fun. Lots of fun. But me? I'm not sure I was so much fun. (And it actually has nothing to do with the fact that I am now one year closer to becoming actual Cougar-aged.) Let's just say I learned that Travel Me, (yeah, that's what we'll call her- even though I'm sure my husband has about fifty other terms he'd choose) she's no fun at all. Looking back, I'd do some--okay, probably fifty, but for the sake of this post and your attention span- at least five--things differently to make the trip more enjoyable for, ahem, everyone else. Airline personnel included. Sorry again to everyone at Southwest Airlines!

1. Trust that I've brought enough milk. Seriously, if I'd packed an actual cow it would have provided less. I have this disorder "issue" where I feel like we're never going to have enough milk on the flight. What if we get stuck on the tarmac for hours on end? (I've read about those people- getting stuck for five, six, ten hours and then nearly each other over the last half a bag of peanuts!). So, even though we didn't have a lot of time, we stopped at the grocery store- Whole Foods- to grab some more milk. While my husband searched for her lactose free organic whole milk (not easy to find!),  I let my baby walk around. I was right behind her, but she still walked into a crate and went sailing to the floor. Save a small cut on her forehead which looked huge to me, my baby was fine. Me, not so much! And if I hadn't been so obsessed with the amount of milk we had, of course it wouldn't have happened...Cue beat myself up moment #1 of a billion.

2. Bring my baby's photo ID. Okay, so maybe not her photo ID because, well, she doesn't effing have one, but her birth certificate.  Because apparently there is no way she could "ever be under two." Let me back up for a moment. We never fly Southwest Airlines (and maybe there's a reason for that?). On the airline we usually travel, I've never been questioned about my daughter's age. Looking back, I think I might have had an easier time convincing the women at Southwest I was only 21! (For the record, my daughter is fourteen months. And does look about two.) We (meaning me- the rest of the broad was fine) arrived at the gate a little frazzled because of the whole baby slamming her head into the side of a crate incident. As we were getting our boarding passes, the agent looked over at the stroller and gave her colleague a look that I took to mean: There's no way in hell that baby is under two. Look at her mom. All frazzled. Look at that cut on her baby's head- bet it was the mom's fault. That mom is a liar! Let's just say I'm not proud of everything that came out of my mouth next. But we did get on-despite my bad attitude and with the help of my pediatrican's office faxing over proof of my daughter's age.

3. Don't pack the kitchen sink. I have told myself this every single time I've traveled. And every single time, I still have too much sh*t. If someone can please give me some tips on how to pack lighter, I'll happily accept them! Because I clearly have a problem (you should have seen the cooler alone I brought with seven sippy cups full of milk). So let's just say my carry-on bag was just a wee bit hard to stuff under the seat and was sticking out slightly. Which of course did not get by the Southwest Airlines flight attendant who told me my big, fat bag was too big and fat to fit under the seat and she'd need to haul it into the overhead bin if she could even lift it. Okay, so maybe that's not what she said, but that's what I heard. But it's my own fault, I can't pack for sh*t.

4. Don't try to have a cocktail. Toward the end of a long day of traveling when the flight attendant takes your drink order, don't order a glass of red wine. I repeat, don't order a glass of red wine- or any wine for that matter- or any cocktail for that matter. Not even if your baby has cut her head, you got in trouble for not having her ID and your big fat bag was in people's way. Not even if your attitude is really bad. Not even if you know it will take the edge off. Because: It. will. spill.

5. Leave my bad attitude at home. It takes up a lot of room and would leave me more space to bring more sh*t. :)

xoxo,

Lisa

Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Meg Donohue

Our Latest Lit IT Girl: Meg Donohue Why she's fit to wear the Lit IT Girl crown: We LOVE books about food and friendship. Double yum!

Her debut novel: How To Eat a Cupcake

The dealio on it: Free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship.

A decade later, Annie bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother's death, and a painful secret jeopardizes Julia's engagement to the man she loves. A chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk losing everything.

Our thoughts: Deliciously satisfying, we think you'll devour this debut!

Fun Fact: Just out this month, How To Eat A Cupcake has already gone into a THIRD printing. You go, girlfrin'! *gives virtual high five*

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and we'll choose the winners after 6pm PST on Sunday, April 1st.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIT IT GIRL MEG DONOHUE

1. How many agents did you query before you found "the one"? I simultaneously queried about six agents and ended up receiving offers of representation from two. Luckily, they were the two at the top of my list! I was thrilled.

2. What's a line from your "favorite" rejection letter? An agent wrote that I was a “really terrific writer” and that she’d be cheering me on “from the sidelines!” Which, all in all, was a very nice way to say “No thanks.”

3. What was the hardest part about writing your debut novel? I was lucky enough to have a contract to write the novel in advance of actually writing the novel. A looming deadline was a great motivator, but it was also a nerve-wracking. I had days where I worried if the faith my editor, the wonderful Jeanette Perez of Harper, had in me was unfounded. I worried I was going to let her—and myself—down. So I think the hardest part was believing in myself even on the days when the writing simply would not flow…and trusting that as long as I was disciplined I would still meet my deadline, bad days and all.

4. What is the best/worst advice you received while you were trying to break into the book biz? One really great piece of advice I received was to look for an agent who expressed enthusiasm for nurturing my career rather than just the possibility of negotiating a single book deal. The idea of finding an agent who could serve as a career advisor really struck a chord with me and ultimately led me to sign with the smart, savvy, and generous Elisabeth Weed.

I honestly can’t think of any bad advice that’s been offered to me! I must have blocked it out.

5. How did you celebrate your book deal? With a cupcake, of course! And champagne. My favorite pairing.

6. Who is your writer crush? I have two right now. J. Courtney Sullivan’s MAINE was my absolute favorite book of 2011 and I have had a huge crush on her brain ever since reading it. I’m also totally in love with Amanda Eyre Ward’s writing style. I read their books and feel a sense of awe and delight and, yes, a healthy dose of envy. They are so talented! I’d be totally star struck if I ever met either one.

7. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book, what would it be? I’d want to have Siri Hustvedt’s THE BLINDFOLD. I read it for the first time as part of a college course on contemporary women writers and found it mysterious and beautifully written and utterly mesmerizing. I’ve read it over and over again since college and it never gets old.

8. What's on your iPod right now? I’m attempting to become a runner so my most-used iPod playlist at the moment is all upbeat dance tracks. I particularly love Keri Hilson and Kanye West’s “Knock You Down” right now. It gets me moving—no easy feat!

9. What's your #1 stress reliever? List making. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I make a list of what I need to get done. It helps me to feel a little more in control. I’m a big fan of lists.

