Jenny Colgan's 5 Firsts & Lasts

Today's guest: Jenny Colgan Why we love her: She's a new find for us but we're big fans already. We're only sad we didn't discover her sooner. Next up, we read her other 11+ novels!

Her latest: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe (Out July 2nd!)

The scoop on it: A sweet and satisfying novel of how delicious it is to discover your dreams

Issy Randall can bake. No, Issy can create stunning, mouthwateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. She's much better at baking than she is a filing so when she's laid off from her desk job, Issy decides to open her own little café. But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake plan will take all of her courage and confectionary talent to avert disaster.

Funny and sharp, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is about how life might not always taste like you expect, but there's always room for dessert!

Our thoughts: We devoured this delicious novel. It's the perfect book to read over your July 4th holiday!

Giveaway: TWO copies! (Us/Canada) Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 30th after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: You'll discover a yummy recipe at the beginning of every chapter in Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe! Read chapter one here!

Where you can read more about Jenny: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JENNY COLGAN'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

KISS

First Kiss: In a monastery, believe it or not. I went to a catholic school, which had the dreadful idea of taking us teenagers away with catholic boys from other schools for 'religious retreats' in the summertime. Obviously, the inevitable happened.

Last Kiss: Last night my husband took me out to dinner then we went down to the beach to have ice cream as the sun was setting. That was pretty nice.

BOOK I READ

First Book: My first memories of reading are Frances the Badger. I've read her books to my own children, she's wonderful and can certainly turn a song. The first book I ever read by myself obsessively over and over was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Again, with my own children the effect is extraordinary, they wrest it out of your hands. It also has that wonderful poem about throwing out your tv and filling your house with books- 'and after, each and every kid/ will love you more for what you did'.

Last Book: I am reading and thoroughly enjoying Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann and am just about to start Sisterhood. I think Curtis Sittenfeld is marvelous!

RISK I TOOK

First Risk I Took: I went to Edinburgh University, instead of the local college my parents preferred where I could live with my grandmother. Edinburgh was far off, exotic, and I met people from all over the world instead of just people from my old school. I went a year early, completely on my own, at 16, and it was a real eye-opener.

Last Risk I Took: Ignoring the weather forecast this morning for a run along the beach. I would have achieved roughly the same effect from just jumping into the sea. I kept saying to the children, oh, it's going to clear up, but my four year old insisted on wearing her mackintosh and wellingtons, the full caboodle. She was right and I was wrong. Mind you, in my experience four year olds will wear wellies at any opportunity.

 AHA! MOMENT

First “Aha!” Moment: When I was 15 or 16 my parents, for whatever reason, let me go to a touring production of The Rocky Horror Show with a friend. I grew up in a very small, insular town where I never felt like I fitted in (I realize now of course that this is not in the least unusual).

Anyway, we got to the little local theatre where I'd seen Christmas shows and summer variety and nothing else, and there were all these people dressed up as freaks in fishnets. They had the umbrellas and the rice and they knew all the funny responses. And I was like, oh my God, all these people are different! And funny! And they live in my town! It gave me just so much hope, that there were people out there who weren't purely concerned with makeup and fighting (the two main pursuits at my horrible high school).

Last “Aha!” Moment: For my New Year's resolution I started accompanying on the piano my friend who took up the clarinet after a twelve year break from it. It's such a pleasure to play with him when we're getting it right. This is, I should add, not terribly often.

HELL YA! MOMENT

First “Hell yeah!” Moment: A relationship ended in my early twenties so I did what you're supposed to, and took an evening class. I chose stand-up comedy. The first time I made everyone laugh changed my entire life in an instant. I was rubbish on stage, but unbeknownst to me apparently I could write funny, and that changed everything.

Last “Hell yeah!” Moment: Ha, this is an American website, so excellent, I can say it. My last novel, Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams (to be released in the US in 2014!), won two prizes this year: Best Romantic Comedy and overall Romantic Novel of the Year. I'm British so if we win an award we have to kind of mumble and say oh, no, well, they probably made a mistake, and I’m going to hide it in the toilet. But this is an American site so I can say HELL YEAH! It was brilliant, I was totally thrilled, and here it was! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22559105

Thanks, Jenny!

Kitty Pilgrim's 5 Firsts & Lasts

Today's guest: Kitty Pilgrim Why we love her: We love the way she writes. Her novels are exciting, engaging and memorable!

Her latest: The Stolen Chalice (Out in paperback now!)

The scoop on it:  What links an antique treasure to a sinister group of terrorists? CNN veteran Kitty Pilgrim sweeps us into the glamorous international art world, as lovely oceanographer Cordelia Stapleton and urbane archaeologist John Sinclair return in a perilous new quest.

When Cordelia and Sinclair attend a star-studded gala at the New York Metropolitan Museum, they anticipate merely a pleasurable evening. But as the elite dine and dance in the centuries-old Temple of Dendur, terrorists are planning a deadly assault. The attack is foiled, but it distracts from a massive heist of Egyptian art treasures around the city—among them the fabulous Sardonyx Cup.

The millionaire owner asks Sinclair for help retrieving it, and to Cordelia’s distress, her lover also recruits his old flame, Egyptologist Holly Graham. From a sprawling Wyoming ranch to a Scottish castle, the mysterious canals of Venice, and to Egypt itself, the search leads them to plans for a deadly bio-weapon attack. But could the chalice itself have special powers? Science and the supernatural collide as romantic tension sizzles. And now the three are moving into mortal danger. . . .

Our thoughts: We loved it just as much in paperback as we did the first time around.

Giveaway: Two SIGNED copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 30th after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: Check out the trailer for The Stolen Chalice here!

Where you can read more about Kitty:  Her website, Twitter and Facebook.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...KITTY PILGRIM'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

KISS

First: He was a beast.  And I mean it, bad breath, messy hair, unruly manner, horrible manners at the table.  George would take food off your plate without asking.  His mouth was just awful, spitty, revolting.  He’d been eyeing me all through the meal with a sort of hungry neediness I found pathetic.  His affection was unrequited.  I never really liked him very much at all.  It was just the two of us, alone in the kitchen.  I had just finished a piece of pizza and was enjoying the last delicious bite when it came, an unexpected, unsolicited smack on the mouth, the pink tongue lapping up all the sauce on my lips.  I howled at the invasion.  The sheer effrontery of it all. ( I was two years old.  He was a yellow Labrador retriever.  You didn’t think I would tell you about my first real kiss, did you? That is entirely too sacred.)

Last: My son Beau.  All through childhood he was the baby that clung the longest, kissed with the fierce intensity.  Now, an elegant young man, six foot five, 100 percent rock and roll musician, with a cool swagger, he usually pops a quick one on the side of my head as he leaves.  It’s almost as if he were ashamed to be caught in anything so sentimental.  Last Sunday night, we had dinner and were talking about this and that.  He checked his cell phone for texts and then told me he had to go.  An hour or so is all I get these days and I’m grateful for it.  At the door he suddenly reached down and hugged me so hard my feet left the ground, then he planted a kiss on top of my head, the pressure of it was unexpectedly tender.  “By mom,” he said and left me with tears in my eyes.  They grow up so fast.

RISK I TOOK

First Risk I took: It was a really big risk. Monumental. After I graduated from college I suddenly got a contract to work in Japan.  Back then, living overseas was pre-cell phone, pre-internet.  Moving to Asia on the other side of the world.  The only real way to communicate was by letter.  Even making a phone call required making an appointment with an international operator.  But despite not knowing the language, having nowhere to live, no friends, family, and a host of other uncertainties I hopped on a plane and headed off to Tokyo.  I was so nervous, I don’t think I slept a wink in the plane.  Landing in Tokyo was like going to another planet.  I’d never seen anything like it. But I’ve never regretted taking the leap.

Last Risk: I wrote my first novel The Explorer’s Code as a lark when I was an anchor at CNN.  It was just for my own amusement, to keep me entertained on the train commute home.  I spun a fantasy that started at a gala in Monaco and romped through all the elegant watering holes of Europe. Then I added a dollop of good old-fashioned Victoria polar exploration, and a Russian bad guy or two.   It amused me a lot, and I passed it along to an agent.  He told me that it would be a best seller, (he was right) to quit my anchor job at the news network and become a novelist.  And that is exactly what I did.  Never a regret.  I am having the time of my life.

BOOK I READ

First: When I was a baby, my parents used to put books at the bottom of my crib so when I woke up, I would crawl down there and read for a while until everyone else in the house woke up.  I clearly remember doing that.   But my first heart pounding, oh-my- goodness-book obsession was reading the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the third grade.  I was absolutely enthralled, and immediately started writing my own series in a marble copybook, with myself as Sherlock’s helper.

Last: I am reading a series of books for the Nantucket Book Festival, all of them incredible.  I will moderate a panel with these incredible authors, all of whom have written about far away places.  So I am deep in the middle of a series of four books: Alex Gilvarry, From the Memoirs of a Non Enemy Combatant. Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles No Violet Bulawayo, We Need New Names Vaddey Rather, In the Shadow of the Bayan.

