Best books of 2013

Flash Giveaway! Wendy Francis' Three Good Things

Three Good Things book coverGiveaway: Three SIGNED copies of Three Good Things The scoop: ELLEN McCLARETY, a recent divorcée, has opened a new bake shop in her small Midwestern town, hoping to turn her life around by dedicating herself to the traditional Danish pastry called kringle. She is no longer saddled by her ne’er-do-well husband, but the past still haunts her—sometimes by showing up on her doorstep. Her younger sister, Lanie, is a successful divorce attorney with a baby at home. But Lanie is beginning to feel that her perfect life is not as perfect as it seems. Both women long for the guidance of their mother, who died years ago but left them with lasting memories of her love and a wonderful piece of advice: “At the end of every day, you can always think of three good things that happened.”

Ellen and Lanie are as close as two sisters can be, until one begins keeping a secret that could forever change both their lives. Wearing her big Midwestern heart proudly on her sleeve, Wendy Francis skillfully illuminates the emotional lives of two women with humor and compassion, weaving a story destined to be shared with a friend, a mother, or a sister.

Our thoughts: Loved this funny and heartfelt novel about sisters!

Where you can read more about Wendy: Her website.

Leave a comment to be entered. The winners will be chosen on Sunday, June 30th after 8am PST.

Jenny Colgan's 5 Firsts & Lasts

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe CoverToday's guest: Jenny Colgan Why we love her: She's a new find for us but we're big fans already. We're only sad we didn't discover her sooner. Next up, we read her other 11+ novels!

Her latest: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe (Out July 2nd!)

The scoop on it: A sweet and satisfying novel of how delicious it is to discover your dreams

Issy Randall can bake. No, Issy can create stunning, mouthwateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. She's much better at baking than she is a filing so when she's laid off from her desk job, Issy decides to open her own little café. But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake plan will take all of her courage and confectionary talent to avert disaster.

Funny and sharp, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is about how life might not always taste like you expect, but there's always room for dessert!

Our thoughts: We devoured this delicious novel. It's the perfect book to read over your July 4th holiday!

Giveaway: TWO copies! (Us/Canada) Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 30th after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: You'll discover a yummy recipe at the beginning of every chapter in Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe! Read chapter one here!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JENNY COLGAN'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

Jenny ColganKISS

First Kiss: In a monastery, believe it or not. I went to a catholic school, which had the dreadful idea of taking us teenagers away with catholic boys from other schools for 'religious retreats' in the summertime. Obviously, the inevitable happened.

Last Kiss: Last night my husband took me out to dinner then we went down to the beach to have ice cream as the sun was setting. That was pretty nice.

BOOK I READ

First Book: My first memories of reading are Frances the Badger. I've read her books to my own children, she's wonderful and can certainly turn a song. The first book I ever read by myself obsessively over and over was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Again, with my own children the effect is extraordinary, they wrest it out of your hands. It also has that wonderful poem about throwing out your tv and filling your house with books- 'and after, each and every kid/ will love you more for what you did'.

Last Book: I am reading and thoroughly enjoying Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann and am just about to start Sisterhood. I think Curtis Sittenfeld is marvelous!

RISK I TOOK

First Risk I Took: I went to Edinburgh University, instead of the local college my parents preferred where I could live with my grandmother. Edinburgh was far off, exotic, and I met people from all over the world instead of just people from my old school. I went a year early, completely on my own, at 16, and it was a real eye-opener.

Last Risk I Took: Ignoring the weather forecast this morning for a run along the beach. I would have achieved roughly the same effect from just jumping into the sea. I kept saying to the children, oh, it's going to clear up, but my four year old insisted on wearing her mackintosh and wellingtons, the full caboodle. She was right and I was wrong. Mind you, in my experience four year olds will wear wellies at any opportunity.

 AHA! MOMENT

First “Aha!” Moment: When I was 15 or 16 my parents, for whatever reason, let me go to a touring production of The Rocky Horror Show with a friend. I grew up in a very small, insular town where I never felt like I fitted in (I realize now of course that this is not in the least unusual).

Anyway, we got to the little local theatre where I'd seen Christmas shows and summer variety and nothing else, and there were all these people dressed up as freaks in fishnets. They had the umbrellas and the rice and they knew all the funny responses. And I was like, oh my God, all these people are different! And funny! And they live in my town! It gave me just so much hope, that there were people out there who weren't purely concerned with makeup and fighting (the two main pursuits at my horrible high school).

Last “Aha!” Moment: For my New Year's resolution I started accompanying on the piano my friend who took up the clarinet after a twelve year break from it. It's such a pleasure to play with him when we're getting it right. This is, I should add, not terribly often.

HELL YA! MOMENT

First “Hell yeah!” Moment: A relationship ended in my early twenties so I did what you're supposed to, and took an evening class. I chose stand-up comedy. The first time I made everyone laugh changed my entire life in an instant. I was rubbish on stage, but unbeknownst to me apparently I could write funny, and that changed everything.

Last “Hell yeah!” Moment: Ha, this is an American website, so excellent, I can say it. My last novel, Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams (to be released in the US in 2014!), won two prizes this year: Best Romantic Comedy and overall Romantic Novel of the Year. I'm British so if we win an award we have to kind of mumble and say oh, no, well, they probably made a mistake, and I’m going to hide it in the toilet. But this is an American site so I can say HELL YEAH! It was brilliant, I was totally thrilled, and here it was! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22559105

Thanks, Jenny!

 

Kitty Pilgrim's 5 Firsts & Lasts

The Stolen Chalice by Kitty PilgrimToday's guest: Kitty Pilgrim Why we love her: We love the way she writes. Her novels are exciting, engaging and memorable!

Her latest: The Stolen Chalice (Out in paperback now!)

The scoop on it:  What links an antique treasure to a sinister group of terrorists? CNN veteran Kitty Pilgrim sweeps us into the glamorous international art world, as lovely oceanographer Cordelia Stapleton and urbane archaeologist John Sinclair return in a perilous new quest.

When Cordelia and Sinclair attend a star-studded gala at the New York Metropolitan Museum, they anticipate merely a pleasurable evening. But as the elite dine and dance in the centuries-old Temple of Dendur, terrorists are planning a deadly assault. The attack is foiled, but it distracts from a massive heist of Egyptian art treasures around the city—among them the fabulous Sardonyx Cup.

