Marisa de los Santos' 5 Loves and a Dud

We have mad love for New York Times bestselling author, Marisa de los Santos. And are still pinching ourselves that she accepted our invitation to share her 5 Loves and a Dud. (And when we saw that french fries was on her list of loves, we knew she was definitely our girl!) Her latest novel, FALLING TOGETHER has been called one of the hottest books for fall and we couldn't agree more. Here's the skinny on FALLING TOGETHER: It’s been six years since Pen Calloway watched her best friends walk out of her life. And through the birth of her daughter, the death of her father, and the vicissitudes of single motherhood, she has never stopped missing them.

Pen, Cat, and Will met on their first day of college and formed what seemed like a magical and lifelong bond, only to see their friendship break apart amid the realities of adulthood. When, after years of silence, Cat—the bewitching, charismatic center of their group—e-mails Pen and Will with an urgent request to meet at their college reunion, they can’t refuse. But instead of a happy reconciliation, what awaits is a collision of past and present that sends Pen and Will, with Pen’s five-year-old daughter and Cat’s hostile husband in tow, on a journey across the world.

As Pen and Will struggle to uncover the truth about Cat, they find more than they bargained for: startling truths about who they were before and who they are now. They must confront the reasons their friendship fell apart and discover how—and if—it can ever fall back together.

Sounds fabulous, right? Want to win a copy? There's 5 to be won! Just leave a comment and be entered. We'll randomly select the winners after 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 6th.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...MARISA DE LOS SANTOS' 5 LOVES AND A DUD

1. FRENCH FRIES

There’s something almost mystically beautiful about a food that, apart from the way it tastes, has not a single redeeming quality.  They are so pure in their badness, like those irresistible boys in high school who were dumb and unfunny and entirely self-absorbed but just so stinkin’ gorgeous.   In order to eat fries, you have to check every bit of wisdom you have ever acquired at the door.  Having said that, I won’t just eat any fry.  I don’t need organic blue potatoes, a French chef, and sea salt (although I never say no to that!), but I do need crispness and just the right amount of greasiness (I’m pretty sure that they serve flabby fries in hell), and then I leave my self-respect in shreds in the dust and just go for it.

2. BALLET

As a kid, I abandoned ballet early on for gymnastics, a monumentally bad decision since I am tallish, have zero upper body strength, and way too much fear, but as an adult, I am a ballet addict.  I take adult classes as often as I can, usually three times a week, and every time, I leave class a better, happier person than when I got there.  When I tell people I do ballet, usually they say something like, “Wow, I bet that’s a great workout.”  And I suppose it is, but for me (for once!), the way it makes my body look is not the point.  I love the discipline, mental and physical, the way you start every single class with tendus and plies, the most fundamental movements.  I love the sense that I am participating in the beautiful, even when I am not beautiful (which is often).  And I love (for once!) not having any goal beyond joy and getting better at a hard thing.  I will not be tested.  I will not be taking the world stage by storm.  I will never audition for anything.  Which is just the way I like it.

3. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

And when I say Anne of Green Gables, I’m talking about the whole series, people.  Eight books, but especially the first five.  Intellectually, I know they might be sugary and old-fashioned and overwritten and mostly plotless, but the truth is that I don’t experience them this way, ever.  I love them.  I love how almost everyone in them (except Josie Pye) is trying so hard to be good.  I love the endless nature descriptions and how Anne and her friends can go on long rambles through fields and woods and never get bitten by one mosquito.  I love the rampant optimism and romance.  I open one book and, boom, I am right there, inside of my childhood.  When I think of my favorite childhood place, I don’t think of any of the houses I lived in; I think of Anne’s east gable room with the flowering cherry tree outside the window.  A chronic bad sleeper, I read these books before I turn out the light.  I am almost never not reading one of them.  I read them to pieces, literally.  Do I know that this is weird?  Yes.  Do I care?  Nope.

4. DETECTIVE FICTION

Give me a well-written, character-driven mystery and I am happy as a clam.  Kate Atkinson, Tana French, Alexander McCall Smith, Dorothy Sayers, Jacqueline Winspear, Raymond Chandler, Alan Bradley, Cornelia Read, Agatha Christie.  I try hard not to be envious of other writers, and mostly I succeed, but I am dead jealous of mystery writers.  I want to learn to plot like that, to end every chapter with a cliffhanger.  I want to write people into dark, dark places and to ruthlessly examine the ugly side of humanity.  I want to create detectives that are complicated, vulnerable, and wicked smart.  So far, no dice, but I am not giving up hope!

5. DRIVING MY KIDS AROUND

I don’t just mean the actual driving, although I do love that.  There is a certain kind of closeness and a certain kind of conversation that only happens in minivans (and I do have one) on the way to swim practice or ballet class.  But I mean the whole shebang.  It’s one of the chief complaints of the modern parent:  the time-suck of their kids’ sports and activities schedules.  But mostly, I don’t buy it.  Mostly, I think we all secretly love to not only drive there but to be there.  My kids swim year-round, and, yes, indoor pool facilities (or natatoria, cool word) are kind of miserable:  hot, humid, loud.  But I am never miserable in them.  I look forward to swim meets, to getting up and getting the kids up while it’s still dark outside, driving through the cool dawn with the sun coming up and my travel mug of coffee in the cup holder and the kids eating breakfast in the back.  We listen to inspiring kid music:  Katie Perry’s “Firework”, The Black-Eyed Peas’s “I Gotta Feeling” and we get inspired.  Then, my husband and I sit (or time or officiate) with the other swim parents and watch our children spend their hearts on the thing they love.  I could be writing books.  I could be doing a lot of things.  But here’s what I know:  it is the great privilege of my life to be there, and at the end of my life, I’ll be glad I was.

DUD

REALITY T.V.

