Bridget Siegel's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Bridget Siegel Why we love her: She makes politics fun! (and sexy too...)

Her latest: Domestic Affairs

The scoop: When twentysomething political fund-raiser Olivia Greenley gets tapped to work on the presidential campaign of Georgia governor, Landon Taylor, it’s her dream job. Her best friend in the world is the campaign manager, and Taylor is a decent, charismatic idealist, with a real chance to be a great leader. Sacrificing her sleep, comfort, friends, family and income for a year to make the world a better place is the right call, but what happens when both Campaign Lesson #1, No Kissing the Boss, and Lesson #2, Loyalty Above All, go down in flames before the first primary?

Bridget Siegel, veteran of the John Edwards and President Obama campaigns, vividly captures the idealism and chaos, as well as the emotional heat and corruption, of the candidate’s bubble. What becomes of Olivia’s best friends when she must keep from them the biggest secret of her life?   Is the candidate a true romantic or a political hypocrite? How far can she go to justify her happiness?

Our thoughts: Fun! A total guilty pleasure!

Giveaway: TWO copies! (US only).  Leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners after 3pm PST on May 13th.

Fun fact: MAJOR multitasker alert! Bridget has worked on political campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. A graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, she is now an actor, writer, and political consultant.

Where you can read more about Bridget: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...BRIDGET SIEGEL'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS

First: I had the cliché first kiss at summer camp. There's a good chance I was wearing a tie-dyed shirt and some bedazzled jean shorts.

Last: I just did one of those running jump into my boyfriend's arms kisses. You know the ones that look so graceful and romantic in your head but wind up hurting his back and your forehead when you clumsily fall over in reality. I didn't mind though, we had just booked a trip to Disney this summer and that's worth any injury. Disney World is my hands down favorite place. I'm that girl who goes to London and says "wow, this looks just like Epcot".

BOOK I READ

First: I'm not sure on my very first book-it may have been the big Richard Scarry book at my grandma's house- but the first book that really took hold of me was Gone With the Wind. I carried it with me, which, you know, in pre e-book days wasn't such a small load, every day of the fourth grade. I loved everything about it from the language to the dresses. It was the first time I realized a book could transport you to a whole new world. I think I was Scarlett O'Hara for at least three consecutive Halloweens, and every day in between in my head.

Last:
This week I had the chance to read two great books not out yet so get your pre-ordering skills on! I read Lindsey Kelk's new book About a Girl, which was funny and sweet. She writes characters with such old-school gumption. Not to mention they say things like "rubbish" and "swings and roundabouts". I read it with a British accent in my head, which makes me feel like I have gumption too. The other was my friend Alberto Hazan's medical thriller Dr.Vigilante. He's an actual ER doctor who wrote about an ER doctor who spends his nights going after the abusers and molesters who bring patients in to him during the day. It's poignant, scary and it sneaks in some intense romance. I'm still shaking a little thinking of it

RISK I TOOK

First: I tried a ski race when I was a little kid. My younger brother went down before me speeding past the gates like it was the easiest thing in the world. I followed after and the second I hit my first slab of ice I panicked and snowplowed down the rest of the hill. It wasn't my best showing. It was also when I realized just because my brother makes something athletic look easy, does not mean it is.

Last: I try to do new things all the time but I think the last major risk I took was quitting politics to go for an acting career. I was lucky enough to have a lot of supportive people around to help me through it. I haven't won any Oscars yet but even on the bad days, actually going after my dream is the best life I could ask to lead. Though, now that I think about it, the leather pants I wore the other day weren't exactly a non-risk.


HELL YA MOMENT

First: The first one I can remember (when I was old enough to say "hell") was hitting a homerun in little league. I always played for terrible teams. They used to call us pinwheel- because that's what the other teams looked like going around the bases on a continual loop. We probably lost that game 15-1 but the feeling of the ball hitting that perfect place on the bat and soaring was definitely a hell yeah moment.

Last:I just recently found out I'm going to be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune and I think I actually might have screamed "hell yeah". Understand, it's not like a lottery thing, I had to go through many audition stages. I think the process is probably somewhere between what you'd have to do to get on Jeopardy and the Price is Right- like a mildly intelligent jumping around sort of thing. I believe my experience as the mascot at my college really helped, at least with the enthusiastic cheering part. And, I may or may not have made a "Wheel of Fortune Workout Video" where I dressed in workout clothes and a WOFW headband. Now I practice every day. I'm feeling pretty confident I'll win a million dollars and a trip to Hawaii. Or maybe Disney.

AHA MOMENT

First: When I was a kid I wanted to be an actress, a singer, a teacher, a tennis player and a Mets catcher -- in various orders depending on the season. But in the third grade my next door neighbor, Sue Lebow, took me to a county democratic lunch and I had my first introduction to politics- aha! Come to think of it, working in politics was sort of like being an actress, singer, teacher, tennis player and Mets catcher all at once so I guess it worked out.

Last: When you delve into new careers with no real prep for them you have aha moments all the time because there's just so much new to learn (I had at least 4 learning how to be on Twitter #confusing) but I think the most recent lesson that's stuck with me is advice my friend Gabrielle gave me about dating. I had gone on one date and felt the need to decide immediately whether or not it would work, which retrospectively I had done often. "There's something between a first date and marriage," she had told me. I know that seems pretty obvious but I think so many times in life I rush to make a decision instead of living through it with an open mind. I've tried to really change that and it's led me down paths I don't think I would have ever walked otherwise. I learned that sometimes the best things are those you couldn't even imagine, so don't make decisions before you've seen the real options (not only the ones you can think of). There's a lot of life in between the first date and marriage.

Thanks, Bridget!

2013 Club: Andrea Lochen and The Repeat Year

Our guest today: Andrea Lochen

Why she rocks:  You'll be hooked on this debut novel from page one.

Her debut: The Repeat Year (Out today!)

The scoop on it: Everyone has days, weeks, even months they wish they could do over—but what about an entire year? After living through the worst twelve months of her life, intensive care nurse Olive Watson is given a second chance to relive her past and attempt to discover where she went wrong…

After a year of hardships, including a messy breakup with her longtime boyfriend Phil, the prospect of her mother’s remarriage, and heartbreaking patient losses at the hospital, Olive is ready to start fresh. But when she wakes up in her ex-boyfriend’s bed on New Year’s Day 2011—a day she has already lived—Olive’s world is turned upside down.

Shouldering a year of memories that no one else can recall, even Olive begins to question herself—until she discovers that she is not alone. Upon crossing paths with Sherry Witan, an experienced “repeater,” Olive learns that she has the chance to rewrite her future. Given the opportunity of a lifetime, Olive has to decide what she really wants. Should she make different choices, or accept her life as she knows it, flaws and all?

Our thoughts: We loved this story of what you do when you actually get a second chance.

Giveaway:TWO copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners after 12pm PST on Sunday, May 12th.

Fun fact: Read an excerpt of The Repeat Year here.

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...2013 CLUB: ANDREA LOCHEN

1. DO'S: 3 things every aspiring novelist should do

1) Learn how to take constructive criticism

2) Find a writing community

3) Say yes to new and interesting opportunities—the more you live, the more you’ll have to write about!

2. DON'TS: 3 things every aspiring novelist shouldn't do

1) Fall so in love with your first draft that you’re unwilling to make any changes

2) Take rejection personally (especially from the people who clearly don’t “get” your book)

3) Make all your characters aspiring writers

3. MUST HAVES: On your desk? A yummy scented candle from Anthropologie, several to-do lists, and a drawerful of my favorite candy (Chewy Spree are my guilty pleasure while writing).

On your Facebook feed?  Grammar jokes, pictures of ridiculously cute animals and babies, updates from my favorite authors.

App on your phone?  I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m probably the last person in the country without a smart phone, except perhaps, my grandfather.  We’ll see how much longer I can hold out on this trend!

4. LASTS: Song you listened to on repeat? Taylor Swift’s “Holy Ground”

Book you read? John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, which is even better than all its hype!

Time you laughed? I teach creative writing at a university, and my friend recently shared a Tumblr blog with me called “My Life as a College Professor.”  It cracked me up because it’s so true in a totally irreverent way!  It points out professors’ pet peeves, embarrassing moments, little victories, and major failures using hilarious animated GIFs.

5. HOW MANY: Agents did you query before you found "the one?"  More than I care to admit, but Stephany Evans was worth the wait!

Hours do you write per day?  I don’t write every day, but when I do, it’s for a solid chunk of six or seven hours.

Hours do you waste online when you should be writing?  My ratio of hours spent writing versus online dallying is probably 3:1 on a good day and 1:3 on a bad day.

6. BESTS: Way to celebrate a book deal? With my first book deal, I danced around the living room and called everyone I knew.  Then my husband suggested we go out for dinner anywhere I wanted.  I chose Pizza Hut.  True story!  (What can I say?  I love their pizza!)

Trick to overcome writer's block? Taking a long walk, preferably along Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin, but anywhere scenic and solitary will do.