The millionaire owner asks Sinclair for help retrieving it, and to Cordelia’s distress, her lover also recruits his old flame, Egyptologist Holly Graham. From a sprawling Wyoming ranch to a Scottish castle, the mysterious canals of Venice, and to Egypt itself, the search leads them to plans for a deadly bio-weapon attack. But could the chalice itself have special powers? Science and the supernatural collide as romantic tension sizzles. And now the three are moving into mortal danger. . . .

Our thoughts: We loved it just as much in paperback as we did the first time around.

Giveaway: Two SIGNED copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 30th after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: Check out the trailer for The Stolen Chalice here!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...KITTY PILGRIM'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

Kitty PilgrimKISS

First: He was a beast.  And I mean it, bad breath, messy hair, unruly manner, horrible manners at the table.  George would take food off your plate without asking.  His mouth was just awful, spitty, revolting.  He’d been eyeing me all through the meal with a sort of hungry neediness I found pathetic.  His affection was unrequited.  I never really liked him very much at all.  It was just the two of us, alone in the kitchen.  I had just finished a piece of pizza and was enjoying the last delicious bite when it came, an unexpected, unsolicited smack on the mouth, the pink tongue lapping up all the sauce on my lips.  I howled at the invasion.  The sheer effrontery of it all. ( I was two years old.  He was a yellow Labrador retriever.  You didn’t think I would tell you about my first real kiss, did you? That is entirely too sacred.)

Last: My son Beau.  All through childhood he was the baby that clung the longest, kissed with the fierce intensity.  Now, an elegant young man, six foot five, 100 percent rock and roll musician, with a cool swagger, he usually pops a quick one on the side of my head as he leaves.  It’s almost as if he were ashamed to be caught in anything so sentimental.  Last Sunday night, we had dinner and were talking about this and that.  He checked his cell phone for texts and then told me he had to go.  An hour or so is all I get these days and I’m grateful for it.  At the door he suddenly reached down and hugged me so hard my feet left the ground, then he planted a kiss on top of my head, the pressure of it was unexpectedly tender.  “By mom,” he said and left me with tears in my eyes.  They grow up so fast.

RISK I TOOK

First Risk I took: It was a really big risk. Monumental. After I graduated from college I suddenly got a contract to work in Japan.  Back then, living overseas was pre-cell phone, pre-internet.  Moving to Asia on the other side of the world.  The only real way to communicate was by letter.  Even making a phone call required making an appointment with an international operator.  But despite not knowing the language, having nowhere to live, no friends, family, and a host of other uncertainties I hopped on a plane and headed off to Tokyo.  I was so nervous, I don’t think I slept a wink in the plane.  Landing in Tokyo was like going to another planet.  I’d never seen anything like it. But I’ve never regretted taking the leap.

Last Risk: I wrote my first novel The Explorer’s Code as a lark when I was an anchor at CNN.  It was just for my own amusement, to keep me entertained on the train commute home.  I spun a fantasy that started at a gala in Monaco and romped through all the elegant watering holes of Europe. Then I added a dollop of good old-fashioned Victoria polar exploration, and a Russian bad guy or two.   It amused me a lot, and I passed it along to an agent.  He told me that it would be a best seller, (he was right) to quit my anchor job at the news network and become a novelist.  And that is exactly what I did.  Never a regret.  I am having the time of my life.

BOOK I READ

First: When I was a baby, my parents used to put books at the bottom of my crib so when I woke up, I would crawl down there and read for a while until everyone else in the house woke up.  I clearly remember doing that.   But my first heart pounding, oh-my- goodness-book obsession was reading the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the third grade.  I was absolutely enthralled, and immediately started writing my own series in a marble copybook, with myself as Sherlock’s helper.

Last: I am reading a series of books for the Nantucket Book Festival, all of them incredible.  I will moderate a panel with these incredible authors, all of whom have written about far away places.  So I am deep in the middle of a series of four books: Alex Gilvarry, From the Memoirs of a Non Enemy Combatant. Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles No Violet Bulawayo, We Need New Names Vaddey Rather, In the Shadow of the Bayan.

AH-HA! MOMENT

First: I remember in school being distressed over why I didn’t fit in. I was tall (5 11” ) in the 8th grade, skinny, not terribly popular, bookish and shy.  I was not allowed to watch television, so conversations about TV shows and pop culture went entirely over my head.  I didn’t know anything about popular music, movie stars, or much of anything that was relevant in my pre-teen world.  Everyone else seemed so cool, and I was not.   One day, decades later, when I was anchoring the news I realized that the dynamic had reversed.   I was sitting there at the anchor desk, on television, the first to know all about world events, telling everyone else.  I think being so out of the loop in my childhood drove me to find out more about the world.   (And my children were certainly allowed to watch television. )

Last Ah ha moment: I was having dinner with my sons in Williamsburg Brooklyn and feeling very cool.  Here we were at the epicenter of hipness, and I was dining with two fabulously handsome young men: one who is a photographer, the other who is a rock musician.  I was feeling quite smug about my middle-aged coolness, reading over the menu.  My son Beau said  “Mom you should have anything you want.  Don’t worry about your diet.”  I thanked him, thinking he was referring to my still slender figure and the effortless way I have been able to maintain my weight.  My smugness was short lived.  He added in a clueless fashion, “At your age, you don’t have to worry about what you look like.”   You are never really cool to your children.

HELL- YA! MOMENT

First: I was always very adventurous and athletic.  Most of my activities were individual sports, skating, riding, skiing, swimming.  By the time I was fifteen I was quite an athlete.   One winter my friends and I were going skiing, and I was nervous about whether I would be able to keep up.  There were a lot of boys along on the trip and I was anxious lest I be left behind on the slope.  We all started off, and I pushed myself to ski well that day, taking each mogul well, and pushing on, not noticing how the others were doing on the slope.  It was a difficult vertical drop and required my entire concentration.  When I got to the bottom, I looked around.  I was the first to arrive at the lodge.  A guy I had a crush on skied up a few minutes later, winded and chagrined.  “You are a fantastic skier,” he said, impressed.  At that moment I knew I would never let gender prevent me from excelling in any endeavor.