AH-HA! MOMENT

First: I remember in school being distressed over why I didn’t fit in. I was tall (5 11” ) in the 8th grade, skinny, not terribly popular, bookish and shy.  I was not allowed to watch television, so conversations about TV shows and pop culture went entirely over my head.  I didn’t know anything about popular music, movie stars, or much of anything that was relevant in my pre-teen world.  Everyone else seemed so cool, and I was not.   One day, decades later, when I was anchoring the news I realized that the dynamic had reversed.   I was sitting there at the anchor desk, on television, the first to know all about world events, telling everyone else.  I think being so out of the loop in my childhood drove me to find out more about the world.   (And my children were certainly allowed to watch television. )

Last Ah ha moment: I was having dinner with my sons in Williamsburg Brooklyn and feeling very cool.  Here we were at the epicenter of hipness, and I was dining with two fabulously handsome young men: one who is a photographer, the other who is a rock musician.  I was feeling quite smug about my middle-aged coolness, reading over the menu.  My son Beau said  “Mom you should have anything you want.  Don’t worry about your diet.”  I thanked him, thinking he was referring to my still slender figure and the effortless way I have been able to maintain my weight.  My smugness was short lived.  He added in a clueless fashion, “At your age, you don’t have to worry about what you look like.”   You are never really cool to your children.

HELL- YA! MOMENT

First: I was always very adventurous and athletic.  Most of my activities were individual sports, skating, riding, skiing, swimming.  By the time I was fifteen I was quite an athlete.   One winter my friends and I were going skiing, and I was nervous about whether I would be able to keep up.  There were a lot of boys along on the trip and I was anxious lest I be left behind on the slope.  We all started off, and I pushed myself to ski well that day, taking each mogul well, and pushing on, not noticing how the others were doing on the slope.  It was a difficult vertical drop and required my entire concentration.  When I got to the bottom, I looked around.  I was the first to arrive at the lodge.  A guy I had a crush on skied up a few minutes later, winded and chagrined.  “You are a fantastic skier,” he said, impressed.  At that moment I knew I would never let gender prevent me from excelling in any endeavor.

Last: Last week I got my diving certification.  It had been a long process of over a year because of bad luck, bad timing and a host of other problems.   I wanted to learn how to dive to better write my character, Cordelia Stapleton, an oceanographer.  If I couldn’t dive, how would I describe her adventures to my readers?  Last year, my scuba pool course had gone well, but when I went out to the open water dive, the conditions were awful.  I had to abandon the effort.   I tried several times and each effort had to be abandoned because of difficult conditions or equipment problems.  I was getting terribly frustrated about the whole thing, but kept trying.  Finally last week I went down and fulfilled all the requirements to become a certified diver.  Now let the adventures begin!

Thanks, Kitty!

Slice bookshelf and $50 Amazon gift card giveaway!

I don't know about you, but my bookshelf at home is overflowing.  Like hoarder-esque, scary, books coming out of my ass overflowing. So when I heard about Slice Bookshelf, a virtual bookshelf that would not take up any space in my crowded office, I was IN!  Unlike some other bookshelves, it's very user friendly and fun, and I've had fun strolling down memory lane and listing some of my fave books of all time.

Now Slice bookshelf wants YOU! They are giving away one $50 Amazon gift card.  To enter, just create your own Slice bookshelf profile and then come follow mine. We will choose a winner randomly on June 30th after Noon PST. HOW EASY IS THAT?!

To Enter

1. Swing over to Slice Bookshelf and create a profile--it's very quick and easy.

2. Follow my profile.

3. Come back here and leave a comment to be entered!

Good luck! 

Kim Barnouin's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Kim Barnouin Why we love her: She's sassy and knows how to eat right--what's not to love?!

Her latest: Skinny Bitch in Love

The scoop: Clementine Cooper is a born vegan, com­mitted in every way to the healthy lifestyle she was raised with on her father’s organic farm. But how bad could a little butter be? Bad enough to get the ambitious and talented sous chef fired when an influential food critic discovers dairy in Clem’s butternut squash ravioli with garlic sage sauce. Though she was sabotaged by a backstab­bing coworker, Clem finds herself unceremo­niously blackballed from every vegan kitchen in L.A.

Like any vegan chef worth her salt, however, Clem knows how to turn lemons into delicious, cruelty-free lemonade cupcakes. She launches the Skinny Bitch Cooking School in hopes of soon opening her own café in an empty space near her apartment. But on the first day of class, sexy millionaire restaurateur Zach Jeffries puts a fork in her idea with his own plans for the space—a steakhouse. Clem is livid. For a carnivore, Zach is more complicated than she anticipated. He’s also a very good kisser. But could dating one of the most eligible bachelors in the city—and a meat-eater—be as bad for Clem as high-fructose corn syrup? Shouldn’t she fall instead for a man who seems to be her perfect match in every way—like Alexander Orr, a very cute, very sweet vegan chef?

Our thoughts: Fun, fun FUN! Whether you are a foodie or not, you'll be charmed by this one.

Giveaway: One copy! (US Only!)  Leave  comment and you'll be entered to win!  We'll choose the winners after 3pm PST on June 23rd.

Fun fact: Kim is the co-author of the mega NYT bestselling Skinny Bitch books.

Where you can read more about Kim: Her website, Facebook,  Twitter or Pinterest.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...KIM BARNOUIN'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Kiss

First: I was in 6th grade and I had such a crush on a boy named John. We were outside one day and I ran up and kissed him really quick on the lips then ran home! He eventually broke my heart and started "going out" with another girl.

Last: I kissed my husband of ten years, last night to say goodnight. It would have been a morning kiss but he had to be at work really early this morning and our son was in ourbed and he didn't want to wake us up.

Book

First: My mom used to read Winnie the Pooh to me every night when I was little. It was my favorite book for many years. We would read the book in my bed until I fell asleep,as a parent now I'm sure my mom was so sick of reading the same book night after night!

Last: The Shack by William P. Young. It was given to me a few years ago and I had noidea what it was about. It totally shocked me, not only because it wasn't what I wasexpecting but because it was such a fantastic book. The story is so heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. It will always be one of my favorites.

Risk

First: I was probably 15 years old when I got a huge Mohawk. It was in the 80's when everyone was into Madonna and Wham!, and here I was all in black with a blackMohawk. It was risky in my suburban town in Maryland, there weren't many people looking like that. I didn't care what people thought of me, I was just going through my own crazy rebellious phase.

Last: Doing a fiction book! I'm not known for fiction so it was a risk doing something new. I just had a feeling that it was time to do something different. I guess I take a risk each time I write a new book, because you never know what's going to be well received and what isn't.

Hell ya Moment

First: I was about 19 years old and I was modeling part time. I was doing a pretty big fashion show in Washington D.C and I remember walking out on the runway in a black sequined dress and seeing tons of people watching me. It was a pretty big high, I felt like the bomb at that moment. Especially after coming off the Mohawk phase!

Last: A few months ago my son won an award at school for creativity. I was in the auditorium taking pictures and he didn't know I was there. When they called his name Iwas a slobbering mess, and he stood up there in front of everyone looking at his award in disbelief. I was like, "yeah, that's my boy"!

Aha Moment

First: A number of years ago I read the book Real Magic by Wayne Dyer. I remember being completely floored by what he was saying, it is basically about the power to achieve our dreams and to live the life we really want to live. No one had ever told me before that I could do or be anything I wanted. It all clicked for me and ever since then magic started happening in my own life.

Last: I was about to turn 40 and I had heard many women talk about how things really changed for them in their 40's, that it was a really great time in their lives, etc. I was skeptical. Then one day when I was 41 it hit me, I totally got what those women were talking about. I had been feeling such freedom for the past few years, in the sense of being comfortable with who I was as a woman, and in my marriage and life in general. I don't have any of those old hang ups I had in my 20's and 30's. I'm not saying I have it all figured out, but I just feel so much better in my own skin than I ever have in my life.

Thanks, Kim!

Barbara Delinsky's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest: Barbara Delinksy Why we love her: Her books never disappoint!

Her latest: Sweet Salt Air

The Scoop: Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole's coastal island house off of Maine. But many years, and many secrets, have kept the women apart. A successful travel writer, single Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, keeps house in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. When Nicole is commissioned to write a book about island food, she invites her old friend Charlotte back to Quinnipeague, for a final summer, to help. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for talking to people and making friends, and Nicole could use her expertise for interviews with locals. Missing a genuine connection, Charlotte agrees.

But what both women don't know is that they are each holding something back that may change their lives forever. For Nicole, what comes to light could destroy her marriage, but it could also save her husband. For Charlotte, the truth could cost her Nicole’s friendship, but could also free her to love again. And her chance may lie with a reclusive local man, with a heart to soothe and troubles of his own.