Way to think of a book idea?  I tend to come up with the novel premise first and initially have no idea what it means or who the characters will be.  Therefore, I play the “what if?” game a lot.  In the case of The Repeat Year, my question was, what if a person was given a chance to do-over a year of her life?

7. NEXTS: Show you'll DVR? Downton Abbey; I can’t believe I have to wait until January 2014 for Season 4.  Maybe I’ll have to move to England before then, so I can watch it sooner!

Book you'll read? This is Paradise, a collection of short stories about Hawai'i that debuts this July.  It’s written by my dear friend, Kristiana Kahakauwila, who’s extraordinarily talented.

Book you'll write?  My second novel doesn’t have an official title yet, but it’s about a young single mother who discovers one summer that she can see her four-year-old son’s imaginary friends.

Thanks, Andrea!

Beth Kendrick's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Today's guest: Beth Kendrick Why we love her: Her books remind us of summer--so fun and entertaining.

Her latest: The Week Before the Wedding (Out tomorrow: May 7th!)

The scoop on it: After enduring a chaotic childhood, Emily McKellips yearns for a drama-free life, complete with a white picket fence. Her dreams are about to come true: She has a stellar career, a gorgeous house, and a fiancé any woman would die for. But as friends and family arrive in picturesque Valentine, Vermont, for her wedding, an uninvited guest shows up.

Ryan is Emily’s first husband from a disastrous starter marriage. They wed on a whim, only to discover that combustible chemistry couldn’t ensure a happily ever after. But Ryan is no longer the headstrong boy she left behind. He’s now a successful film producer who just happens to be scouting a resort in Valentine with his adorable retriever in tow.

As the bridesmaids revolt and the mothers of the bride and groom do battle, Emily is surprised to discover new sides of both her ex and her fiancé. She thought she had life and love all figured out, but the next seven days might change her mind—and her heart.

Our thoughts: Loved! Throw this novel in your bag when you take your next vacay!

Giveaway: Two copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, May 12 after 12pm PST.

Fun fact: You can read an excerpt of The Week Before the Wedding here.

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...BETH KENDRICK'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

1. Kiss:

First: The actual boy next door. Very sweet and adorable. We were four years old, and we made a solemn vow that someday, we would wed.  This vow lasted right up until we were placed in different kindergarten classes.

Last : My oafish red rescue dog, Friday. He pounced on me while I was trying to do sit-ups this morning and slobbered all over my forehead. (Cue Katy Perry: I kissed a dog and I liked it…)

2. Risk you took:

First: After growing up in New England, I decided to head off to a liberal arts college in Minnesota because--wait for the dazzling brilliance of my 17-year-old brain at work here--I wanted to see the Northern Lights. Yep. That was the rock-solid foundation upon which I based my future. And it’s all worked out beautifully, so I regret nothing!

(Fun fact: I finally did see the aurora borealis two weeks before graduation. Had to wait four years, but it was worth it.)

(Fun fact #2: The steamy opening scene of The Week Before the Wedding is actually set at that college in Minnesota. There are these underground tunnels connecting the dormitories, and even though they’re now sealed up and forbidden to students, the hero and heroine sneak in there and…oops, I’ve said too much already!)

Last: I just started working a on a new book. (It’s kind of a spin-off of The Week Before the Wedding; the heroine’s bridesmaid was so fun and irrepressible that my editor and I decided she needed her own story.) Every time I turn in a book, I vow that it will be my last, that now I will shape up and do something “practical” with my life…and then I open a new Word file and start another chapter one. I don’t have a problem, okay? I CAN STOP ANY TIME I WANT.

3. Book you read:

First:  My childhood favorite was Muncus Agruncus, a Bad Little Mouse, and as the title suggests, it’s about a mouse who wreaks havoc on someone’s clean and orderly home.  He floods the bathtub, trashes the dollhouse, tromps through a birthday cake. He’s a renegade rodent who lives by his own rules and escapes to safety at the end. He does what he wants!  I still have the book, I still read it with my kid, and it’s still awesome.

Last: Right now, I’m in the middle of Data: A Love Story by Amy Webb. It’s the funny, fascinating memoir of a tech-savvy journalist who was fed up with the horrors of online dating and figured out strategies to “game” the system so she could search out—and attract—the most compatible prospects. So interesting from a cultural, psychological, and mathematical perspective.

4. Hell ya! moment:

First: There are a lot of these, but one that stands out was buying my first house and finally getting a dog after years of living in apartments with no-pet policies. I scoured Petfinder.com until I found the perfect little terrier named Murphy (it was not unlike online dating, actually). I got to snuggle him on the sofa, I got to train him and take him to the park…and I got to pay his exorbitant surgery bills when it turned out he had a shattered hip from his previous life on the streets. Adulthood rules!

Last: During a recent trip to Disneyland, I went on a rollercoaster that goes upside-down. Normally, I’m loath to commit to anything scarier than the spinning teacups, so this was a big deal. (Full confession: I did it because my preschooler dared me to.) And I loved it!

5. Aha! Moment:

First: I was on a V.C. Andrews kick in middle school (who wasn’t?) and one of the other classroom moms warned my mother that she shouldn’t allow me to read Flowers in the Attic. On the drive home, my mom said, “I’m not into censorship”, and assured me that I was old enough to choose my own reading material. That was a lightbulb moment for me; I realized that language has power, and that my mother trusted me with that power. What I read has an effect on me. What I write might have an effect on somebody else. Use language thoughtfully and responsibly.

Last: My kickboxing instructor recently told the class, “You’ve gotta learn how to take a hit”, and I think this applies to writing and to most areas of life, really.  Getting punched in the face now and then is inevitable.  You can’t duck every jab. The important thing is to figure out how to absorb the blow and pick yourself up, over and over.

Thanks, Beth!

Marci Nault's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Today's guest: Marci Nault Why we love her: We love the way she writes about friendship and love and everything in between!

Her latest: The Lake House (Out May 7th!)

The scoop: Achingly tender, yet filled with laughter, The Lake House brings to life the wide range of human emotions and the difficult journey from heartbreak to healing.

VICTORIA ROSE. Fifty years before, a group of teenage friends promised each other never to leave their idyllic lakeside town. But the call of Hollywood and a bigger life was too strong for Victoria . . . and she alone broke that pledge. Now she has come home, intent on making peace with her demons, even if her former friends shut her out. Haunted by tragedy, she longs to find solace with her childhood sweetheart, but even this tender man may be unable to forgive and forget.

HEATHER BREGMAN. At twenty-eight, after years as a globe-trotting columnist, she’s abandoned her controlling fiancé and their glamorous city life to build one on her own terms. Lulled by a Victorian house and a gorgeous locale, she’s determined to make the little community her home. But the residents, fearful of change and outsiders, will stop at nothing to sabotage her dreams of lakeside tranquility.As Victoria and Heather become unlikely friends, their mutual struggle to find acceptance—with their neighbors and in their own hearts—explores the chance events that shape a community and offer the opportunity to start again.

Our thoughts: A wonderful summer read!

Fun fact: Marci Nault is also the creator of 101 Dreams Come True, a website about going after your “bucket list.” On the site visitors can follow along as Marci accomplishes items on her list and documents her journey.

Giveaway: Two copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, May 5th after 12pm PST.

Where you can read more about Marci: Her website, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...MARCI NAULT'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

1. Kiss

My first kisses were on the kindergarten bus. Every morning my mother would braid my long, blonde hair that reached the back of my knees. When I stepped onto the bus the boys would tug on my braids and then pull me into their seats and kiss me. I would push them away and say, “I hate your guts!” My mother always worried I wouldn’t be invited to the prom because by then I would’ve told every boy in my class how much I hated him.

In the end the hair proved useful. I had my mother put my hair in two ponytails with three braids on each side. When the boys tried to grab me I spun around really fast and smacked them with my hair.

This wasn’t exactly my last kiss, but it’s a better story. I was at Carnival in Rio stuck in the subway (long story). Hordes of people were dancing and singing while moving past me.

Then all of a sudden the most beautiful man I’d ever seen walked right up to me, told me I was beautiful, dipped me back and kissed me full on the mouth. (It turns out that this is a Carnival tradition.) He lifted me back up, took my hand and placed it on his bare, fit chest and said, “My heart beats for you.” I looked down at his gorgeous body; his tight buns shown off in black, boxer brief type swim trunks, and admired the Brazilian male form. Along with the sexy boxers was a pink tutu around his hips, a fluffy pink bikini on his chest and a tiny pink tiara in his thick, black hair. (Yes, costumes and drag are also a Carnival tradition.)

2. Book you read

Green Eggs and Ham was the first book I ever read on my own. I was four and so proud that I could read. I’ve had my nose in a book ever since.

The last book I read was Gone Girl and though I loved it, I was upset with the ending – great discussion piece though. Read it for yourself and decide.

3. Risk you took

First Risk I ever took was when I was fourteen and my brother took me rappelling. I was terrified of heights and was a bit of a momma’s girl. I remember leaning back, having to actually sit in mid-air trusting the harness and rope, while looking down the 120-foot drop. I was terrified, but then I was zipping down and bouncing off the rocks having the time of my life. After that I became addicted to taking risks.