10. Who/what would you place in the center of the Entertainment Weekly bullseye? Mark Ruffalo. That is one cute man! And he does far too good a job of staying out of the limelight. I want pictures, Mark! Don’t be shy.

Thanks Meg! xoxo, L&L

To read more about Meg, check out her website or find her on Facebook or Twitter.

Eve Marie Mont's 5 Loves and a Dud

Today's guest: Eve  Marie Mont Why we love her: She mixes it up. She can write women's fiction and YA.

Her latest: A Breath of Eyre her debut YA novel. (Out today! Happy publication day, Eve!)

The scoop: Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

Our thoughts: We love us some solid YA!

Fun Fact: A Breath of Eyre is the first in a series of three books.

Book trailer: A Breath of Eyre

Giveaway: Three copies! Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win! We'll randomly select the winners after 6PM PST on Sunday, April 1.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...EVE MONT'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

1. Doctor Who I will admit this up front: I am a Doctor Who neophyte. I have not watched the series from its inception, I don’t have strong feelings about whether Tom Baker or David Tennant made the best Doctor, and I don’t really even understand the concept of a time lord. All I know is that last spring, my husband and I discovered Season 5 on Netflix Instant, and we have loved every bizarre and frenetic minute of it. The show is sort of like Blackadder meets Star Trek, with a healthy dose of The X-Files mixed in. Matt Smith’s Doctor is refreshingly naïve, boyish and charming, and best of all, infectiously optimistic. Amy Pond, his fiery redhead sidekick, is tough talking and smart, although I’m annoyed with her penchant for running all over time and space in very short skirts. Nerd that I am, I bought my husband a desktop TARDIS for Christmas last year.

2. Angsty teen television from the 90’s I have recently discovered that when I’m going through a bout of writer’s block or am feeling generally down about life, a few hours spent with the gang from an angsty 90’s TV drama is the perfect antidote. All the conventions of YA storytelling existed even in this pre-Twilight era: absentee parents, love triangles, emo dialogue. My favorites are My So-Called Life (which captures my actual teen years the best), Dawson’s Creek (I’ll never forget the episode when Joey sings ‘On My Own’ for the Miss Windjammer Pageant and Dawson finally sees her as more than ‘the girl next door’), and Felicity (am I the only one who wanted Felicity to end up with Noel instead of Ben???). I realize these shows are a guilty pleasure best consumed in small doses, but for a cynical Generation X-er like me, they’re like hot buttered toffee for the soul.

3. Rhode Island For some reason, I’ve always felt my heart belonged in Rhode Island. I know it may sound strange to love the tiniest state in the nation sandwiched between tony Connecticut and progressive Massachusetts, but there’s something special and timeless about Rhode Island with its down-to-earth fishing towns and rugged coastline. My favorite places aren’t the most bustling or commercial (like Newport or Providence), but the ones off the beaten track (like Tiverton, Jamestown, and Little Compton), the towns with quaint marinas, seafood shacks, and homey pubs where they serve clam strips with Narragansett beer or a Dark and Stormy. Nothing would make me happier than to move to a cottage on the Rhode Island coast and write books at a desk overlooking the sea.

4. Shelter dogs Anyone who read my women’s fiction novel, Free to a Good Home, will know I’m a sucker for shelter dogs. If I had a bigger house and yard, I’d be in trouble because I’d probably adopt one a year and become crazy hoarder dog lady. Maggie, my fifteen-year-old Jack Russell-boxer mix, is probably my best friend in the world. Nothing beats coming home from a long day of work and being greeted by her big soulful eyes and her wagging tail, even though arthritis has made it increasingly difficult for her to stand on her own. I know I will always own dogs, and I will always adopt them from shelters because it saves lives in two ways: 1) by rescuing a dog from being euthanized; and 2) by not supporting the puppy mills, which emphasize profit over animal welfare.

5. Men with manners Call me old-fashioned, but I love me a polite, well-mannered gentleman. That’s not to say he can’t be masculine or rugged or passionate, too. But it’s the guys who are chivalrous and respectful who really get my heart racing. Maybe this is why I love the heroes of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, or almost any character played by Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper. This is one of the reasons I married my husband, a southern gentleman who became a northern transplant but never lost his gracious manners and gallant charm.

Dud:

Cell phone etiquette Yes, I know this topic might seem a little outdated, but the increasing lack of cell phone etiquette continues to confound me. As with any new technology, there is always a lag during which people must adapt to the new advance and learn to deal with the ramifications of its use. But here we are about seven years into the cell phone age, and our etiquette seems to be getting worse instead of better. Friends check their phones for incoming texts multiple times while they’re in the middle of a conversation with you. Students communicate during class by texting inside their hoody pockets. People whip out their phones in bathrooms and elevators with the intensity of smokers jonesing for a cigarette. And I will never understand why people at a coffee shop seem to prefer sitting alone looking at a digital screen rather than engaging with the person next to them. I know I may be a bit of a Luddite, but I’m hoping for a massive technological crash that will send us back a few generations to that quaint era when “quality time” meant talking to an actual human being. Boy, do I sound old and crotchety!

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

Thanks, Eve! xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Ree Drummond: An excerpt, a recipe & giveaways!

Today's guest: Ree Drummond Why we love her: There's nothing better than a woman who can write and cook!

Exciting news: Today she's sharing an excerpt from her memoir and a recipe from her cookbook!

Her memoir: The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels  (out in paperback now)

Her cookbook: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from my Frontier

The scoop on the memoir: That’s when I saw him—the cowboy—across the smoky room. I’ll never forget that night. It was like a romance novel, an old Broadway musical, and a John Wayne Western rolled into one. Out for a quick drink with friends, I wasn’t looking to meet anyone, let alone a tall, rugged cowboy who lived on a cattle ranch miles away from my cultured, corporate hometown. But before I knew it, I’d been struck with a lightning bolt . . . and I was completely powerless to stop it. This isn’t just my love story; it’s a universal tale of passion, romance, and all-encompassing love that sweeps us off our feet. It’s the story of a cowboy. And Wranglers. And chaps. And the girl who fell in love with them.

Our thoughts on the memoir: A real-life cowboy (ahem, the Marlboro Man) and  a love story? We're sold.

