7 Seconds in Heaven with Danny Wallace

Today's guest: Danny Wallace Why we want to spend 7 seconds with him: Charlotte Street is a smartly written romantic comedy. Danny Wallace clearly knows how to write books women love!

His latest: Charlotte Street (Out today!)

The scoop on it: Jason Priestley (no, not that Jason Priestley) is in a rut. He gave up his teaching job to write snarky reviews of cheap restaurants for the free newspaper you take but don't read. He lives above a video-game store, between a Polish newsstand and that place that everyone thinks is a brothel but isn't. His most recent Facebook status is "Jason Priestley is . . . eating soup." Jason's beginning to think he needs a change.

So he uncharacteristically moves to help a girl on the street who's struggling with an armload of packages, and she smiles an incredible smile at him before her cab pulls away. What for a fleeting moment felt like a beginning is cruelly cut short—until Jason realizes that he's been left holding a disposable camera. And suddenly, with prodding and an almost certainly disastrous offer of assistance from his socially inept best friend Dev, a coincidence-based, half-joking idea—What if he could track this girl down based on the photos in her camera?—morphs into a full-fledged quest to find the woman of Jason's dreams.

Our thoughts: He had us at Jason Priestly!

Giveaway: FIVE copies. Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, October 28th after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: It involves Jim Carrey. (See below!)

Where you can read more about Danny: His website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...7 SECONDS IN HEAVEN WITH DANNY WALLACE

1. I once founded my own independent state in a one-bedroom apartment in East London and became King Danny I, leader of tens of thousands of citizens of the Kingdom of Lovely.

2. When I was thirteen, a KGB agent broke into the Berlin flat I was living in to find me with a baseball bat. (True!)

3. I am a direct descendant along the paternal line of William Wallace, King of Scotland, aka Braveheart.

4. My book Yes Man was turned into the film of the same name, starring Jim Carrey.

5. I (at first anonymously) founded a good deeds 'cult' called Join Me, encouraging random acts of kindness towards complete strangers each and every Friday.

6. A picture of me and a chimpanzee I innocently uploaded to the internet was stolen and used without me knowing on advertising billboards in a major marketing campaign for Egyptian hotels across the North African region.

7. I haven't been able to have a bath without thinking of Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana since the early 1990s, after hearing him speak about perfect bath temperatures.

Thanks, Danny!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Karen Bergreen's 5 BEST EVERS

Our guest today: Karen Bergreen Why we love her: She is freakin' hilarious, that's why!

Her latest: Perfect is Overrated

The Scoop: Think you want to be the perfect mom? Think again…..

Kate Alger has finally found the cure for her post-partum depression.  After years of suffering, all it takes to bring this mommy back to life were a few gruesome homicides!  When someone starts offing the alpha-moms from Kate’s daughter’s preschool, Kate—who worked as an Assistant District Attorney before she had Molly—realizes it’s time to get out of bed, dust off the skills and find out who is killing all the mommies she loves to hate.

Wickedly funny and slightly twisted, Perfect Is Overrated is a romp through the life of one very needy mom, her cockeyed family, gorgeous ex-husband, and the entire insane, entitled, over-dressed , over-zealous, eternally jealous parent body at The Hawthorne Preschool.

Our thoughts: We LOVED it-this one will totally relieve your Mom stress!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Just leave a comment and we'll choose winners on Sunday October 21st after 6pm PST.

Fun Fact: Karen is also a stand up comedian...no wonder we think she's so funny!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...KAREN BERGREEN'S BEST EVERS

Best Song:  This is muy hard (I try to use a Spanish word at least once a day to show my worldliness), But I am going to have to go with Looking at You by Cole Porter. I am obsessed with Cole Porter, and in reality, it may not have been his best work, but it was my first dance at my wedding and I’m trying to suck up to my husband as our tenth anniversary approaches. I’m hoping for a pony.

Best Book: Again, a difficult one, but I love Bryce Courtenay’s The Power of One.  I love coming of age stories. I love the theme of the triumphant underdog, in this case the protagonist, Peekay. (PK is a term of endearment for his real name, Pisskop, Pisshead in Afrikaans.). The book is a good old fashioned sage, set in South Africa during the rise of Hitler.  We get to hate Nazi kids and love quirky characters.  The book, I recall, was long, but when it ended, I felt a sense of loss.

