Jessica Park's 5 Things I'd Tell The Teen Me

Our guest today: Jessica Park Why we love her:  She's freakin' fierce-kicking ass and taking names.  Not to mention the fact that she's funny as hell.

Her latest: Flat Out Love

The scoop: Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Our thoughts: Another great YA novel that adults will love too!  Pick it up today!

Giveaway: FIVE Smashwords e-copies!  Just leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win-we'll choose the winners after 6pm EST on Sunday July 29th.

Fun fact: Flat out Love hit the NYT ebook bestseller list recently after Jessica was featured on Amazon.  A true inspiration to all self-pubbers!

Where to read more about Jessica: her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JESSICA PARK'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. All those boys who seem so hot and desirable in high school are not the boys you should be crushing on. The super popular, gorgeous, girls-hanging-all-over-them guys who are not paying attention to you? This is their heyday.  Screw ‘em. Don’t waste your time getting caught up in hype. Ignore what the media tells you is boyfriend material because you are probably missing out on some pretty spectacular guys.

2. Along those same lines, stop worrying about what you look like. Enough with the self-loathing because you don’t have a 95 lb. body, huge boobs, and a perfect ass. You are beautiful just as you are. If your classmates don’t see that, brush it off. Wait until you get out of high school and you can create an amazing world for yourself. You have no control over who you are stuck with in math class, but high school is only high school. There are beautiful people who will come into your life.

3. Friendships can last forever. Friendships can also die a horrible death. It happens. You might screw up and get dumped by your bestie. If a friend isn’t willing to work something out with you, you don’t need that friend.

OR, maybe there is someone in your life who is simply exhausting and awful. You have the right to weed people out of your life. We put so much pressure on ourselves to stay loyal to friends no matter what, and there’s no reason for that. Sometimes it’s healthier to let people go.

Friends and relationships come in and out of our lives. It’s okay. That’s just how the world works. When we lose one connection, another takes its place. So mourn and be sad, but don’t drown in it.

4. Don’t be a slave to fashion trends. You will be severely traumatized later in life when you look at photographs of yourself in which you’re wearing a v-neck Gap sweater BACKWARDS with pegged acid-washed jeans and giant socks under your high-top sneakers. Seriously. You knew that you looked stupid and you did it anyway.

Wear what you want, not what you’re told to want. But don’t forget that you’ll have to look at yourself twenty years later.

5. You will fall in love, you will get your heart splintered into hideous little shards. It will hurt like all hell.

Most importantly, you will recover. It doesn’t feel like it in the moment, but there will come a day when you want to do something other than eat vats of ice cream and sob on the floor of the bathtub. I promise you. Don’t let the heartache stop you from falling in love again.

Thanks Jessica! xoxo, L&L

Ellen Hopkins's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Our guest today: Ellen Hopkins Why we love her: Her novels are honest, relevant and gripping!

Her latest: Triangles

The scoop on it: Three female friends face midlife crises in a no-holds-barred exploration of sex, marriage, and the fragility of life. Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for? Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband? Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts. As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles.  As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins’s gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.Get lost in the world of Triangles, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.

Our thoughts: Um, hello, you had us at EROTIC.

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday, July 1st after 6pm PST.

Fun fact: This is Ellen's first adult novel-she's a NYT bestselling YA author!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...ELLEN HOPKINS'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

Want to see a pic of Ellen's teen self?  Click here!

1. Embrace your inner rebel. She’ll insist on claiming you anyway, and in the future people will respect the uniqueness of you. Conventions suffocate, and the things that make you different are integral to the voice you’re developing right now, even though you don’t realize it. Be brave. Live large. Speak loudly. Your opinions matter.

2. Play the field. Love usually makes sex better, because love equals trust. But don’t tie yourself down too early. Have fun while you’re young. There’s plenty of time to settle down and have kids. Children—and commitment—are easier when your partying days are behind you. And while it’s okay to give your heart away, make sure you’re giving it to the right man.