The last time I took a risk was deciding to drive in Rio de Janeiro. I was starting a two-month trip through South America right after Christmas 2012 and didn’t realize that Rio was one of the biggest destinations for New Years. The hotels were all booked, and the closest place I could find in my price range was a four-hour drive south of Rio in a coastal town called Ubatuba.

Driving in Rio wasn’t recommended, but what else could I do? Within fifteen minutes of being on the road I began to feel like I was in a video game with cars weaving, beeping, and speeding while people crossed the highways dropping fruit. I became lost and the only thing I could do was wait until I found a large gas station to ask for directions.

At the station, the men were shocked that I was driving alone. Four of them tried to help me by playing charades (I didn’t know any Portuguese). Somehow I found my way and the next day I was sitting on a beach, drinking coconut water and staring at gorgeous men playing volleyball. (Brazilian men are some of the most beautiful in the world.)

4. Hell ya moment

My first Hell ya moment was when I decided to take volleyball lessons. I was so horrible at this sport that guys would push me off the court at backyard barbecues in order to keep the ball away from me. Embarrassed and tired of being pushed around I took an after dark course at the local high school. When I returned the following summer to play with my friends I jumped up and spiked the ball (well as strong as I could put it down at that time) right between two of the guys that had shoved me off the court.

My last Hell Ya moment: I run an online bridal boutique www.Elegantbridaldesigns.com and I went to a wholesaler show with really exclusive lines that tend to stick their noses up at online stores. I was determined to get what I needed from the show so instead of feeling like I didn’t belong I pretended that they needed me more than I needed them. I walked away with the three new distributors I wanted. Fake it till you make it.

5. Aha moment

I was in Yosemite for the first time and had climbed the rocks of one of the popular waterfalls to get away from the crowds below. I had a pool of water all to myself and a view of the entire valley. I stood feeling the mist from the waterfall and the wind from the valley and thought, “This world is awesome. I want to see it all.” From then on I was addicted to travel.

My last Aha Moment was at the Adult Nationals Figure Skating Competition in Scottsdale, AZ in April. I was about to perform for five judges and a huge crowd, and my nerves were getting the best of me. I kept thinking about everything that could go wrong and how badly I might perform. I had a chat in my head and said, “You love to skate. Go out and have fun and forget about being perfect. Skate for the love of it.”

My friends all said that I had the cheesiest smile on my face that lit up the arena as I neared the end of my program. I let go of the expectations and just lived for the moment and took the bronze medal.

I’m trying to take this attitude into my writing and life.

Thanks, Marci!

Kristin Hannah Flash Giveaway!

Giveaway: 1 hardcover and 1 audio book copy of Fly Away

The scoop: Once, a long time ago, I walked down a night-darkened road called Firefly Lane, all alone, on the worst night of my life, and I found a kindred spirit. That was our beginning. More than thirty years ago. TullyandKate. You and me against the world. Best friends forever. But stories end, don’t they? You lose the people you love and you have to find a way to go on. . . .

Tully Hart has always been larger than life, a woman fueled by big dreams and driven by memories of a painful past. She thinks she can overcome anything until her best friend, Kate Ryan, dies. Tully tries to fulfill her deathbed promise to Kate---to be there for Kate’s children---but Tully knows nothing about family or motherhood or taking care of people.

Sixteen-year-old Marah Ryan is devastated by her mother’s death. Her father, Johnny, strives to hold the family together, but even with his best efforts, Marah becomes unreachable in her grief. Nothing and no one seems to matter to her . . . until she falls in love with a young man who makes her smile again and leads her into his dangerous, shadowy world.

Dorothy Hart---the woman who once called herself Cloud---is at the center of Tully’s tragic past. She repeatedly abandoned her daughter, Tully, as a child, but now she comes back, drawn to her daughter’s side at a time when Tully is most alone. At long last, Dorothy must face her darkest fear: Only by revealing the ugly secrets of her past can she hope to become the mother her daughter needs.

A single, tragic choice and a middle-of-the-night phone call will bring these women together and set them on a poignant, powerful journey of redemption. Each has lost her way, and they will need each one another---and maybe a miracle---to transform their lives.

An emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, motherhood, loss, and new beginnings, Fly Away reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness. Told with her trademark powerful storytelling and illuminating prose, Kristin Hannah reveals why she is one of the most beloved writers of our day.

Our thoughts: Firefly Lane is one of our favorite books. So we loved diving back into that world again and reading more about Tully!

Just leave a comment to be entered to win! We'll choose the winners on Sunday, May 5th after 12pm PST.

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

Leslie Lehr's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Leslie Lehr Why we love her: Her writing is heartfelt!

Her latest: What A Mother Knows

The Scoop: Michelle Mason can't remember that day, that drive, that horrible crash that killed the young man in her car. All she knows is she's being held responsible, and her daughter is missing.

Despite a shaky marriage, a threatening lawsuit, and troubling flashbacks pressing in on her, Michelle throws herself into searching. Her daughter in the one person who might know what really happened that day, but the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of those closest to her, even herself. As her search hurtles toward a shattering revelation, Michelle must face the biggest challenge of her life.

A poignant story of the unshakable bond between mother and child, What a Mother Knows is about finding the truth that can set love free.

Our thoughts: You'll be thinking about this one long after you finish!

Giveaway: One SIGNED copy!  Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday, May 12th after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: Leslie won a student Emmy while attending USC's School of Cinematic Arts!

Where to read more about Leslie: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LESLIE LEHR'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Kiss

First: A boy on the swim team who had braces. I thought it went fine, but he broke up with me five minutes later because I had braces too. He was afraid we would get our lips locked.

Most recent kiss? When my husband was passing by my office, I asked him what to write about that and he came in and kissed me. He has really soft lips.

Book

First: Are You My Mother  - the one where the little bird asks everyone, even a tractor, if it his mother. So sad – and so happy when he finds her. Hmm. Maybe that’s why I write about mothers so much. Wanting one, being one, needing one.

Most recent book?  Is This Tomorrow, by Caroline Leavitt. The release is the same day as What A Mother Knows. She’s an amazing storyteller and a real sweetheart. We are hoping to do some events together.

Risk

First: Hitting Send on an email to invite a man I hadn’t seen in twenty years for a cup of coffee. I was networking at a lot of coffee meetings, so I told myself it was just business, but secretly I hoped he was single. I stared at the Send button for a good ten minutes before I clicked it.

Latest risk I took? When he emailed back and said he’d buy the coffee, I dressed up in black sundress and high heels. Our coffee lasted three hours. He was single.

Aha! Moment…after that

I’d made it clear on that coffee date that I would never get married again, and he had never married at all, so four years later, when I told him I changed my mind and I didn’t want to keep dating unless marriage was a possibility, he started laughing. He said not getting married was my idea, and he showed me an old newspaper article he had clipped a month after that coffee meeting, entitled “How to Buy A Diamond Ring.”

Latest Aha! Moment:I just finished chemo for breast cancer and lost all the things that me feel beautiful – especially my long hair. I felt guilty, as though I had seduced my husband by looking as beautiful as possible - ever since I strolled into that coffee shop in my black sundress. But he still thinks I’m beautiful. So the aha moment is that he saw more in me than I did. And that there really are good guys out there. And good people as well - so many people have reached out to me, it’s been a revelation. We are beloved and we are not alone.

Hell ya moment

First: When I learned to read, it felt like playing hooky. I got a book for my ninth birthday and hid out for the rest of my party to read it. My mom was mad, but I got away with it. Now when I read, I still feel like I’m playing hooky, and I still get away with it. But now I get to call it ‘research.’

Recent Hell ya moment- A book reviewer emailed me halfway through reading What A Mother Knows and said she was laughing and crying and couldn’t put it down and her boyfriend was getting annoyed. She emailed again in the morning, excited about the ending - she read it in two days. At first I was bummed that I spent years getting the story right, and she read it in two days.  Then I thought, isn’t that the point? Hell ya!

Thanks, Leslie!

Susan Wigg's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Susan Wiggs Why we love her: Her books are a great escape! (And how cute is she?!)

Her latest: The Apple Orchard

The scoop: Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother's beloved necklace—despite Tess's advice. To Annelise, the jewel's value is in its memories.

But Tess's own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.

The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she's never heard of.

Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep. A place where falling in love is not only possible, but inevitable.

And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don't believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you've not made the right kind of memories.

Our thoughts: Dive into this one at the beach this summer!

Giveaway:  TWO copies! (US only) Leave a comment to be entered.  We'll choose the winners after 3pm PST on May 12th.

Fun Fact: Check out the cool pics of Susan's "Hell Ya" moment Honk Kong adventure!

Where to read more about Susan: Her website, Facebook and Twitter!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...SUSAN WIGG'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS

First: Ah, the magic happened at a school dance, with "Stairway to Heaven" (what else?) playing and the lights low and swirling with color. I was wearing a purple and amber jersey minidress (I always remember what I wore). He was shorter than me and he had a boner. Of course he did. We were thirteen and we were slow dancing.