The scoop on the cookbook: I'm Pioneer Woman. And I love to cook. Once upon a time, I fell in love with a cowboy. A strapping, rugged, chaps-wearing cowboy. Then I married him, moved to his ranch, had his babies . . . and wound up loving it. Except the manure. Living in the country for more than fifteen years has taught me a handful of eternal truths: every new day is a blessing, every drop of rain is a gift . . . and nothing tastes more delicious than food you cook yourself.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier is a mouthwatering collection of the simple-but-scrumptious recipes that rotate through my kitchen on a regular basis, including Perfect Pancakes, Cowgirl Quiche, Sloppy Joes, Italian Meatball Soup, White Chicken Enchiladas, and a spicy Carnitas Pizza that'll win you over for life. There are also some elegant offerings for more special occasions at your house: Osso Buco, Honey-Plum-Soy Chicken, and Rib-Eye Steak with an irresistible Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce. And the decadent assortment of desserts, including Blackberry Chip Ice Cream, Apple Dumplings, and Coffee Cream Cake, will make your heart go pitter-pat in the most wonderful way.

Our thoughts on the cookbook: Delish!

Fun fact: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels started as a serial online memoir on Ree's blog.

Giveaway: 5 copies of the memoir and 2 copies of the cookbook! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, April 1 after 6PM PST.

Excerpt from The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels:

INTRODUCTION One day a few years ago, I began jotting down the story of how I met and married my husband. I got as far as the middle of the first chapter, then abruptly stopped writing, stuck it in a drawer, and went on to other things. Sometime later, after waking up with an uncharacteristic case of writer’s block, I pulled the roughly written story out of the drawer. A regular blogger, I was brain-dead that day, and while I was certain few people would find my love story interesting, I wanted to give the readers of my site something new. I said a couple of Hail Marys, hoped they wouldn’t hate it, and posted it on my website.

To my surprise, readers responded . . . and asked for another chapter. I wrote it that same night. A second chapter led to a third, and then a fourth. Encouraged by readers of ThePioneerWoman.com, I began posting regular, weekly installments of my real-life online serial love story, complete with romantic tension and cliffhangers at the end of each episode. It became an integral part of my writing routine for over eighteen months, and my friends and readers were there with me every step of the way. I loved the entire experience. I loved going back . . . and remembering.

By the end of that time frame, I’d written over forty installments and had only gotten as far as our wedding day. I decided to end the online version at that point, then immediately began writing the next part of the story, which continues through our first year of marriage.

This book is the complete, combined story—both the rip-roaring romance novel–style saga that I posted on my website (with some new material), which begins the night I met my husband and ends when we leave for our honeymoon, and a new section, which documents the early days of our life as a married couple.

I hope you love the story.

I hope it makes you smile.

I hope it reminds you of the reasons you fell in love in the first place.

And if you haven’t yet found love, I hope it shows you that love often can come to find you instead . . . probably when you least expect it.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from my Frontier:

Strawberry Shortcake Cake Makes one 10-inch cake

I made this cake a few years ago on a whim . . . and what a delightful whim it turned out to be. It’s a spin on strawberry shortcake, but the cake is, well, cake—not the biscuit-like disc in the classic strawberry shortcake recipe. I added cream cheese frosting instead of whipped cream, just for kicks, and it turned out to be just what the whole mess of deliciousness needed.

This is one of my father-in-law’s three favorite desserts. He likes to eat it for breakfast.

I do too, now that I think about it!

CAKE ½ cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened 1½ cups plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 large eggs ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1½ cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda

STRAWBERRIES 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1½ pounds powdered sugar, sifted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep (or you can split the batter between 2 pans if they’re not deep enough).

2. To make the cake batter, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add the sour cream and vanilla, then mix until just combined.

4. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda and add it to the bowl.

5. Mix it together until just combined.

6. Spread it in the pan or pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is no longer jiggly like my bottom.

7. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely. 8. Next, mash the strawberries with a potato masher or a fork (reserve a few for garnish if you like).

9. Sprinkle the strawberries with the sugar. Toss them around and allow them to sit for a little while.

10. They’ll give off this beautiful liquid after several minutes. Try not to drink it with a straw.

11. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl.

12. Mix until very light and fluffy. Warning: You’ll feel like eating this bowl of icing before you even get it on the cake.

13. To assemble the cake, use a sharp knife to cut it in half through the middle. It’s easier if you go all around the perimeter of the cake, slicing only halfway through the circle the whole way.

14. Lay the two halves cut side up.

15. And cover both halves with an equal amount of strawberries. Then—this is an important step!—place the cake halves in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. This’ll firm up the surface of the strawberries just a bit so that it’s easier to spread on the icing.

16. Remove the cakes from the freezer and place one layer on a cake stand or platter. Cover with a little less than a third of the icing.

17. Place the second layer on top, then spread the top with icing.

18. Carefully ice the outside of the cake with the remaining icing.

19. Lovely! You can certainly decorate the top of the cake with strawberry slices, too. But I’m hungry and want to eat, so I’ll skip that part.

Store leftovers in the fridge. The cake can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

To find out more about the lovely Ree Drummond, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks, Ree!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Liz vs. Lisa: American Idol or The Voice?

It's no secret that we're reality TV junkies.  From Top Chef to Bad Girls Club, we have to get our fix.  And usually, we're in agreement on what to watch.  Case in point: We have both always loved American Idol. From Kelly Clarkson to Clay Aiken, we've religiously watched and even bought some of the contestant's lackluster debut albums. (We're talking to you David Archuleta!)  But recently, one of us has strayed.  Skipping AI and even (gasp!) DELETING it without watching.  This person even had the balls to ask the other who got kicked off last week (as if!).  And it wouldn't be so bad if she was just too busy to watch-but it's not that.  She's cheating on AI with The Voice! So after a heated girlfight discussion about which one is best that got us nowhere, we decided to battle it out here.  And after you hear our arguments, we want you to weigh in! Buh-bye AI, Hellloooo The Voice by Liz

Don't get me wrong-I'm not totally hatin' on AI.  But something happened to me last season.  And no, it wasn't Ryan Seacrest's hair or the judge's inability to actually critique anyone.  Looking back, it was probably a combination of Scotty McCreery overload(Totally never got the appeal of him) and the absence of Simon Cowell. Either way, I had lost that loving feeling.

The Voice was at the right place at the right time.  I love the fact they choose their talent based on well, talent, rather than relying on what they look like-and it was always interesting to see the judges kick themselves when they didn't turn their chairs around only to discover some hot piece of ass on the other side at the end of the song.  And because of that, I think the crop of contestants on The Voice are more talented.  Not to mention more interesting and diverse.(Do you really think AI would have put that bald chick through last year?  Come on.)

And The Voice seems determined in building people up rather than bringing them down.  Conversely, AI's Hollywood week had more medical emergencies than a underage rave this season, always with the cameras right there to catch the drama and bring it to you in slow motion.  I'm sorry, but watching a sixteen-year old fall off the stage in a diabetic coma is not my idea of entertainment.