3. Spend more time with your parents. Because you were adopted by an older couple, you will lose both of them early—your father when you’re 16; your mom when you’re 32. Listen to their stories. In fact, write them down, not only so there’s a record of them, but also so you can draw inspiration from them. Create special days that will become happy memories.

4. Keep exercising. You tend to start programs, get in great shape, then slack off enough so the next time you start a program it’s harder than the time before. The older you get, the more difficult it is to motivate yourself to begin again. So stay with the habit. You always feel better when you do. Hint: The “slide” always begins around Thanksgiving.

5. That poetry you’re writing? Safeguard it, or you’ll lose it, and one day you just might like to look at it again. Not only that but, believe it or not, a lot of other people would like to see it, too.  And all those naysayers who’ll tell you it’s impossible to make a living as a writer, let alone a poet? The last laugh will most definitely be on them.

Thanks Ellen! xoxo, L&L

To read more about Ellen, head on over to her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Heather Poole

Our Latest Lit IT Girl: Heather Poole Why she’s fit to wear the Lit IT Girl crown: She is funny and we LOVE her insider gossip on the airline industry.  And her not--so-overnight success story (It took years to get her book deal- but her debut memoir hit the NYT bestseller list!) should be an inspiration to us all.

Her debut novel: Cruising Attitude:Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 feet

The dealio on it: In her more than fifteen years as an airline flight attendant, Heather Poole has seen it all. She's witnessed all manner of bad behavior at 35,000 feet and knows what it takes for a traveler to become the most hated passenger onboard. She's slept in flight attendant crashpads in "Crew Gardens," Queens—sharing small bedrooms crammed with bunk beds with a parade of attractive women who come and go at all hours, prompting suspicious neighbors to jump to the very worst conclusions. She's watched passengers and coworkers alike escorted off the planes by police. She can tell you why it's a bad idea to fall for a pilot but can be a very good one (in her case) to date a business-class passenger. Heather knows everything about flying in a post-9/11 world—and she knows what goes on behind the scenes, things the passengers would never dream.

Our thoughts: It's fun and we loved all the inside scoop on what it's really like to be a flight attendant! Perfect Spring Break reading!

Fun Fact: Heather's mom became a flight attendant for the same airline after being inspired by her daughter!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday April 8th after 3pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIT IT GIRL:DEBUT AUTHOR HEATHER POOLE

1. How many agents did you query before you found "the one"?  I never found “the one.”  (Is there even such a thing as “the one?”) No joke, I sent queries to what seemed like HUNDREDS of agents AND publishing houses -- multiple times! -over many years.  HarperCollins, my publisher today, rejected one of my manuscripts not once, but twice!  I have a photo album filled with all the rejection letters I’ve received.  What's interesting is how those letters changed over time.  Quick generic responses printed on plain white postcards eventually turned into one page letters with my name and the title of my book inserted into what I’m sure was a standard form letter and those turned into the same letters with a personal note from the agent scribbled at the bottom of the page.  Eventually I scored an “agent.”  I use that term loosely, because a year later I had to hire a lawyer to get me out of the contract.  My second agent ended up passing away before she was able to sell my book.  In the end I got a book deal without an agent after an editor at a publishing house stumbled upon my blog.

2. What's a line from your "favorite" rejection letter?  An agent who’s famous for being snarky once scribbled a personal note at the bottom of one of those generic rejection form letters that after reading my book about flight attendants she hoped to never have me on one of her flights.  HA!  I should mention the book was about a serial killing flight attendant.  I called it Stewardeath.  Almost every agent who read the manuscript said they liked the voice, but wished I could make it more “fun.”  I stuck to my guns and....well...you guessed it.  I never sold it. That’s when I started blogging.  The book business is a business after all, so I figured if I could get a following and be able to show just how many people come to my blog, maybe, just maybe, I could sell a book.  10 years and 7 million hits later an editor from HarperCollins read my blog and asked if I'd be willing to write a book for them about flight attendants. 