Last: My amazing husband, who loves kissing as much as I do. We’re really good at it. And we do slow dance. It was not exactly like the first, but he did have a boner. (tmi, but you asked!)

BOOK I READ

First: THE CARROT SEED by Ruth Krauss. The simplest, most hopeful story ever. I was really little, age 4, I think, an early and voracious reader.

Last: PARIS: A LOVE STORY by Kati Marton. It’s a memoir. She was married to Peter Jennings and then to Richard Holbrooke, a diplomat whose untimely death made headlines. And she’s fascinating in her own right. I loved her short, heartfelt book about my favorite city.

RISK I TOOK

First: Gosh, I don’t recall the first. Being the middle child of three, every day was filled with risk. I had a big brother who dared me to do stupid things and a little sister who would tell on me. I recall making cardboard wings and jumping off a barn roof into a pile of hay. That didn’t work out so well. And skiing down a run marked “Experts Only” was fun but disastrous.  Another early risk had to do with writing. I read part of a story I’d written to a friend, and she begged to hear more. It was an amazing moment.

Last: It sounds cheesy, but every time I sit down to write, it feels risky. In writing a novel, you show so much of your heart, and you just have to trust that putting it out in the world like that is the right thing to do. This morning I wrote a scene involving a verbal fight between two characters, and it made me completely uncomfortable, which means it was hitting close to home. I only hope I can redeem these two.

HELL YA MOMENT

First: Being raised by “hell yeah” parents, I can’t recall the actual first time. I do remember that feeling at my very first rock concert. I was scandalously young and I followed my big brother to a Rolling Stones concert at Foret Nationale in Brussels, Belgium, where we were living at the time. There was a riot outside the venue, mounted police were being jostled on their horses, and someone drove a Fiat through the doors. The Stones started to play “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” and the world seemed to change color before my eyes.

Last: Doing shots of Jaegermeister and getting a tattoo in a divey parlor in Hong Kong. Really. Check out my right ankle next time you see me. Photos HERE!   (The symbol means "yes" so it definitely was a hell yeah moment)

AHA MOMENT

First: Wow, so many of my “moments” have to do with writing. This one–grade three, Mrs. Green’s class. I was way ahead in reading, so she let me read “Harriet the Spy.” PLEASE have your kids read this novel by Louise Fitzhugh, and never let them see the truly bad movie adaptation. It’s about a girl whose life is changed by writing. I wrote my first story then (photo here) I remember finally “getting” the shape of a story, which is so simple–beginning, middle, end–but so tricky to nail.

Last: Watching my dad’s struggles with Parkinson’s. He and my mom live in my town, not far from me. It’s a devastating illness, yet he greets every day with a smile, and lives his life. He sends emails to his grandkids, has people over, works on little projects, sits quietly with my mom. They’ve been married 59 years and the “aha” for me is this–life can always be wonderful, no matter what’s happening to you or around you. But sometimes you have to dig deep inside to find the joy.

The dedication page of THE APPLE ORCHARD is a little surprise for my parents. Think they’ll like it?

Thanks, Susan!

eBook Flash Giveaway: Double Click by Lisa Becker

Giveaway: One E-copy of Double Click by Lisa Becker The scoop: Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later. Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley's judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship? Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more. Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.

Our thoughts: Fun, Fun FUN!

Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy!  We'll choose the winners Sunday, May 12th after 3pm PST.

Jennifer Weiner's The Next Best Thing + Giveaway!

Today's author: Jennifer Weiner Why she rocks: Um, she's Jennifer Weiner + she's not afraid to speak her mind.

Her latest: The Next Best Thing (Out in paperback April 30th!)

The scoop on it: At three years old, Ruth Saunders miraculously survives the car crash that takes her parents’ lives on the icy Massachusetts Turnpike. Her eccentric grandmother, who comes out of Florida retirement to care for young Ruth, nurtures her through years of surgeries, feeding her home-cooked meals, dispensing irreverent wisdom, and telling Ruth she’s beautiful, even though her scars will stay with her forever.

After college, Ruth pursues her dream of writing to Hollywood, heading west with her grandmother in tow, hoping to make it big in the world of TV. After years of failure and a badly broken heart, Ruth gets The Call—her show has been green-lit.

But Ruth’s happy ending is only the beginning, as she struggles with how television gets made: terrified (and terrifying) executives and actresses with their eyes on bigger prizes than Ruthie’s show. Add in an unrequited crush on the man who has been her mentor. Add to that her grandmother’s impending nuptials, and Ruth’s big break might just break her.

A rollicking ride on the Hollywood roller coaster, The Next Best Thing is a heartfelt story about a young woman searching for her own happily-ever-after in the land where dreams come true.

Our thoughts: Loved it just as much the second time around!

Fun fact: Want to see Jennifer Weiner in person? She's going on a paperback book tour--see if she'll be near you.

Giveaway: One SIGNED copy. Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll select the winner after 12 pm PST on Sunday, April 28th.

What She Left Us by Stephanie Elliot

Today's author: Stephanie Elliot Her latest: What She Left Us

The scoop on it: Jenna and Courtney are dealing with the unexpected death of their mother in different ways. Jenna broke off her engagement to the man she thought she'd love forever, while Courtney headed back to college to take charge of a dorm-floor full of college students as a resident assistant.

Six months later, Jenna is fueled by panic over the news that the sisters may have the same disease that caused their mother's death and she makes an irrational decision - she packs it up and heads to college to be with Courtney. The timing couldn't be worse for Courtney, who's discovering love for the first time with Mitch, a sexy guitar player who may just be off limits.

Emotionally unstable, Jenna wonders if she made the worst mistake of her life by breaking off her engagement with Darren, and when he shows up to make amends, she can't help but second-guess her decision. But then there's Clay, the compassionate bartender at Klippy's who seems to understand everything Jenna's going through. And those hazel eyes just seem to see right through to Jenna's soul…

As the girls maneuver through their unpredictable futures, trying to manage their new health risks as well as tumultuous love lives, Courtney finds a disturbing photograph that indicates there may be more to their family than she ever imagined.

This stunning revelation could shatter the sisters to the very core, making them question everything they thought they knew about their family, their faith, their past and, most of all, each other.

Our thoughts: A fast-paced, engaging read. We absolutely love Stephanie and her books--definitely download this one!

Fun fact: You can read an excerpt of What She Left Us here and in the novel section, there's info about her upcoming book, Before the Beginning, out this summer!

Where you can read more about Stephanie: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Flash giveaway: Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Giveaway: 3 copies of Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham The Scoop: From Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, comes a witty, charming, and hilariously relatable debut novel about a struggling young actress trying to get ahead―and keep it together―in New York City.

It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, and though she can almost picture moving back home and settling down with her perfectly nice ex-boyfriend, she’s not ready to give up on her goal of having a career like her idols Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep. Not just yet. But while she dreams of filling their shoes, in the meantime, she’d happily settle for a speaking part in almost anything—and finding a hair product combination that works.

Everything is riding on the upcoming showcase for her acting class, where she’ll finally have a chance to perform for people who could actually hire her. And she can’t let herself be distracted by James Franklin, a notorious flirt and the most successful actor in her class, even though he’s suddenly started paying attention. Meanwhile, her bank account is rapidly dwindling, her father wants her to come home, and her agent doesn’t return her calls. But for some reason, she keeps believing that she just might get what she came for.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job.

Our thoughts:  Pop this one in your beach bag for sure!

Leave a comment below to be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday, April 28th after 8am PST.

2013 Club: Selena Coppock and The New Rules For Blondes

Our guest today: Selena Coppock Why we love her: Her writing is FUN with a capital F!

Her debut: The New Rules For Blondes

The scoop: Writer, comedienne, and full-time Blonde, Selena Coppock offers up adventures, misadventures, and golden-hued nuggets of wisdom in a laugh-out-loud anthem for those of us who really do have more fun.

The modern blonde is savvy, wise, confident, capable, and not afraid to laugh at herself when the occasion calls for it. She knows who she is and is prepared to subvert all stereotypes (although she's not above wielding her golden tresses to her advantage), and knows how to be both classy and a little brassy.

In the way only a Boston-bred New Yorker who once won "Best Hair" in her high school graduating class could, Coppock doles out tongue-in-cheek advice about avoiding hair disasters, the consequences of dating a man who cares a little too much about his own hair product, and so much more in an outrageous essay collection that will have even the staunchest of raven-haired beauties considering a trip to the nearest salon.

Our thoughts: Whether you are blonde or not, you will love this book!

Giveaway: Two copies!  Just leave a comment and you'll be entered.  We'll choose the winners on April 28th after Noon PST.

Fun Fact: She's a comedian too!

Where to read more about Selena: Her website, or Twitter!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...2013 CLUB: SELENA COPPOCK

DO'S: 3 things every aspiring novelist should do

1. Set Boundaries: I know this sounds really Dr. Phil of me, but it's important to set boundaries to ensure that you have work time, brainstorming time, quiet time to get your writing done.  For some people, it's helpful to be strict about it (for example, I found it useful to reserve my weekends as MY time and I never strayed from that for the 8 months during which I wrote my book) and for other people, it can be looser (for example, I know some people who write 2-3 nights/week but it changes from week to week).