Our thoughts: REALLY great--and we love the cover too!

Giveaway: TWO copies!  Leave a comment and we'll choose the winners on June 23rd after 3pm PST.

Fun Fact:  Barbara has NINETEEN NYT bestsellers under her belt--WOW!

Where you can read more about Barbara: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...BARBARA DELINSKY'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS

First:  His name was Paul, we were dancing in a darkened basement to “The Twelfth of Never” (Johnny Mathis), and he wasn’t the greatest kisser.  Or so I learned.  Which leads me to the following.

Last:  My husband.  This morning.  He knows what he’s doing.

BOOK YOU READ

First:  Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey – at least, that’s the first one I remember.  Hey, I’m from Boston.  What more can I say?

Last:  I just reread F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in advance of seeing the movie. Starting it, I felt it was unnecessarily dense.  I kept hearing my editor say, “Spit it out, say what you want without getting lost in the words.”  Then I started to love getting lost in Fitzgerald’s words.  I just finished it, and I’m haunted by the tragedy of these characters’ lives.

RISK YOU TOOK

First:  Daring to write a book.  Actually no, that wasn’t the risk.  The risk was daring to send the book I’d written to New York.  It wasn’t easy.  My book is my baby.  What if I send it to strangers who cut it to bits?

Last:  Switching from PC to Mac.  Nothing about technology is intuitive to me.  Sorry, but my mind just works a different way.  But I needed a new computer and my web designer swore by his iMac.  I told myself that I could do it, and a dozen migraines later, I have!

HELL YA! MOMENT

First:  My childhood wasn’t terribly happy, not the least of it being social misery in high school.  So when I started college, I chose a new name.  From freshman orientation on, I wasn’t Barbara, I was Bobbi.  I felt like a different person, acted like a different person.  Hell ya!  I was reborn.  Those college years were phenomenally happy for me.  The funniest thing, of course, was being home over vacations, having college friends call on the phone. and hearing my dad say, “Bobbi?  Who?”

Last:  Several weeks ago, grandparents’ visiting day was held at my grandkids’ school.  What to wear?  I mean, most of the other guests would be dressed like, well, grandparents.  I didn’t want to look outlandish by comparison.  But I do like my purple nail polish.  And my leopard leggings.  And the feather in my hair.  Hell ya!  This is the me my grandkids know.

Thanks, Barbara!

What's in Liz & Lisa's Beach Bag? + Flash Giveaway!

We don't know about you, but we love on summer! It's all about warm weather, cool cocktails and  fabulous fiction! So what are we reading this month? Check out the five books we couldn't put down. And if you leave a comment about what book you're excited to devour on your next trip to the shore, you'll be and be entered to win 5 mystery books for your own pool tote! We'll select the winner on Wednesday, June 19th after 3pm PST.) Happy Reading!

Faking It by Cora Cormack

The scoop: Mackenzie "Max" Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

Our thoughts: We love us some new adult! And this novel is so much fun!

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger

The scoop: Almost a decade has passed since Andy Sachs quit the job “a million girls would die for” working for Miranda Priestly at Runway magazine—a dream that turned out to be a nightmare. Andy and Emily, her former nemesis and co-assistant, have since joined forces to start a highend bridal magazine. The Plunge has quickly become required reading for the young and stylish. Now they get to call all the shots: Andy writes and travels to her heart’s content; Emily plans parties and secures advertising like a seasoned pro. Even better, Andy has met the love of her life. Max Harrison, scion of a storied media family, is confident, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous. Their wedding will be splashed across all the society pages as their friends and family gather to toast the glowing couple. Andy Sachs is on top of the world. But karma’s a bitch. The morning of her wedding, Andy can’t shake the past. And when she discovers a secret letter with crushing implications, her wedding-day jitters turn to cold dread. Andy realizes that nothing—not her husband, nor her beloved career—is as it seems. She never suspected that her efforts to build a bright new life would lead her back to the darkness she barely escaped ten years ago—and directly into the path of the devil herself...

Our thoughts: Such a satisfying sequel!

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season. When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should--and should not--marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.

Our thoughts: Sassy, smart and funny, it's all the good things you've heard and more.

The First Affair by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Following college, Jamie McAllister wins a prestigious internship at the White House that she has no idea will irrevocably alter her life. An unexpected flirtation with the handsome and charismatic Gregory Rutland quickly leads to an emotional relationship she is ill equipped to handle at twenty-two. Each time she tries to extricate herself Greg is unable to find the strength to let her go. Meanwhile, the opposing party mobilizes to annihilate his presidency by any means necessary.

As Gregs conflicting desires drive her to the breaking point, Jamie cant help but reveal intimate details to those closest to her. But she must have unburdened herself to the wrong personbecause within a matter of weeks Jamie finds herself, and everyone she loves, facing highly calculated destruction at the hands of Gregs political enemies.

With her every mistake dragged out for the world to judge, Jamie has to endure an unprecedented trial in the court of public opinion with the fate of the President, his party, and the country at stake.

Now, years later, can the woman infamously known as the girl in the blue dress make sense of this affair, and the trauma it wrought, for the world and for herself?

Our thoughts: Such an engrossing story! OMG, you must read! (PS: We know this doesn't come out until August 27th, but we were lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy and just had to talk about it right now!)

All My Restless Life to Live by Dee DeTarsio

The scoop: Life is a soap opera in All My Restless Life to Live, especially for Elle Miller, who writes for one. (Ellen dropped the “n” in her name in hopes of finding a better ending for herself.) When her laptop crashed, she borrowed her dead dad’s computer and got more than she bargained for. As Elle comes to terms with her father’s death, she’s busy unraveling mysterious communications from his computer. From dealing with her mom, who has decided to give Internet dating a try, to saving her career at I’d Rather Be Loved, with a storyline featuring a trip through Atlantis, to a trip to the Emmys, Elle also finds herself in the middle of a romance between a real doctor and a hunk who just plays one on TV. Friends, family, and clues from “the other side” all help Elle figure out the difference between living the good life and living a good life. Hint: The universe always gives us clues.

Our thoughts: We're big fans of Dee's books! And this is definitely our favorite yet.

Jessica Anya Blau's 5 Firsts & Lasts

Today's guest: Jessica Anya Blau Why we love her: We literally bumped into her at the Harper Collins party when we were in NYC for BEA. And when she told us about her latest novel, we were immediately intrigued and started reading it on the plane ride home!

Her latest: The Wonder Bread Summer

The scoop on it: In The Wonder Bread Summer, loosely based on Alice in Wonderland, 20-year-old Allie Dodgson has adventures that rival those Alice had down the rabbit hole. Or those of Weeds’ Nancy Botwin.

Allison is working at a dress shop to help pay for college. The dress shop turns out to be a front for drug dealers. And Allison ends up on the run—with a Wonder Bread bag full of cocaine.

With a hit man after her, Allison wants the help of her parents. But there’s a problem: Her mom took off when Allison was eight; her dad moves so often Allison that doesn’t even have his phone number….

Set in 1980s California, The Wonder Bread Summer is a wickedly funny and fresh caper that’s sure to please fans of Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, and Marcy Dermansky.

Our thoughts:  We could not put this book down. A hilarious summer read! (Plus: Doesn't it have like the best cover ever?)

Giveaway: Two SIGNED copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 16th after 12PM PST.

Where you can read more about Jessica: Her website ,Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JESSICA ANYA BLAU'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

Kiss

First: I come from a kissy family so certainly I was kissed a lot as a kid. My great-grandmother didn’t speak English (that I had ever heard) and she laid some pretty terrifying kisses on me as she spit out a guttural Yiddish. But my first romantic kiss was when Scott Carpenter said, “Jessica, come here, I want to tell you something.” We were standing at the top of a hill on the cul de sac where I lived. It was a bright sunny day and the sidewalk was chalky clean. Scott leaned in and kissed me quickly on the tip of my nose. I think he was aiming for my lips but missed. Then he turned and ran as fast as he could down the hill and away from me. Matt B. was the first boy who French kissed me and it was a messy affair. There was drool sliding down my neck.

Last: My husband thirty seconds ago just before he walked out of the room.  He’s a kiss-when-you-enter, kiss-when-you-exit kind of guy.

Book I read

The first book I read to myself was a French counting book. On each page was a number with a play on the pronunciation of the word. On the page for the number four it said QUATRE and there was a picture of a cat (the reader was supposed to pronounce quatre as CAT). And on the page for the number five it said CINQ and there was a picture of the cat sinking in a tank of water (cinq was to be pronounced SANK). I loved that book. The next book I remember reading is Madeleine by Ludwig Bemelmans.

The last book I read was Cheryl Strayed’s WILD.  I’m probably the last person on the planet to read it. I can’t wait to see the movie.  Nick Hornby wrote the script and I’m a huge Hornby fan (as well as a Strayed fan, too, now!).