I know that as soon as I say “I hate reality shows,” my fun factor takes a nosedive, but oh my gosh, I detest them.  Actually, in saying that, I’m breaking my rule about not panning anything that I don’t finish because I can’t get through more than seven minutes of any reality show, but, rule be damned, I loathe them.  They bring out my inner cranky grandma (“That girl has no business wearing that skirt!”), my inner snob (“I have been studiously avoiding these people my entire life; why would I want to watch them now?”), and my inner high-horse-sitter (“Making fun of the mentally ill is just cruel.”).  Those housewives with their terrible lips!  The abusive dance moms!  Those wretchedly unhappy hoarders!  Those rich, famous, insufferable no-talent families!  And what about the writers?  What about the actors?  They’re talented!  They have gifts they’ve spent years and energy cultivating!  Employ them!  Give your time to something that’s worth it!  (See?  High horse!).

Thanks, Marisa!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

To find out more about the lovely and talented Marisa de los Santos, follow her on Facebook!

Pamela Morsi's 5 Loves and a Dud

The seasons are changing once again.  But no matter what the season, you can always count on great authors and books at Chick Lit is Not Dead.  And today is no exception! We've got the lovely and talented Pamela Morsi sharing her 5 Loves and a Dud. We discovered Pamela a few years ago when we read and loved The Social Climber of Davenport Heights.  So we're thrilled that she has a new release, The Bentley's Buy a Buick and is sharing her 5 Loves and a Dud!

HERE'S THE SCOOP ON THE BENTLEY'S BUY A BUICK: Think you can trust your husband? Think again! That's what the gossipy types at Erica Bentley's new job say. Even her (multi-divorced) mom agrees. But Erica's sure she knows her husband, Tom, better than that. He says he loves her, and shows it in a million ways. Except…he has been working extra-late these days. And he's been kinda quiet. Even secretive.

Happily married Tom Bentley never thought his head could be turned—until he saw Clara. Her sleek body has him longing, and he can't get her 127" wheelbase out of his mind. That's right. Erica's "competition" is…a car.

The beautiful Buick has Tom completely car-crazy. And Erica's sleuthing is making her just plain crazy. One of them needs to come clean with their newest obsessions, before Clara drives their happy marriage into a ditch!

Sound good?  Then leave a comment and you'll be entered to win one of FIVE copies!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday October 3oth after 6pm PST.  Good luck!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...PAMELA MORSI'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

1.  Coffee in bed.  Well, not “in bed” literally.  (Although I have spilled it on myself.  Definition of rude awakening.)  Preferred on the bedside table, brought by my husband.  There is no way better to start the day.  When I can just roll over, push the wild hair out of my face and get my caffeine fix, life is beautiful.

2.  GIANT HOLIDAY MEALS.    I love doing big family occasions, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Fourth of July.  I have great memories of these from childhood.  I want our kids to have that same experience.  So, if the weather’s good, we set up outside.  If not, we rearrange the house into something resembling a restaurant. We’ve had as many as 29 for a sit-down dinner.  And, of course, there was the Christmas that we rented the blow-up jumpy for the front yard.  (No children were harmed in the production of this memory)  With minimal oversight, the kids manage somehow to look out for each other, allowing the parents to celebrate with some grown-up conversation.  Now that’s what I call a holiday.

3.  Live Music.   I am an old folky, bluegrass and jazz kind of gal.  But I’ll listen to anything live.  I just love the up close and personal of an in-your-face performance.  Whether it’s a strings recital, a gospel choir or the International Accordion Festival, if you will play, I will listen.  I don’t go to big-star concerts anymore.  Not since I had great seats at Jimmy Buffett and the drunken stranger next to me knew all the words to every song and sang them all evening.  (Is it really wrong to use pepper spray in a crowd?)  These days I find a lot of talent in smaller, more intimate venues.  Good sounds, good friends and a nice, cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

4.  Tuesday Breakfast Club.  I have been meeting the same group of women every Tuesday for the last seven or eight years.  There are six of us, all moms of Special Needs kids.  We were so lucky to have found each other.  There is something really freeing in being able to brag, complain or cry about your not-off-the-rack kid among women who know where you’re coming from.  They neither feel sorry for you for the hand you’ve been dealt or admire you as a heroine for doing what you’ve simply gotta do.

5.  British Drama.  After my daughter goes to bed at night, I try to catch about an hour of TV to sort of wind down.  What really does it for me is British drama.  Yes, I am totally one of those women who can spout whole segments of dialog from Jane Austen productions.  But I also love BBC mysteries like Foyle’s War, The Last Detective or Midsomer Murders.  The downside of this, of course, is that I can never retire to the south of England.  The crime rate there must be astronomical.

DUD 

For me it’s shopping.  I am one of those weird women who hates to spend money, doesn’t like to try on clothes and considers wandering through shops looking at things I won’t buy as a waste of time.  Naturally, it is impossible to live a completely mall-free life.  So I plan my ventures into the retail economy like search and destroy missions.  I get in there, get what I have to have, and get out.  Let’s think of it as if I’m doing a favor.  I’m leaving all that stuff to be found by someone who can really appreciate it, maybe Liz.

Lol, Thanks so much Pamela! xo, L&L

To read more about Pamela, head on over to her website.

Valerie Frankel's 5 Loves and a Dud

Valerie Frankel. She's funny as all hell. She's the author of, like, a gazillion books (including the critically acclaimed weight-loss memoir, THIN IS THE NEW HAPPY & A SHORE THING- her "collaboration" with Snooki!). And, well, we're pretty much in love with her. So we're over the moon that she's here to celebrate  IT'S HARD NOT TO HATE YOU her latest must-read memoir about embracing your Inner Hater (we so love that!) and to reveal her 5 Loves and a Dud. Her dud will having you LOL'ing your ass off- Sorry, Kim Kardashian, but it's sooo true. More on that in a minute.

But first...

