Today’s guest:

Why we love her: We crowned her a Lit IT Girl after reading her sparkling debut, How to Eat a Cupcake.

Her latest: All the Summer Girls

The scoop on it: In Philadelphia, good girl Kate is dumped by her fiancé the day she learns she is pregnant with his child. In New York City, beautiful stay-at-home mom Vanessa finds herself obsessively searching the Internet for news of an old flame. And in San Francisco, Dani, the wild child and aspiring writer who can’t seem to put down a book—or a cocktail—long enough to open her laptop, has just been fired… again.

In an effort to regroup, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani retreat to the New Jersey beach town where they once spent their summers. Emboldened by the seductive cadences of the shore, the women begin to realize just how much their lives, and friendships, have been shaped by the choices they made one fateful night on the beach eight years earlier—and the secrets that only now threaten to surface.

Our thoughts: You know we’re suckers for any novel that tackles the complicated bonds between female friends. Meg handles this flawlessly in this book. We highly recommend you add this book to your beach bag this summer!

Giveaway: TWO copies. Just leave a comment to be entered to win and we’ll choose the winners on Sunday, May 26th after 12 PM PST.

Fun fact: You can read the first two chapters here!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…MEG DONOHUE’S 5 FIRSTS & LASTS

KISS

First:  Surely my first kiss was from my mother or father in the moments after my birth. Did you expect something steamy? A good Philly girl never kisses and tells!

Last: Well, okay, maybe just this once: After a week of not kissing for fear of passing the flu to my husband, I am finally healthy and we shared a sweet kiss without the specter of plague attached. I hope.

BOOK I READ

First: It’s not the first book I read, but I remember being particularly enthralled by Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I don’t recall the story, but I know I thought it was beautiful and very sad. I wonder if that was one of the first times I enjoyed the experience of reading something that made me sad? It seems like a monumental, and mature, moment in one’s life as a reader. (I just went online to read the summary of Bridge to Terabithia, and got something—ahem—stuck in my eye. So turns out I’m still carrying around a little seed of sadness planted by this book twenty-five years ago.)

Last: Speaking of beautiful and sad, the last book I read was Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. This book haunted my dreams over the course of time that I read it. I found it to be quite devastating, in part because Atkinson’s characters are so vivid and whole.

RISK I TOOK

First: I think some of the earliest risks I took were with humor. Being funny takes guts—you put yourself out there, and hope your sense of humor will resonate with others too. Sometimes there’s nothing scarier for a kid than just opening her mouth and speaking; fear of rejection can be a muzzle. Looking back, I realize that the jokes that fell flat (and there have been many over the years) were actually confidence builders. The world didn’t end when I swung and missed. I learned to laugh at myself and the cricket-filled dead air that follows an unsuccessful stab at humor, and that ability to laugh, shrug, and move on has served me well.

Last: My last big risk was when All the Summer Girls was published. I spend a long span of time working on a book in private; releasing it into the public sphere is both scary and exciting.

HELL YA! MOMENT

First: When I was in graduate school for creative writing, the Gettysburg Review published one of my short stories. It was the first time I was paid for my fiction, and the story attracted the attention of a couple of agents. I remember feeling very much like it was the start of my dream coming true. I was right, if only in that the experience gave me the confidence to continue believing in myself.
Last: In April, my husband and I left our kids with his parents and went to Palm Springs for my birthday. We read for hours in the sun, swam, hiked, ate delicious food, and had Bellinis every morning. It was glorious. Hell ya!

AHA! MOMENT

First: During a back-to-school shopping trip with my mom when I was in middle school, she asked if I cared what brand my clothes were. The truth was that I did care about the brand of my clothes—I wanted to be cool, sue me!—but just my mom asking the question was enough to remind me that the coolest kids are the ones that march to the beat of their own drum, the ones that do things their own way, in pursuit of their own brand of happiness. Her question has served as a bit of a touchstone over the years.

Last: I’m in the early stages of working on my third book, and while I have had the general story arc in mind for a while, it has taken some time to feel like I have a handle on the important details that take a story from an idea to a novel. Lately, I’ve had a few breakthroughs, my protagonist is revealing herself, and many of the more intricate plot points are finally coming together and taking shape. I’m excited!

Thanks, Meg!

And we totally get it. Even though we haven’t been puking each morning and craving crabs during our book pregnancy, there is a feeling of treading into uncharted territory with something you love and have poured your heart and soul into. (Although Liz is praying she doesn’t gain 70lbs with this pregnancy…) We’ve been lovingly caressing the manuscript through the editing process and are anxiously awaiting the cover reveal.  So when our team at Atria felt that the title The Toast should be, well TOAST, it was time to go back to the drawing board.

To be honest, it wasn’t a total surprise.  We had sent the manuscript to a freelance editor( the wonderful Emily Heckman, in case you need one), and she loved the book, but wasn’t too keen on the title.  So we changed it before sending it on to Atria.  And then our editor at Atria loved the book, but didn’t love the new title we had picked out. So we changed it back to The Toast, but we knew its days might be numbered.

