Ask Liz & Lisa: Have we ever had a girlfight?

Ask Liz & Lisa is baaaack! Thanks so much for all of  the great Q's you've sent so far. It's been hard to choose just one to answer! Be sure keep 'em comin'! Ask us anything! (Don't be shy- you know how much we love to TMI with you!) Email your Q to asklizandlisa@chicklitisnotdead.com and if we pick your question, we'll send you a fabulous book! And today we picked a question from Wendy. Because we chose her Q, she'll be receiving a copy of She's Gone Country by Jane Porter.  Feeling left out? Well you can leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to win a copy of Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax. We'll randomly select the winner after 6pm PST on Friday, June 24.

My question - and I am not sure if this has been asked before... I know you guys have been friends, like.. forever. But... even best friends fight, right? So, have you ever or do you have times when you are not talking to each other? Have you had a difficult time in your friendship. Or has it all seriously been roses?

~Wendy @ wall-to-wall books

Roses. Hmm. Not so much. Yes, we've been friends for evuh and evuh. Since Milli Vanilli and Tiffany were topping the charts. Since Ice Ice Baby was a cool song (well since we thought it was a cool song). And when you've been friends with someone for that long, you're bound to go through your ups and downs. And when you are BFFs, business partners and writing partners, there's almost no avoiding the occasional conflict. Very recently, there were "words" over the word, synopsis. More on that in a minute.

But we will say that for us, it's not the fact that we have conflict that matters. It's how we deal with it. And let's just say that process has evolved over the years.

The Bent thumb

In college, there was an argument over, gawd only knows what (a thumb war gone awry?), but someone's thumb got bent back and someone else charged out of the house and hid out in a movie theater all day watching The Fugitive.  And by some sort of weird foreshadowing, someone wrote a humorous story (complete with pictures!) and taped it on someone's door as a peace offering.

The one-act play

While co-writing a one-act play for our theater class, we had a huge fight. We have no idea what the fight was over but it  involved lots of expletives being thrown at each other and ended with something being actually thrown at Liz's state of the art word processor. (Yes, you read that right-word processor- we are that old!)

The separation

We'd gone to high school together, we'd gone to college together. We were Vice-President and President of our sorority together. Let's just say we'd been a little too close for a little too long. And we felt we'd merged into one person. Liz and Lisa, Lisa and Liz. Sometimes people just called both of us Lisa. So we agreed on the fact that we needed space. And we separated. And we did our own thing for a while. And when we eventually came back together, our friendship was stronger for it.

The door slam heard round' the world

Someone was postpartum and someone had just been dumped and we thought it would be a FABULOUS time to write the query for our first book, I'll Have Who She's Having! Now let's just that writing a query is a painful process even when the rest of your life is perfect. So imagine writing it when things are, well, not so perfect. We don't remember what started it (are you  starting to see a pattern here?), but all of the sudden someone stomped out of the house and SLAMMED the door with all her might, waking up someone's husband and baby. Don't worry, we worked it out and eventually finished that damn letter.

The word synopsis

Very recently, we disagreed about the word synopsis. One of us likes the word, one of us doesn't.  One of us insists on using it in just about EVERY post and one of us thinks it's impersonal.  Then one of us thought that the best way to communicate her problem was to EMAIL the other about it. (I think you can see where this is going...)  Cue four tense emails, a ten minute girlfight over the word synopsis followed by ten minutes of laughing about how freakin' LAME it was to be arguing about it.

So no, it isn't all roses.  But the difference for us is that we are able to let things go.  And it also helps to know the other person better than you know yourself.  But the most important thing to remember is to just take a deep breath and LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF at the silly things that seem so important in the heat of the moment.

xoxo, L&L

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

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

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

Hey ladies!

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

Thanks so much!

Catherine

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

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

At the Family Feud.

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

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

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

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

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

Ask Liz & Lisa: Social Media 5 Do's and a Do-over

Wow-we received SO many great Qs from y'all last week- keep em' coming!  Remember, if your question is chosen you'll receive a book.  This week, Our lucky question-asker will be receiving Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkenen. (We love it so much we had to give it away AGAIN!)  And up for grabs for you if YOU leave a comment?  An ARC of Sarah Dessen's What Happened to Goodbye? (out May 10th)! Don't forget to send your "hard-hitting" Q to: asklizandlisa@chicklitisnotdead.com!  Blogging, books, social media, mama drama, baby blunders-we're here for you!

Today's awesome Q comes from Melissa:

Hello Liz and Lisa!

I'd first like to say THANK YOU for sharing your story and the stories of other great authors.  May I also commend you on your social networking abilities.  I recently landed my first "Social Media Consulting" side job and I constantly revert back to your Facebook fan page to show my client what a successful page should do!  It is very clear that you have both built quit a name for yourselves doing something that you you love.  As a soon to be marketing grad from Illinois State University I am trying to soak up as much advice as possible!  I was hoping you could share 5 Do's and a Do over specific to fresh grads?  You have created a very loyal fan and I look forward to your reply!

Warm Regards,

Melissa

Melissa,

First off, thank you for your kind words and congratulations on your upcoming graduation!  You go girlfrin'!