Here's the skinny on IT'S HARD NOT TO HATE YOU: In the midst of a health and career crisis, Valerie uncorks years of pent up rage, and discovers you don't have to be happy to be happy. You don’t have to love everyone else to like yourself. And that your Bitchy Twin might just be your funniest, most valuable and honest ally.

“The hate in you has got to come out.” After being advised to reduce stress by her doctor, humorist Valerie Frankel realized the biggest source of pressure in her life was maintaining an unflappable easing-going persona. After years of glossing over the negative, Frankel goes on a mission of emotional honesty, vowing to let herself feel and express all the toxic emotions she’d long suppressed or denied: jealousy, rage, greed, envy, impatience, regret. Frankel reveals her personal History of Hate, from mean girls in junior high, selfish boyfriends in her twenties and old professional rivals. Hate stomps through her current life, too, with snobby neighbors, rude cell phone talkers, scary doctors and helicopter moms. Regarding her husband, she asks, “How Do I Hate You? Let Me Count the Ways.” (FYI: There are three.) By the end of her authentic emotional experience, Frankel concludes that toxic emotions are actually good for you. The positive thinkers, aka, The Secret crowd, have it backwards. Trying to ward off negativity was what’d been causing Frankel’s career stagnation, as well as her health and personal problems. With the guidance of celebrity friends like Joan Rivers and psychic Mary T. Browne, Frankel now uses anger, jealousy and impatience as tools to be a better, balanced and deeper person. IT'S HARD NOT TO HATE YOU sends the message that there are no wrong emotions, only wrong ways of dealing with them.

Sounds fabulous, right? We think so! Just leave a comment and be entered to win one of five copies of IT'S HARD NOT TO HATE YOU. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, October 23rd after 6PM EST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...VALERIE FRANKEL'S 5 LOVES  AND A DUD

LOVES

I’m a big fan of little loves, the tiny day-to-day detail that lifts my mood. Five of them:

1. Using maple syrup to sweeten coffee. I was shocked and horrified to learn that Splenda is as bad for the body as white sugar. I’d been using packets a day for years. My Whole Foods friend Nancy suggested I use honey in my coffee instead. I tried it. Feh. Then my mom gave me a gallon of maple syrup that her neighbors in Vermont made from trees in my parents’ yard. A gallon. There aren’t enough pancakes in the world. I started adding it to coffee, and am now addicted. It’s an organic, natural sweetener I can feel enthusiastic about using, and it tastes great.

2. The cardigan coat trend. This is my daily look: jeans, a tank top, booties, and a big cozy nubby cardigan. This silhouette is the definition of casual chic. It’s flattering on just about anyone, comfortable, mindlessly easy and current.

3. The floss stick. Any brand will do, but I like these. A simple piece of plastic turns a gross boring chore into a fun quest, like searching for bats in a mysterious cave. Greatest personal care invention since the vibrator! Okay, that might be overstating it.

4. Hanco’s Vietnames sandwiches. Nine days out of ten, I don’t eat meat. On that tenth day, I go full pork, and have a Hanco’s classic sandwich. The bright, tangy carrots and radish combined with rich ground pork, packed into crispy crunchy bread. Hmmmm.

5. Fleece electric blanket. It’s about that time of year. The kind I have has a separate dial for each side of the bed. That’s crucial. My husband is always too hot (not to brag), and I’m always freezing cold. I switch on my side an hour before bedtime, and slip into coziness.

DUD

I loathe so many things and rude behaviors, I wrote an entire book about it. What really bugs the crap out of me lately, is the simpering baby voice way Kim Kardashian drawls, “Thank you.” Sounds like, “Thenquewwwww.” It oozes out like toxic sludge. It’s like she was taught to pretend to be gracious, or to go through the courtesy motions, but she doesn’t really give a crap what anyone else does or says for her. If I ever met her, and she drooled, “thenkewwwww,” to me, I’d slap that mush right out of her mouth. God, I hate the sound of false sincerity. I teach my daughters to declare gratitude, loud and proud. “Thanks!” Appreciation isn’t some gas that leaks out of silicone tire lips. It’s a punctuation mark. A point! THANK YOU for reading this.

To find out more about the hilarious Valerie Frankel, follow her on Twitter and Facebook and check out her website. And don't forget to buy her book!

Thanks, Valerie!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Jenna McCarthy's 5 Loves and a Dud

We love when someone has the cajones to tell it like it is.  And when they are hilarious too?  Well then we CRUSH on them bigtime, yo! So how excited were we that the very funny Jenna McCarthy agreed to share her 5 Loves and a Dud with us?  Um, VERY.  Jenna's fifth novel, If It Was Easy, They'd Call The Whole Damn Thing A Honeymoon:Living With And Loving The TV-Addicted, Sex Obsessed, Not-So-Handy Man You Married., is an incredibly funny take on marriage that had us rolling on the floor.  She's so freakin' fabulous-she was on the TODAY show earlier this week chatting with Hoda and Khloe Kardashdian about it-watch it here! And we think you'll love her 5 Loves and a Dud. (Liz is a total hat whore too!)

Here's the dealio: Jenna McCarthy presents an uproarious but insightful peek behind the curtains at the unholy state of matrimony. With ballsy wit and bawdy humor, she explores everything from male domestic idiocy and the frustrating misfires in spousal communication to how to stay true to the peskiest of vows: forsaking all others. Part in-your-face guide, part brutal confession, this book is a must-read manifesto on surviving marriage in an age when everyone seems to live forever and getting a divorce is as easy as ordering a latte.