Okay. *climbs off high horse* Now I'm going to list the REAL reasons why The Voice freakin rules:

1. Adam Levine is freakin' HOT.  Even though I know he's probably the biggest douchebag ever, I'd let coach me anytime, anywhere, about anything.  Just sayin'. And did any of y'all see that spread of him in Entertainment Weekly? Wow. Let's just say he gave all new meaning to the words, "six pack" and made me rethink how I feel about men with tattoos.

2.  Cee Lo Green is nuts.  His Dr. Evil impression with the cat is odd to say the least.  And his team kinda sucks-What's up with that weird chick that wears the headband and the Wayne's World impersonators? But hey, every show needs their Paula Abdul.

3. Christina Aguilera's boobs.  I tune in just to see what they will be doing each week.  Seriously. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for a nipple to pop out last week!

4. Carson Daly is a much cooler version of Ryan Seacrest.  Let's face it, overall, the eye candy factor is much better over here. (Sorry Lisa, Steven Tyler and his man scarves do NOT do it for me!)

5. Pip.  I love the shit out of this guy and his bow ties. And his name is PIP!  It doesn't get any better than that.  Take that Phillip Phillips and your gravelly, super sexy voice.  Do you think he could rock a bow tie and suspenders? Or sing show tunes? I think NOT!

Bottom line: The Voice rules, AI drools!

I Still Love American Idol by Lisa

Don't worry, American Idol, I've got your back. Well me and twenty-eight MILLION other people that is. Now when Simon left, I was sure the show was going straight to the toilet. I mean, without  his contestant smack downs and strange Brit appeal, what would happen? Turns out, the show got even better! (Sorry, Simon! Hopefully that whole Howard Stern thing will work out).

Shows like the Voice are trying hard to overtake it and arguably The Voice does bring certain things to the table that AI doesn't....

Idol certainly doesn't have a resident LAP CAT like Cee Lo Green's (Meow!). And it also doesn't boast a washed up second string host like Carson Daley (*cough* Total Request Live was like 1,000 years ago!).

But what it does have is an ELEVEN year history of success and it's plucked small town farm girls from obscurity and catapulted them into incredible fame (Carrie Underwood, anyone?) Not to mention its other success stories including Chris Daughtry and Kelly Clarkson. I respect Idol because it stays true to what it is. A show that's looking for talent while putting on a good show. And although there have been times when the cameras didn't need to be rolling (people puking during Hollywood week) it is, afterall, a reality show people!  And here's why, when push comes to shove, I choose my beloved Idol over The Voice.

1. Phillip Phillips. Ahhh. There's nothing like a Josh Lucas knock-off to get this cougar's heart pumping. After I googled him and discovered he was 21, I let the inner roar out completely. Not to mention he's freakin' talented (um, tell me you guys downloaded his rendition of Billy Joel's Movin' Out after last night's performance?!?!) and his family loves the sh*t out of him. (His dad cries!)

2. Steven Tyler. Okay, this one you guys may not understand. And maybe he looked like he raided Captain Jack Sparrow's closet last night. BUT... there's something about the feathers in his hair, his eyeliner and even his creepy comments that give me a sense of joy--not to mention cause me to have an unexplainable crush on him. Sure, maybe he always says the same thing-- "That was beautiful"--but he has a microphone covered with flowers. Not to mention, he's Steven effing Tyler, bitches!

3. Jennifer Lopez. Does she ever look less than perfect? (Last night's leather skirt was to die for!) And twins? Really? WTF? She's so freakin' gorgeous that I don't even care what she's saying to the contestants. Plus, she actually has very sound advice for the contestants. Go Jenny from the Block! She's earning every penny of her 15 million dollar a year salary if you ask me.

4. The mentors. By mentors, I mean Diddy. As in Puffy. Sean Puffy Combs. P. Diddy. Diddy. Did y'all see him last night? These mentors make the show for me. Okay, maybe Diddy makes the show for me. But still...

5. Did I mention Phillip Phillips?

What do YOU think?  AI or The Voice?  Tell us!

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Erin Duffy's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Erin Duffy Why we love her: She has a sharp wit and strong voice--the perfect combo for any book. (Not to mention this is her debut novel!)

Her debut: Bond Girl

The scoop: When other little girls were dreaming about becoming doctors or lawyers, Alex Garrett set her sights on conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. And though she's prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys' club, or duck the occasional errant football, she quickly realizes she's in over her head when she's relegated to a kiddie-size folding chair with her new moniker—Girlie—inscribed in Wite-Out across the back.

No matter. She's determined to make it in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of the Street's most esteemed brokerage firms. Keeping her eyes on the prize, the low Girlie on the totem pole will endure whatever comes her way—whether trekking to the Bronx for a $1,000 wheel of Parmesan cheese; discovering a secretary's secret Friday night slumber/dance party in the conference room; fielding a constant barrage of "friendly" practical jokes; learning the ropes from Chick, her unpredictable, slightly scary, loyalty-demanding boss; babysitting a colleague while he consumes the contents of a vending machine on a $28,000 bet; or eluding the advances of a corporate stalker who's also one of the firm's biggest clients. Ignoring her friends' pleas to quit, Alex excels (while learning how to roll with the punches and laugh at herself) and soon advances from lowly analyst to slightly-less-lowly associate. Suddenly, she's addressed by her real name, and the impenetrable boys' club has transformed into forty older brothers and one possible boyfriend. Then the apocalypse hits, and Alex is forced to choose between sticking with Cromwell Pierce as it teeters on the brink of disaster or kicking off her Jimmy Choos and running for higher ground.

Our thoughts: It's sassy, smart and satisfying!

Fun fact: Duffy used to work on Wall Street and wrote Bond Girl after being laid off after a decade long career. Way to make a come back!

Giveaway: 5 copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm on Sunday, March 25.

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

One good thing about getting older is that you learn a few things along the way, (if you’re me, it’s usually the hard way). Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a teenager, but let’s just say there are some things I wish I knew then that I know now, and in a lot of ways, life in your thirties is easier than they were in your teens. So teen Erin, if you’re listening, there are a few things I’d like to tell you.

1.    You can’t change people. That goes for the men and the women in your life. Don’t even try, people are who they are, and don’t change. The only thing you can do is change yourself, and move on from people who bring you down. It might not be the easiest thing to admit, (with boys especially), but you’ll save yourself a world of pain if you follow this advice.