Last: Last week I got my diving certification.  It had been a long process of over a year because of bad luck, bad timing and a host of other problems.   I wanted to learn how to dive to better write my character, Cordelia Stapleton, an oceanographer.  If I couldn’t dive, how would I describe her adventures to my readers?  Last year, my scuba pool course had gone well, but when I went out to the open water dive, the conditions were awful.  I had to abandon the effort.   I tried several times and each effort had to be abandoned because of difficult conditions or equipment problems.  I was getting terribly frustrated about the whole thing, but kept trying.  Finally last week I went down and fulfilled all the requirements to become a certified diver.  Now let the adventures begin!

Thanks, Kitty!

Jessica Anya Blau's 5 Firsts & Lasts

WonderBreadSummerToday's guest: Jessica Anya Blau Why we love her: We literally bumped into her at the Harper Collins party when we were in NYC for BEA. And when she told us about her latest novel, we were immediately intrigued and started reading it on the plane ride home!

Her latest: The Wonder Bread Summer

The scoop on it: In The Wonder Bread Summer, loosely based on Alice in Wonderland, 20-year-old Allie Dodgson has adventures that rival those Alice had down the rabbit hole. Or those of Weeds’ Nancy Botwin.

Allison is working at a dress shop to help pay for college. The dress shop turns out to be a front for drug dealers. And Allison ends up on the run—with a Wonder Bread bag full of cocaine.

With a hit man after her, Allison wants the help of her parents. But there’s a problem: Her mom took off when Allison was eight; her dad moves so often Allison that doesn’t even have his phone number….

Set in 1980s California, The Wonder Bread Summer is a wickedly funny and fresh caper that’s sure to please fans of Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, and Marcy Dermansky.

Our thoughts:  We could not put this book down. A hilarious summer read! (Plus: Doesn't it have like the best cover ever?)

Giveaway: Two SIGNED copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 16th after 12PM PST.

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JESSICA ANYA BLAU'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

Jessica_BlauKiss

First: I come from a kissy family so certainly I was kissed a lot as a kid. My great-grandmother didn’t speak English (that I had ever heard) and she laid some pretty terrifying kisses on me as she spit out a guttural Yiddish. But my first romantic kiss was when Scott Carpenter said, “Jessica, come here, I want to tell you something.” We were standing at the top of a hill on the cul de sac where I lived. It was a bright sunny day and the sidewalk was chalky clean. Scott leaned in and kissed me quickly on the tip of my nose. I think he was aiming for my lips but missed. Then he turned and ran as fast as he could down the hill and away from me. Matt B. was the first boy who French kissed me and it was a messy affair. There was drool sliding down my neck.

Last: My husband thirty seconds ago just before he walked out of the room.  He’s a kiss-when-you-enter, kiss-when-you-exit kind of guy.

Book I read

The first book I read to myself was a French counting book. On each page was a number with a play on the pronunciation of the word. On the page for the number four it said QUATRE and there was a picture of a cat (the reader was supposed to pronounce quatre as CAT). And on the page for the number five it said CINQ and there was a picture of the cat sinking in a tank of water (cinq was to be pronounced SANK). I loved that book. The next book I remember reading is Madeleine by Ludwig Bemelmans.

The last book I read was Cheryl Strayed’s WILD.  I’m probably the last person on the planet to read it. I can’t wait to see the movie.  Nick Hornby wrote the script and I’m a huge Hornby fan (as well as a Strayed fan, too, now!).

Risk I Took

First: I was a pretty fearful and quiet kid and until around age seven, I preferred to hang out with my mother and read books (she read for hours each day—not to me, beside me) than hang out with kids. So my first real risk was probably when I agreed to sleep over at the neighbor girl’s house when I was five. It was a long, miserable night. We shared a bed and she tortured me by making horse whiney noises with her face an inch from mine. I couldn’t wait to go home.

Last: Every day that I sit down to write, I feel like I’m taking a risk. I’m risking failure, humiliation, rejection, time-wasting, revealing how stupidy-dumb-dumb I am, etc.  I write in spite of these risks. Yet, still, all the perils of this occupation occur to me each time I open my computer.

Aha! Moment

First: When I was a little kid I didn’t understand children. I thought the things they wanted to do weren’t interesting. I liked reading, I liked quietly mothering my dolls, and I liked having tea with the old lady who lived across the street.  Then my family moved to California and I discovered friends who were fun, exciting and imaginative. I suddenly realized that it could be great to hang out with people my age.

Last: Wow, I feel like I have Aha! moments every day. Today I had one when I was wearing a white shirt with a blue and white polka dot bra. (I was rushing this morning when I got dressed and didn’t realize the bra showed through until I was out of the house.) It was a hot day so I thought I could pretend it was a bathing suit and that I was coming from the pool (this pretending was going on in my head since the general public wasn’t discussing the polka dot bra with me!). Then, around six, I met a couple friends at the neighborhood pool.  My one friend said, “Why are you wearing a polka dot bra under that white shirt?” I asked her if it didn’t just look like I was wearing a bathing suit. She said it looked like I was wearing a polka dot bra. And I thought, “Aha! I’ve fooled no one and I just look like an idiot!”

Hell ya! Moment

My first Hell ya! moment was probably when I fell in love repeatedly in sixth grade. The entire class was falling in love and switching up boyfriends weekly.  The whole love stuff was pretty fun and exciting and I remember thinking a version of Hell Ya! when the class went to sleep away camp and my friends and I spent all our energy maneuvering for hand holding or kissing.

My last Hell ya! moment was about thirty minutes ago when my daughter handed me an award she got for a short film she made. She worked really hard on that film (writing it, storyboarding, casting it, shooting it, editing it) and Hell Ya! she deserved that award!

Thanks, Jessica!

Flash Giveaway! Jen Lancaster's The Tao of Martha

tao_of_martha.inddGiveaway: TWO copies of The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All of That Glitter off of the Dog The scoop: One would think that with Jen Lancaster’s impressive list of bestselling self-improvement memoirs—Bitter Is the New Black; Bright Lights, Big Ass; Such a Pretty Fat; Pretty in Plaid; My Fair Lazy; and Jeneration X—that she would have it all together by now.