Sound fabulous?  It is!  Leave a comment here and be entered to win one of FIVE copies.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday October 9th after 6pm PST. Good Luck!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JENNA MCCARTHY'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

1.  Hats. I might be the Imelda Marcos of hats. I collect them as souvenirs the way some people stockpile refrigerator magnets or shot glasses. My two favorites are a fluffy red chenille one I got in Dingle (best town name ever), Ireland and a furry leopard bucket model a girlfriend sent me from Paris. Hats are the perfect accessories because they dress up boring basics and you don’t have to style your hair! Cowboy hats, bowlers, newsboy caps, berets—I love them all. Anything but beanies. I have a big head so I look like a convict in those.

2.  Tennis. I grew up actively not playing sports. In my twenties I went to the gym religiously, but I mostly hated it. I’ve probably spent a year of my life on some or another miserable cardio machine, going nowhere. I was thirty when I took my first tennis lesson, and I admit the most compelling thing about the sport to me was the outfits. My first tennis skirt was pink and ruffled and I couldn’t wait to put that thing on. I may have looked halfway cute, but man was I bad. We’re talking balls-flying-off-into-the-street bad. In retrospect, I’m surprised that I had the optimism to stick with it, or the audacity to think that I might ever be able to play the game. But I did and I can and sometimes I even win. That’s still hard for me to believe.

3.  Crazy-super-soft fabrics. Minky blankets, slinky dresses, plush robes, velvety bamboo t-shirts, faux fur anything, zillion thread count Egyptian cotton sheets: If it feels good to wear it or touch it, I am powerless to resist. (I’m a Taurus; I hear lots of us are wired this way.) As it happens, I am violently allergic to cashmere—which is probably a very good thing.

4.  America’s Funniest Videos. I watch very little TV. Not because I’m holier than anyone; I have a hard time sitting still. I have never seen Sex and the City or any of the Real Housewives shows. But I do record AFV. I watch it with my kids—or by myself—and I laugh until I cry. I’ll even rewind the good clips and watch them in slow motion. (Did I really just admit that?) It’s totally lowbrow, I know—and probably says something disturbing about my personality seeing as it’s mostly a show about dumb people hurting themselves—but I can’t help loving it.

5.  Salt. I can’t think of a single non-dessert food that doesn’t taste better to me dusted with salt. I put it on everything, even toast and cheese and licorice. Thankfully I have extremely low blood pressure—at least for now.

DUD

There are plenty of things I don’t particularly care for (apathy, regret, flying, Spinning, telemarketers, cellulite, the word “mauve,” Renee Zellweger, coffee with skin milk in it, dull pencils, the way people in LA refer to the movie business as “the industry” as if it’s the only one in existence, touching the wet hair around the shower drain) but at the tippy-top of the list is plain old rudeness. It’s everywhere! Every day! There’s the jerk who walks through the bank door and doesn’t bother to pause and hold it for you. The cashier who answers the phone while you are standing in front of her trying to complete your transaction. Bores who monopolize every conversation. Children AND ADULTS who don’t say please and thank-you. I realize I sound like someone’s grandma here (“When I was a kid we knew how to be polite, uphill in the snow both ways!”) but honestly, a lack of simple courtesy makes me mental.

Thanks Jenna! xo, L&L

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

Janet Elder's 5 Loves and a Dud

We're suckers for a cute dog almost as much as we're suckers for a good book. Combine the two and you've got Huck:The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family--and a Whole Town--About Hope and Happy Endings, the fantastic New York Times bestseller by Janet Elder. We couldn't be more thrilled to have Janet as our guest today sharing her 5 Loves and a Dud and celebrating the paperback release of Huck (out today). But before we get into all that, can we just stop for a second and talk about this picture of Huck ?  

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Could he be any freakin' cuter? Just wook at that wittle face. Aww...

We know. We know. We're a little crazy for Huck over here. But you'll get it as soon as you read this amazing story that's about so much more than a dog that runs away. It's about love, hope and the kindness of strangers. Be prepared. This book will make you laugh, cry and want a dog just like Huck! (Who even has his own Twitter account. Follow him here.)

Here's the skinny on Huck:  Huck is the true story of a family’s desperate search for their eight month old, nine pound puppy lost in the wild. It is a harrowing adventure story. It is a love story. Michael was four when his relentless campaign for a dog began. At seven he made a PowerPoint presentation, “My Dog,” with headings like “A Childhood Without a Dog is a Sad Thing.” His parents, Janet and Rich, were steadfast; bringing a dog into their fast-paced New York City lives was utterly impractical.

On a trip to Italy, however, a chance happening leads Janet to reconsider, a decision then hastened by a diagnosis of breast cancer. Janet decides the excitement of a new puppy will be the perfect antidote to the strain on the family of months of arduous treatments for her illness. The prospect of a new puppy will be an affirmation of life, a powerful talisman for them all. On Thanksgiving weekend, soon after the grueling months of treatments are over, Huck, a sweet, mischievous, red-haired, toy poodle joins the family and wins everyone’s heart.

A few months later the family ventures to baseball’s spring training, leaving Huck with Janet’s sister in Ramsey, New Jersey. Barely twenty-four hours into the trip, Janet receives the dreaded phone call: Huck has slipped through the backyard fence and run away.

Brokenhearted and frantic, the family catches the first plane to New Jersey to begin a search for their lost puppy. It is a race against time, for little Huck is now lost in an area entirely unfamiliar to him, facing the threat of bears and coyotes, swamps and freezing temperatures, rain and fast cars.

Moved by the family’s plight, strangers – from school children to townspeople to the police lieutenant – join the search, one that proves to be an unyielding test of determination and faith...

Sound like your kind of story? If you leave a comment, you can win one of five copies of Huck. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, October 8th after 6PM EST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JANET ELDER'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

LOVES

1. I love to ride my bike in Central Park. The loop around the park is roughly 6 miles. It’s a modest workout unless you go around the loop two or three times which I often do. Pedaling through the rolling hills and gentle valleys of the park I am able to escape the confines of life lived in an apartment in the concrete canyons of the city.  A good ride frees both body and soul.