Risk I Took

First: I was a pretty fearful and quiet kid and until around age seven, I preferred to hang out with my mother and read books (she read for hours each day—not to me, beside me) than hang out with kids. So my first real risk was probably when I agreed to sleep over at the neighbor girl’s house when I was five. It was a long, miserable night. We shared a bed and she tortured me by making horse whiney noises with her face an inch from mine. I couldn’t wait to go home.

Last: Every day that I sit down to write, I feel like I’m taking a risk. I’m risking failure, humiliation, rejection, time-wasting, revealing how stupidy-dumb-dumb I am, etc.  I write in spite of these risks. Yet, still, all the perils of this occupation occur to me each time I open my computer.

Aha! Moment

First: When I was a little kid I didn’t understand children. I thought the things they wanted to do weren’t interesting. I liked reading, I liked quietly mothering my dolls, and I liked having tea with the old lady who lived across the street.  Then my family moved to California and I discovered friends who were fun, exciting and imaginative. I suddenly realized that it could be great to hang out with people my age.

Last: Wow, I feel like I have Aha! moments every day. Today I had one when I was wearing a white shirt with a blue and white polka dot bra. (I was rushing this morning when I got dressed and didn’t realize the bra showed through until I was out of the house.) It was a hot day so I thought I could pretend it was a bathing suit and that I was coming from the pool (this pretending was going on in my head since the general public wasn’t discussing the polka dot bra with me!). Then, around six, I met a couple friends at the neighborhood pool.  My one friend said, “Why are you wearing a polka dot bra under that white shirt?” I asked her if it didn’t just look like I was wearing a bathing suit. She said it looked like I was wearing a polka dot bra. And I thought, “Aha! I’ve fooled no one and I just look like an idiot!”

Hell ya! Moment

My first Hell ya! moment was probably when I fell in love repeatedly in sixth grade. The entire class was falling in love and switching up boyfriends weekly.  The whole love stuff was pretty fun and exciting and I remember thinking a version of Hell Ya! when the class went to sleep away camp and my friends and I spent all our energy maneuvering for hand holding or kissing.

My last Hell ya! moment was about thirty minutes ago when my daughter handed me an award she got for a short film she made. She worked really hard on that film (writing it, storyboarding, casting it, shooting it, editing it) and Hell Ya! she deserved that award!

Thanks, Jessica!

Sally Koslow's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Sally Koslow Why we love her: Her writing is insightful!

Her latest: The Widow Waltz

The scoop: Georgia Waltz has things many people only dream of: a plush Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park, a Hamptons beach house, valuable jewels and art, two bright daughters, and a husband she adores, even after decades of marriage. It’s only when Ben suddenly drops dead from a massive coronary while training for the New York City Marathon that Georgia discovers her husband—a successful lawyer—has left them nearly penniless. Their wonderland was built on lies.

As the family attorney scours emptied bank accounts, Georgia must not only look for a way to support her family, she needs to face the revelation that Ben was not the perfect husband he appeared to be, just as her daughters—now ensconced back at home with secrets of their own—have to accept that they may not be returning to their lives in Paris and at Stanford subsidized by the Bank of Mom and Dad. As she uncovers hidden resilience, Georgia’s sudden midlife shift forces her to consider who she is and what she truly values. That Georgia may also find new love in the land of Spanx and stretch marks surprises everyone—most of all, her.

Our thoughts: We couldn't put it down!

Giveaway: ONE copy! Leave a comment and we'll choose a winner after 3pm PST on Sunday June 16th.

Fun Fact: Sally's experience working with at the short-lived Rosie magazine inspired her first novel, Little Pink Slips.

Where to read more about Sally: Her website, Facebook or Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...SALLY KOSLOW'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Kiss

First: Mark and I were 13, at summer camp in northern Wisconsin. A few times over the session the counselors would declare that after taps, there would be a “night walk.” This meant that a boy could ask you to this prom-worthy event. Mark and I strolled around the campgrounds, swatting away mosquitos and reeking of insect repellant as The Twelfth of Never and Moon River blared from the loudspeakers. He kissed me in front of the lake. The slippery tongue was a shock.

Last: This morning when my husband left for work. Robby and I met in college, and have practically grown up together. When I look at him, I see a19-year-old hippie, not a handsome man with silvery sideburns in a Hermes tie.

Risk

First: After I graduated from college I wanted a job on a magazine. Unaware that Conde Nast was the ooh-la-la of publishers, I had the audacity to apply there and landed an entry-level position at Mademoiselle. This meant moving from the Midwest to New York City. A friend who’d lived in Manhattan decided to bail, so I took her apartment, not knowing it was in a rough neighborhood, muggers right and left. The first day of work I figured out to get to the office by bus, but I had no clue how to get home. I am grateful to have been gullible enough to do these things at 21 and start what turned out to be a long, satisfying run in magazines.

Last: My agent heard me riff about the challenges of raising young adult children and suggested that I write a book about it--nobody else was reporting on this subject, and she found it interesting. I was skeptical. I saw myself as a novelist—I’d written three novels in six years, although I’d written dozens of magazine articles. Still each one of them was only about 3000 words long. Books are about 100,000 words long, and for this topic, I’d need to uncover hundreds of baby boomer parents and their drifting offspring and convince them to prattle on about frustrations, worries and disappointments. Plus I’d need to charm interview subjects to allow me to use their real names in the book. Daunting. I rose to the challenge, however, and wrote a hybrid of reporting and memoir that was published last year and has recently been released as a paperback, Slouching Toward Adulthood: How to Let Go So Your Kids Can Grow Up. The best part? NBC found the book funny and apt and has optioned it for a TV series. This is a lot like buying a lottery ticket. I am not holding my breath.

Book You Read

First: As a four- and five-year-old, I poured over my Golden Books for the pictures, because I couldn’t read. In grade school I loved the Betsy, Tacy and Tib series by Maud Hart Lovelace; Peter Pan; and volume D of our encyclopedia, with its photographs of dogs as well as “Dolls of the World.” But my favorite was The Secret Garden, which wet my appetite for Jane Eyre, Rebecca and Wuthering Heights when I was a teenager.

Last: Claire Messud’s The Woman Upstairs is one of my year’s favorites. It fully engaged me. Nora Eldridge, the main character and “woman upstairs,” her term for what we used to call a harmless spinster, becomes beguiled by one of her third-grade students and his worldly parents. The language is rich and contemporary, at turns savagely funny and touching, and the ending broke my heart.

Hell Ya

First: I was a kid whom adults exhorted to “smile!” Hell was being forced to call my mother’s friends and ask them to buy Camp Fire Girls candy. So in ninth grade, I was terrified about having to take Speech, where a wry and gifted teacher coached us on how to address a group. To my shock, when I stood in front of the podium, a bolder me emerged--perhaps this is the way an actress feels—and I became the class star. This may be the most practical class I ever took. I’ve had little further media training, yet feel comfortable speaking in front of a group of any size or on television, which I’ve had to do extensively, both as the editor of magazines and as an author. I realized you shouldn’t make assumptions about your capabilities. Let yourself be surprised.

Last: The concept for my second novel came to me at a long funeral for a neighbor I barely knew. By the time I’d left the service, I’d decided to write a novel called The Late, Lamented Molly Marx, which begins with Molly being able to observe who attended her funeral, which I’ve always thought is a fantasy many of us share. This book went on to become a Target Book Club pick and a bestseller in Germany, which yielded my first royalty check. How do you say hell ya in German?

Aha Moment

First: I went east to college, all the way from North Dakota to Wisconsin, where students from the east coast so impressed me with their sophistication that much of the confidence I’d known as a high school student—editor of the school paper, blah blah—evaporated. Still, masochistic as it may seem, after graduation I decided to New York City and got a job at a magazine. Once I worked in that field I grew to consider my Midwestern roots as an advantage, because most magazines readers are not from Manhattan: they are women like those I knew from childhood. I also didn’t take me long to realize that while many New Yorkers have a certain amount of bluster, they are a lot less “sophisticated,” then I’d originally thought. Many can be shockingly provincial.

Last: I felt born to be a magazine editor, so much so that when I lost a great job and then another, both under circumstances that struck me as crazy and unjust, I melted into a puddle of nothing. Joining a writing workshop allowed me to channel my righteous indignation and look at my situation objectively. What I saw was funny. I, a girl from Fargo, became a top editor in New York City, only to lose her job to a batty celebrity. It’s a ridiculous plot line, even if it’s true, but with a big helping of hubris I used it to write a novel inspired by my own misfortune. This became my debut novel, Little Pink Slips. I want to puke when I hear spiritual porn like “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” but I’ve learned that no one has only career-path that plays to their strengths.

Thanks, Sally!

Liane Moriarty's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Liane Moriarty Why we love her: Her books are BRILLIANT!  And funny!

Her latest: The Hypnotist's Love Story

The Scoop: Ellen O'Farrell is an expert when it comes to human frailties. She's a hypnotherapist who helps her clients deal with everything from addictions to life-long phobias. So when she falls in love with a man who is being stalked by his ex-girlfriend she's more intrigued than frightened. What makes a supposedly smart, professional woman behave this way? She'd love to meet her!