One would be wrong.Jen’s still a little rough around the edges. Suffice it to say, she’s no Martha Stewart. And that is exactly why Jen is going to Martha up and live her life according to the advice of America’s overachieving older sister—the woman who turns lemons into lavender-infused lemonade.By immersing herself in Martha’s media empire, Jen will embark on a yearlong quest to take herself, her house, her husband (and maybe even her pets) to the next level—from closet organization to craft making, from party planning to kitchen prep.

Maybe Jen can go four days without giving herself food poisoning if she follows Martha’s dictates on proper storage....Maybe she can grow closer to her girlfriends by taking up their boring-ass hobbies like knitting and sewing.…Maybe she can finally rid her workout clothes of meatball stains by using Martha’s laundry tips.… Maybe she can create a more meaningful anniversary celebration than just getting drunk in the pool with her husband....again. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll discover that the key to happiness does, in fact, lie in Martha’s perfectly arranged cupboards and artfully displayed charcuterie platters.

Or maybe not.

Our thoughts: HILARIOUS. Absolutely loved, loved, loved! And are now inspired to do something domestic (SANS glitter!).

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

Leave a comment to be entered. The winners will be chosen on Wednesday, June 12th after 8am PST.

Claire Cook's 5 Firsts & Lasts

Time Flies cover Touchstoneweb(1)Today's guest: Claire Cook Why we love her: Not only is she one of our favorite authors, but we just love her--she's incredibly kind & supportive!

Her latest: Time Flies (Out June 11th!)

The scoop on it: Years ago, Melanie followed her husband, Kurt, from the New England beach town where their two young sons were thriving to the suburbs of Atlanta. She’s carved out a life as a successful metal sculptor, but when Kurt leaves her for another woman, having the tools to cut up their marriage bed is small consolation. She’s old enough to know that high school reunions are often a big disappointment, but when her best friend makes her buy a ticket and an old flame gets in touch to see whether she’ll be going, she fantasizes that returning to her past might help her find her future…until her driving phobia resurfaces and threatens to hold her back from the adventure of a lifetime. Time Flies is an epic road trip filled with fun, heartbreak, and friendship, and explores what it takes to conquer your worst fears…so you can start living your future.

Our thoughts: A summer must-read, you will love this escape!

Giveaway: 1 signed copy! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winner on Sunday, June 9th after 3 pm PST.

Fun fact: You have until midnight on June 10th to enter the TIME FLIES Sweepstakes! You and one of your oldest and dearest friends could win an all-expense-paid weekend including airfare at the amazing Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas July 26-28 - worth over $4,500! You'll get a chance to reunite with your friend, relax, and attend a party with Claire! Enter on Facebook or at ClaireCook.com.

Where you can read more about Claire: Her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. And catch one of her Time Flies book tour events.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...CLAIRE COOK'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

CookClaire1. Kiss

First: We were six. I was a good girl, all about impressing the nuns, which in parochial school basically meant posture, penmanship, and memorization. And then I discovered the lure of the bad boy. We kissed and I think he knocked out one of my front teeth, though I'm pretty sure these were two separate incidents.

Last: My husband and I just received a notice from the IRS saying we'd underpaid our taxes by an amount of money so big that I can’t even type it. I mean, we were seriously going to lose everything we owned. Major, major panic. I scanned and emailed all ten pages of the notice to our accountant at 8:30 at night, and he emailed back about five minutes later saying that it was a mistake. "We don't have to move in with our kids!" my husband and I yelled. And then we kissed.

2. Risk I took

First: My father had taken the training wheels off my bike. My sole training wheel-less experience at that point had been going back and forth across the driveway with him casually resting one hand on the back wheel. But we’d just moved and I wanted to impress my new friend who lived at the very top of the street. So I walked my two-wheeler up the steep hill to her house. When it was time to leave, I thought I’d just ride until I was out of sight, and then jump off and walk my bike the rest of the way home. I could picture it so clearly in my mind, which to this day I still find is the curse of having the brain of a novelist. Things got out of control pretty quickly, further complicated by the fact that I couldn’t find the brakes. Wipeout!

Last: After two decades living in a little beach town between Boston and Cape Cod, my husband and I sold our 1890 Victorian, got rid of almost everything we owned, and moved to the suburbs of Atlanta. Every day is a new adventure, and it’s been great to shake things up.

3. Book I read

First: The Nancy Drew Mysteries were the first books that I fell completely in love with. I can remember telling myself I’d go to sleep after I finished this chapter, but I just couldn’t do it, and would have to keep reading into the night.

Last: The last book I read was my eleventh novel, right before I sent it off to my literary agent. It’s such an odd thing to read your own manuscript at this stage, because you’re so close that you just can’t tell what works and what doesn’t. And you’re on pins and needles waiting for the verdict, doing productive things like trying to come up with Plan B for your life if you find out that between novel #10 and #11 you’ve somehow forgotten how to write.

4. Hell ya! moment

First: Maybe not the first, but the one I’ll never forget is walking the red carpet at the Must Love Dogs premiere and doing thirty-five interviews with everyone from Access Hollywood to Extra. It was the year I turned fifty, and in that moment I knew that midlife could totally rock.

Last: When our 1890 Victorian sold in two weeks. (I give full credit to the home stager heroine of my novel, Best Staged Plans, for the quick sale in a down market!)

5. Aha! Moment

First: I had my first story published in the Sunday newspaper when I was six. It was about Hot Dog, our family dachshund, even though we really had a beagle at the time. I loved the attention. I loved that I’d discovered a way to make things up and not get in trouble.

Last: I should probably pretend this one came from a loftier place, but the truth is it came from American Idol. Keith Urban quoted some music producer as saying, “When you have a hit, you have a hit. But when you have an audience, you have a career.” I think it’s so, so true for authors, and I’m incredibly grateful to my readers, my audience, for giving me the gift of my career.

Thanks, Claire!

Flash Giveaway! J. Courtney Sullivan's The Engagements

engagements_coverGiveaway: ONE signed copy of The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan The scoop: From the New York Times bestselling author of Commencement and Maine comes a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage—about those who marry in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort, and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no intention of ruining it all with a wedding.

Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years—forty years since he slipped off her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen both sides of love—the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it’s over. James, a paramedic who works the night shift, knows his wife’s family thinks she could have done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding—beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle weddings—and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own.

As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is Forever.” And that line changes everything.

A rich, layered, exhilarating novel spanning nearly a hundred years, The Engagements captures four wholly unique marriages, while tracing the story of diamonds in America, and the way—for better or for worse—these glittering stones have come to symbolize our deepest hopes for everlasting love.

Release date: June 11th

Our thoughts: Her best novel yet!

Where you can read more about J. Courtney Sullivan: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Leave a comment to be entered.  We’ll choose the winners on Wednesday, June 5th after 8 am PST.

 

Lindy DeKoven's 5 Firsts & Lasts

PrimetimePrincess jacketToday's guest: Lindy DeKoven Why we love her: We loved this juicy debut! Can't wait for her next.

Her novel: Primetime Princess

The scoop on it: Alexa Ross is Vice President of Comedy Development at Hawkeye Broadcasting System. Years ago she worked as an assistant to the sex crazed and obnoxious Jerry Kellner. Jerry fired Alexa for not submitting to his graceless sexual advances. They’ve not spoken since. That is until Alexa is forced to hire Kellner as a member of her staff. Alexa is now her old boss’ boss.

The highest-ranking female executive at the network, Alexa struggles to survive in an old fashioned boys’ club where thoughtless sexual harassment is part of the daily working environment. It’s a culture that Jerry, who has never met a bodacious ta-ta he didn’t want, navigates with ease.

Jerry refuses to acknowledge Alexa’s authority, undermining her at every turn while cozying up to the corporate brass clearly angling to jump over her and get appointed network president, putting him in direct competition with Alexa for the top spot.

Meanwhile Alexa tries to maintain a promising relationship with Gordon Harrison, a sixth grade teacher at the school where Alexa volunteers as a tutor. Gordon supports her dream to shatter the glass ceiling but he, along with her two best girlfriends, are concerned about the sacrifices she’s making and the person she’s becoming.

The drama occurs over the course of one TV development season. The competition to get better shows than Jerry and win the brass ring on the new schedule forces Alexa to a breaking point.

Ultimately, she’s faced with a decision that will not only impact her own future, but that of generations of women to come.

Our thoughts: Her debut novel has been called "deliciously scandalous" and we couldn't agree more! Perfect poolside reading!

Giveaway: TWO copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 2nd after 3PM PST.

Fun fact: She was Executive Vice President of Movies and Miniseries for NBC Entertainment and NBC Productions so she might just know a thing or two about what her character goes through. *wink wink*

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LINDY DEKOVEN'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

Lindy DeKoven smallKISS

First: My husband believes my first kiss was with him under the lemon tree in the backyard of his home. So in order to preserve that memory (or fantasy) I’m going to stick with that.

Last: This occurred two seconds ago from my dog, Eddie, who can’t seem to give me enough kisses. Although it’s almost dinner time. So I’m not sure if this is about his undying love for me, or his desire to just eat.

BOOK I READ

First: Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. Does anyone remember this book? It continues to resonate with me because I’ve worn so many hats and peddled so many ideas. I often feel like the main character with a bunch of hats stacked on top of his head.

Last: I just finished Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Frankly, any woman who wants to help other women is a great woman in my book. (Literally and figuratively!) So I applaud her efforts.

RISK I TOOK

First: Like Alexa Ross, the character in my book Primetime Princess, who takes a chance on Gordon Harrison, I took a risk and married my husband. I’m happy to say its turned out pretty well. However, because there’s so much curiosity about who Jerry Kellner is based on, my husband would like the world to know that Gordon isn’t based on him.

Last: Bought an orange dress, not the usual black, and despite a healthy layer of Spanx, pray that Sunkist doesn’t slap a sticker on me. Frankly, I think this is a bigger risk than the one mentioned above.

AHA! MOMENT

First: That I had the discipline to not read emails, waste time on Facebook and Twitter, or distract myself with the latest car chase. Instead I focused on writing a book and finished it. Latest Aha Moment: That there comes a time in one’s life where one cannot eat like she once did when she was a teenager. Waaa!!

HELL YA! MOMENT

First: I set my sights on one publishing agent and when she agreed to represent me, I felt like I had won the lottery. And I did because she always has my back.

Last: When Chick Lit Is Not Dead asked me to write this post. I managed to write the whole thing without eating one single M&M. (A shout-out to Alexa’s stress meds.) A hellava hell ya moment.

Thanks, Lindy!

 

 

Flash Giveaway: Beth Hoffman's Looking for Me

looking-for-meGiveaway: TWO copies of Beth Hoffman's Looking for Me (Out today!) The scoop: A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The result is a tremendously moving story that is destined to make bestselling author Beth Hoffman a novelist to whom readers will return again and again as they have with Adriana Trigiani, Fannie Flagg, and Joshilyn Jackson.

Our thoughts: A brilliantly written novel about family secrets.

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

Leave a comment to be entered.  We’ll choose the winners on Thursday, May 30th after 12 PM PST.

Jamie Brenner's 5 Firsts and Lasts

GIN LOVERSbindupOur guest: Jamie Brenner Why we love her: Her novel immediately sucked us in.

Her latest: The Gin Lovers

The scoop on it: What price would you pay for happiness? For Charlotte, freedom from her marriage might be the one thing she can’t afford.

It’s 1925, and the Victorian era with its confining morals is all but dead. Unfortunately, for New York socialite Charlotte Delacorte, the scandalous flapper revolution is little more than a headline in the tabloids. Living with her rigid and controlling husband William, her Fifth Avenue townhouse is a gilded cage. But when William’s rebellious younger sister, the beautiful and brash Mae, comes to live with them after the death of their mother, Charlotte finds entrée to a world beyond her wildest dreams – and a handsome and mysterious stranger whom she imagines is as confident in the bedroom as he is behind the bar of his forbidden speakeasy.

Soon, Charlotte realizes that nothing is as it seems. Secrets are kept and discovered, loves are lost and found, and Charlotte is finds herself on the brink of losing everything — or having it all.