2. I love to read on the subway. When I first moved to New York and started taking the subway every day, I was struck by how many people were reading. Step onto any subway car at any time of the day or night and you are likely to see people reading newspapers in many different languages, you’ll see kids reading comics and adults glued to the latest thriller. I often catch up on my periodical reading, The New Yorker, The New Republic, The Economist as well as the guilty pleasures of Vogue, In Style and People.

3. I love Spring flowers -- all of them — tulips, daffodils, cherry blossoms, lilacs, azaleas. If I had a yard, I’d plant them. The winters are too long and too dark. The first crocus always feels like a gift, a reminder that light is on its way.

 4. I love to watch The Office with my son. We’ve been watching it together for years and years. All through his high school years it was a chance to do something together that had no relevance to what either of us was doing the rest of the day or the rest of the week. It was a time out for something silly which often is just what is needed.

5. I love chocolate chip cookies. Who doesn’t? Best warm with milk. I don’t like them too loaded up with chips or butter though. It has to be the right balance. I know I sound pretty finicky, but they have to be home made or why waste the calories?

DUD

I can’t stand waiting of any kind. I always stand on the wrong line in the supermarket. I hate waiting for a table in a restaurant, or the bus or an elevator.

Thanks, Janet! (And Huck!)

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

To find out more about the lovely and talented Janet Elder (who also happens to be a senior editor at the New York Times!) check out her website and follow her on Facebook.

Jackie Collins' 5 Loves and a Dud

Jackie Collins is an author who needs no introduction. She's Jackie. Freakin'. Collins. 400 million copies selling, New York Times bestselling (twenty-eight times over), play writing, movie directing, talk show hosting, Collins.  Ok, so maybe that was an introduction. But, c'mon, she's Jackie. Freakin'. Collins. *Drum roll please*

Calling all Jackie Collins lovers (and if you're not yet in love, you will be...) Lucky Santangelo is back!

In Goddess of Vengeance, Lucky (easily the most iconic heroine in many of Collins' novels) returns in a ferocious new novel that not only shows off the explosive, sexy glitter of the Las Vegas highlife but also introduces readers to a new generation of Santangelos ready to step into the limelight: Lucky’s sexy son, Bobby, and 17-year-old daughter, Max, whose youthful escapades will excite both longtime fans and those who have yet to discover the irresistible Santangelo Family appeal.

One word: Juicy.

Want your own copy? We bet you do! Put your name in the hat to win one of five copies by leaving a comment. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, September 18th after 6pm EST. In the meantime, read a chapter from Goddess of Vengeance here. And be sure to check out her campaign, Girls Can Do Anything, where Jackie asks fans to post to her Facebook page videos, stories and photos of extraordinary women in their lives. Love it!

And now we couldn't be more thrilled that Jackie is sharing her loves and a dud!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JACKIE COLLINS' LOVES AND A DUD

LOVES

I freaking love chocolate.  It has to be milk chocolate and Reese's peanut butter cups rule!

I love driving my sports Jaguar while listening to Drake and Amy Winehouse at full volume.

I love my Twitter followers and Facebook fans!  Smart, fun and full of wisdom and wit.

I love writing.  It is my passion, and there is nothing better than creating interesting, sexy and diverse characters.

DUD

And my dud for the day would be married CHEATERS - men and women.  The smart way is to be faithful - make marriage count or get a divorce.  Role playing can be much more satisfying!

We couldn't agree more!

Thanks, Jackie!

xoxo, L&L

To find out more about the fabulous Jackie Collins, visit her website.

Kate White's 5 Loves and a Dud

We love a good mystery.  Although most days our biggest mystery is where the hell did we set our keys down the night before or why we've gained two pounds after cutting carbs all week.  But today we have a GREAT mystery author for you.  And we think you're going to love her as much as we do! We're thrilled that the ultra-fab Kate White agreed to share her 5 Loves and a Dud with us.  If her name sounds familiar, that might be because she's the editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan Magazine.  Or maybe it's because her first novel, If Looks Could Kill, was Kelly and Regis's first book club pick.  Or maybe you've already read her latest, The Sixes, and loved it as much as we did!  We hadn't read a thriller like this in quite a while, and it was seriously refreshing.  We highly recommend that you grab a copy today!

Here's the deal on The Sixes: Phoebe Hall’s Manhattan life has suddenly begun to unravel. Right after her long-term boyfriend breaks off their relationship, she’s falsely accused of plagiarizing her latest bestselling celebrity biography. Looking for a quiet place to put her life back together, Phoebe jumps at the offer to teach in a sleepy Pennsylvania town at a small private college run by her former boarding school roommate and close friend, Glenda Johns.

But behind the campus’s quiet cafes and leafy maple trees lie evil happenings. The body of a female student washes up on the banks of a nearby river, and disturbing revelations begin to surface: accusations from coeds about abuses wrought by a secret society of girls on campus known as The Sixes.. To help Glenda, Phoebe embarks on a search for clues—a quest that soon raises painful memories of her own boarding school days years ago.

As the investigation heats up, Phoebe unexpectedly finds herself falling for the school’s handsome psychology professor, Duncan Shaw. But when nasty pranks turn into deadly threats, Phoebe realizes she’s in the middle of a real-life nightmare, not knowing whom she can trust and if she will even survive.

Plunging deeper into danger with every step, Phoebe knows she’s close to unmasking a killer. But with truth comes a terrifying revelation: your darkest secrets can still be uncovered . . . and starting over may be a crime punishable by death.

Sound fab?  Then leave a comment and you'll be entered to win one of FIVE copies!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday September 18th after 6pm PST.  Good Luck y'all!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...KATE WHITE'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

1. My delicious new freedom on weekends. My kids are 21 and 24 and I have all this glorious time to myself now. Oh, I adore my kids and I never minded the endless games of War and Candyland and the snake hunts through the woods on Saturdays and Sundays. And it's sad in many respects to have them mostly off on their own. But it's so very sweet to have time to myself again. Sitting on my porch with a book is even more blissful, perhaps, because I somehow thought it would never happen again.