What she doesn't know is that she already has. Saskia has been masquerading as a client, and their lives are set to collide in ways Ellen could never have predicted.

Our thoughts: LOVED this one and could not turn the pages fast enough! Pick it up!

Giveaway: TWO copies! (US only) Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners after 3pm on June 23rd.

Fun fact: Liane is an Aussie!

Where to read more about Liane: Her website and Facebook.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIANE MORIARTY'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

Kiss

First: In a public telephone box with a six foot, sixteen year old Polish boy.  He was calling his Mum to come and pick us up from the railway station.  It blew my good little catholic girl mind.

Last: On my three year old daughter’s forehead. I’d just dropped her off at preschool, and she was already busy, chatting to her friends, her hands deep in some brown clay.  It didn’t blow my mind, but it was very lovely, so thank you for making me remember it.

Book

First: I have no idea, so I’ll pick one at random and say The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I can’t wait to read it with my own children and rediscover all those wonderful characters: Moonface, the Saucepan Man, Silky, and the slide! The slide through the centre of the tree! You sat on a cushion! For some reason I was particularly taken with the idea of the cushions. So comfy!  Actually, I recently tried to tell my son about the Magic Faraway Tree and the slide and the cushions and the magical lands at the top of the tree but he got that patient, kindly look he gets when I’m being boring or crazy.

Last: Life after Life by Kate Atkinson. I absolutely loved everything about it. She’s a genius.

Risk

First: It must have been the moment I used a piece of furniture to haul myself up to a standing position and decided to just…let go. Each time I see a child do that for the first time, I think it must be the most incredible feeling to suddenly be upright and feel your body behaving in such a different way. Like learning to fly.

Last: When I reversed out of my driveway this afternoon to pick my son up from school. Reversing is always risky for me. The last time I took my car to the smash repairers, the boss called all his boys out of the workshop just to see my car. I’m proud to say there wasn’t a single undamaged panel. Today’s risk paid off, just a tiny clip of one side-mirror.

Hell ya moment

First: My mother always tells me one of her favourite memories is walking through a shopping centre with me and my father, after they’d just bought me my first ever pair of shoes.  The shoes were bright red. I was holding my parents’ hands and kept nearly toppling over because I was bent so far forward to examine my enthralling new shoes. Presumably I was thinking: Hell ya, they look good!  I’m still quite partial to red shoes.

Last: Seeing my five year old son score his first goal at soccer. You should have seen it. Seriously. The skill.  The pure athleticism.  The razor sharp concentration.  I did that whole undignified arm-flinging, shrieking, running-around-in-circle thing, as if he’d just won an Olympic medal. And then there was the little self-conscious smile he gave me and his Dad on the sideline. I’ll treasure that memory, in the same way Mum treasures the red shoes memory.

Aha Moment

First: It must have been my first taste of chocolate.  I don’t actually remember it, but I always remember the delirious, revelatory expression on my daughter’s face when she tried it for the first time: Aha. This is what they should be feeding me. This is what I like. Not that other stuff. This. Only this.

Last: I’d never had any interest in golf, but some friends recently convinced me to take lessons. “Aha,” I thought when I first heard that satisfying thwack of my club against the golf ball and saw it soar through the air and on to the green. “This I why people love it.”  And then, just a few minutes later, when I kept hacking away and missing, “Aha. This is why people say golf is a good way to ruin a nice walk.”

Flash Giveaway! Jen Lancaster's The Tao of Martha

Giveaway: TWO copies of The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All of That Glitter off of the Dog The scoop: One would think that with Jen Lancaster’s impressive list of bestselling self-improvement memoirs—Bitter Is the New Black; Bright Lights, Big Ass; Such a Pretty Fat; Pretty in Plaid; My Fair Lazy; and Jeneration X—that she would have it all together by now.

One would be wrong.Jen’s still a little rough around the edges. Suffice it to say, she’s no Martha Stewart. And that is exactly why Jen is going to Martha up and live her life according to the advice of America’s overachieving older sister—the woman who turns lemons into lavender-infused lemonade.By immersing herself in Martha’s media empire, Jen will embark on a yearlong quest to take herself, her house, her husband (and maybe even her pets) to the next level—from closet organization to craft making, from party planning to kitchen prep.

Maybe Jen can go four days without giving herself food poisoning if she follows Martha’s dictates on proper storage....Maybe she can grow closer to her girlfriends by taking up their boring-ass hobbies like knitting and sewing.…Maybe she can finally rid her workout clothes of meatball stains by using Martha’s laundry tips.… Maybe she can create a more meaningful anniversary celebration than just getting drunk in the pool with her husband....again. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll discover that the key to happiness does, in fact, lie in Martha’s perfectly arranged cupboards and artfully displayed charcuterie platters.

Or maybe not.

Our thoughts: HILARIOUS. Absolutely loved, loved, loved! And are now inspired to do something domestic (SANS glitter!).

Where you can read more about Jen: Her website, Twitter and Facebook.

Leave a comment to be entered. The winners will be chosen on Wednesday, June 12th after 8am PST.

7 Questions for the author of No Bake Makery + Giveaway!

Today's guest: Cristina Suarez Krumsick Why we love her: She shows us how to make delicious desserts without turning on the oven--doesn't get much better than that!

Her book: No Bake Makery: More than 80 Two-Bite Treats Made with Lovin', not an Oven

The scoop on it: What's the easiest way to make delicious and adorable desserts? Without an oven!

That's NO BAKE MAKERY-all of the fun, but none of the fuss. These creative, two-bite treats of all kinds are impossible for anyone to resist-on any occasion. In addition to tips for perfecting your technique, ideas for decorating, and sidebar recipes, Cristina Suarez Krumsick serves up simple step-by-step instructions for her favorite no-bakems, from Cinnamon & Spice Bark, Bite o' Joe Truffles, and Key Lime Pie to Mintamelon Pops, Applesauce Cake, Fluffy Cracker Cookies, and beyond!

They're all cute. They're all bursting with flavor. And you don't need an oven to make any of them.

Our thoughts: Two words: De. Licious. Or maybe that's just one. :)

Fun fact: She launched the No Bake Makery from her apartment in Brooklyn.

Giveaway: TWO copies! Just leave a comment to be entered. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 9th after 12 pm PST.

Where you can read more about the No Bake Makery: Facebook, Twitter and Cristina's website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...7 QUESTIONS FOR CRISTINA SUAREZ KRUMSICK

L&L: We love the cover of your book, what's the story behind it?

CSK: I really wanted to cover to have a retro feel because the book has a lot of recipes that are twists on throwback goodies. On the other hand, I wanted it to have a cute edge too because all the treats are just that (I think so anyway!). I think the black and white and pops of color, chocolate hearts and props really do the trick. In terms of selecting the treats for the cover shot, we did a bunch of brainstorming on what would best represent the book. We wanted people to say “Those are so cute and look yummy! Wait, I can no-bake that?”

L&L: Out of all of your no bake yummy treats, do you have a favorite?

CSK: Mmmm hard question! I really love the icebox cakes. They are so easy make your own and practically impossible to mess up! I also love the no-bake brownies. These are basically fudge with cookie crumbs. They set into this fudge brownie consistency. I have literally had to make them in front of people to prove that they aren’t baked! It’s awesome.

L&L: You say you choose not to bake because it's more fun and gives more flexibility, but do you ever, gulp, bake? Or would that be like cheating on your no bake treats?

CSK: I use the oven for savory food all time. I love slow cooking pork, roasting chicken, veggies, you name it. The oven is great for savory food because you don’t need to be so precise. Baking on the other hand…totally opposite scenario. So, I really barely bake sweets.

And when I do it’s usually out of a box and I kinda do feel like it’s cheating! I am pretty transparent about it though! On instagram I usually hashtag #yesbake.

L&L: What's it like to be a publicist for a major publishing house and to now be on the other side of the publicity with your cook book?

CSK: It’s awesome and challenging at the same time! You would think after sitting in so many greenrooms and talking to so many editors and producers about book coverage for my authors, I would be totally collected about my own publicity. But nope, I get super nervous about all of it! Being behind the scenes is fun and challenging. Being in front is scary and exciting!

I think walking both lines has made my work stronger and better for sure.

L&L: What no bake treats are you recommending for summer?

I have a whole chapter on cold treats that are just perfect for hot weather. I have this recipe for banana ice cream that is SO yummy, refreshing and easy. It’s one of my faves.

L&L: When you're not wearing your publicity hat or no baking, what do you like to do?

CSK: Reading! I am big fiction reader and I am so lucky to work with some of the best.  I also love yoga, running, and just hanging with people I love.

L&L: What books will be in your beach bag this summer?

CSK: So many! To start…Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin, Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger and Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Well rounded, huh?

Thanks, Cristina!