Our thoughts: Love that it has that "Downton Abbey" feel to it! With a whole lotta sexy mixed in!

Giveaway: Two copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win and we'll select the winners after 12pm PST on Sunday, May 19th.

Fun fact: Jamie Also writes under the pen name Logan Belle!

Where you can read more about Jamie: Her website, Twitter and Facebook!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JAMIE BRENNER'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Jamie Brenner RGB small crop 72dpiKISS

First: It was September 13, 1985. Yes, I know the exact date because the MTV Video awards were on. It happened at my house. I was standing with my “boyfriend” in the kitchen next to the dishwashing machine. I could hear Dire Straits on the tv in the other room. I couldn’t even enjoy the moment because I kept wondering if my braces were bothering him.

Last: This morning, with my fiancé. My last, my best, my always.

BOOK I READ

First: Amazing question. I don’t know the exact first book I ever read. I remember reading books in first grade and my teacher telling me they were books for fourth graders. It was the first thing I ever took pride in. The first specific books I remember reading were the Frank L. Baum Wizard of Oz books and the Nancy Drew series.

Last: The Island by Elin Hilderbrand. I devoured it. My next will be one by her, too. I just have to decide between her slew of bestsellers!

RISK I TOOK

First: I wanted bangs but my mother said no. So I cut them myself. I got punished and the bangs looked terrible. I’m just thankful that even though the end results were bad, it didn’t stop me from taking more risks!

Last: Quitting my job to write novels full time. Only slightly more terrifying than the  moment when the scissors cut into my six year old hair.

HELL YA! MOMENT

First: April 6, 1986. The boy I’d liked since 7th grade asked me out.

Last: The day I saw a copy of my first novel, Blue Angel.  My publisher sent me a box of advance copies. I showed it off like a newborn baby. And then I put it on my bookshelf next to Judith Krantz.

AHA! MOMENT

First: The boy who asked me out told me he loved me. I was fifteen, and I realized that I was going to have a “life” after all. Things didn’t only happen in books and movies.

Last: When my fiancé kissed me for the first time. I realized that I could still feel fifteen again.

Thanks, Jamie!

 

The 2013 Club: Amy Sue Nathan and The Glass Wives

The_glass_wivesOur guest today: Amy Sue Nathan

Why she rocks: We can't believe this is her debut novel! Can't wait for her next book! (Which sounds juicy, btw. Details below!)

Her debut: The Glass Wives (Out May 14th!)

The scoop on it: Evie and Nicole Glass share a last name. They also shared a husband.

When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all.  But Evie wasn’t counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no matter how frayed. Strapped for cash, Evie cautiously agrees to share living expenses—and her home—with Nicole and the baby. But when Evie suspects that Nicole is determined to rearrange more than her kitchen, Evie must decide who she can trust. More than that, she must ask: what makes a family?

Our thoughts: We loved this book about the complexities of friendship! A must-read!

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: She hosts the popular Women's Fiction Writers blog! (In all her spare time!)

Where you can read more about Amy Sue: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...2013 CLUB: AMY SUE NATHAN

AmyNathanSmallFileDO'S: 3 things every aspiring novelist should do

1. First, believe in yourself and your story. If you don’t, chances are you won’t be able to convince anyone else to believe in it either.

2. Second, remember that kind criticism is your friend. It’s not easy (nor is the first “should”) but it’s essential.

3. Third, take a break when you need a break. I’m a big believer in letting things simmer and stew. When I’m stuck I don’t sit in front of the computer, I walk away from it. That seems to always allow me to find the answers to my plot or character issues or to get reinspired.

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

1. First and foremost, ignore the naysayers. That means if someone rolls his or her eyes when you say you’re writing a book, or seems disinterested in your ambition, cross ‘em off your list. At least for a while.

2. Next, do not compare yourself or your book to others. I’m still working on that one.

3. Last but not least, don’t forget that what works for one writer doesn’t always work for another. Do what works for you.

MUST HAVES:

1. On your desk? I have learned to always have a drink on my desk, otherwise I tend to forget to get up and drink. That means coffee, water, sugar-free lemonade, or if I’m working at night, it could be wine!

2. On your Facebook feed?   On my Facebook feed I always follow my writer friends. They inspire me.

3. App on your phone? The app on my phone I can’t do without is weather. It’s very important for me to know the temperature in many different cities. Tell me where you live and I’ll add it to my list.

LASTS:

1. Song you listened to on repeat? Confession time: I rarely listen to music.

2. Book you read? But the last book I read was THE LIFE LIST by Lori Nelson Spielman, which comes out July 9th. It was fabulous and I read it in less than two days!

3. Time you laughed? The last time I laughed was a few minutes ago when one of my dogs poked her nose in front of the computer. She wants to know why you don’t want HER to answer questions.

HOW MANY:

1. Agents did you query before you found "the one?" In total I queried 116 and my agent was somewhere in the middle.

2. Hours do you write per day? I don’t write every day, but when I do, it’s hours and hours and hours. I’m an all or nothing kind of writer.

3. Hours do you waste online when you should be writing?  Online hours are wasted? I don’t think so! Okay, maybe. Sometimes. Okay—way too many.

BESTS:

1. Way to celebrate a book deal? My best friend of thirty-three years is flying out to celebrate with me. My son will be home from college and my daughter is staying home from school.  We are having a small launch party to celebrate that night, but the big event will be at my local library a few weeks later.  I think all of those things make it “the best” for me!

2. Trick to overcome writer's block? My trick for overcoming writers block is to block out writing. I walk away, do something else, forget about the issue or problem.  The muse is displeased when ignored. Ta-dah! Problem solved.

3. Way to think of a book idea? Ideas come to me. I pretty much have nothing to do with them, except I write them down immediately so I don’t forget, which I’m apt to do.

NEXTS:

1. Show you'll DVR? I’m embarrassed how many shows I DVR. I love TV and I love documentaries. My DVR runneth over.

2. Book you'll read? Right now I’m re-reading THE THIRD SON by Julie Wu.

3. Book you'll write? The book I’m writing now is about a blogger, but not just any blogger.  This woman misrepresents herself. Okay, she lies. It’s a story about those big life lies, what makes people tell them and what has to happen to compel someone to come clean and deal with the consequences. It’s also about the perils of getting lost in an online life at the expense of a real life.  I also have two more books in the hopper.  I have no idea what a hopper is, by the way, but that is definitely where my books are waiting for me and they’re pounding to get out.

