Emily Giffin's 5 Dos and a Do-Over

Today is a VERY special day.  And it's not just because we have the incredibly awesome EMILY GIFFIN debuting our brand spankin' new feature, Five Do's and a Do-Over.  Or that we are giving away cool stuff, including a FLIP VIDEO CAMERA and FIVE copies of  Heart of the Matter(due out in paperback on March 15th).  It's because we are also celebrating Chick Lit is not Dead's TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Yes, that's right. It's been two years since we bravely launched our first posts having absolutely no damn clue what we were doing!(Click to read Liz and Lisa's)  And since then, we've had such a blast hanging out with y'all.  We might be a bit biased, but we happen to think our readers are freakin' awesome!  So thank you, lovely and loyal ladies(and a few good men!) for taking time out of your incredibly busy lives to stop by to read about ours.  We truly appreciate your support these past two years.  And in case you were wondering, this next year is going to be even bigger and better than the last.

New Features!  More authors!  Bigger giveaways!

And speaking of all those things, it's our pleasure to debut 5 Do's and a Do-Over with one of our ALL-TIME favorite authors.  Not only has Emily Giffin written some of our favorite books, she's also incredibly fun and sassy(Not to mention hawt too!). Her best-selling books occupy prime real estate on our bookshelves and are destined to become Chick Lit classics!

And with the movie version of  Something Borrowed hitting theaters May 6th, (starring Liz's crush John Krasinski!) we've decided that Emily may be the Coolest. Author. EVEH! And stay tuned, because we'll be doing some fun things for the movie too.  But in the meantime, head here for all things SOBO. And make sure to like the official Facebook page for the movie too!

We're ecstatic that Emily agreed to share five things that must be done and one thing she'd like to redo. And once you've read her list, we think you'll be girl-crushing on her as much as we do-it's fantastic!

And OF COURSE we have an awesome giveaway to celebrate!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a Flip video camera or one of FIVE copies of Heart of the Matter! We'll pick the winners after 6pm PST on Sunday February 20th.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: EMILY GIFFIN'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

5 DO’S

1.  Invest in a quality camera and capture lots of random moments. Other than actually making the memories, there are few things more important to me than recording them. At times I feel as if I'm living the moment through the lens of a camera, but I never regret the photographs later.

2.  Live alone at least once. It is great fun having roommates and I'm a big believer in living with boyfriends if it feels right. And of course, it is wonderful to be married and build a home and life with another person. But I will always cherish the few years of my twenties in which I lived completely alone, and I think everyone should enjoy this serenity and independence at some point in their lives.

3.  Travel somewhere exotic and unexpected. There are certain obvious destinations that everyone should try to see--London, Rome, Paris, the Grand Canyon. But try visiting a place off the beaten path--a place that isn't so obvious and that few, if any, of your family and friends have ventured. For me, this list includes swimming in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, celebrating Midsummer's Eve on a remote island in Sweden, and wandering through the tiny medieval streets of Bruges. In addition to actually having these experiences, it makes for great cocktail party fodder.

4.  Break a heart and have yours broken. It is part of life and everyone should experience both. So live and love with wild abandon until both happen to you at least once.

5.  Cut bait on toxic friendships. Although there are few things as precious as old friends, don't become so nostalgic and sentimental that you maintain unhealthy ones. Life is too short, and if a "friend" consistently brings you down, then she isn't one. Jettison her and make room for a new one.

1 DO-OVER

One of my favorite quotes is by Mark Twain:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I so believe in this, but it took me a while to really internalize the truth of it. I wish I could go back to my twenties and apply this philosophy. Live life a little more on the edge, instead of chasing the next accomplishment and trying to please others. Fortunately, I finally figured this out--which is how I found the courage to quit my job as an attorney, move to London and write my first novel, Something Borrowed. It was a huge risk, but one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Thanks Emily!!! xo, L&L

Want to read more about Emily and see pictures from her last book tour?  Then head here. And don't forget to check her out on Facebook and Twitter-she's a lot of fun!

Have you Flipped For Liz & Lisa yet?