2.    Wear sunscreen! Sure, everyone thinks a tan looks good when you’re in your teens, and yes, your face is blissfully unlined at the moment, but trust me, the sun is your enemy. You don’t want to hit thirty and have to start dropping a ton of money on Botox to get rid of the ridges in your forehead. Later in life, your friends will wish they were as smart as you, and that they hadn’t sunned themselves like seals on spring break.

3.    Avoid long distance relationships at all cost. They are toxic, and rarely ever end well. Relationships are hard enough when both people live in the same time zone and can see each other on a regular basis. If you have to get on a plane to see your “boyfriend”, run. Run fast. I promise you, down the road, you won’t regret it.

4.    Listen to your mother. Yeah, I know, you think she doesn’t really understand you, but believe me, she does. If she tells you you're making a huge mistake, you probably are, and swallowing your pride might not be fun, but neither is heartbreak or disappointment. Sometimes, mother really does know best.

5.    Be your own woman. Know how to take care of yourself. Make your own money, pay your own bills, and live on your own for a while. You never know what will happen in life and relinquishing control to someone else too early is never a good idea.

Teen Erin was smart in some ways, but she was stupid in a lot of others. If only I had future me to tell me these things then, I could have avoided a fair amount of grief in my life. One other thing I will remind teen Erin when she finds herself upset over something, is that time heals all wounds. Some day, the things you thought would destroy you you won’t even remember, and that’s one of the best things about not being a teenager.

To learn more about the fabulous Erin Duffy, follow her on Facebook.

Thanks, Erin!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Jennifer Coburn's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Jennifer Coburn Why we love her: Her sassy Chick Lit novels make us LOL!

Her latest: Tales from the Crib & The Wife of Reilly

The scoop on Tales from the Crib: Talk about bad timing! When Lucy Klein gets her positive pregnancy results, she’s overjoyed.  She and her husband Jack have been trying to get pregnant for years throughout their rocky marriage.  But before she can tell him the big news, Jack has something he needs to announce – he wants a divorce! Rather than split up, Lucy and Jack decide to live together as friends.  This way, they can share expenses and parenting responsibilities.  Co-parenting is a fine deal for Jack who is back in the dating scene by Lucy’s third trimester of pregnancy, but is a frustrating one for Lucy who has unfulfilled sexual fantasies about every man from restaurant delivery boys to puppeteers. Meanwhile, Lucy’s mother is taking over her life.  The grand dame of Planet Earth, Anjoli frequently visits her daughter to share her own brand of maternal wisdom. As Anjoli leaves her Drama Queen bookstore to “help” Lucy with baby Adam, the new grandmother has an affair with baby’s pediatrician, hosts two weddings (including cousin Kimmy’s wedding to herself), and constantly frets about which kind of pie to serve guests.  With a cast of family and friends from Lucy’s Jewish aunts to Junior League neighbor, Candace, Tales From the Crib is the story of how one baby can bring people together – so they can drive each other nuts!

Our thoughts: Thanks to authors like Jennifer, Chick Lit is alive and kickin'!

Fun Fact: Jennifer has also written The Wife of Reilly -- the story of a woman secretly trying to find a new wife for her soon-to-be ex-husband and it's available for FREE on kindle from March 20-24!  Check out Jennifer's video discussing the most frequently asked question about this book.

Giveaway: 5 copies of Tales from the Crib! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners after 6PM PST on Sunday, March 25

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

1. Nothing is more attractive than a girl with a full life.   I feel really good about the fact that my fourteen-year-old daughter, Katie, has taken my advice on this one, but I wish I could have a do-over and take advantage of all of the wonderful clubs, classes and opportunities I had (for free!) as a teen.  First and foremost, life is better when you have a calendar filled with activities that genuinely interest you.  But the secondary benefit is that nothing is more attractive than a girl who has a full life regardless of whether or not there’s a boyfriend in the picture.

2      Don’t compare your insides to everyone else’s outsides.  This is actually an adage from Alcoholics Anonymous, but I think it applies to all of us, especially in our teen years. That seemingly perfect girl who glides through high school looking like she’s got it all figured out is likely just as nervous as you.  I went to a private high school on the upper east side of Manhattan where one student was more loaded than the next.  I was there on a scholarship and utterly terrified that the other kids would discover that I was an economic interloper.  I kept a low profile and didn’t say much, which I regret.  I wish I’d had the confidence to just walk up to people and say, “Hey, good morning.”  The reality is that most of the other students were nice people and probably wouldn’t have cared that I came from downtown on a student bus pass.  People had too much of their own mishegas (neurosis, drama, the stuff that makes us “mishugana”) to notice mine.

3      Eat everything!  I wish I could tell myself that my glorious, fast metabolism will eventually slow down.  (I should have eaten more cake!) I was recently in the supermarket and became annoyed that someone was walking so close behind me.  It was actually my ass.

4      Before wondering if he likes you – ask yourself if you like him.  I have always been a very competitive person.  My varsity sport, however, was boys.  I got  very easily caught up in winning the guy.  I was so busy doing back flips to impress boys that I rarely stopped to ask myself whether or not I really wanted him.  Most of my boyfriends turned out to be terrific guys, but that was more dumb luck than any foresight on my part.

5      Spend time abroad.  When I was in high school, my friend invited me to spend a month with her family in Rome.  The idea was inconceivable.  I didn’t speak the language.  The money was different.  So I declined.  How silly I was to let fear hold me back. My daughter and I have taken several long trips to Europe and they have been some of the best times of my life.  (And I think hers.) We have some amazing memories of sleeping over at the Shakespeare & Company Bookstore in Paris, getting lost in Spain’s Salvador Dali Triangle, and listening to street musicians in Italy.  It has really shaped who we are and I wonder why in the world it took me so long to get my passport.

Thanks, Jennifer!

To find out more about the talented Jennifer Coburn, visit her website and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Girlfriend 911: Jacquee Kahn's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Jacquee Kahn Why we love her: Two words: Girlfriend 911. (Any woman who's going to help us with our love lives gets our vote!)

Her book: Girlfriend 911: Decoding Dating & Rescuing Relationships One Girlfriend at a Time

The Scoop: It’s been said Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. In her eye-opening book, Girlfriend 911, relationship “guru” Jacquee Kahn puts an end to the insanity with a step-by-step guide to rescuing relationships in trouble, and helping single women find and keep “Mr. Right.”

Based on years of helping her girlfriends (and their girlfriends, and their girlfriends, and so on) with all sorts of relationship woes, Kahn devised a “formula” for attracting and maintaining a healthy relationship. She details her secret formula in Girlfriend 911, and provides easy-to-follow instructions, fascinating relationship “case studies,” and extraordinary outcomes. In relatable, girlfriend-to-girlfriend language Kahn exposes the root cause of relationship failure, and skillfully illustrates how immediate the results can be once you get with the program. Girlfriend 911 is the relationship bible no girlfriend should be without!