2. Don't Have Too Many Cooks In the Kitchen: Some people might workshop chapters and pieces with writing groups or trusted friends and that's great, but you should trust your personal workflow and for me, that's a pretty solitary venture.  I had a vision for what I wanted my essays to be and, however bonkers, I didn't want to bend from that (until my agent & editor were giving notes).  Don't be afraid to NOT get input from friends--it's YOUR project, you get to be the boss.

3. Seek Different Ways to Get Exposure/Published: As a standup comedian, I have been my own publicist for the entire time I have been performing and I've found that any publicity or press is helpful.  So feel free to cast a wide net--write random blog entries on your personal blog and guest blog on other blogs and perform at storytelling shows (if you're comfortable with that) and go to MeetUp groups of writers and attend literary events--there are SO many different pathways and all of them are "correct."

DON'TS: 3 things every aspiring novelist shouldn't do

1. Ponder What People Will Think of Your Work: Once my book was sold and I knew it would  be out there in the world, I began to think, "What will people think of this joke?  Will they be offended?  Will so-and-so be upset with me that I said this?" and that is SO  BAD.  My storytelling teacher Margot Leitman used to teach us to write and tell stories as though the people who might be upset are dead.  It's a bit morbid, but it works.  You simply cannot write with a nagging sense of worry weighing on you.  When it comes to the question of "what will people think?" I use the standup response of what you should think of an audience if they don't "get" or like you: F 'em.

2. Think That There's 1 Way You "Should" Write: Tons of people write and sell books while working other jobs.  Some people don't.  There's no 1 way it "should" be done and it doesn't mean that you aren't a "serious writer" (whatever that means) it it's currently a hobby or weekend activity.  We're each on our own path and you do what is right for you, as far as work/life balance.

3. Be Scared to Just Start Typing: I find it best if I start writing (or typing) feverishly and pare down later.  Just get it OUT to start and you can tinker with it later on, but holding yourself back from even commencing is not a productive way to work.

MUST HAVES: 

1. Music that somehow helps you write: I don't know what it is about Arcade Fire, but I found that band to be really good background music for me as I wrote.  That and assorted jazz music.  I logged a lot of hours on Pandora.com while I was writing.

2. Twitter and Instagram are two of my favorite things on my phone right now: I'm a bit of a Luddite, so perhaps Twitter and Instagram are obvious, but I was a (somewhat) late convert to both and now I love them.  It's really fun to see where your friends are and what they are seeing (on Instagram) and twitter is a comedian's dream app--just spout out throwaway jokes and see how many retweets you get.  RIght when Paul Ryan was announced as Romney's running mate I wrote a tweet about Ryan ("Guys: Paul Ryan likes Ayn Rand and Rage Agains the Machine? He's the coolest guy in our 9th grade class!) and it got about 250 retweets, which (sad to say) was one of the most exciting days of my life.  I might need to get out more.

3. There are so many amazing Podcasts out there: and I find them really inspiring, so I've downloaded quite a few to my phone.

LASTS:  

1. Song you listened to on repeat? I tend to beat the heck out of a song (on repeat for weeks) and right now that song is "Catch My Breath" by Kelly Clarkson.  How much does Ms. Clarkson rule? That girl can do NO wrong as far as I'm concerned.  "Catch My Breath" is not only catchy, but the lyrics about "catching my breath, letting it go, turning my cheek for the sake of the show" are something that I find it especially relatable as a performer.

2. Book you read? Recently I've been reading "We Killed: The Rise of Women In American Comedy" by Yael Kohen and "Nasty" by Simon Doonan.

3. Time you laughed? The last time I laughed was this morning with my sister Laurel (also a performer/comedian and Jan on the Toyota commercials) and brother-in-law Bobby Mort (a brilliant writer/actor/comedian)--those two crack me up and you just can't beat family jokes.

HOW MANY?

1. Agents did you query before you found "the one?"I am very fortunate that my agent (Elizabeth Evans with Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc) is a great friend from college.  I have been writing recaps of "The Bachelor" on my personal blog for years and she sent that along to a wonderful editor at It Books (Stephanie Meyers--now at Mental Floss Magazine) and Stephanie liked my tone and writing and knew what type of book she wanted to buy.  So I was able to get in through the back door somewhat (though my years of blogging and storytelling are really what opened the door for me).

2. Hours do you write per day? I still have a 9-6 job (I'm a book editor for a test prep company) and after a full day of reading and editing manuscript, I really couldn't bear to go home and write, so I gave myself Saturday and Sunday to write all day.  I still write here and there during the week (mostly standup bits, jokes when they come to me) but the bulk of the work on my proposal (3 versions of it) and book was created only on weekends.

3. Hours do you waste online when you should be writing? The online thing is SO hard.  I set certain rules for myself and goals (like if I cranked out a full hour, I was allowed to check Twitter for 5 minutes).  As it got closer to my deadline, I had to disconnect my computer from the WiFi entirely--that helped a LOT!

BESTS:

1. Way to celebrate a book deal? A few cocktails with friends was how I celebrated my book deal and it was lovely.  Then when the book was totally done (after the 8 months of writing the original manuscript and rewrites) I went out for a big, steak dinner with a friend to celebrate.  It's important to stop and toast these milestones so that you savor the entire experience.

2. Trick to overcome writer's block? I find running to be really helpful when trying to organize my thoughts or work through a problematic chapter.  If I'd hit a wall, I'd just put on my sneakers and go run in Prospect Park and usually during that hour of running my brain would sort of work through the blocks and I'd arrive at home with new ideas or a new way to organize a chapter.

 NEXTS:

1. Show you'll DVR? I'm fired up that Mad Men is back, as I love that show and vintage clothing, hair, and make up.  So this season is already programmed on the DVR.  I also can't wait for Netflix to release the newest season of Arrested Development.

2. Book you'll read? Books that I want to read very soon include some new releases written by my friends: The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf and Screw Everyone by Ophira Eisenberg.  Those two gals are both hilarious and wonderful and I can't wait to read their books!

3. Book you'll write? Once the dust settles post-New Rules for Blondes release I might explore either a book about dating or a book that's a bit darker than this one.  I'm hopeful that if people enjoy my writing style in The New Rules for Blondes, they might be willing to go a bit darker with me (no pun intended!) and explore topics that are a bit more serious.  Who knows!

Thanks, Selena!

2013 Club: Kimberly McCreight and Reconstructing Amelia

Our guest today: Kimberly McCreight

Why she rocks: Her debut is riveting! Think: Gone Girl

Her debut: Reconstructing Amelia

The scoop on it: In Reconstructing Amelia, the stunning debut novel from Kimberly McCreight, Kate's in the middle of the biggest meeting of her career when she gets the telephone call from Grace Hall, her daughter’s exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Amelia has been suspended, effective immediately, and Kate must come get her daughter—now. But Kate’s stress over leaving work quickly turns to panic when she arrives at the school and finds it surrounded by police officers, fire trucks, and an ambulance. By then it’s already too late for Amelia. And for Kate.

An academic overachiever despondent over getting caught cheating has jumped to her death. At least that’s the story Grace Hall tells Kate. And clouded as she is by her guilt and grief, it is the one she forces herself to believe. Until she gets an anonymous text: She didn’t jump.

Reconstructing Amelia is about secret first loves, old friendships, and an all-girls club steeped in tradition. But, most of all, it’s the story of how far a mother will go to vindicate the memory of a daughter whose life she couldn’t save.

Our thoughts: Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

Giveaway: One SIGNED copy. Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, April 28th, after 12pm PST.

Fun fact: Check out the story of how she became a writer here! (She did everything she could to avoid it!)

Where you can read more about Kimberly: Her website, Twitter and Facebook.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...2013 CLUB: KIMBERLY MCCREIGHT

DO'S: 3 things every aspiring novelist should do

First, join a writer’s group or take a class.  Good feedback is critical to making progress as a writer.  But please be sure that it’s a supportive group.  Cutting feedback that isn’t actionable—i.e. burn this, immediately—is worse than no feedback at all.

Secondly, read widely.  Being a great writer starts with being a good reader and that includes everything from classic literature to modern thrillers.  Seeing what other people do and how they do it—and what you like and don’t like—will help you find yourself as a writer.

Finally, keep writing.  For some people, their first novel comes out exactly right, for others it takes practice.  I certainly fell into the later group.  Just because your early efforts don’t pan out doesn’t mean that your next book won’t be a whole lot better.

DON'TS: 3 things every aspiring novelist shouldn't do

First, don’t chase trends.  Being aware that there exists a marketplace for books is smart, but deciding that you’re going to write Y or Z because A and B were so successful last year is doomed to fail.  First of all, you won’t be able to write anything good if your heart’s not in it.  There’s also a good chance the trend will have already passed by the time you’re done.

Second, don’t take early rejection to heart.  Every novelist gets rejected at one point or another—by an agent or an editor or a critic.  It’s just a part of the process and the best you can hope for is to learn from it.

Finally, don’t ignore thoughtful feedback.  While you don’t want to be derailed by negativity, you don’t want to ignore helpful insights that could be the key to writing a better book next time or making critical revisions now.