Best Movie: Can we have a tie between Tootsie and The Shawshank Redemption? I love Dustin Hoffman so.  When I was in ninth grade, I found his number in the telephone book and called it and hung up.  It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.  Tootsie made me realize that my love for him transcended his appearance –I would have dated him as woman.  The movie is hilarious-my favorite moment is when a depressed Tootsie tips over the mime in Central Park.  The song Something’s Telling Me it Might Be You is nice and sappy, the way I like em. I like the Shawshank Redemption because I like revenge. I’m very angry. Could someone hold me?

Best Moment: I wish I could say when my kids were born, but I was nervous and bloated. Maybe when I got engaged, but the happiness was mixed with relief.  I know. It was when I was sitting at a callback interview for a prestigious law job (I used to be a lawyer before becoming a comic). The interviewer was describing what my potential job entailed and I interrupted her and said, “Excuse me, I am so so  sorry to have wasted your time, but I am going to withdraw my application here so that I can be a stand up comic.”

Best Piece of Advice: This is the easiest one and it relates to Best Moment.  I had been in therapy when I decided to switch from law to comedy and the only thing holding me back was my fear of disapproval.  I remember asking my therapist, “What will people think?” And she said, “Why would you care?” I felt liberated.

Thanks Karen! xoxo, L&L

Liz & Lisa's 5 Do's and a Do-Over

So we're quickly figuring out that writing these features is a lot harder than we'd thought it would be- but it's been a lot of fun! Don't forget that it's not too late to enter The D Word HUGE ASS giveaway! .

Here's how the contest will work-It's simple!

• Buy The D Word(only 2.99!) and email us the receipt at  Lizandlisa@chicklitisnotdead.com to receive an entry to the contest. There is no limit on the number of entries. Every copy of The D Word purchased= one entry.

• And as a bonus to those who've purchased The D Word, if you also purchase a copy of I'll Have Who She's Having (only .99!!!) you will receive an additional entry.

• Just email your receipt(s) to Lizandlisa@chicklitisnotdead.com and put "launch contest" in the subject line.

All receipts must be received by TUESDAY JUNE 21st at MIDNIGHT PST and this contest open to US/Canada only.

Click HERE to see all the FAB prizes you could win. (Hint: IPAD2!)

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIZ & LISA'S 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER

DO-Liz

DO treat yourself to good spray tan every once in a while. Besides the fact that I think the super-hot spray tan girl was totally judging my boobs, this was a great experience! It gave me a little more swagger in my step for the next 7-10 days.   Maybe your indulgence is a hot-stone massage, keratin hair treatment or a mani-pedi with extra massage.  Whatever it is, just remember to take time out of your incredibly busy life to do something nice for yourself every once in a while.

DO forgive others and yourself often. Being angry takes so much energy!  People often tease me that I never stay mad for long and it's true-forgiving the people you're upset with and moving on is the best gift you can give yourself.  Holding on to it is unhealthy and can be destructive.  And don't forget to forgive yourself too!  We all make mistakes, some small, some HUGE, but just remember that tomorrow is a new day.

DO-Lisa

DO realize the power of a teammate in friendships, in partners, in business, in life. I am so lucky to be able to write books with my BFF. But our working relationship would never be a success if we weren't a team. And the same can be said for my marriage. And with my other close relationships. Because, let's face it, we don't always get along and we don't always agree, but we should always be willing to hear each other out, give each other the benefit of the doubt and have each other's back. Bottom line: you don't always have to be on the same page, but you DO have to be on the same side.  That's being a teammate. And if you can get that part down, the rest is smooth sailing.

DO live in the moment. DO appreciate what you have. DO be present. DO be happy. This is probably what I have to work on the most. Constantly doing what I call "pushing the re-set button" and promising myself yet again that I'll stay present, that I won't get caught up in negativity and won't let toxic people and frustrating situations get the best of me. And instead of letting my mind wander to what's wrong, keeping it focused on the positive that's right in front of me. There's a magnet on my refrigerator with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is mystery, Today is a gift.

DO-Liz & Lisa Do remember it's never too late to pursue your dream We may have talked for TEN years about writing a book, but we finally did it. It may have taken one of us threatening the other and there may have been some man-handling involved but once we put finger to keyboard, the words flowed and we wondered why we'd waited as long as we did.  So never think that you can't.  Because you can!

LIZ AND LISA'S DO-OVER

This one is tough.  We'd love to say that we have no regrets, but c'mon, let's face it, we grew up in some fashionably unforgiving times.  In fact, we think we'll just present photographic evidence of what should NEVER be repeated.  And yes, that is US in the pictures.

xoxo, Liz & Lisa