3. What was the hardest part about writing your debut novel? Finding the time.  I'm a flight attendant.  I'm also a wife and mother to a five year old.  There were times I thought I might have a nervous breakdown because I wasn't going to make my deadline.  When I was writing I'd feel guilty about not spending time with my family.  When I was spending time with my family I'd feel guilty about not writing.  I think the hardest thing for most writers is not giving up.  Being patient but also persistent.  Recently someone asked me for writing advice.  I told him to just sit down and start writing.  It can’t be that easy, he wrote back.  Certainly there’s more to it, he added.  That’s when I informed him that it took me 10 years of writing every single day to get where I am now.  He was shocked.  Another writer came up to me at a conference to let me know she’d been querying agents for six months.   She couldn’t believe she didn’t have a book deal yet.  I tried not to laugh.  Most people get discouraged if they don’t sell their book within a year - one year! It took me ten.

4. What is the best/worst advice you received while you were trying to break into the book biz?  A passenger who turned out to be a television show writer once told me there's no such thing as writers block, that writing is work and some days are just harder than others.  If writing were easy all those people who say they’re going to write a book someday would have already written it.  You have to put in the time.  Every.  Single.  Day.  Doesn’t matter if all you have is an hour each day and it takes 10 years to get to those oh-so-precious two little words, The End.  That time is going to go by anyway, so why not have a finished book to show in the end?

5. How did you celebrate your book deal? I didn't. In the beginning of my writing career I dreamed about  launch parties and celebrating at a special restaurant in Beverly Hills. I read about in People Magazine, which turned out to be right next door to my second agent’s office.  But when my book finally published, just spending time with my family without feeling guilty about not writing was celebration enough.   To be honest, writing a book is so much more than the final product.  People have no idea what it truly takes to not only write a book, but then also sell the book, and then market the book to readers I never dreamed my book would make the New York Times bestseller list, but it did, and I still didn’t celebrate.  I did, however, stare at the newspaper for a few hours in an effort to let it sink in.  It still doesn’t feel real.

6. Who is your writer crush?  Walter Kirn, the author of Up in the Air.  But we have very little in common.  I’d be afraid to actually meet him in real life.  Recently I’ve become fascinated with Marguerite Duras, author of The Lover.  If she were still alive today I’d reach out and try to contact her.  Her life story is so interesting.  Someone should make a movie about it.  The writer I’d most like to have lunch with is Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones’ Diary, which is the best chick lit book ever written!  I’d love nothing more than to channel some of her creative energy.

7. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book, what would it be?  One of those worst case scenario books.  The one that focuses on deserted islands.  I’m practical like that.  If I could have two books, I’d add Madame Bovary to the list.  I love that book.

8. What's on your iPod right now?   I'd rather tune in to Pandora.  My favorite "writing" station is Everything But the Girl.

9. What's your #1 stress reliever?  Running or walking on the beach.  Just getting outside and breathing fresh air.  Listening to moody girly music also helps.  I like songs that feel raw, songs that are more about the lyrics than the music.

10. Who/what would you place in the center of the Entertainment Weekly bullseye?  What’s that? I’m Googling "Entertainment Weekly bullseye" now.

Thanks Heather!  xoxo, L&L

To read more about Heather, find her at her website or on Facebook and Twitter.

Jackie Collins' 5 Do's and a Do-Over

Just like a familiar song or your favorite pair of jeans, you know you can always count on a Jackie Collins novel to make you feel good. They're always entertaining, saucy and damn fun! (The stats are uh-maze-ing: Twenty-eight NYT bestsellers & 400 million copies sold in 40 countries!) So with Poor Little Bitch Girl, (now out in paperback) we knew we were in for yet another sexy read that would no doubt include her always absorbing tales of the wealth, power and Hollywood glamour. Here's a synopsis of Poor Little Bitch Girl (so love typing that title!):

Denver Jones is a hotshot twenty-something attorney working in L.A. Carolyn Henderson is personal assistant to a powerful and very married Senator in Washington with whom she is having an affair. And Annabelle Maestro—daughter of two movie stars—has carved out a career for herself in New York as the madame of choice for discerning famous men. The three of them went to high school together in Beverly Hills—and although Denver and Carolyn have kept in touch, Annabelle is out on her own with her cocaine addicted boyfriend, Frankie.