MUST HAVES: On your desk? On your Facebook feed? App on your phone?

On my desk are always a Diet Coke and sugarless gum and I consume far too much of both.  Don’t tell my children.  It’s a terrible example.

My friends are the most important things in my Facebook feed, nothing makes me happier than seeing what they’re up to, especially because some of my dearest live way too far away.

The apps I use most are Hopstop for train directions and WeatherBug.  When you spend a lot of time getting around on foot with two kids, you’ve got to be prepared.

LASTS: Song you listened to on repeat? Book you read? Time you laughed?

I actually have a playlist of about twenty of my favorite songs call “Kim’s Edits” and I play the whole thing on repeat.  It’s a really eclectic compilation of songs that I love.  One I did specifically play on repeat a lot was The Weary Kind by Ryan Bingham from the Crazy Heart soundtrack.

One book I read while revising was 11/22/63 by Stephen King.  His talents are so towering that reading him always inspires me to work that much harder.

And luckily my children keep me laughing all the time.  It helps enormously to have that kind of unbridled joy and deep silliness around when you’re writing about dark things!

HOW MANY: Agents did you query before you found "the one?" Hours do you write per day? Hours do you waste online when you should be writing?

My current agent is actually my third.  Because Reconstructing Amelia is my fifth completed manuscript, I probably queried hundreds of agents over the years with other projects before I landed with my current agent.  But I love her and I know she’ll be my last.

I work from 9-5:30, five days a week, though not all of that is working on my latest work in progress.  Sometimes, I’m doing things like this—answering fun questions—and sometimes I’m researching.

And “waste” time online?  I prefer the term research.  Deciding on a whim to spend two hours tracking down that best friend from fourth grade who you haven’t talked to for twenty-five years, that’s got to be research for something, right?

BESTS: Way to celebrate a book deal? Trick to overcome writer's block? Way to think of a book idea?

I think the best way to celebrate a book deal is with your family.  For us, it was such a long road in getting here and everyone—my husband, kids and myself—had to give up so much to make it happen, that all I wanted to do was share it with them.  The actual night it happened, I think we did something exciting like order a pizza from the “fancy” pizza place.  To be honest, the fact that it had happened was thrilling enough.

I think the trick to overcoming writer’s block is to make yourself write for your allotted hours or allotted page count every day even if it’s all a bunch of really crappy stuff.  Eventually, you stop caring and the stakes will feel lower and the words will start flowing again.  And then you can throw out all the garbage you forced out in those lean days.

Newspapers, nonfiction books and magazine articles usually provide the initial spark for most of my stories.

NEXTS: Show you'll DVR? Book you'll read? Book you'll write?

I’m DVRing Mad Men and I’m looking forward with a heavy heart to the end of Breaking Bad.  I’m excited for the new season of The Killing and I love the Walking Dead, even if it does scare the crap out of me.  I’m looking forward to reading Sonya Sotomayor’s biography, My Beloved World, as well as Lawrence Wright’s Going Clear.

On the fiction front, next up is Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings and Becky Masterman’s debut, Rage Against the Dying.

As for my next book, I’m about three hundred pages into a first draft.  It’s another mystery with a deep emotional center and a character from Reconstructing Amelia even has a supporting role.  I’m very excited about it!

Thanks, Kimberly!

On our Radar by Liz

Lisa and I have been so knee-deep writing our next book that I've barely had time to come up for air!  But when I do--these are the latest things on my radar....

The Millionaire Matchmaker

Oh, how I love that beyotch Patti Stanger! Something about the way she puts those douchey millionaires in their place is addicting.  Yes, I have to try hard to ignore the fact that these gorgeous women would never even so much as glance at these guys unless they were loaded, but either way this is one hour of pure guilty pleasure for me and the hubs. (Shhh...don't tell anyone she watches it with me!) The best part of season 6? Millionairess Hello Kitty returns and redeems herself. (She's the one that gave that guy a hand job under the table...)  The worst part?  The creepy courtship of Patti and her new man. Ewww! Check out a clip below!

The Love Wars by L. Alison Heller

Out on May 7th---don't miss this Devil Wears Prada-esque tale of a divorce lawyer who, after becoming fed up with her insanely rich and spoiled(and just plain insane!) clients, goes against her high-powered boss and clandestinely represents a woman who desperately needs her help. Heller's narrative is a breath of fresh air--fun and quick witted. Delightful from beginning to end!

Hall of Fame--The Script

I'm loving this catchy song by The Script, one of my new favorite bands.  Whether I'm rocking out on the way to school with the kids or writing the latest chapter in our next book--I can't get enough of it!  Check it out!

Isagenix

So I'm doing the Isagennix 30 day cleanse in order to shed a few LBs for an upcoming trip.  And even thought I'm so hungry that I would consider beating your head in for a spicy tuna roll, it's okay.  I've lost 7 lbs int the last 12 days and it's getting a bit easier--the stuff they told me that tastes like "tea"(does NOT taste like tea!) doesn't even make me gag anymore.  This program is also good to cleanse if you have allergies or rashes.  But for me?  I just want to be able to stuff my face with warm brie and baguette in France next month without feeling like all those skinny french assholes are judging me.

#shipmypantscommercial #Kmart #controversy

I know some people have their panties in a wad about this Kmart commercial, but personally, I think it's hilarious.  And a big shout out to Kmart-who is now relevant for the first time in years!  Bravo!

Flash Giveaway! And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

Giveaway: FIVE copies of And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry The Scoop: Kate Vaughan is no stranger to tough choices. She’s made them before. Now it’s time to do it again.

Kate has a secret, something tucked away in her past. And she’s getting on with her life.  Her business is thriving. She has a strong relationship with her family, and a devoted boyfriend whom she wants to love with all her heart. If Kate had ever made a list, Rowan would fill the imagined boxes of a perfect mate. But she wants more than the perfect on paper relationship; she wants a real and imperfect love. That's why, when Kate discovers the small velvet box hidden in Rowan's drawer, she panics.

It always happens this way. Just when Kate thinks she can love, just when she believes she can conquer the fear, she’s filled with dread. And she wants more than anything to make this feeling go away. But how?

When the mistakes have been made and the running is over, it’s time to face the truth. Kate knows this. She understands that a woman can never undo what can never be undone. Yet, for the first time in her life she also knows that she won’t fully love until she confronts those from her past. It’s time to act.

Can she do it? Can she travel to the place where it all began, to the one who shares her secret? Can the lost ever become found?

And Then I Found You gives new life to the phrase “inspired by a true story.” By traveling back to a painful time in her own family’s history, the author explores the limits of courage, and the price of a selfless act.

Our thoughts: So Intriguing! We loved this one and think you will too.

Leave a comment below to be entered and we'll choose the winners after 6pm on Saturday, April 20th.

Amy Shearn's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Amy Shearn

Why we love her: We dig her fresh narrative!

Her latest: The Mermaid of Brooklyn

The scoop: Formerly an up-and-coming magazine editor, Jenny Lipkin is now your average, stretched-too-thin Brooklyn mom, tackling the challenges of raising two children in a cramped Park Slope walk-up. All she really wants is to survive the sweltering New York summer with a shred of sanity intact. But when her husband, Harry, vanishes one evening, Jenny reaches her breaking point. And in a moment of despair, a split-second decision changes her life forever.

Pulled from the brink by an unexpected ally, Jenny is forced to rethink her ideas about success, motherhood, romance, and relationships. But confronting her inner demons is no easy task. . . .

Our thoughts: Dive in this witty and heartfelt novel this weekend! You won't regret it!

Giveaway: Two copies! Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win--we'll choose the winners on Monday, April 22nd after 8am PST.

Fun Fact: The Mermaid of Brooklyn is a Oprah.Com April book pick!

Where you can read more about Amy: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...AMY SHEARN'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Kiss

First: Let me just say that Jewish overnight camp in the Wisconsin woods circa 1992 was a heady time. The poignant Extreme ballad “More Than Words” was playing constantly, everywhere, as if piped in from the trees. And finally a boy liked me. I remember thinking I had been waiting forever for a boy to notice me. I was going into eighth grade. Obviously, it had been like MONTHS between the start of puberty and now – what was taking all the boys so long to notice a quiet, awkward, bookish girl who never spoke to them or even really looked at them? But finally this boy LIKED me liked me, and we were sitting outside by the creek and he leaned in and sort of smeared his mouth on my cheek area. Later that night, I was informed by my more streetwise cabin-mates that I was supposed to have turned my head to trickily French him. I was mortified, both at my lack of savvy, and at the idea of French-kissing him. Even though I didn’t really have any opinion whatsoever of this boy, I remember lying awake in my upper bunk aglow with that surreal excitement you get when your life seems to have gotten magical all the sudden.

Last: Tonight at bedtime, my two-year-old son announced he was a cat and then passionately licked my face. Not totally dissimilar to my summer camp kiss, actually. Except that I really, really love this boy.

