What's on Melissa Senate's bucket list?

Do y'all have an author that you can always count on?  You know, someone whose books always deliver on the goods?  The kind of author that has you waiting in anticipation for their next novel as soon as you finish their last?  Well, we have quite a few-and we're thrilled to have one of them sharing their bucket list today. The fabulous Melissa Senate! We first discovered Melissa when we read the best seller See Jane Date and have loved all her books since. (She's written TEN!) Liz chose The Secret of Joy as a hot summer beach read over at Sheknows.com a few months ago.  So when Melissa's latest, The Love Goddess' Cooking School arrived on our doorstep, we couldn't wait to dive into it! It comes out TOMORROW-click here to pre-order!

The Love Goddess' Cooking School is a charming story about love, family and discovery.  When thirty-year-old Holly Maguire inherits her Nonna's Camilla's Cucinotta, an Italian cooking school, twelve of the sixteen students immediately drop out. And who could blame them? Holly's grandmother was a seventy-five-old love goddess whose secret sauces had aphrodisiac properties and whose kitchen table fortune telling often came true.  Holly couldn't tell fortunes and wasn't much of a cook, but her determination to keep her grandmother's legacy alive motivates her to teach the class anyway.  Armed with Camilla's hand-scrawled recipe book, Holly and her students create their own recipes for happiness.

Melissa's delicious writing will have you craving the delectable dishes served up each chapter and keep you hungry for more of her heartfelt narrative.  Touching and a bit nostalgic, The Love Goddess' Cooking School is perfect way to reflect on why you loved your grandparents so much. (Liz *might* have shed a few tears about her own Italian nonna while reading...)

And guess what?  We have FIVE copies to give away!  Just leave a comment and we'll randomly choose the winners on Wednesday night!

And it's no surprise that we adored Melissa's bucket list too.  Read on to find out why!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS:  WHAT'S ON MELISSA SENATE'S BUCKET LIST?

1.  A year in Italy—from the cities to the countryside, learning the beautiful language, taking regional cooking classes, staring in wonder at the frescoes in the Vatican museums, eating outrageously good pasta, sipping cappuccino at a tiny café table and writing.

2.  A tour of the American west. I want to see the red rocks of Utah. The Grand Canyon. A real cowboy. I want to taste some serious chili.

3.  A visit to my childhood homes. I moved often as a kid, and I’d like to go back to those old neighborhoods and see what I remember, what it evokes. I lived in the Bronx, New York till I was 8 and vividly remember the courtyard of my apartment building, where some mean old lady used to pour pots of cold water on the loud kids (I was very loud) from her fourth floor window. I’d like to visit my elementary school in Flushing, Queens, where my love of writing was sparked and nurtured. I’d like to find the spot in that little park in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where I had my first kiss in junior high school.

4.  Tom Petty in concert. Yes, Tom Petty! I dare anyone to look at my beloved Tom on the cover of Damn the Torpedoes and tell me he’s not beautiful. I want to hear/watch him sing American Girl and Refugee and Don’t Do Me Like That and my favorite Here Comes My Girl from my front row seat.

5.  A world tour. I’m dying to see Spain and Latvia (I’m half Latvian and only time I’ve ever heard anyone else say they were Latvian was on the TV show Seinfeld, so it’s time to see/meet some others) and Australia and everything in between.

Thanks Melissa!  xo, L&L

To read more about Melissa, head on over to her website or click here to follow her on Twitter.

5 Things Liz & Lisa didn't know about... Wendy Holden

We love Spring. The blooming flowers, the adorable sundresses and...all the fabulous book releases! Today we're learning more about bestselling UK author Wendy Holden, whose sassy US release Beautiful People is available now.  We think you'll love her five things...how cool is it that she met Princess Diana? And almost became an ambassador?

Wendy Holden (U.K.)  was a journalist on The Sunday Times, Tatler and The Mail on Sunday before becoming a full time author. She has now published nine novels, all top 10 bestsellers in the UK, and is married with two young children. Her novels include Farm Fatale (in US Stores from Sourcebooks Landmark in July 2010), Bad Heir Day (also coming to US stores from Sourcebooks Landmark in September 2010), Simply Divine, Gossip Hound, the Wives of Bath, The School for Husbands, Azur Like it, and Filthy Rich.

Beautiful People is a fabulous adventure revolving around a struggling actress, a desperate former film star and a down-to-earth nanny, Holden's witty novel jets to London, Hollywood and Italy at a frenzied pace. A perfect addition to your beach bag this summer!

And we're thrilled to have FIVE copies of BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE to give away! You know the drill-just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: 5 Things Liz and Lisa didn’t know about Wendy Holden

1. Beautiful People was inspired by some of my own experience. My first book Simply Divine was optioned for a movie and out of the blue I had this hot-shot Hollywood producer and his wife coming to visit me in London. They wanted to meet at a terrifyingly smart restaurant which I had never been to, and asked me to book it. As it was the kind of place where the wrong table could ruin your life, I rang up and threw myself on their mercy. The film hit the buffers soon afterwards.

2. I almost became a diplomat. My very first job was editing a magazine for foreign ambassadors in London. They had amazing lives – palatial houses; hot and cold running servants; wardrobes you could ride in, let alone walk in; huge black shiny limos; endless parties with eye-watering strong drinks…

I seriously considered going into the Foreign Office after that, but then I landed a job in glossy magazines. They had amazing lives as well, palatial houses; hot and cold running servants; wardrobes you could ride in, let alone walk in; huge black shiny limos; endless parties with eye-wateringly strong drinks…

3. I cry at everything. I’m ludicrously easily moved and can barely read to my children because of it. Alice in Wonderland I can manage, but the more mawkish bits of Peter Pan have me in floods. As for poetry, forget it. At the same time I have a borderline evil sense of humour and laugh at wildly inappropriate things.

4. I’ve met Princess Diana. I was at a garden party at Buckingham Palace; she came up to talk to some people next to me and assumed I was part of the group. She also once came to a Christmas party when I worked at the Sunday Times in London. Otherwise my only royal encounter was being almost run over by Prince Philip, the Queen’s husband, when he was out with his horses and carriage in Windsor Park. He came thundering towards me like something from a horror film; I only just got out of the way.

5. I hate tomato ketchup. My children adore it, and even eat it in sandwiches, which makes me want to retch. My favourite food is baked scallops with garlic and herb butter, fat chips and a rocket salad on the side. Washed down with a glass of champagne, naturellement.

To learn more about Wendy, head on over to http://wendyholden.net!

xo, 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.)