2. Basil. I've always loved this herb but started growing pots of it a few years ago, and I can't get enough of it. I make tons of pesto in the summer and use basil in all sorts of dishes. But one of my favorite things is a basil salad. I had one in Provence last year and though I know it sounds surprising, it's really good as a little side dish. Just leaves of basil with olive oil and vinegar.

3. Reading plays. I love SEEING plays, especially off and off off Broadway in small theaters. But a few years ago I discovered how nice it was to read them. I carry one in my purse. Great for when you are stuck in a long line.

4. Hot weather. I not only love to just BE in hot weather, but I also find it's easier for me to write my mysteries when it's over 80. I have no clue why. Sometimes I think I must have lived in a very warm climate in another life. It's helped my writing to understand this. I've come to see that part of getting yourself to write is knowing all the factors that make you want to do it--the right type of desk, the right time of day, etc. I call it the writer's cocktail.

5. The crazy thing I just did in my 25-year marriage. I know from my day job (editor in chief of Cosmo) that novelty is great for long-term relationships because it releases dopamine, which mimics a feeling of infatuation. Well, I followed my own advice. My husband and I bought a house in Uruguay. Very affordable, not a big risk at all financially. But still kooky and wild to do, and it's been exhilarating.

DUD The Real Housewives series. They make women seem so vile and horrible. I've met a ton of fabulous women in my life and career, and no one even remotely as disgusting as any of those women.

Thanks Kate! xoxo, L&L

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

Jennifer Gardner Trulson's 5 Loves and a Dud

September 11th. One date that will never be same in our minds after the horrific events in 2001. I'm sure we can all remember exactly where we were that terrible morning. Liz's husband's called and woke her up on his way to work to tell her to turn on the TV and Lisa called a few minutes later. We sat on the phone together that day and watched as the world as we knew it disappeared.

Now, on the tenth anniversary of that senseless tragedy comes a memoir by the widow of a Cantor Fitzgerald executive. And we felt that Jennifer's story is an important one to share as we reflect on the past ten years. You'll shed some tears for sure but we think it will be worth it.

Widowed at age 35 with two small children, Jennifer's story is one of sadness, but also courage and transformation-a tale of how to learn to love again after hitting rock bottom. We highly recommend that you grab a copy and check out why Publisher's Weekly said "This hard-hitting memoir achieves a balance between grief and life-affirming determination." We also love that she went on to found the Douglas B. Gardner Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping at-risk children in New York. In fact, a portion of the proceeds of Where You Left Me  will be donated to it.

Here's what you need to know about Where You Left Me: Lucky—that’s how Jennifer would describe herself. She had a successful law career, met the love of her life in Doug, married him, had an apartment in New York City, a house in the Hamptons, two beautiful children, and was still madly in love after nearly seven years of marriage. Jennifer was living the kind of idyllic life that cliches are made of.

Until Doug was killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, and she became a widow at age thirty-five—a “9/11 widow,” no less, a member of a select group bound by sorrow, of which she wanted no part. Though completely devastated, Jennifer still considered herself blessed. Doug had loved her enough to last her a lifetime, and after his sudden death, she was done with the idea of romantic love—fully resigned to being a widowed single mother . . . until a chance encounter with a gregarious stranger changed everything. Without a clue how to handle this unexpected turn of events, Jennifer faced the question asked by anyone who has ever lost a loved one: Is it really possible to feel joy again, let alone love?

Sounds good to you? Then leave a comment and you'll be entered to win one of FIVE copies. (US Residents only on this one, Sorry!) We'll choose the winners on Sunday September 18th after 6pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: JENNIFER GARDNER TRULSON'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

5 LOVES

1. Spin Class Like an addict jonesing for a fix, I cannot function without my regular morning indoor cycling class. There is nothing like a room filled with pony-tailed, Lycra-wearing warriors pounding out the beat to pulsating house music. I’m just not a yoga girl – I can’t lose myself in the quiet. But give me a four-minute climb to Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” and I am on the road to nirvana.

2. Manhattan I grew up in Massachusetts, but moved to New York the first moment I could after graduating from law school. There is something symphonic about the hum and pace of this city. I love that New York is a sprawling metropolis, but a small town for those call it home. It doesn’t matter where one was raised, if you live here, you’re a New Yorker. That was most evident in the aftermath of the devastating attacks of September 11. No one was a stranger after that – with grit, humanity and boundless compassion, New Yorkers came together, resurrected our spirit and restored our faith in our great city.

3. Wint-O-Green Lifesavers. I have a glass bowl in my closet filled with the jumbo, individually-wrapped candies. I’ve been a fan of these green-packaged gems since I was a little girl; my parents used to send them to me in care packages at college. I’ve never taken to gum or those nuclear breath-freshening mints. And, if you take a bite out of one in front of a mirror in a dark room, green sparks come out of your mouth. Try it.

4. HBO/Showtime Original Series Seriously, what’s better than True Blood and Weeds? Or Curb Your Enthusiasm? Or the prematurely-cancelled Deadwood? Great writing and perfect casting make these and HBO/Showtime’s other weekly shows my must-see television. I’m counting the days until the premiere of Dexter.

5. Family holidays A typical week in our apartment looks like seven days of rush hour at Grand Central Station. My children are dashing from school to sports to social functions. My husband and I barely have a moment to wave hello/good-bye as one of us dons the chauffeur hat while the other doles out dollars like a cash machine. I’m sure this family drama plays out in most households, which is why we cherish our school vacation time. Holidays seem to be the only time we, as a family, are in the same place at the same time. It doesn’t matter where we go or not go, the point is to reconnect -- minus the computer and instant messaging, and remind ourselves how fortunate we are to be together. Kids grow up quickly; I’m doing my best to savor these last few years while they are still under my roof.