Photo credit: Jeremy Krumsick

Claire Cook's 5 Firsts & Lasts

Today's guest: Claire Cook Why we love her: Not only is she one of our favorite authors, but we just love her--she's incredibly kind & supportive!

Her latest: Time Flies (Out June 11th!)

The scoop on it: Years ago, Melanie followed her husband, Kurt, from the New England beach town where their two young sons were thriving to the suburbs of Atlanta. She’s carved out a life as a successful metal sculptor, but when Kurt leaves her for another woman, having the tools to cut up their marriage bed is small consolation. She’s old enough to know that high school reunions are often a big disappointment, but when her best friend makes her buy a ticket and an old flame gets in touch to see whether she’ll be going, she fantasizes that returning to her past might help her find her future…until her driving phobia resurfaces and threatens to hold her back from the adventure of a lifetime. Time Flies is an epic road trip filled with fun, heartbreak, and friendship, and explores what it takes to conquer your worst fears…so you can start living your future.

Our thoughts: A summer must-read, you will love this escape!

Giveaway: 1 signed copy! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winner on Sunday, June 9th after 3 pm PST.

Fun fact: You have until midnight on June 10th to enter the TIME FLIES Sweepstakes! You and one of your oldest and dearest friends could win an all-expense-paid weekend including airfare at the amazing Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas July 26-28 - worth over $4,500! You'll get a chance to reunite with your friend, relax, and attend a party with Claire! Enter on Facebook or at ClaireCook.com.

Where you can read more about Claire: Her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. And catch one of her Time Flies book tour events.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...CLAIRE COOK'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

1. Kiss

First: We were six. I was a good girl, all about impressing the nuns, which in parochial school basically meant posture, penmanship, and memorization. And then I discovered the lure of the bad boy. We kissed and I think he knocked out one of my front teeth, though I'm pretty sure these were two separate incidents.

Last: My husband and I just received a notice from the IRS saying we'd underpaid our taxes by an amount of money so big that I can’t even type it. I mean, we were seriously going to lose everything we owned. Major, major panic. I scanned and emailed all ten pages of the notice to our accountant at 8:30 at night, and he emailed back about five minutes later saying that it was a mistake. "We don't have to move in with our kids!" my husband and I yelled. And then we kissed.

2. Risk I took

First: My father had taken the training wheels off my bike. My sole training wheel-less experience at that point had been going back and forth across the driveway with him casually resting one hand on the back wheel. But we’d just moved and I wanted to impress my new friend who lived at the very top of the street. So I walked my two-wheeler up the steep hill to her house. When it was time to leave, I thought I’d just ride until I was out of sight, and then jump off and walk my bike the rest of the way home. I could picture it so clearly in my mind, which to this day I still find is the curse of having the brain of a novelist. Things got out of control pretty quickly, further complicated by the fact that I couldn’t find the brakes. Wipeout!

Last: After two decades living in a little beach town between Boston and Cape Cod, my husband and I sold our 1890 Victorian, got rid of almost everything we owned, and moved to the suburbs of Atlanta. Every day is a new adventure, and it’s been great to shake things up.

3. Book I read

First: The Nancy Drew Mysteries were the first books that I fell completely in love with. I can remember telling myself I’d go to sleep after I finished this chapter, but I just couldn’t do it, and would have to keep reading into the night.

Last: The last book I read was my eleventh novel, right before I sent it off to my literary agent. It’s such an odd thing to read your own manuscript at this stage, because you’re so close that you just can’t tell what works and what doesn’t. And you’re on pins and needles waiting for the verdict, doing productive things like trying to come up with Plan B for your life if you find out that between novel #10 and #11 you’ve somehow forgotten how to write.

4. Hell ya! moment

First: Maybe not the first, but the one I’ll never forget is walking the red carpet at the Must Love Dogs premiere and doing thirty-five interviews with everyone from Access Hollywood to Extra. It was the year I turned fifty, and in that moment I knew that midlife could totally rock.

Last: When our 1890 Victorian sold in two weeks. (I give full credit to the home stager heroine of my novel, Best Staged Plans, for the quick sale in a down market!)

5. Aha! Moment

First: I had my first story published in the Sunday newspaper when I was six. It was about Hot Dog, our family dachshund, even though we really had a beagle at the time. I loved the attention. I loved that I’d discovered a way to make things up and not get in trouble.

Last: I should probably pretend this one came from a loftier place, but the truth is it came from American Idol. Keith Urban quoted some music producer as saying, “When you have a hit, you have a hit. But when you have an audience, you have a career.” I think it’s so, so true for authors, and I’m incredibly grateful to my readers, my audience, for giving me the gift of my career.

Thanks, Claire!

Diary of a Debut: NYC edition & giveaway!

So we have to admit that this whole "having your book published" thing hadn't quite sunk in until we met up in NYC for BookExpo America.  Yes, we'd talked about our publishing deal incessantly. But with the release date of our novel, Your Perfect Life, still a year off, it felt like a dream that we might wake up from, but didn't want to. (Like that one Liz had about Chris Pine the other night! *swoon*) But after finally meeting our editor and agent in person (for the best lunch ever), not to mention countless authors, publicists and bloggers that we've known *virtually* for years, it began to sink in. Holy Shit.  This is actually happening!  And in case you were wondering, everyone we met was sweet, smart and fun as hell!

So yes.  BEA was great.  The food?  Fantastic! (Can we just take a moment of silence for the quinoa hush puppies we had at Market Table.) The cab drivers? Freakin' friendly! (Even the one who crashed into another taxi while driving Lisa to the airport!)  The only problem?  Us. We acted like an old married couple.  And not that really cute old couple holding hands on a park bench.  We're talking about the one that's nitpicking the shit out of each other at the table next to you at dinner.

Even though we email, text and talk on the phone more than a couple of tweens, we, ahem, don't actually spend that much face time together now that we live two thousand miles apart.  So to throw us together for 24 hours a day, five days straight? Let's just say we *may* have experienced some growing pains...

We thought we knew everything about each other, but much like the characters in our novel, we discovered that there are always things you don't know about even your closest friend. We learned who can't so much as string three words together until she's hit Starbucks, who doesn't give a shit about sightseeing, who wanted every last New York City trinket and who has a strange humming problem (long story...). We discovered how to "take a meeting" together, who's better at hailing a cab (Lisa!) and who always carries snacks in her purse (Liz!)  But most importantly, we found out how to not only be better co-authors, but much better friends.  The thing is, any long friendship is going to have it's ups and downs. You are going to argue about things.  But what we learned from this experience is that it's how you move on from a disagreement that defines the strength of your sisterhood. (Or at least that's what we're telling ourselves so we don't feel bad about the girl fight we had over a copy of Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings--another long story!)

So, here are the top 5 things we learned about each other.  And we'd love to hear your thoughts on friendship too.  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win five of the books we were lucky enough to get at BEA: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (of course!), Morning Glory by Sarah Jio, Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire, A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams and The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.  We'll choose the winner on Sunday June 9th after 3pm PST. Good luck!

5 Things Liz & Lisa learned about each other

1. We both like to be in control of things. Now this is not exactly news--we've always been Type A. But we'd never seen this uber-control freak side of each other before. (We blame our nerves!) Whether it was navigating the way to a restaurant on one of our iPhones (someone may have physically grabbed the other's cell (and claimed she could follow the blinking dot better!) or deciding how to respond to an email (and we quote, "the word start sounds so much better than begin"...) we learned we are definitely two beyotches who each like things done HER way. Funny how we can write and edit a book together, yet can't agree on which direction is Northeast.

2. We got first date jitters again. We were seriously acting like a couple of school girls before meeting our editor and agent in person for the first time.  Picture one of those sequences in a romcom where the girls try on a thousand outfits to the tune of some glorious 80's tune. That was us--acting like we were going on a first date, our palms sweaty and our hearts beating hard as we arrived at the restaurant AN HOUR early so we could have a glass of wine to calm our nerves. And although one of us over-talked, one of us under-talked and neither of us could eat the glorious food that was put in front of us, the lunch still somehow went better than great!

3. Liz can make everyone on a busy NYC street corner stop and stare

Lisa wasn't paying attention and stepped off the curb, excited to cross the street and get to Market Table to have dinner. After a day of being on our feet for 12 plus hours, she was hungry! So, no, she didn't see the cab barreling her way. But, yes, she did stop in her tracks at the sound of Liz's very firm and loud "Liiiiiissssa!" And she wasn't the only one who froze. Liz is solely responsible for silencing a small section of New York City for several seconds. That's got to be some kind of world record. (Thanks for saving my life, Liz! xoxo)

4. We have a shared superpower. This just in! We have developed a superpower since the last time we saw each other. (Cue dramatic music!) We can now talk to each other without opening our mouths or even moving our hands. We can have an entire conversation with our eyes. And believe us, there was a whole lot of eye talkin' going on last week! Whether one of us was warning the other to shut the hell up or to just say an effing word already, we're excited to have this new skill. It will definitely come in handy on the book tour!

