We think most authors will probably tell you the one of the best things about writing is being able to touch others. And that's probably why some of our fave authors have extremely loyal fan followings.
We discovered the lovely Sarah-Kate Lynch through one of those extremely loyal fans-she contacted us and said such wonderful things about her that we couldn't resist having her on. If this fan loved her so much, then how could we not?
Sarah-Kate's latest, Dolci Di Love sounds like a lot of fun. And you know how we feel about books about food. In fact, our stomach is growling as we read the synopsis and we'll be reading it by the pool this summer for sure!
Corporate star Lily Turner abandons the boardrooms of Manhattan for the steep streets of Montevedova when she discovers her "perfect" husband, Daniel, has another family tucked away in the hills of Tuscany. Once there, her plight attracts the attention of the Secret League of Widowed Darners, an all-but-invisible army pulling strings behind the scenes to create happy endings. Soon founding members, Violetta and Luciana, are scheming to mend Lily's broken heart-and to enlist her help for their struggling pasticceria.
With the lush landscape of a sumptuous Tuscan summer in the background, and the tantalizing scent of fresh-baked cantucci in the air, Dolci di Love is the joyful celebration of a modern recipe for life.
Sounds yummy! Good thing we have FIVE copies to give away! We also have 5 packages of handmade artisanal biscotti to give away with each copy of Dolci di Love (biscotti is the “dolci” in question, as readers will find out). Biscotti di Vecchio is made in New York by actress Danielle Di Vecchio, a dedicated devotee of all things biscotti. You can buy her characteristically crunchy (but not hard!) Italian cookies at www.biscottidivecchio.com. And if you don't win but still want to try some, US readers will get 15% off their online order when they use the coupon code CHICKLIT11 at Checkout. Flavours include Pistachio Chocolate Chunk and Whit Chocolate Macadamia Nut!" Just leave a comment and we'll choose the winners on Friday July 15th after 6pm PST.
CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...SARAH-KATE LYNCH'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER
1. DO Dress Up. If I looked better in jeans and a T-shirt, I would be a jeans and T-shirt girl, but the way things are I look more like someone’s unemployed pothead brother if I dress that way, so I strive to be a bit more glam; not for anyone else, just for me. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of pulling on a cashmere sweater instead of an old sweatshirt, or wearing a bright red lipstick even though I’m not going any further than the fridge. It’s not vanity so much as a tiny wee early morning confidence vote because in my experience, feeling good about yourself can sometimes start on the outside and work its way in.
2. DO Savour Each Mouthful Food is one of life’s most basic pleasures and it’s a real shame to waste it on crud. I try to make sure every mouthful I take is something I really want to eat. It sounds obvious but, for example, why eat a so-so cookie covered in cheap dairy milk chocolate when your favourite chocolate is dark and you really prefer it straight up? Or why chow down on greasy fries when you can roast much better potatoes in delicious olive oil at home? Same goes for drinking: I’d rather have a single glass of chilled French champagne than a gallon of anything else. I’m not saying I always get the opportunity but when I do I certainly grab it with both hands (not the way to drink French champagne, by the way).
3. DO Spread Your Wings. I was born with itchy feet so give me the slightest opportunity and I’ve grabbed my passport and skedaddled. My usual home life is pretty tame: get up, write, walk dog, write, move those buns, eat, sleep, so what I love about being somewhere else is the joy of the unexpected. Eat what? Move those buns where? Sleep on that – are you kidding me? Even the ordinary details of getting from A to B fed and watered seem exciting when you’re in foreign climes. It expands your horizons, but also makes you appreciate the comforts of home. Oh, and always take your husband. He’s handy when it comes to heavy lifting.
4. DO Follow Your Instinct. I once took a job on a radio breakfast show even though the guy who hired me seemed like a real tool. He messed me around with the interviews, played silly games with the contracts, talked all that business gobbledegook that no normal person can make head nor tail of, then fired me after eight months. He also wore socks with cartoon characters on them. I hate that. But what I learned from him is that if something looks rotten, smells rotten and acts rotten, it’s rotten - and you should leave it alone. No one knows you like you do, so believe in yourself. And beware of men in novelty socks.
5. DO Not Sweat The Small Stuff. You may have heard this one before. So had I, and rolled my eyes every time, but then I had two hugely confronting shocks that kicked me in the derriere so hard that to this day every time I sit down I am reminded of what is really important. It isn’t how much I weigh, or how I’m behind with all my work, or why I’m still getting zits when I am practically 100, or why the lady across the road has a better car than me, or how unfair it is that Jennifer Aniston apparently only works out three times a week and looks like that. All that really counts are the people I love who love me back. My husband, my sisters, my brothers, my mum, my friends, my dog – my family. That’s it.
DO-OVER
All of my do-overs involve my hair. Call me shallow, but I find it hard to regret the serious disasters in my life because they have generally led to better successes. After I was fired from that radio job, for example, I worked as a food writer for a newspaper, but then I was made redundant from that, so I wrote my first novel. When one door closes, another one really does open. Who knew? That pageboy haircut I had when I was 12, though - no good ever came of that. I looked like an actual pageboy. And the “shaggy” with which I replaced it? Three words: The Missing Monkee. Even when I was older I made some pretty bad calls, generally involving taking photos of a top Hollywood actress into the hairdresser and expecting to look just like her when I came out. This never happened. It has taken me decades to come to terms with the fact that I will never look like Meg Ryan. Now I know that my pointy face actually strangely suits my naturally curly dark hair if I keep it short and don’t let it get rained on. It’s sort of about working with what you have, instead of regretting what you don’t, and this is a good thing to figure out as you can manage it.
Thanks Sarah Kate! xoxo, L&L
To read more about Sarah-Kate, head on over to her website or find her on Twitter.