DUD

I absolutely cannot stand dog owners who refuse to clean up after their pooches. As a proud labra-doodle owner (the beautiful, Harley) who walks her dog around the blocks of our neighborhood, I find it utterly appalling to find “offerings” left by lazy owners along the sidewalks. C’mon people, please clean up! My shoes will thank you.

Thanks Jennifer! xo, L&L

To read more about Jennifer, head on over to her foundation's website or find her on Facebook.

Liane Moriarty's 5 Loves and a Dud

It's a party! We're so excited the fabulous Liane Moriarty is our guest on CLIND! Cue the streamers, balloons and the big band! We've been a fan of this international best-selling author since we read her novel, Three Wishes. And we are majorly in love with her latest, What Alice Forgot, a story about what happens when you're visited by your younger self and get a chance at a do-over. How many of us would love that?! Here's the skinny on What Alice Forgot:

Alice Love is twenty-nine years old, madly in love with her husband, and pregnant with their first child. So imagine her surprise when, after a fall, she comes to on the floor of a gym (a gym! she HATES the gym!) and discovers that she's actually thirty-nine, has three children, and is in the midst of an acrimonious divorce.

A knock on the head has misplaced ten years of her life, and Alice isn't sure she likes who she's become. It turns out, though, that forgetting might be the most memorable thing that has ever happened to Alice.

Sounds fabulous right? If you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of five copies. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm EST on Monday, September 12.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIANE MORIARTY'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

Am I meant to be writing about my relationship history here? In which case, I would need to change it to:  25 Duds and FINALLY, just when I was about to give up, a Love.  But perhaps ‘loves’ can mean whatever I want it to mean?  I’ve got that panicky exam question feeling, as if I’m about to miss the whole point. I may be overthinking this.  I’m the eldest child. We like to get things right.  Well, here goes:

LOVES

1.     Books, books, books.  From the musty-smelling classics with yellowing, delicate pages at Grandma’s house to the chunky, racy, paperbacks in my Dad’s study, I’ve always loved them with an obsessive passion.   The only time I’ve ever opened a gift and literally screamed with delight was when my sister gave me a new Anne Tyler book for Christmas and I didn’t even know she had a new one out.

2.     That first glorious hit of caffeine.   Fellow coffee addicts will understand. I guess I wouldn’t kill for my morning cup of coffee. I might steal. I’d definitely lie.

3.     Readers who write to me. I don’t know why I still haven’t written to any of my favourite authors now I know how wonderful it is to receive letters and emails from readers.  When I finish a book I love, I just greedily reach for the next one, whereas some people take the time to write and say what a book meant to them.  It’s the ultimate in good manners, and I’ll never take it for granted.      

4.     Google.  How in the world did we live without Google? I just Googled that question and wasted half an hour discovering that no-one knows how we lived without Google.  The other day a bird flew into my house and got trapped in the living room. I was panicking. The bird was panicking. His friends gathered at the windows, tapping their beaks against the glass, chirping, GET OUT, GET OUT! My children were thrilled, running about, flapping their arms. What did I do? I googled, ‘bird trapped in house’ and within seconds, I had a solution. (Google it if you want to know.)

5.     Listening to my children make each other laugh.  I had a lot of trouble getting and staying pregnant, and for many years I thought I might have to accept that I wouldn’t ever be a mother.  Now I have a 3 year old son and an eighteen month old daughter, and their wicked laughter is the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. I wish I could send it back through time with a message to myself, “Listen to this.  It’s all going to be worth it.” Maybe the message got through and I heard them laughing in my dreams.   (Lucky I didn’t send back the sound of their tantrums.)

… and a DUD

This whole horrible aging business.  From what I understand, every day that goes by, I’m going to look and feel just a tiny bit worse.  Shouldn’t someone write a letter of complaint about that? Why haven’t we lobbied and legislated against it? (Yes, yes, I know the alternative is worse.)

That seemed like a really depressing note on which to end, so I turned to trusty Google and found this quote:

“I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming…suddenly you find – at the age of 50 say, - that a whole new life has opened before you.” Agatha Christie.

So maybe aging won’t be such a dud after all.  Thank you, Agatha, and I sure hope you’re right.

Thanks, Liane! xoxo, Liz & Lisa

To find out more about the lovely and talented Liane Moriarty, visit her website.

Susan McBride's 5 Loves and a Dud

We are totally diggin' discovering the things our fave authors love.  And we especially like finding out what they think is a major freakin' dud! So far, we have agreed wholeheartedly! Today we have the lovely Susan McBride.  She's the author of The Cougar Club (love the title!) and her latest, Little Black Dress, just came out!  We're thrilled that she's sharing her loves and duds and think Little Black Dress is hella fun.

Here's the scoop on LBD: Two sisters whose lives seemed forever intertwined are torn apart when a magical little black dress gives each one a glimpse of an unavoidable future.

Antonia Ashton has worked hard to build a thriving career and a committed relationship, but she realizes her life has gone off track. Forced to return home to Blue Hills when her mother, Evie, suffers a massive stroke, Toni finds the old Victorian where she grew up as crammed full of secrets as it is with clutter. Now she must put her mother’s house in order—and uncover long-buried truths about Evie and her aunt, Anna, who vanished fifty years earlier on the eve of her wedding. By shedding light on the past, Toni illuminates her own mistakes and learns the most unexpected things about love, magic, and a little black dress with the power to break hearts . . . and mend them.

Sounds fab to you?  Then leave a comment and you'll be entered to win one of FIVE copies!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday, September 11th after 6pm PST.  Good Luck!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...SUSAN MCBRIDE'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

5 LOVES

1. My husband, Ed. Oooh, smooches! (I know, grab the barf bag!) I can’t help it. I love the guy to pieces.  Not only does he get my wacky sense of humor, but he built me a computer—swoon! Plus, he looks hot in his hockey gear AND he rescues me from giant spiders, which seals his place at the top of my list.