Book

First: I taught myself to read when I was around 3 by obsessively staring at Mercer Mayer’s Just For You, which I assumed was the most hilarious and yet meaningful work of literature ever. I have a distinct memory of lying on the basement floor of my parent’s house, rubbing my feet over a rough place in the concrete, and having it all click, and realizing, with something like ecstasy, that I could read.

Last: I’ve just begun Jessica Francis Kane’s luminous short story collection This Close. It’s been a while since I read a collection of stories, and it’s such sheer pleasure. She packs tremendous insights into these narrative jewels.

 Risk

First: I have never been a risk-taker, really, so I had to wrack my brain here. I did have a much-cited (literally, almost every time I see my parents) misadventure in fifth grade, when, after watching 3 or 4 other kids do it, I went down the new banana-yellow twisty slide backwards. This was forbidden, and I got caught, and was benched. Benched! This horrifying punishment involved having to sit on a bench for a few minutes. It was my first and last time getting benched at Lincoln Elementary School. And that’s what you get for taking risks. Just kidding. Sort of.

Last: Writing this novel felt like a big risk. As noted above, I’ve always been a bit of a goody-two-shoes, an inveterate conflict avoider. Like every mother, I want to be seen as the perfect mom and wife, because of course I want to be the perfect mom and wife. But that whole parenting situation is just so difficult and fraught – honestly, even if you are a pretty happy mom, which I think I am -- that I wanted to write about how hard it is, taking care of small children and maintaining your sanity and sense of self. I wanted to say the things that all my mom friends say to each other, but that I had never read in a novel. And I wanted to inhabit a character who was trouble and difficult, because I find those characters interesting. But then, you know, you have to deal with people saying things like “I read your book and now I’m so worried about you! Is the main [depressed, manic, cheating] character you?”  Oy.

Hell Ya! Moment

First: The summer I was 20 I backpacked around Europe by myself, and I remember the whole time as one big HELL YA! I was breaking up with my long-time boyfriend, I was proving I was independent and brave, I was seeing the world and meeting people and I spent about $5 the whole time and I know the life-changing college trip is a total cliché but it was truly amazing. I have no idea how I did it. I don’t know that I could handle it now.

Last: My daughter is just starting to read on her own, and every time she reads a sentence or recognizes a word I do a little internal cartwheel. It’s so exciting to watch it all coming together, and to think of all the adventures that await her in library stacks.

Aha! Moment

First: I was probably 7 or 8 the day I was pestering my father while he was trying to write something and he handed me a notebook and said, “Here, you can start your own journal.” I wrote down some pertinent information about my cat, Daisy, and then reread it and enjoyed the process so much that I then wrote some more and then some more and soon I was filling notebooks with stories.

Last: As a mom-blogger, I’ve probably written 15 different essays/articles/blog posts about how moms shouldn’t be so hard on themselves, without truly internalizing this myself. It’s all very easy to say, but then…you know how it goes. Then the other night I realized I was having these crazy bedtime struggles with my 4-year-old for no real reason other than that I felt she ought to go to bed by 8:00pm and that in the back of my mind there was some voice – Super-Nanny, maybe – chiding me for not having enough control to maintain this bedtime. And then for some reason I had a moment when I asked myself if I really cared when she went to bed. If she’s quietly playing with paper dolls at 8, isn’t she maybe just winding down slowly? Since she has a hard time calming down to sleep, shouldn’t I let her do that work to learn how to calm herself down, as the end goal really is to have her know when she’s sleepy and put herself to bed? I realized that if she was busy coloring or something that I didn’t actually care when she went to bed, I just thought I should care, and that I was waging this nightly battle (that inevitably ends with me asleep in the toddler bed alongside her) for no real reason. So we did bath time, tooth-brushing, stories, all the bedtime things, and then I just let her chill out and tell the dog some stories until around 9 she told me she was ready for bed and wow, what a revelation! There’s motherhood in a nutshell: you don’t even realize that by trying to do something The Right Way you’re making yourself miserable. I’m always telling other moms not to be so hard on themselves, not to judge their parenting, to do what feels right. So maybe I should follow my own advice for once.

Thanks, Amy!

Blog of the Month: Booking with Manic

The 411:

Booking with Manic specifically features chick lit, women's fiction, new adult, humor, some self-help and memoir and the occasional dude-lit books. I vary how often I blog. I've been known to do blog-blitzing, where I'll post a book every day for a month (last year I did March Madness and it was CRAZY to keep up with 31 days of blogging and giving away 31 books in a month). I try to feature at least a book a week.

Why do people love Booking with Manic?

Every book featured includes a giveaway and I try to make each post personal and creative - bringing something from the book to connect to real life.

What is unique about Booking with Manic?

To enter to win, the reader has to answer a question that relates to something that has to do with the book -- whether it is something with the themes in the book, the title of the book, etc. For instance, for Meg Donohue's debut, How to Eat a Cupcake, the logical question I asked was "What is your favorite cupcake flavor?" (By the way, Meg's next book, All The Summer Girls is AMAZING!) But what I love the best about my blog and what I think is so unique about it is that since I do ask these personal questions, I feel like I really get to know the Booking with Manic readers, and I also share with them how I would answer the answer I'm asking. I learn stuff about them, and really do get to know them, which I love. It becomes more personal to me.

Where to read more about Booking with Manic:

Facebook and Twitter.

What inspires you?

Right now, honestly, my 11 year old son Luke is inspiring me. He was diagnosed with epilepsy last spring and to watch him just be a kid and know that he's getting through what he's been through -- that is inspiring. I'm so lucky to get to be his mom.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what celebrity would you want to be with you?

Ugh. I really wouldn't want a celebrity. I would want books. But I guess if I had to choose, it would be a toss-up between, and you may laugh, but I'm going to choose Vince Vaughn or Johnny Knoxville. I will probably take Vince though, because Johnny might be too scrawny.

What's one inanimate object you can't live without?

What's an 'inanimate' object? I'm seriously going to look that up... Oh, so you mean like not my family members, like an iPhone or something like that... I can live without makeup. I probably could live without my phone. I guess I would have to say my contacts. And pretty soon it's going to be those 'cheater' glasses. I just turned 44. It pains me to say that. Truth hurts.

What books are you adding to your bookshelf this year?

Love this question! Anything and everything written by: Jen Lancaster (Can't wait for her Martha Stewart Tao book!), Emily Giffin, Sarah Pekkanen, Sarah Jio (am waiting for a quiet stretch of time to read The Last Camellia), I'm excited to see this new one Allison Winn Scotch wrote, Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves, Laura Dave needs to come out with a new one, Dina Silver's Finding Bliss, I'd love to know if Sere Prince Halverson has another on its way - I loved The Underside of Joy, Julie Buxbaum - I'm waiting for YOU to publish another, Zoe Fishman needs to write faster... do I sound a bit demanding on the authors I want to have books published?

Thanks, Stephanie!

Alyson Richman's Firsts and Lasts

Today's guest: Alyson Richman Why we love her: She's writes beautifully! Can't wait to read her other novels!

Her book: The Lost Wife

The scoop on it: A rapturous novel of first love in a time of war-from the celebrated author of The Rhythm of Memory and The Last Van Gogh.

In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers...

Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit- and the strength of memory.

Our thoughts: We were sucked in by this engrossing book about love and war!

Giveaway: 5 copies! Just comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners after 12pm PST on Sunday, April 21st.

Where you can read more about Alyson: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...ALYSON RICHMAN'S FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS:

First Kiss:   My first kiss was on the playground to a boy named Kevin Bisch when I was in the fourth grade.  We were standing in the middle of the grass clippings; he was this lanky kid with great hair, wearing a Doors t-shirt and a pair of wrangler cords.  There must have been some strange fertilizer in the grass that day, because we both ended up being writers.  He's now a screenwriter in LA.  Rumor has it, he's still wearing the same outfit.  Some of us just have an innate sense of style at nine.  Certainly not me!

Last Kiss:  This morning, as I was leaving to take the children to school, I pulled open the shower door and stole one from my husband. He still had shaving cream on his face and a head full of shampoo.

RISK I TOOK:

First Risk I took:   When I was sixteen, I tried out for the boys wrestling team in boarding school.  I was never much of an athlete, but I knew that I'd be good at wrestling since that's how I had to defend myself from my two brothers over the years. To get the full effect of this, you need to imagine that I looked very much like Gumby dressed in a Laura Ashley dress.  I'd change in the girls locker room into my singlet (wearing a turtleneck and tights underneath).  I think I won half my matches due to the sheer shock my appearance gave my competitors.

Last Risk I took:   Every book that I undertake has a certain element of risk.  "The Lost Wife" felt extremely risky for me because writing about the Holocaust is inherently very daunting.  You want to make sure that every aspect of the research is done properly.  For the entire book tour, every time a survivor raised their hand, I was petrified they were going to tell me I had made a mistake in the text regarding some historical detail.  You can't imagine how relieved I was to hear how they instead thanked me for writing the novel.

HELL YA! MOMENT

First Hell ya moment:  It has to be the moment my editor called and told me "The Lost Wife" was a best-seller.   For years, I always thought of myself as the writer who'd be driving around in a van handing out my books to whomever would take them.