5. Neither of us is perfect. And that's more than okay. Our week in NYC together was a learning experience in so many ways.  Not only as business partners, but as friends.  As self-proclaimed control freaks/perfectionists, it's sometimes hard to take a step back and realize you haven't been the friend/wife/mom you wanted to be. That sometimes we forget to tell the people we love most all the things that make them great.  But it's in those tough moments that we all have a great opportunity to move forward, to take our relationships to the next level. To realize that we don't have to be perfect to be loved or even liked. So for that, we are thankful.  (We're also grateful that we'll have separate hotel rooms next year, but that's another very long story...)

xoxo

Flash Giveaway! J. Courtney Sullivan's The Engagements

Giveaway: ONE signed copy of The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan The scoop: From the New York Times bestselling author of Commencement and Maine comes a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage—about those who marry in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort, and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no intention of ruining it all with a wedding.

Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years—forty years since he slipped off her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen both sides of love—the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it’s over. James, a paramedic who works the night shift, knows his wife’s family thinks she could have done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding—beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle weddings—and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own.

As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is Forever.” And that line changes everything.

A rich, layered, exhilarating novel spanning nearly a hundred years, The Engagements captures four wholly unique marriages, while tracing the story of diamonds in America, and the way—for better or for worse—these glittering stones have come to symbolize our deepest hopes for everlasting love.

Release date: June 11th

Our thoughts: Her best novel yet!

Where you can read more about J. Courtney Sullivan: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Leave a comment to be entered.  We’ll choose the winners on Wednesday, June 5th after 8 am PST.

Lindy DeKoven's 5 Firsts & Lasts

Today's guest: Lindy DeKoven Why we love her: We loved this juicy debut! Can't wait for her next.

Her novel: Primetime Princess

The scoop on it: Alexa Ross is Vice President of Comedy Development at Hawkeye Broadcasting System. Years ago she worked as an assistant to the sex crazed and obnoxious Jerry Kellner. Jerry fired Alexa for not submitting to his graceless sexual advances. They’ve not spoken since. That is until Alexa is forced to hire Kellner as a member of her staff. Alexa is now her old boss’ boss.

The highest-ranking female executive at the network, Alexa struggles to survive in an old fashioned boys’ club where thoughtless sexual harassment is part of the daily working environment. It’s a culture that Jerry, who has never met a bodacious ta-ta he didn’t want, navigates with ease.

Jerry refuses to acknowledge Alexa’s authority, undermining her at every turn while cozying up to the corporate brass clearly angling to jump over her and get appointed network president, putting him in direct competition with Alexa for the top spot.

Meanwhile Alexa tries to maintain a promising relationship with Gordon Harrison, a sixth grade teacher at the school where Alexa volunteers as a tutor. Gordon supports her dream to shatter the glass ceiling but he, along with her two best girlfriends, are concerned about the sacrifices she’s making and the person she’s becoming.

The drama occurs over the course of one TV development season. The competition to get better shows than Jerry and win the brass ring on the new schedule forces Alexa to a breaking point.

Ultimately, she’s faced with a decision that will not only impact her own future, but that of generations of women to come.

Our thoughts: Her debut novel has been called "deliciously scandalous" and we couldn't agree more! Perfect poolside reading!

Giveaway: TWO copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, June 2nd after 3PM PST.

Fun fact: She was Executive Vice President of Movies and Miniseries for NBC Entertainment and NBC Productions so she might just know a thing or two about what her character goes through. *wink wink*

Where you can read more about Lindy: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LINDY DEKOVEN'S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

KISS

First: My husband believes my first kiss was with him under the lemon tree in the backyard of his home. So in order to preserve that memory (or fantasy) I’m going to stick with that.

Last: This occurred two seconds ago from my dog, Eddie, who can’t seem to give me enough kisses. Although it’s almost dinner time. So I’m not sure if this is about his undying love for me, or his desire to just eat.

BOOK I READ

First: Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. Does anyone remember this book? It continues to resonate with me because I’ve worn so many hats and peddled so many ideas. I often feel like the main character with a bunch of hats stacked on top of his head.

Last: I just finished Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Frankly, any woman who wants to help other women is a great woman in my book. (Literally and figuratively!) So I applaud her efforts.

RISK I TOOK

First: Like Alexa Ross, the character in my book Primetime Princess, who takes a chance on Gordon Harrison, I took a risk and married my husband. I’m happy to say its turned out pretty well. However, because there’s so much curiosity about who Jerry Kellner is based on, my husband would like the world to know that Gordon isn’t based on him.

Last: Bought an orange dress, not the usual black, and despite a healthy layer of Spanx, pray that Sunkist doesn’t slap a sticker on me. Frankly, I think this is a bigger risk than the one mentioned above.

AHA! MOMENT

First: That I had the discipline to not read emails, waste time on Facebook and Twitter, or distract myself with the latest car chase. Instead I focused on writing a book and finished it. Latest Aha Moment: That there comes a time in one’s life where one cannot eat like she once did when she was a teenager. Waaa!!

HELL YA! MOMENT

First: I set my sights on one publishing agent and when she agreed to represent me, I felt like I had won the lottery. And I did because she always has my back.

Last: When Chick Lit Is Not Dead asked me to write this post. I managed to write the whole thing without eating one single M&M. (A shout-out to Alexa’s stress meds.) A hellava hell ya moment.

Thanks, Lindy!

Nancy Vu tell us why we should enjoy the little things

Our guest today: Nancy Vu Why we love her: Her glass is always half-full!

Her latest: Just Little Things: A Celebration of Life's Simple Pleasures

The Scoop: Seeing a baby yawn. Drawing on a foggy window. Finding a curly fry mixed in with your regular fries.

These and 247 other little things that make everyday life a joy are collected in this delightful, surprising, and heartfelt book. Based on the popular website, this book will strike a chord in anyone who is open to celebrating the little moments of greatness all around us.

Our thoughts: Perfect pick me up to help out things in perspective when you're having a bad day!

Giveaway: TWO copies! (US Only) Leave a comment and we'll choose the winner on June 3rd after 3pm PST.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...NANCY VU'S JUST LITTLE THINGS

L&L: What inspired you to write about the little things?

NV: I’ve found that what makes me happiest is the little things. I tend to notice small moments in life, and those are what typically make my day… I get excited when my parents come home from the grocery store with all of my favorite snacks. I love seeing smile lines around people’s eyes because I like to think they’re from spending a life full of laughter. I love seeing the “personalities” of each person’s unique handwritings. And I love the satisfying feeling when I’m vacuuming and hear crumbs being sucked up or all of the dust and dirt accumulate in the vacuum chamber… Some may think that all of these things make me weird, but I think people should really take in all of these types of moments, since they happen so frequently and get so little recognition. I’ve blogged for a couple of years before Just Little Things, and I thought it would be a neat idea to create a blog featuring all of the “little things” in life. I thought that I couldn’t be the only one who likes and notices these types of things and hoped that people would understand the message of my blog and that it would give them a fresh perspective.

L&L: Why do you think people struggle so much to find happiness in the simple things?

NV: We live in a busy world, and there seems to always be something to stress about. In my own life as a high school senior, for example, there’s stress from the whole college application process, prom, AP exams… There’s always something to do or something to worry about, and that’s what overshadows simple pleasures and what makes it so hard to slow down and find happiness in the “little things.”

L&L: How did you come up with the "little things" in the book?

NV: Many of the “little things” in the book are from my Just Little Things blog. Sometimes it is fairly easy to come up with these because the “little things” are everywhere! But I have to admit, with now over 900 entries on my blog, it sometimes gets difficult to come up with “little things” to post. I have to remember to write one down when I come across one in my head in the middle of the day. I’m grateful for many of my followers, friends, and family who are always suggesting new ideas!

L&L: What books inspire you?

NV: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and many books by Malcolm Gladwell are some self-improvement books that I really love.

L&L: Tell us three "Little Things" that made you smile today.

NV: As I was walking to my car this morning, I saw this guy walking to school listening to music. Because he had earphones on, I don’t think he realized he was singing so loudly! How content he seemed, being in his own world, made me smile and also laugh a bit. Also, I saw an old couple speed-walking together this morning... So cute. Another “little thing” today was getting one of my papers back and receiving positive comments from my teacher. Makes me feel so proud!

L&L: What's up next for you?

NV: I think I might start on another project some time in the future. Maybe I’ll be able to expand this idea further, beyond the realm of social media. Still brainstorming!

L&L: Why should our readers run out to grab a copy of Just Little Things?

NV: Just Little Things makes a great pick-me-up on a bad day, an interesting coffee table book, and a perfect gift for friends and family! It is basically a “happy book” full of colorful, easy-to-read pages. And who doesn’t need a smile now and then?