Thanks, Amy!

 

 

 

2013 Club: Andrea Lochen and The Repeat Year

Repeat_YearOur 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 2011a day she has already livedOlive’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

 

Andrea_Lochen1. 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

BETH_KENDRICKToday'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

kendrick_headshot_resized (3)200x2201. 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!

 

 

Jennifer Weiner's The Next Best Thing + Giveaway!

TNBT PAPERBACK - cover low resToday'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.

 

2013 Club: Kimberly McCreight and Reconstructing Amelia

ReconstructingAmeliaOur 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.

Photo credit: Justin Cooper

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!

 

Deborah Cloyed's 5 Firsts and Lasts

What Tears Us Apart;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

deborah-cloyedKISS

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

NowherebuthomeToday'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

LizaPalmerHeadshot[1]

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!

Mary Kay McComas's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Something_About_SophieToday's guest: Mary Kay McComas Why we love her: Her writing is soulful...

Her latest: Something about Sophie

The scoop on it: Answering a call that summons her to a stranger's deathbed, a reluctant Sophie Shepard is too late to hear what he was so anxious to tell her. What was so important that a dying man would think of her in his final moments? With the help of Dr. Drew McCarren, Sophie begins to dig into her past, setting off a chain of events that chills the quiet town of Clearfield, Virginia to its roots.

With part of her wanting nothing more than to put Clearfield behind her and run back home, Sophie knows she won't rest until she discovers the truth. But growing closer to the residents also means uncovering their dark secrets: about the woman who gave her up for adoption, the mysterious part these strangers played, and the life she never knew she nearly had.

Something About Sophie is an unforgettable story about the power of love...and the things people will do, both right and wrong, to protect it.

Our thoughts:  A must read on your Spring Break!

Giveaway: 5 copies. Leave a comment and be entered to win. Winners will be selected on Sunday, April 7th after 12pm PST.

Fun fact: You can read an excerpt of Something About Sophie here.

Where you can read more about Mary Kay: Her website or Facebook.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...MARY KAY MCCOMAS' 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Mary-Kay-McComas-201x300KISS

FIRST: Ugh. My first non-family kiss was an icky wet peck from a boy I didn't really like in 8th grade at our 'Graduation Dance'. We were slow dancing to The Beach Boys' Surfer Girl and to this day whenever I hear it, I get the willies.

LAST: My last kiss was so much better! My husband of 35 years and I kissed this morning before he left for work.

BOOK I READ

My first book was Dick and Jane. I memorized it: See Dick. See Dick and Jane go. See Dick and Jane and Spot. It was a childhood thriller that kept every first grader of my acquaintance on the edge of their seats. It ends well though: See Spot and Puff run and play.

The last book I read was Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by the clever Lois McMaster Bujold. It's the latest in the Vorkosigan Saga series, all of which are wonderful. And they're science fiction, which is incredible because I never read science fiction ... well, not the space alien, neuro-blaster, shuttleport kind. However, the hero of the Bujold books (many of the secondaries, too) define the word 'character' in its every sense and they're laugh out loud funny as well. Strong, distinct personalities and humor ... my kind of book in any dimension.

RISK I TOOK

FIRST: If this refers my first physical risk then there is an old family story of my dad being up high on scaffolding, painting our two story house and sort of keeping an eye on me at age 3 or 4 playing with my dolls on the lawn below. He got called away briefly -- "for 5 minutes" he always said -- and when he came back my pink baby bed was as white as our house and his paintbrush was in the grass beside it ... and not with the paint can, high up on the scaffolding, where he'd left it. My last huge physical risk was having a 9cm aortic aneurysm repaired a few years ago. It sort of put all my other physical risks in perspective.

But I actually think that emotional risks present themselves more often and have higher stakes. My first clear memory is of my first day of first grade and watching my mom drive away without me -- I didn't die on the spot, so I have to imagine that my first risk came shortly after that when I had to figure out how to cope with the teacher and the other kids. I was painfully shy.

LAST: I do, however, have a clearer memory of my last emotional risk which was to apologize to a friend. Not the 'oops, sorry' kind of apology that's mostly just good manners -- but a real act of contrition for being thoughtless and possibly hurting her feelings. I was fairly certain she'd forgive me but still, it wasn't easy.

HELL YA MOMENT

FIRST: I was the third of six kids and while I was never neglected I did sometimes feel a little ... overlooked. But I had this aunt who lived in Seattle and from the time I was about 10 years old she would ask me to come stay with her for a few weeks in the summer -- just me, no one else. I mean, ever. None of my sisters or brothers were ever asked to stay with her, just me. I felt very special and it was more than just a hell ya moment for me. Every year it was an Oh-hell-ya!-I'm-leavin'-and-you-all-have-to-stay-home-to-do-summer-chores! moment.

LAST: I think my most recent hell ya moments have involved my children. A college graduation -- hell ya it was worth the sacrifices. A good solid grownup job -- hell ya, you're ready and hell ya, they're getting the best guy for the job! And hell ya, I'm turning your room into my arts and crafts studio!

AHA MOMENT

I think my first Aha! moment -- the one that made the greatest impression on me anyway -- was when I finally realized that not doing well in school doesn't mean you're not intelligent, it just means your talents are elsewhere.

My latest aha! came a few weeks ago -- though I feel I should have pick up on it years ago. It explains SO much. My friends and I were out shopping -- for purses. I hate to shop, so naturally my more fashion conscious pals are responsible for making sure I'm not so tacky they feel they must sneak off and leave me in the ladies room. So ... purses ... they kept trying to foist these big bulky diaper bag looking things on me and I kept gravitating back to the clutch wallets. Finally, our purse guru stepped in and said, "She'll never carry one that big ... she's too tall." We stared at her. She held out her hands, it was Purse Shopping 101 to her. "She already feels like she takes up more than her fair share of space, a big bag only makes it worse." Well, I don't know if her theory is all that sound but the rest of the afternoon, and since then, I have been so aware that big and tall women tend to carry small to medium sized purses -- and that thin and average to short women carry suit cases. Just watch ....