Our thoughts: Where do we sign up? Married or not, this is a must-read!

Fun fact: Jacquee's been dubbed the "Super Nanny for Women!"

Bonus: Read the first chapter here.

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners after 6PM PST on Sunday, March 18.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...Jacquee Kahn's 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1) ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR GUT - Now that I’m a lot older and much wiser I know if something feels right it is right, and the opposite also applies. If it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't. Do not allow anyone to talk you into what you instinctively know is wrong for you.  Always listen to, and trust, your instincts.

2) RESPECT YOURSELF - If you want other people to respect you, you have to respect yourself first.  Self-respect means having high standards for yourself and firm boundaries for those around you.

3) BE A LEADER NOT A FOLLOWER - Don't give in to peer pressure.  It's so important to follow your own path, no matter what anyone else says or does.

4) FIND THE POSITIVE IN EVERYTHING - If you look hard enough, you can take any situation – no matter how bad it looks – and find the positive.

5) TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE - William Shakespeare said it best, and centuries later it is still such sage advice. Always stay true to YOU.

Thanks, Jacquee!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

To find out more about Jacquee Kahn, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

The Bachelor: The 10 reasons Ben REALLY chose Courtney

(NON) SPOILER ALERT: Unless you've been living under a rock or trapped under a large object, you know that the Bachelor, Ben Flajnik proposed to model Courtney Robertson last night. Duh.

And then they broke up.

Cue shock and surprise.

And then with tears in their eyes and Chris Harrison looking on (because of course Chris Harrison would be looking on) they got back together on the After The Final Rose special.

At this point, they deserve each other.

The Bachelor used to have so much mystery. Down to the final seconds, we never knew who was going to get that final rose. Whose leg was going to exit the limo, helicopter, boat, first? Not anymore. Now we have Reality Steve to tell us who gets chosen. And Us Magazine to thank for showing us pictures of Ben with his arms on some other woman's ass and his tongue down another woman's throat (who btw, were just "friends").

So it's no surprise that Ben chose Courtney. Who, in my opinion, was part of one of the most unromantic proposals in Bachelor history. With fake tears glistening in her eyes, she threw off her glove faster than her clothes when she went skinny dipping just to get that ring on her finger. All that was missing was her turning to camera and saying, "I got the ring bitches."

Even though Ben claims he proposed because he "fell in love" and they had such a strong connection, here's why he REALLY chose Courtney:

1. She didn't ride in on a horse. (Sorry Lindzi.) Instead she strode in with a plan ("I'm in it to win it") and a pronouncement that she was a model.  Note to future Bachelorettes, don't try so hard. Walk in on your own two feet- please. Oh, and points if you can say you are a model (even catalog work will do!).

2. She's a model. Sorry girls, but even though she's kind of fugly if you ask me, she was on the cover of Fitness magazine (cue the ooohs and ahhhs). And PS: She skinny dips.

3. She skinny dips. Even Lindzi agrees. On Good Morning America this morning Lindzi told Lara Spencer, "Maybe if I skinny-dipped, I wouldn't be here with you."

4. She's complicated and crazy. (And we know men go crazy for crazy.) She's nice to him but she's mean to the girls. And he just can't "figure out" who the real Courtney is. She's got a little bit of "sass" in her. She caused rifts in the house yet she kissed his ass constantly. She was "intriguing" and I don't care what he says, but he liked that. Also, she's a model and she skinny dips.

5. Wine. I've never seen so much wine consumed- even by the owner of a winery. There's wine on a gondola up to the top of a ski slope, there's wine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I  wouldn't be surprised if there was a bottle of wine on the back of the toilet. But the bigger question is: How do they prevent purple teeth?

6. She kisses ass. Let's face it, Ben's got himself a little taste of fame right before The Bachelor started (Jennifer Love Hewitt anyone) so as long as Courtney was willing to sit around and tell him he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, he was smitten. And that's pretty much all she did.

7. She played hard to get- even at the end. I hate to say it, but Courtney is a smart ass bitch. Even when it's down to the final two and she's a shoe in, the night before the final rose ceremony, she pulls back and creates doubt in Ben's mind that she might not say yes.

8. She was able to overlook Ben's hideous outfits and overgrown mop. Bad leather jackets, mock turtle necks, suspenders, tank tops, oh my. But then again, I shouldn't give Courtney too much credit. When you're a millionaire wine maker under all those bad clothes and hair, anything is possible.

9. She made a memory book about their time together on the REALITY show. ORIGINAL- not. Oy, vey, Ben, the producers took all those pictures and printed them out. Get a clue.

10. Did I mention she skinny dips?

xoxo,

Lisa

Jane Green's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Jane Green Why we love her: Author of twelve bestselling novels, Jane Green is one of our all-time favorites and we've read Jemina J more times than we care to admit.  Not to mention, she's one of the nicest authors we've had on the site over the years! MAJUH girl crushin' going on over here!

Her latest: Another Piece of my Heart

The scoop on it: Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she's finally found him.  Ethan—divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia—is a devoted father and even better husband.  Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.

Our thoughts: Jane handles the topic of marrying a man with children perfectly-you'll laugh and cry in this fantastic read!

Fun fact: Jane was the first author to do a VIDEO post for us, and we think there's no doubt she's ready for the prime time.

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment here and we'll choose the winners after 6pm PST on Sunday March 18th. Good luck!

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

1. Life can only get better from here.  You will, like the proverbial fine wine, get better with age, and as difficult as it may be to believe now, you will reach a place where you are comfortable in your skin.

2. One day you will fall in love, and it won't be painful, and you won't lose yourself, and you won't be left wondering why things never work out. One day you will find him, and he will love you, and honor you, and show you what true partnership means. It may be a rocky road until then, but it is worth the wait.

3. It is okay to feel slightly different. All the people who have gone on to greatness, knew they didn't fit in with the rest of the crowd. Embrace your differences, they will lead to an extraordinary life.

4. If you feel people may not have your best interests in mind, they don't. If you feel uncomfortable being around someone, there is good reason. Never force a friendship or allow yourself to be forced into one unless you feel loved, and safe.

5. One day there will be a hair treatment called Keratin, and it holds the potential to change your life.

Thanks Jane! xoxo, L&L

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

Ashley Ream's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Who'd a thunk a book about suicide could be funny, heartwarming and completely entertaining? Not us. Not until we got our hands on a hot copy of Ashley Ream's Losing Clementine--one of the most satisfying books we've read in a while! Here's the dealio on Losing Clementine: In thirty days Clementine Pritchard will be finished with her last painting and her life.