Then there is Bobby Santangelo Stanislopolous, the Kennedyesque son of Lucky Santangelo and deceased Greek shipping billionaire, Dimitri Stanislopolous. Bobby owns Mood, the hottest club in New York.  Back in the day he went to high school with Denver, Carolyn and Annabelle. And he connected with all three of them. Frankie is his best friend.

When Annabelle’s beautiful movie star mother is found shot to death in the bedroom of her Beverly Hills mansion, the five of them find themselves thrown together . . . and secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt everyone. . . .

And you know the drill, ladies (and gents). Just leave a comment here and be entered to win one of five copies of Poor Little Bitch Girl. We'll randomly select the winners after 6:00 P.M., EST on Friday, March 18th.

We are beside ourselves to have such a legend (did we mention twenty-eight NYT bestsellers?) answering our 5 Do's and a Do-Over! (We love them all-but especially #1 & #3 & Lisa is particularly good at #4!)

Can we have a majuh drum roll please....

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS....JACKIE COLLINS' 5 DO'S AND A DO-OVER:

5 Do's

1.  Do something you love to do every day. Something that makes you feel good and puts you in a fantastic mood.  Everyone has different needs, so decide what will do it for you.  Working out?  Making love?  Drinking a cup of your favorite coffee?  Go for it!!  My heroines always do, and they come out on top!

2.  Clear out your closet every six months. Rule of thumb - if you haven't worn it in a year - it's history!  So be ruthless.  Trust me, when it's done you will feel so free and ready for some major shopping!  No regrets.

3.  Do make a list of six things you wish to achieve every week - one a day - with Sunday off.  You will be surprised how much you can achieve if you write it down.

4.  Do indulge yourself once a week by just doing nothing. And by doing nothing I mean just sitting around with no pressure, maybe reading a book or mindlessly watching junk T.V.  I am a TiVo junkie, and catching up on shows nobody else watches (or pretends they don't) is totally relaxing.  Never feel guilty for doing nothing.

5.  Do tell the people you love how special they are. Life is fragile, and words of love are deeply precious and never regretted.  Treat others the way you would like them to treat you.  And remember - forgiveness makes you feel amazing and frees the soul.  Karma is a powerful thing.

Do Over

You know, I have lived a very exciting and full life surrounded by fascinating people.  A do over?  I don't think so. We are what we make of ourselves and I have worked hard to become who I am today.

To read more about the truly amazing Jackie Collins, visit her website, follow her on Twitter and join the 70,000+ who already like her on Facebook.

Thanks so much, Jackie!

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

5 Things Liz & Lisa Didn't Know About...Beth Harbison

Gotta love summer and all the new releases from  our favorite writers these past few months.  Between great books by Emily Giffin, Allison Winn Scotch and Jane Green, our beach bag is getting damn heavy(maybe we can find a hunky lifeguard to carry it for us?). And we'll have to make room for one more NYT bestselling author because the lovely Beth Harbison has a new book out TODAY.  Thin, Rich, Pretty is a must read! (PS: It's also her birthday! What a perfect way to celebrate!) We first fell in love with Beth after reading Shoe Addicts Anonymous and were lucky enough to have her answer 25 Things we wanted to know last year.  Thin, Rich, Pretty is Harbison's fourth novel and it follows three women as they attempt to escape the bitterness of their past. Poignant and funny, Thin, Rich, Pretty is for any woman who remembers that bratty girl who made fun of her but is happy today in spite of it.

And we've got FIVE copies of Thin, Rich, Pretty to give away.  Just leave a comment and we'll choose the winners by random drawing on Thursday evening.  How easy is that?  So don't be shy, leave a comment!