Flash Giveaway: Beth Hoffman's Looking for Me

Giveaway: TWO copies of Beth Hoffman's Looking for Me (Out today!) The scoop: A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The result is a tremendously moving story that is destined to make bestselling author Beth Hoffman a novelist to whom readers will return again and again as they have with Adriana Trigiani, Fannie Flagg, and Joshilyn Jackson.

Our thoughts: A brilliantly written novel about family secrets.

Where you can read more about Beth: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Leave a comment to be entered.  We’ll choose the winners on Thursday, May 30th after 12 PM PST.

Sarah Jio's 5 Firsts and Lasts

Our guest today: Sarah Jio Why we love her: Not only do we love all her novels, she's really cute. And nice. And funny too! (Girl crush alert!)

Her latest: The Last Camellia

The Scoop: On the eve of the Second World War, the last surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly crimes. More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will Addison share her fate?

Our thoughts: Loved it. Our fave so far!  This is a perfect gift for a friend, or better yet, to yourself!

Giveaway: One SIGNED copy.  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on June 2nd after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: Sarah's last novel, Blackberry Winter, hit the New York Times bestseller list!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...SARAH JIO'S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS:

First: His name was Andrew. I was in 8th grade. He asked me to a movie, and the only way I was able to go, was because I convinced my parents it was a group thing (true, sort of). But it was a date. My first date. And it would also be my first kiss (a girl just has a hunch about these things). This frightened me. Andrew kept his eyes on me during the entire movie. I could feel his gaze on my cheek, burning into me like a laser beam, and I just kept eating red licorice because, basically, I was afraid of what might happen if I didn't. I mean, how does one kiss a boy?? At some point during the movie, Andrew whispered, "you sure like licorice, don't you?" (Romantic, I know.) When I couldn't stomach any more licorice, he made his move. The kiss was … a little disappointing. He had braces. I had a stomachache. Basically, it cured me of boys for a few months.

Last: Tonight! My four-year-old son, Russell, just ran into my office and said, "mama, I'd like to give you a double kiss!" It ended up being a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the nose. Russell kisses are the best!

RISK YOU TOOK:

First: Around the age of 7, inspired by an episode of the Smurfs (of course), I tied a pillowcase onto a stick and packed it with all the essentials (bubble gum, stuffed animals) and proceeded to "run away". I made it about three blocks away from home before turning back, when I realized that this was not my smartest move.

Last: Going nanny-less! I have three boys, six and under. Life is wild here, and I have a LOT of writing deadlines. Obviously, I need childcare help, right? We experimented with babysitters and nannies for a while, but honestly, it just wasn't working for me. I tried to work outside the home, but I missed my boys. Then, in my home office, I'd hear them crying outside my door. After many months of trying to make it work with a nanny, I decided to take a huge risk and just be on duty all day, every day. That's right: Zilch childcare. I write two books a year for Penguin, so this is mildly insane, I know. But it's working. I'm mom by day (with an occasional chapter or two or magazine article written during nap hour) and then writer by night. I usually have a glass of wine with my husband, after kids are in bed (we believe in early bedtimes here), and then it's writing time! I actually look forward to this after long days doing art projects, playing legos and changing diapers. In short: What I've realized is that no one solution works for every mother. I'd love to be the type of person who could make the nanny thing work, but I'm not. (At least not right now.) I am much happier when I can be mom during the day, and writer at night. They are only young once, and my job is flexible enough to make this work. Semi-work. (Which doesn't mean I am not tired and grumpy, or that the house is sparkling clean—it's not.) I don't always have the perfect balance, but it's working now. Sort of. But, believe me, I'm looking forward to 2016—the year that all of my boys will be in full-time school and I will once again work like a regular person!

BOOK YOU READ:

First: Oh goodness, I don't remember the exact book (though I wish I did!). But, I'll tell you about a book I read as a child that I am on the hunt to find—to this day. Every week, my mom would take us to the library, and I remember checking out a series of early reader books, the first of which was titled something like "Primrose Patty." This is only the memory of my 8 year-year-old self (aka, unreliable), and as a result, I have not been able to find the book, which I assume is out of print. But, I remember LOVING these books as a girl. I adored the flower connection, and the primroses, and honestly, I think I will do something with primroses in a future novel because of this book! It left an imprint on my brain.

Last: I just picked up a copy of Christina Baker Kline's ORPHAN TRAIN, and if my kids will let me, I hope to finish this weekend.

HELL YA! MOMENT

First: (Can I just say, this is such a fun category!) OK, my first hell ya moment was cutting off my very long dirty blond hair to a short pixie and dying it platinum blonde. I know! I did this when I was 16. I paid for the cut and color at a fancy salon (not cheap) with my babysitting money. When I came home, my parents' jaws dropped. And I got equal reactions the next day at school. But I loved that I did this. I loved that I could be bold enough to make such a dramatic change and own it. Honestly, looking back, short hair wasn't my BEST look, but I'm proud that I had the guts to do it. (And of course, it was right after a breakup with a boy!)

Last: Running my first 10K! I love to run, but I'm not a competitive or a particularly long-distance racer. (Read: I won't be running a marathon anytime soon, and am happiest keeping my 4-times-weekly jogs to about 2-3 miles: bliss.) But I signed up for a 10K with my dad last year, and I although it kicked my butt, I finished (without passing out). I felt pretty awesome for weeks later. I thought about running a half-marathon for about 2.5 seconds, but then came to my senses.

AHA MOMENT

First: I probably had plenty of aha moments prior to this date, but one of the most transformative moments for me came after college when a close friendship of mine crumbled into a million ugly pieces. While my life was going well, this friend could not be happy for my successes (a new husband, new house, new job, etc.). She was there for me when I was down, but she couldn't be happy for me when I was … happy. What I took from this experience is a reminder that it's surprising easy to be there for someone who is in a difficult place (in other words, "my life is fine, but I can pat the back of someone who is going through a rough time), and yet it is much harder to cheer for someone who is achieving her dreams. True friendship transcends all of that. Look back on the history of your friendships and it's likely that the truest friend are the ones who could be happy for you when you were experiencing your greatest successes. I think it's a test of character, and friendship, to watch a pal experience crazy success/dreams-come-true and still cheer for her even when things aren't so peachy in your own life. If you have a friend like this in your own life, or you are one, xoxoxo.

Last: I have what I call a blessing and a curse: an overabundance of novel ideas. (I writer friend of mine calls this a chronic disease, and I agree!) I've learned over the years, in my sea of new ideas, to only stick with the ones that keep me up at night and haunt me by day. The theory here is that if a novel-in-progress can't excite me, as the writer, I can't expect it to do the same for a reader. Sometimes I'll get to chapter three, four or six before I realize that it's just not working. And, though it's painful, I'll ditch the work-in-progress. My rule-of-thumb is to only continue on with projects that I'm 100 percent into. Obviously, no project will be exciting all the time (after all, writing is work), but if, after a bit of time, it fails to grab me, I'm done. Onto the next idea!

Thanks Sarah! 

Flash Giveaway: Tamara Lee Dorris's Secrets of a Spiritual Guru: Real Estate, Yoga & Lies

Giveaway: TWO copies of  Secrets of a Spiritual Guru: Real Estate, Yoga & Lies by Tamara Lee Dorris The scoop: Meet Melissa Murphy: wine-drinking real estate agent who finds herself "accidentally" assuming the role of a spiritual blogger when her boyfriend leaves her for his yoga teacher. Can she keep her role secret while trying to win her man back? If the lying doesn't kill her, the poses might!

Our thoughts: A fun holiday read!

Leave a comment to be entered.  We'll choose the winners on Monday, May 27th after 8am PST.

Flash Giveaway: Erika Robuck's Call Me Zelda

Giveaway: TWO copies (US only) of Erika Robuck's Call Me Zelda

The scoop:  Everything in the ward seemed different now, and I no longer felt its calming presence. The Fitzgeralds stirred something in me that had been dormant for a long time, and I was not prepared to face it....   From New York to Paris, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald reigned as king and queen of the Jazz Age, seeming to float on champagne bubbles above the mundane cares of the world. But to those who truly knew them, the endless parties were only a distraction from their inner turmoil, and from a love that united them with a scorching intensity.

When Zelda is committed to a Baltimore psychiatric clinic in 1932, vacillating between lucidity and madness in her struggle to forge an identity separate from her husband, the famous writer, she finds a sympathetic friend in her nurse, Anna Howard. Held captive by her own tragic past, Anna is increasingly drawn into the Fitzgeralds’ tumultuous relationship. As she becomes privy to Zelda’s most intimate confessions, written in a secret memoir meant only for her, Anna begins to wonder which Fitzgerald is the true genius. But in taking ever greater emotional risks to save Zelda, Anna may end up paying a far higher price than she intended....

Our thoughts: We don't know about you, but we've been in "Gatsby mode" lately and this book couldn't have come at a more perfect time! You will love it!

Where you can read more about Erika: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

We'll choose the winners this Saturday, May 25th after 3pm PST. Good luck!