World-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard has decided that she's done. After flushing away a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a home for her cat. Clementine plans to spend the month she has left in a swirl of art-world parties, manic work sessions, and outrageous acts—but what she doesn't expect is to uncover secrets surrounding the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one sees coming, will we lose Clementine or will we find her?

Sounds intriguing, right? Well, of course we have 5 copies for giveaway! You know the deal--leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners after 6PM PST on Sunday, March 11. In the meantime, you can read the first chapter of Losing Clementine here. And of course you can buy the book here (it came out yesterday!).

And you can read Ashley's letter to her teen self...

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

Dear Teenaged Ashley,

The good news is that I’m twice as old as you are now and still kicking. And while we don’t exactly have it all figured out, there are a few things you should be prepared to do in the future. Write these down.

1. Get a passport – The sooner the better on this. Our “places to see” list, even now, is about 20 times longer than the “places we’ve been” one. Time is a-wasting.

2. Buy good running shoes – “Wait,” you’re saying. “We don’t run, like, ever.” Oh, but we will. We will become hardcore runners together. It will be our therapy. Trust me on this. Get the shoes.

3. Move to Los Angeles – You’re fighting me on this one, I know. I thought it was a bad idea, too, at first. But trust me. It will be your spiritual home for the rest of your life. Not to mention your muse.

4. Get a tattoo but only after 30 – This will turn out to be one of our smarter decisions together. And it comes out great.

5. Keep writing – You’re not crazy. You really are good at this. Be patient. Don’t give up. Practice, practice, practice.

Love, Ashley (age 32)

Thanks, Ashley! xoxo, Liz & Lisa

To find out more about the lovely and talented Ashley Ream, visit her website!

Lauren Fox's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

We LOVE a good book about friendship.  After all, our friendships are extremely important to us! We've been friends since shoulder pads and Aqua Net were all the rage and think there's nothing better than having friends that know you better than you know yourself.  And still like you anyway! And Lauren Fox's latest, Friends Like Us, a super fun read about two besties whose friendship hits a speed bump when someone threatens to come in between them. It's fabulous and we think you'll love it!

Here's the dealio on FRIENDS LIKE US: For Willa Jacobs, seeing her best friend, Jane Weston, is like looking in a mirror on a really good day. Strangers assume they are sisters, a comparison Willa secretly enjoys. They share an apartment, clothing, and groceries, eking out rent with part-time jobs. Willa writes advertising copy, dreaming up inspirational messages for tea bags (“The path to enlightenment is steep” and “Oolong! Farewell!”), while Jane cleans houses and writes poetry about it, rhyming “dust” with “lust,” and “clog of hair” with “fog of despair.” Together Willa and Jane are a fortress of private jokes and shared opinions, with a friendship so close there’s hardly room for anyone else. But when Ben, Willa’s oldest friend, reappears and falls in love with Jane, Willa wonders: Can she let her two best friends find happiness with each other if it means leaving her behind?

Sound good?  Then leave a comment-we have FIVE copies to giveaway!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday March 11th after 6pm PST.  Good luck!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD...LAUREN FOX'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1.  That weird, sticky little memory you have for random details – the birthday of every single person you meet, the dumb joke your geometry teacher made about polygons, the way that dead mouse looked when you discovered it on the basement stairs, all belly-up and rigid and surprised and gray?  It’s going to come in handy.  (Not the dead mouse, the memory.)  Pay attention!  Pay attention to everything, even the stuff you’d rather ignore and forget about, like the exact way you feel it in your stomach when your first boyfriend breaks up with you.  Take notes.  Write it down.  It all matters.

2.  What doesn’t kill you will make you really, really miserable.  Yep.  But then, after that, you’ll be okay.  Stronger.  I promise.  Don’t be afraid of heartbreak, or of loneliness, even despair.  You will emerge from every sadness a more faceted, interesting, clear-eyed and complex person.  You’ll think you won’t come through at all, but you will, and you’ll come through better.  Most important, every shard of experience that hurts you will make you more compassionate and empathetic, and those traits, my little wrinkle-free, unsaggy, spider-veinless friend, are valuable beyond measure.

3.  Hey, scaredy cat.  Take a few more risks.  Opt in.  Say Yes.  Take that trip to Spain you saved up for the summer after your junior year instead of deciding that it was more important to finish the senior year AP reading list.  When you and cute R. are standing on the edge of the school parking lot joking about skipping 7^th period gym and sneaking away to Kopp’s for frozen custard, GO!  Skipping a class is not a gateway drug to a life of heroin-addled indolence.  You will never regret doing something a little bit wild and rebellious.  You will, however, regret not doing it.  (Addendum:  saying no to that hot but vaguely creepy guy named Colin when he suggested you and he take a ride down Highway One late at night when you were visiting your cousin in San Francisco was a great move.  You’ll be thinking about that one for years.)  Okay, so:  take risks, but also trust your gut.

4.  Look, toots, your hair is curly.  Really, really curly.  No amount of product (which in the ‘80s we didn’t call “product” but rather “copious amounts of hair spray and/or mousse” – remember mousse?) is going to change that.  Your hair will never rest in a smooth, glossy cap upon your head.  It will never swing in a shiny curtain down your back.  You will never have anything resembling silken tresses.  Worst of all, it will never feather.  It just won’t.  I’m so sorry to break it to you.  So stop trying.  Live with what you’ve got.  Also, and on a related note, everything about you is fine!  Your face, your body – it’s the remarkable history of your ancestors stamped on your DNA.  Embrace it.  Stop hating yourself.  What a waste of time that is!  You will be so much happier when you finally figure out how to hold your head up high and love who you are.  It doesn’t need to take twenty more years.  (Did I just call my teen self “toots?”  Yes, I did.  It doesn’t matter.  On the subject of hair, especially, she’s not going to listen.  I have the unfortunate photographic record to prove it.)

5.  Invest in Microsoft.  Seriously.  Ignore 1-4.  Whatever.  I know you’re going to anyway.  But listen to me on this one.  Use your babysitting money.  College, schmollege.  M-i-c-r-o-s-o-f-t.