Have we mentioned to y'all how impatient we get?  We never like to wait for anything-we're all about the instant gratification!  Which is why we are DYING to give away the Flip HD slide camera when we hit 2320 fans on our Chick Lit is not Dead Facebook fan page.  It's literally burning a hole in our pockets. (And making our hips look big because we have a damn camera in our pocket!)  Just kidding. Its actually sitting pretty in the box, waiting to be sent to one lucky fan. Which could be YOU... We've been thrilled with the response to Flip for Liz & Lisa so far.  In just three short weeks,  you guys have helped us gain an additional 500 fans!  You've tweeted and tagged and suggested your bootys off.  And we're super appreciative-Thank you!

But we'd thought we'd give a little nudge to make sure you guys remember how easy it is to participate. Or in other words, how to get off your ass and help! =)

Here’s how you can help us hit 2,320 fans (That’s the magic number!):

1. On Facebook and not a fan yet?  It’s okay, we’re not judging.  Just click here or on the Facebook icon located on the upper right side of this page (right below the “connect with us” banner).

2. Suggest the chicklitisnotdead.com page to your friends on Facebook.  How?  By clicking “suggest to friends” underneath our Liz & Lisa coffee cup photo located on our Facebook fan page.  It’s the easiest way to personally ask people to come on over and join the fun.  And it just takes a minute!

3. Go to your Facebook profile page. In the status box, write an “encouraging” message asking your friends to become a fan of our Chicklitisnotdead.com page on Facebook. Make sure to tag chicklitisnotdead.com in your status update. (In case you don’t know, to “tag”, you simply type @ and then chicklitisnotdead.com and chicklitisnotdead.com will come up as a live link in blue.)

3. Be sure to tell your friends that in exchange for simply “liking” us, they have a chance to win a Flip SideHD. Because, let’s be honest, everyone wants to know what’s in it for them! And who doesn’t want to win something?

4. And for you type-A, sit in the front of the class students out there, extra points if you tweet a link to our Facebook page as well. Be sure to include our handle @Lizandlisa because we’ll be watching and looking for our top fan (more on that in a minute).

And as we mentioned above, we HATE waiting. So while we’re anticipating those first 1,000 new fans, we’re planning a giveaway every Friday. If you’re on Twitter, RT any of our “Flip for Fridays” tweets and/or tag us in your Facebook status and you’ll be entered to win the prize we’re giving away that day.  So far we've given away fabulous books by Jenny Nelson, Jen Lancaster and Allison Winn Scotch.

And last, but definitely not least, we’re also honoring our top fan. The fan that goes above and beyond to help us reach our goal. We’ll announce that winner at the end of the summer. And, don’t worry, there will be a freakin’ great prize for that person too.

See how easy it is?  Thanks again to all our incredible supportive readers- you guys are the BEST! *wipes tear from eye*

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

5 Things Liz & Lisa Didn't Know about...Jane Green

She's a funny and very down-to-earth blogger, a mother of six and, oh, she also happens to be, like, the most famous Chick Lit author EVUH. Our mystery author is revealed and, yup, it's Jane Green! Our Chick Lit hero who also happens to be a New York Times bestselling author of eleven books, including one of Lisa's all-time fave's, Jemima J. And Liz puts The Beach House at the top of her "loves to read over and over again" list. Jane Green is a "must read" author for any chick lit lover! And we're so excited that Dune Road will be out in paperback on May 25th! Click here to pre-order it.

We're beyond thrilled that Jane took time out of her incredibly busy life (did you see the part about the six kids or "smalls" as she calls them?) not just to share 5 things we didn't know about her, but to make a video to personally tell us 5 things we didn't know about her.  Which we LOVE. She's honest and hilarious and well, we've developed a bit of a crush after watching it. And you will too.

PS: Leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win a fabulous Flip video camera just like the one Jane used to make the video. And thank you to those of you who've been following along on our Facebook page and trying to guess the mystery author's identity!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: 5 Things Liz & Lisa didn't know about Jane Green! (PSS: Watch carefully. If you can correctly guess the location of her t*****, you'll be entered for a chance to win an advanced reading copy of her new book, Promises to Keep. Just go to Jane's Facebook page or her website and tell her where you think it is.)