Now let's get to Beth's five things.  If you've never read her books before, we have a feeling you'll be running out to the nearest Barnes & Noble after checking out what she has to say (just the fact that she could pick us up for lunch in a limo OR a Haz-mat truck makes us love her). She had us LOLing. And that's saying a lot because we don't LOL for just anyone...I mean, we might COL(chuckle out loud) occasionally but we're definitely not LOL whores.(Although *someone* (Liz!) has developed a serious snorting out loud problem lately...)

But now, without further adieu-let's give a warm welcome to the ultra-fab Beth Harbison!

5 Things Liz & Lisa didn't know about Beth Harbison!

1. That, when asked to come up with five things people don’t know about me, I really struggled to come up with anything.  Then I realized the no one out there really knows anything about me, so it’s not really five things you don’t know about me that I’m having trouble with but five things about me that might be interesting at all.   So, in conclusion, 1. I’m boring.

2. Except, I’m really not boring, it’s just that all the good stuff about me is secret. I can’t tell you the good stuff without being afraid you’ll blackmail me with it later, or that it will come out the night before the New Hampshire Primaries when I’m running for president and my bid for the White House will be completely ruined because my bossy publicist wanted me to get out here and trumpet myself so people will buy my books.  So 2. I’m running for President.  Someday.

3. I’d be a horrible president.  Really. I don’t understand politics that well and I can’t really keep my own money budgeted, so you don’t want me in charge of yours.  On the other hand, if Katie Couric asked me what magazines and newspapers I read, I could answer.  In fact, I would answer.  Because maybe the People Magazine, InStyle, and Allure people would give me a free lifetime subscription which, believe me, would save me lots of money.  Wait!  Did you catch that?  I was being budget conscious.  So maybe I’d be a pretty good president.  Or at least Governor of California.  Except I don’t know what to do about the oil spill, since Certain People laughed at my “lots and lots of cotton balls” idea.  Incidentally, the White House phone operator didn’t otherwise demonstrate any sense of humor at all, so I don’t think she was laughing with me, so much as at me.  So, yeah, 3. I am not the political expert I appear to be.

4. So clearly if the writing thing doesn’t work out, I’m kind of screwed as far as a career in politics is concerned too. It’s too late to join the military, though drab green is my color, and even if the Peace Corps would have me, I think the fact that I’m afraid to walk around my suburban neighborhood at night -- because of all the frogs and rabbits and shushing noises in the trees -- might indicate I’m a bad candidate for jungle living.  I actually have a commercial driver’s license and can legally drive a limo, or bus or non-Hazmat truck, but I also have a driving phobia so the CDL is really just for show now.  Really, my greatest asset seems to be that I’ve eaten at virtually every restaurant in Disney World.  And a bunch of good ones in Manhattan as well.  And D.C.  But what job consists of basically eating in fancy restaurants and going to events?  I know!  4. Would make excellent hired escort Vice­-President.

5. I don’t want to be vice-president! For one thing, I kind of like the idea of living in Florida, at least in the winter, and you just know the media would be all over me for leaving Mass Avenue and going on down to Key West for a few months every year.  President Schwarzenegger might also not be too pleased with me for that, because then he’d get a bunch of heat for begging me to be his running mate.  As he should, actually, because you totally know he’d have strong armed me into doing it because he so desperately needed someone with my charm, intelligence, and lack of easily-imitated-by-Tina-Fey annoying accent to boost his ticket.  When you come right down to it, you just know he begged me, using emotional blackmail like “the children of America look up to you and need your guidance” and “only you can pass a bill allowing dogs to vote”.  And frankly I don’t like being manipulated that way, Arnold.  So, I guess, 5. is: I’m going to just keep being a writer as long as I have readers.  But you probably already knew that.

In which case: I am very grateful to have the opportunity to do what I love every day and get paid for it.  Being a working hired escort writer.

To read more about Beth, check out her Facebook fan page or follow her on Twitter.

xoxo, Liz & Lisa