Thanks Mary Kay!

 

Anita Hughes' 5 Best Evers

MarketStreetToday's guest: Anita Hughes Why we love her: Her books provide the best escape--dive in, read and forget!

Her latest: Market Street (Out today!)

The scoop on it: Cassie Blake seems to lead a charmed life as the heiress to Fenton's, San Francisco's most exclusive department store. But when she discovers her husband, Aidan, a handsome UC Berkeley professor, has had an affair with a student, she flees to the comfort of her best friend Alexis's Presidio Heights mansion, where she wonders if she should give their marriage one more chance.

Whether or not she can forgive Aidan is not the only choice Cassie has to make. Cassie's mother is eager to have her oversee the opening of Fenton's new Food Emporium, which Fenton’s hopes will become San Francisco's hottest gourmet shopping destination. Cassie’s true passion has always been food, not fashion, and Cassie suspects her mother might be trying to lure her into the Fenton's fold by entrusting her with such an exciting opportunity. And then there is James, the architect designing the Emporium, who is quietly falling in love with her…

Giveaway: 2 copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, April 1 after 12pm PST.

Fun Fact: She was born in Sydney, Australia!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...ANITA HUGHES' 5 BEST EVERS

Anita_Hughes

BEST BOOK:  Old Sins by Penny Vincenzi. Penny Vinenzi is a British author who writes big fat books that move so fast you open the page and you are lost. I admit to having read Old Sins three times (and all her other books) and I can't wait for her new one.

BEST MOVIE: Les Ripoux starring a young Thierry L'Hermitte. It's a French movie about two detectives and was one of Thierry L'Hermitte's early roles. I admit it wasn't the movie as much as his blue eyes and French accent. He went on to star in Le Divorce with Kate Hudson - another of my favorite movies.  I still remember Les Ripoux and I have probably written at least one  male character who bear a resemblance to the male lead!

BEST SONG: The One by Elton John. I remember listening to it, driving from Santa Cruz to San Francisco with the top down and the Pacific glistening. Every time I hear it I can see myself in that car. It was a time when I had few responsibilities and a lot of dreams.

BEST LIFE MOMENT: When you're married with children it is impossible to pick one moment, but there is a time that stands out in my head. I had just arrived at Bard College and didn't know anyone. I enrolled in a class in 20th century Women's Fiction and the first book was The Group by Mary McCarthy. I remember sitting on the grass reading The Group and suddenly not worrying if I made friends. I was reading a great book and getting to sit around a big oval table discussing it with my professor and other students. I knew I was right where I belonged!

BEST ADVICE: I think you receive advice at different times in your life that really resonates with you. The best advice I've had recently is to write the book you want to read next. I love to travel to gorgeous locations but with children in school I don't get the chance. So I set my books in beautiful settings - Laguna Beach, San Francisco, Lake Como, and it's like taking mini vacations when I write each day - I hope my readers feel the same when they read my books!

Thanks, Anita!

Ellen Sussman's 5 Best Evers

ParadiseGuestHouse_o-1Today's guest: Ellen Sussman Why we love her: She hooked us with her engrossing novel, French Lessons!

Her latest: The Paradise Guest House (Out March 26th!)

The scoop on it: A riveting and poignant novel of one woman’s journey to Bali in search of love, renewal, and a place to call home—perfect for readers of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love and Alex Garland’s The Beach.

It starts as a trip to paradise. Sent on assignment to Bali, Jamie, an American adventure guide, imagines spending weeks exploring the island’s lush jungles and pristine white sand beaches. Yet three days after her arrival, she is caught in Bali’s infamous nightclub bombings, which irreparably change her life and leave her with many unanswered questions.

One year later, haunted by memories, Jamie returns to Bali seeking a sense of closure. Most of all, she hopes to find Gabe, the man who saved her from the attacks. She hasn’t been able to forget his kindness—or the spark between them as he helped her heal. Checking into a cozy guest house for her stay, Jamie meets the kindly owner, who is coping with a painful past of his own, and a young boy who improbably becomes crucial to her search. Jamie has never shied away from a challenge, but a second chance with Gabe presents her with the biggest dilemma of all: whether she’s ready to open her heart.

Our thoughts: Big fans of Eat, Pray, Love, we also loved this novel about a woman searching for love.

Giveaway: 1 signed copy! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. The winner will be selected on Sunday, March 24th after 12pm PST.

Fun fact: You can read an excerpt of The Paradise Guest House here.

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...ELLEN SUSSMAN'S 5 BEST EVERS

Ellen_SussmanBEST SONG: Hey Jude. The Beatles. Who else? I was a crazy Beatles fan when I was a kid. I carried Paul’s photo in my wallet and told everyone he was my boyfriend. And then I grew up with them, changing my musical tastes with each of their albums. When Hey Jude came along I was knocked out by it. I played it over and over again until I had it memorized. It still plays in my mind in the middle of the night.

BEST BOOK: This is the hardest one for me. Every year I’ve got a few new best ever books. As a kid it might have been Nine Stories by JD Salinger. Let’s go with that one because it was probably the most influential. I learned so much about writing by reading those stories. And I read them many times, waiting for their secrets to be revealed.

BEST MOVIE: I’m going to cheat a bit here. My husband’s favorite movie is The Usual Suspects. He has watched it so many times that he knows every line by heart. I don’t re-watch movies – I see them once, love them and let them go. So I’ve seen Usual Suspects more than most movies (just to keep him company once in a while) and I’m wowed by it each time. Beside, I’m a little in love with Gabriel Byrne.

BEST LIFE MOMENT: My first day in Paris. Age 33, husband and baby in tow, second baby in the oven. Crazy time to move to Paris but why the hell not. I remember walking down those gorgeous streets, ogling those beautiful people, and thinking: this is my home. I live here.

And it felt like that almost every day for five years.

BEST ADVICE: Go Big or Go Home. A student of mine said that in class; I think I was the only one who had not heard the expression before. In my life I go big. In my writing I wasn’t challenging my characters to go big. So this one became my writing mantra.

Thanks, Ellen!