Thanks Lauren!  xoxo, L&L

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

Lit IT girl: Debut Author Sarah Pinneo

Trying to feed our kids healthy food can be a full-time job in itself.  I don't know about you, but it's something we are constantly stressing about-all the organic, whole grain and fiber rich labels at the store make our heads spin! Which is why we really loved Julia's Child, Sarah Pinneo's fun fiction debut novel about Julia, a mom who is heading up a startup organic children's food brand.  It's a fast-paced read that's perfect for the beach(um, hello, it was 80 degrees in LA this past weekend!).  We're ecstatic that Sarah agreed to strike a pose and wear our Lit IT girl crown-we think you guys will love her!

Here's the 411 on Julia's child: Julia Bailey is a mompreneur with too many principles and too little time. Her fledgling company, Julia's Child, makes organic toddler meals like Gentle Lentil and Give Peas a Chance. But turning a profit while saving the world proves tricky as Julia must face a ninety-two-pound TV diva, an ill-timed protest rally, and a room full of one hundred lactating breasts. Will she get her big break before her family reaches the breaking point? In the end, it is a story about motherhood's choices: organic versus local, paper versus plastic, staying at home versus risking it all.

Sound good?  We have FIVE copies to give away!  Just leave a comment and we'll choose the winners on Sunday, March 11th after 6pm PST. Good Luck!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIT IT GIRL: DEBUT AUTHOR SARAH PINNEO

1. How many agents did you query before you found "the one"?  For me, you have to ask that question this way: how many agents did you have before you found “the one.” And the answer is three! The first one handles only cookbooks. So we were great together, until the minute I finished my novel. But it wasn’t a bitter divorce. We keep in touch. My second agent couldn’t sell my first novel, and then he fired me—by email—immediately after reading the second.

But somehow I scraped myself up off the floor and queried widely for Julia’s Child. And in only 60 days I had three offers of representation. I learned something valuable from that experience—that it really isn’t personal.

My third agent, bless her, is amazing. I say a little prayer for her health on a daily basis.

2. What's a line from your "favorite" rejection letter?  Rejection letters are mostly alike: “not for me,” etc. So I tend to remember them more for their speed than their contents. There is a certain New York agent who always ranks among the “Top 10 Most Non-Responsive agents” list maintained over at QueryTracker.net—meaning that he can’t even be bothered to reject anyone.

Well!

I sent him a snail mail query, dropping it into an Upper East Side mailbox on a Tuesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon my SASE had made it, complete with tiny 1/4 page pre-printed rejection, into my Upper West Side mailbox. I’m not quite sure how he pulled it off, unless he has a mole in the Post Office. He couldn’t wait to get my query off his desk.

3. What was the hardest part about writing your debut novel?  I had so many things I wanted to say—points I wanted to make. But that’s not what drives a good novel. So (with my editor’s help) I cut a lot of things that didn’t move the story forward. All my trade reviews have praised the book’s fast pace, which feels like a victory.

4. What is the best/worst advice you received while you were trying to break into the book biz? The best and worse advice is the same: to have a thick skin. I get it, I really do. You can’t feel too strongly about rejection and stay sane in this business. But nobody tells you where to get a thick skin. Amazon doesn’t even sell them. I’ve looked.

5. How did you celebrate your book deal?  The call came at about ten in the morning, and my husband popped open a bottle of champagne even before I hung up the phone. Isn’t he a great guy?

6. Who is your writer crush? Carl Hiaasen. Any man who can write really funny novels about South Florida while also writing terrific investigative journalism is a man after my own heart. I hope I get to meet him some day

7. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book, what would it be? Well, if How to Survive a Desert Island weren’t available, I guess I’d opt for Pride and Prejudice. It’s my literary comfort food.

8. What's on your iPod right now? I’m listening to Girlyman’s Through to Sunrise. I love that song.

9. What's your #1 stress reliever? A cool flute of Prosecco. I could use one right about now.

10. Who/what would you place in the center of the Entertainment Weekly bullseye? The sisters of Downton Abbey. In a perfect world I would have Mary’s waist, Edith’s bust and Sybil’s smoky voice.

Thanks Sarah! xoxo, L&L

To read more about Sarah, head on over to her website or find her on Twitter.

Valerie Frankel's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Y'all know how much we loved Thin is the New Happy and It's Hard Not to Hate You by Valerie Frankel. Well, she's baaaack with Four of a Kind, a novel we're considering one of our new faves. It's about the secrets lives of four women and a monthly poker game (get it? four of a kind...) where they lay their cards on the table- literally. It's juicy, hilarious and insightful with just the right amount of sass. There's a character to which every woman can relate. As you read, are you Bess, Robin, Carla or Alicia? Excited to read it? You're in luck! We've got 5 copies of Four of a Kind to give away- just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win one of five copies. We'll randomly select the winners after 6PM PST on Sunday, March 4.

We also love Valerie's list of things she wishes she'd told her teen self. (We hate to admit it, but she's so right about #2.)

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

1.     Find Your Truth. At first, I tried to fit in. I acted and dressed like a born-on-a-schooner preppy. As a pudgy, frizzy-haired Jew, that didn’t play. Then I tried not to fit it, and went full-on ‘80s punk with a black-and-orange Mohawk, safety pin jewelry, and snarly attitude. As a suburban New Jersey doctor’s daughter, the Cockney guttersnipe thing was a bit forced. Somewhere between those extremes was the real me. I would’ve figured out my personal style—and drawn confidence from it—a lot sooner if I’d stopped trying to look and act just like my peers, or nothing like them.

2.     Let Mom Win. My mother and I had some epic battles during my teen years. Now that I’m a mother, and my two teenage daughters often drive me up a freakin’ wall, I can see now that—in some cases—I should have just gone along with Mom’s plan. If for nothing more, we would have argued less. We might’ve learned to smooth over some of our big conflicts if we hadn’t fought the little ones to the death.

3.     Forever Is For Later. Why did I think any guy I spoke to might be my next major boyfriend? I put the pressure of eternity in a hallway “hello.” If I hadn’t hung my romantic dreams on, say, a guy I made eye contact with on the cafeteria patio, maybe I would have actually managed to talk to him.

4.     Appreciate Your Weight. I thought I was a hideously fat teenager, but I would be thrilled now to weigh what I did then. My teen years set the foundation for thirty years of bad body image that followed. If I could re-do it, I would have elevated my thinking from constant self-criticism to appreciation. It’s a lot to ask of your teen self, or any teenager, to be grateful for what you have and not to obsess about what you want, though. It’s a lot to ask of forty-year-olds, too.

5.     Write a series of books about young witches and wizards at a secret school for magic in England. Or, for that matter, Take your babysitting and waitress savings—$500 in 1983—and buy shares in Microsoft. Today, they’d be worth $1,000,000,000,000. I shit you not.

Thanks, Valerie!  xoxo, Liz & Lisa

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