Last Hell ya moment: Getting my last book contract.  It's so wonderful to now have the support of Penguin/Berkley for my next two books.  To feel like someone wants to invest in your career, after so many years of hard work, is immensely satisfying.

AHA! MOMENT:

First Aha moment:   With writing, it had to be discovering that what you take out of your drafts is just as important as what you put in.   I always describe my editing process as taking a palette knife and carving out the mud.  For me, writing is very much like painting.  You need to find ways to bring light into an otherwise dense canvas.

Last Aha Moment:  When I was having a nervous breakdown about the first draft of my next book, “Dragonfly,” and I was complaining to my husband all the reasons I was overwhelmed with it.   He looked at me with great sensitivity and said:  "I've been married to you for fifteen years and you say the same thing with EVERY book you write.  It will work out.  You have time.  You can do it."  The boy deserves a medal.

Thanks, Alyson!

Deborah Cloyed's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Today's guest: Deborah Cloyed Why we love her: We've been fans since we read her debut novel, The Summer We Came to Life.

Her latest: What Tears Us Apart

The scoop on it: Love lives in the most dangerous places of the heart.

The real world. That's what Leda desperately seeks when she flees her life of privilege to travel to Kenya. She finds it at a boys'orphanage in the slums of Nairobi. What she doesn't expect is to fall for Ita, the charismatic and thoughtful man who gave up his dreams to offer children a haven in the midst of turmoil.Their love should be enough for one another-it embodies the soul-deep connection both have always craved. But it is threatened by Ita's troubled childhood friend, Chege, a gang leader with whom he shares a complex history. As political unrest reaches a boiling point and the slum erupts in violence, Leda is attacked…and forced to put her trust in Chege, the one person who otherwise inspires anything but.In the aftermath of Leda's rescue, disturbing secrets are exposed, and Leda, Ita and Chege are each left grappling with their own regret and confusion. Their worlds upturned, they must now face the reality that sometimes the most treacherous threat is not the world outside, but the demons within.

Our thoughts: A powerful novel!

Giveaway: Two copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, April 14th after 12pm PST.

Where you can read more about Deborah: Her website, Twitter and Facebook.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...DEBORAH CLOYED'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS

FIRST KISS:  In third grade, a boy named Brant gave me the quintessential piece of paper bearing the Check Boxes of Like (yes or no), and with my affirmation we were officially in puppy love.  Sitting cross-legged on my parents’ living room floor, we put a blanket over our heads so he could peck me on the lips. Then we giggled like maniacs until my Mom came to see what we were up to.

LAST KISS:  I’m an early riser, my boyfriend a night owl.  He kisses me goodnight in the wee hours, to a groggy mmmmm-hmmmm-luvvvvyoutoooo, and I good-morning kiss him first thing in the morning to a similar refrain.  Which I just did.

BOOK YOU READ

FIRST BOOK I READ:  My childhood was a veritable blur of books.  The first one I remember being obsessed with was My Side of the Mountain.  I told my mom I would be living in the backyard from then on.  That she pretended to tolerate.  Cooking acorn pancakes in her kitchen, she did not.

LAST BOOK I READ:  I’m reading The International Bank of Bob, about a travel writer who put $20,000 into Kiva.org, one $25 microloan at a time, then goes to visit loan recipients across the world, including in Kenya (where What Tears Us Apart is set and where I lived before the election violence broke out).  Read this book!  The author performs a soul-searching yet inspirational examination of some of the world’s trickiest problems of poverty and violence.

RISK YOU TOOK

FIRST RISK I TOOK:  If you ask my older brother, I came out of the womb a reckless risk-taker.  I had a disturbing lack of fear of heights, spiders, the dark, claustrophobia, any of the usuals.   My earliest risk-taking memories, all before age five – of breaking my nose on a jungle gym, getting bit by a snake in a creek, falling out of a tree – it’s hard to remember which came first.  My parents put me in gymnastics and the whole family settled in for a lifetime of worry.

LAST RISK I TOOK:  Well, I calmed down a bit after two near-death drowning experiences in Central America (hence my debut book The Summer We Came to Life) in my twenties.  The risks I take now are of the more mundane variety.  Six weeks after foot surgery, I just hobbled up four flights of stairs balancing a tray of two flower vases, two wines glasses, two pizza boxes (don’t judge), and four coffee cups.  Nothing fell and broke, miraculously.  But in retrospect, that was pretty risky.

HELL YA! MOMENT

FIRST HELL YA MOMENT:  Funny but the first thing that springs to mind is when I learned to read.  As in – WHOA. There’s a whole world inside this book, and I can go in it all by myself. Like an empty amusement park.  And since I was a library junkie from age three, I knew it meant endless solo adventures to come.  I could picture it.  Hell ya.

LAST HELL YA MOMENT:  A cozy, snuggly Easter Sunday, with yummy food and good company, topped off by the Game of Thrones premiere?  Hell YA.

AHA! MOMENT

FIRST AHA MOMENT:  Thinking this through, I realize my first aha moment is the same as my first hell ya moment.  Such is life.

LAST AHA MOMENT:  I’ve been banging my head against the wall, working out the plot for my next novel.  Finally, last week sitting on my porch, I had the AHA moment I’d been waiting for.  An AHA that will make this an incredibly fun, eerie, epic book to write.  But that’s all I’m saying… for now.

Thanks, Deborah!

Liza Palmer's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Today's guest: Liza Palmer Why we love her: We've loved Liza since we read Conversations with a Fat Girl

Her latest: Nowhere but Home

The scoop on it: The strategy on the gridiron of Friday Night Lights is nothing compared to the savagery of coming home . . .

Queenie Wake has just been fired from her job as a chef for not allowing a customer to use ketchup . . . again. Now the only place she has to go is North Star, Texas, the hometown she left in disgrace. Maybe things will be different this time around. After all, her mother—notorious for stealing your man, your car, and your rent money—has been dead for years. And Queenie's sister, once the local teenage harlot who fooled around with the town golden boy, is now the mother of the high school football captain.

Queenie's new job, cooking last meals at the nearby prison, is going well . . . at least the inmates don't complain! But apparently small-town Texas has a long memory for bad reputations. And when Queenie bumps into Everett Coburn, the high school sweetheart who broke her heart, she wishes her own memory was a little spottier. But before Queenie takes another chance on love, she'll have to take an even bigger risk: finding a place to call home once and for all.

Our thoughts: We love her witty writing. And this story is the perfect blend of heart and humor.

Giveaway: 2 copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, April 14th after 12pm PST.

Fun fact: Check out her blog where she reveals behind the scenes details about her books (including  the town her latest novel was based on) and her life.

Where you can read more about Liza: Her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIZA PALMER'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Kiss

My first kiss was probably with some poor unsuspecting neighbor and my most recent kiss was… the same, some poor unsuspecting neighbor.

Book you read

The first books I read were some combination of Miffy at the Zoo, Fletcher and Zenobia, Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight Moon.

And the last book (play?) I read was Much Ado About Nothing.  (And the Joss Whedon movie version…hello?!  Can it surpass the Italian tanned loveliness of the Branagh version?  WE SHALL SEE.  Here’s what I do now:  Fillion will definitely do better than Keaton as Dogberry.  “Let it be known that I am an ass”… I CAN’T WAIT.)

Risk you took

The first risk I took was my entire childhood.  My Mom has informed me that she should have invested in a ceremonial plaque that saved her preferred seat in the Emergency Room.

The most recent risk I took was ordering the Cobb Salad at the Westside Tavern.  It’s hard to do a good Cobb.  (Verdict?  Loved it.  Highly recommend it.)

Hell ya! moment

My first Hell Ya moment - I actually asked my Mom about this and she said, “What about when you decided not to go to Kindergarten.  Walked in through the front door and right back out the back.”  I asked her what brought me back – what convinced me to stay.  And she said they’d just started this new pilot program where kids could dictate stories and teachers would write them down and make books out of them.  I didn’t know that… very cool to know writing has always been there for me.

My latest Hell Ya moment?   I mean, that Cobb Salad was pretty great, but…  it was probably when Nowhere but Home came in the mail.  The package was on my stoop and I thought maybeeeee – tore it open – and there it was.  I got emotional immediately and I haven’t let it out of my sight since. There’s just nothing like holding that finished book in your hands.  Yes, I’m kind of crying even writing about it.  (NERD)

Aha! moment

My first AHA moment – I mean, you are giving little kids and moreover people’s memories a lot of credit here.  Okay, isn’t a baby’s first AHA moment just Peek-a-Boo?  Oh, there’s my mom!  She’s not gone… wait, she’s gone again!?!?  So, first AHA moment was playing Peek-a-Boo with my Mom.

My most recent was that I just needed to shut up and be happy.  I will over think everything and I realized (after over thinking it, of course) that I was thinking my way right out of pleasure and happiness.  To balance out the instability of publishing and writing, I had to make a concerted effort to take in beauty, get outside and shut my brain off.  Yes, that’s a beautiful sunset.  No, you don’t need to write an entire blog post about it or take a picture of it for Instagram.  Just… enjoy it.

Thanks, Liza!