2. Print books.  Yes, I’m a tech-dinosaur.  I still have an old flip-phone without a touch screen. It even has a teeny-tiny antennae molded onto it.  I still write checks and don’t bank online.  So it’s probably not surprising that I’m not enamored of e-readers.  I love the smell and feel of a brand-new book, the kind you could smack a fly with and not have broken pieces falling at your feet.

3. Manicures and pedicures with paraffin.  I could wax poetic about going to the day spa, sitting in the massage chair, and having my hands and feet pampered.  It’s my very own mini-vacation since I don’t have much time for real ones.

4. Trees.  I call myself a “tree person,” because I need to be surrounded by green.  Not only do trees block the view of neighboring houses, but they produce oxygen, make shade, and birds like to hang out in them.  I could never live in the desert (well, if I did, I guarantee you I’d be PMS-grade cranky on a daily basis).

5.  True friends.  Having gone through more than a few stinky health scares in the past six years, I’ve really learned who my true friends are. They’re the ones who support me through thick and thin, understand who I am—warts and all—and love me anyway, and constantly assure me that my crazy family isn’t any crazier than theirs.  What would I do without them?

Dud

Politics. Blech! I can hardly turn on the local news or read a paper anymore without gagging on all the sordid details of what’s going on in the Gubmint.  It’s pretty clear that everything politicians need to know they learned in kindergarten:  more precisely, on the playground, teaming up with lobbyists for kickbacks--I mean, kickball--and bullying the weaker kids.  Somebody needs to call a time-out and bring in the real grown-ups to solve things.

Thanks Susan!  xo, L&L

To read more about Susan, head on over to her website or find her on Facebook.

Claire LaZebnik's 5 Loves and a Dud

It's a new month. A new season. And before we know it, it will be a new year (WTF?).  So as much as we (and you!) loved our feature 5 Do's and a Do-Over, we've decided it's time for something else new. So-Beyonce style-let's get up on stage, shake our asses and reveal our newest feature...

5 Loves and a Dud!

Your favorite authors will be dishing about the things they can't live without and the one thing they can do without-- forevuh.

And we couldn't be more thrilled that Claire LaZebnik is the first author to take the plunge and share her list (a must-read. We especially love the bit about sleeping with a dog!). Claire has written several fabulous books including Knitting Under the Influence, If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now and the just released Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts - a hilarious novel about a quirky family...

Keats Sedlak is the sanest member of her nutty nuclear family, but that isn’t saying much. Even though she’s in her twenties, she’s still constantly being summoned back home to help out her brilliant and eccentric parents.  Her two genius siblings are useless: her older sister’s long gone, and her younger brother hasn’t left the house in years.  The one constant in her life is her devoted long-term boyfriend, Tom, who provides a safe port during every familial storm.

Keats always knew that her parents’ marriage wasn’t ideal, but they’d managed to coexist in misery for so long that she assumed they’d stay together forever, so she’s pretty stunned to find out her mother’s filing for divorce and putting their beloved old house on the market.  Even more of a shock is the discovery that her mother has already plunged headfirst into the midlife dating pool, with three different men in her rotation and an unnerving tendency to stay out until the wee hours of the morning.

As her family falls apart, Keats has to reevaluate everything she’s ever assumed about her parents, her siblings, the life she’s made apart from them all, and, most importantly, the kind of love she wants for herself

Sound like a book you'd love? Well, lucky you! Because we have five copies to give away. Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the 5 winners on Tuesday, September 6th after 6pm EST.  And now on to Claire's loves and a dud...

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...CLAIRE LAZEBNIK'S 5 LOVES AND A DUD

LOVES:

1. PRETZEL M&Ms.  You've got your salt, you've got your sugar, you've got your chocolate--all of life's essentials in one round, crunchy package.  I buy them in bulk, which is thrifty, and then I eat them in bulk, which is probably a mistake.  But if loving them is wrong, I don't want to be right.

2.  PANDORA: I'm still amazed at how the little people in my computer can read my mind once I load Pandora.  All I give them is one little song--one tiny clue to my taste--and then they play hour after hour of music I like.  The rare clunker only makes me appreciate how often they get it right.

3. THRIFT STORES.  Going to a thrift store is like going on a treasure hunt:  you hunt through racks and racks of stuff and suddenly stumble on something valuable.  Nothing costs more than a few dollars, even the good stuff, and what little money you spend goes to a good cause.  My all-time favorite is the OUT OF THE CLOSET chain.

4.  REREADING A FAVORITE OLD NOVEL.   I can't tell you how often I'll start a new book with high hopes only to give up halfway through.  When I start to wonder whether it's me--whether I just don't like to read anymore--I head to my bookshelves and pluck out an old favorite, something romantic and engrossing and inspiring.  And then I lose myself in it and remember that reading can be a pure joy.

5.  SLEEPING WITH A DOG.  And, no, I'm not talking about my husband.  I have two very sweet pups, a big gentle labrador and an energetic little poodle mix.  The big one's a good companion when my husband's out of town and I need someone of (almost) comparable size to take his place next to me, but the little one sleeps with me every night.  He curls up with his back against mine and that cozy warmth helps me drift off to sleep.

AND A DUD:

L.A. TRAFFIC.  Such a bummer.  The traffic on the West Side is like this BEAST in our lives.  It's like the troll who lives under the bridge--you know you're going to encounter him and you know that when you do, it's going to go badly for you, but sometimes you have no choice: you just have to cross that freakin' bridge and pay the freakin' toll.

To find out more about the funny and talented Claire LaZebnik, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. And if you're a YA fan, definitely check out her debut YA novel, Epic Fail.

Thanks, Claire!

xoxo, Liz & Lisa