Considering the fact that neither of us had one clue what the hell we were doing when we launched CLIND over two years ago, we'd be happy to help others learn from our many mistakes.  Here's our 5 Do's and a Do-Over: Social Media style...

DO'S

1. Have a platform. What are you all about?  Make sure you have a plan before you type your first OMG. Are you the next expert on vampire chick lit or Queen of all things romance? Then own it, baby! The beautiful thing about social media is you can be anything you want to be.  Just make sure you know what that is.

2. Keep it simple. Nothing makes us hit the "back" button faster than a cluttered site.  Yes, we know it's tempting to add that Goodreads or Flickr widget (Lisa!). We've been there, done that.  But you really have to ask yourself if it's adding value or just something you thought was cool for a hot minute.  The most important information on your site should be links to your Facebook and Twitter pages (you have those, right??!) and how people can contact you (don't make them search for your email address!).

3. Clock in Treat blogging like it's the dream job you've always wanted!  Run it professionally and be consistent with your postings and in your dealings with publicists, authors or anyone within your network.  A good site takes a lot of work and pays very little (if at all!) so passion about your project is essential.  If you love what you do, it will show on your website.

4. Give 'til it hurts. Okay, so we're giveaway whores-we know!  But besides having consistent, quality content, giving things away is the very best way to build your network of followers .  And it's FUN!  So try it.  Trust us on this one.

5. Follow the Golden Rule. Tweet with care, people!  We know it's all the rage to get into internet smack downs with other people over this and that, but we think it's better to always treat other people in cyberspace with respect.  It's easy to get carried away when you're hiding behind that keyboard. Believe us, there's going to be times when you are VERY tempted to go there.  But don't do it. Step away from the Macbook and just do what we do-write each other bitchy pre-caffeinated emails instead!

DO-OVER

Wow-this is a tough one because we believe that all blunders are great learning experiences. Or at least that's what we tell ourselves to feel better when we F up. But of course there are things we wish we could take back.  But the key is not to beat yourself up too much about it-Life is too short to worry about all the little things we can't control.

Hope that helps! And remember the most important DO of all-HAVE FUN!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Ask Liz & Lisa-How do we book authors?

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Ask Liz & Lisa! Want some blogging advice?  In a twit over a tweet?  Have some mama drama you need to hug out? We're here for you, girlfrin'! Just send us an email and ask us anything!  And because we know y'all love to win things, if we feature your Q, we'll send you a book!  So what are you waiting for? Email asklizandlisa@chicklitisnotdead.com.  Operators are standing by. No, not really.  But Liz keeps glancing down at her Blackberry.  So please put her out-oh-her misery and send an email already!

We've already received some fab Qs from you guys-so thank you!  Our first is from Shannon and we selected it because it's one of the questions we're most frequently asked when we meet new people.  And because we chose Shannon's Q, she'll be receiving Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen- the first author booked EVEH on Chick Lit is Not Dead.  Your question didn't get chosen?  No worries-this will be a regular feature here so look for it next time!

And leave a comment today and we'll enter you to win a book too! How about another copy of Cindy Jones' My Jane Austen Summer:A Season in Mansfield Park?  We'll choose the winners Wednesday April 13th after 6pm PST.

Dear Liz & Lisa,

I want to know how you come up with all these great authors for the blogs? Ask and they volunteer or how does it work? There are just so many great authors and books and I have no idea how any of it works- just love to read the blog!!!

Thanks,

Shannon

*blushes* Thanks so much, Shannon!

There are a few ways we book authors for the site.

1. The publicist or author pitches us via email. We receive pitches daily from authors and/or publicists requesting to be interviewed for the site.  We request the books that pique our interest and put them into our (freakishly huge) TBR pile.  After we read them, we discuss each one and request interviews and giveaways from the ones we think you'll love!  We usually agree-although everyone once in a while we'll have a girlfight lively discussion about which ones to feature.  But we really try to bring you books and authors we think you'll love as much as we do.

2. We stalk contact authors via email and Facebook. We're always looking for the next great author for the site so we are constantly searching online and in bookstores to find that gem that we may have missed.  Or maybe it's someone that we'd pretty much do anything (well, almost anything- we draw the line at anything involving a stripper pole!)  to get our hot little hands on her (or his) 5 Do's and a Do-Over. (Judy Blume-we're talking to you!) Facebook is a great way to connect with our favorite authors and we've booked many of them this way!

3. Crystal Patriarche, publicist extraordinaire and the entire BookSparksPR team. We're incredibly lucky to work with Crystal and she books many of our authors- like the fabulous Lauren Weisberger, Jen Lancaster and Emily Giffin, as well as celebrity-turned-authors like Tori Spelling and Jessica Seinfeld.  She's also incredibly creative and helps us brainstorm our new features and huge giveaways as well as provides PR for the site. We would NOT be where we are without her!

That pretty much sums it up.  And we're appreciative that y'all keep coming to the site to read about authors, books, bucket lists, 5 things you didn't know lists, 5 Do's and a Do-over lists and more! Thanks for continuing to support us with your comments and majuh Facebook page love.  YOU make our job fun!

xoxo, L&L