So when we got word that it was time to pick a new title, we already had a list we had come up while sipping sake and eating spicy tuna rolls. (We do our best work that way!)

But no one really loved those ones either. (Did we mention that we suck at coming up with titles? Even while sipping sake?)

It was our fab agent, Elisabeth, that came up with a title that everyone loved.   (Thank GAWD she’s good at it! #savedourasses)

So The Toast became Your Perfect Life.  Which is totally fine, because now we don’t have to worry anymore about having two champagne glasses clinking on the cover. #soooocliche

And for a minute it felt odd, because our baby had a new name. But only for a minute–then we were seriously IN LOVE with our new title.  And we hope you are too.

Tell us what you think!  We have a SIGNED copy of Amy Hatvany’s Heart Like Mine. (It’s GREAT, btw!)  Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win.  We’ll choose the winners on Monday, May 27th after 8am PST.

Giveaway:

The Scoop: Sophie is a Hollywood publicist who has a fabulous job, a fabulous boyfriend, and a fabulous life. She even scores her PR firm’s most important actor client and every woman’s dream—Billy Fox. But will a steamy make-out session in a restaurant alley with her big-name client cost Sophie her job? And does she really want an escape from her life and her loving, if imperfect, relationship with her investment banker boyfriend? The Star Attraction takes us on a wild ride through one woman’s daytime soap come to life.

Our thoughts: Loved this fun-filled novel.  A MUST read for the beach this weekend!

We’ll choose the winners this Monday, May 19th after 3pm PST.  Good luck!

Our guest today: Rory Samantha Green

Why we love her: We heart discovering new authors!

Her latest: Playing Along

The scoop: Two Lives. Two Continents. One Song…

Then: George Bryce was an awkward, English schoolboy fantasizing about being in a band. Now: George is frontman of Thesis, an overnight indie scene sensation. Intense, creative and self-deprecating, his childhood dreams have all been fulfilled – so why does George still feel so lost?

Then: Lexi Jacobs was a confident Californian high school cheerleader, planning her future marriage and a meaningful career. Now: Lexi is searching for substance in a life full of mishaps. Cautious, bemused and rapidly losing the control she used to rely on, none of her teenage dreams have delivered and she’s left wondering, “What next?”

Follow George and Lexi as they navigate their days thousands of miles apart. Fly with them from London to LA and back again, as George copes with the dynamics of his tight knit band and loose knit family, while Lexi juggles her eccentric new boss, bored best friend and smother mother.

Even though there’s an ocean between them and their worlds couldn’t be further apart, George and Lexi are pulled together through music, and their paths appear determined to cross. The question is – when?

Our thoughts: Fun summer reading for sure!

Giveaway: TWO copies! Leave a comment and we’ll choose winners after Noon PST on Sunday, May 19th.

Fun Fact: Her mom is bestselling author Jackie Collins!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…RORY SAMANTHA GREEN’S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS:

First: Must I really start here?! I think I wrote ‘Playing Along’ to try and compensate for the lack of romance in my adolescence! My first kiss was when I was 16 years old. I went on a date with a waiter at my dad’s restaurant. I’d had a crush on him for months. Every time he placed a Caprese salad in front of me, my heart somersaulted. After dinner he dropped me home very early and clearly had no intention of kissing me goodnight, but I leaned in anyway, forever hopeful. The result was an awkward and cringe worthy bumping of mouths, and I went to bed that night with a very crumpled ego. It shouldn’t rightly be categorized as a kiss at all, it was more like a bruise, but there it is, stamped on my timeline, a reminder that as much as we wish it to be – life is rarely a movie!

Last: My husband is under strict orders to kiss me every time he leaves the house in the morning – even if the path to my lips is scattered with two lanky teens, backpacks, discarded homework sheets, one jumping dog and a lone converse high top.  He has become adept at navigating the obstacles! So my last kiss was this morning – short and always very sweet.

RISK I TOOK:

The first risk I took was going to an adventure playground with Laura Agnew when I was 8 years old. Problem being, I wasn’t very ‘adventurous’ and my courageous attempt to clamber up a climbing frame and swing from the monkey bars, resulted in me catching my jeans on a nail and ripping a hole in them noticeable enough to advertise my underwear to the ‘whole’ of London. I was utterly mortified. If the first ‘kiss’ didn’t illicit your sympathy, surely this play date gone awry will have done the trick?!

The last risk I took was going white water rafting with my family in Costa Rica over spring break. My reluctance to be ‘physically’ adventurous has lingered, and I often have to push myself to take risks beyond the page. White water rafting was so exhilarating though! I loved every wet, heart pumping second and I impressed my kids by not falling out of the raft (they were assured that I would!)

BOOK I READ:

The first book I remember reading was “The Enchanted Wood” by Enid Blyton. It was my mother’s favourite book when she was a girl and she passed on her love of it to my sisters and I. The book tells the story of two sisters and a brother who happen upon a magical wood, where they climb a tree and discover a world of wonderful and eccentric characters and embark on zany adventures. I became lost in that book and it has forever sparked my imagination and inspired my love of story.

I just finished “Where’d You go Bernadette” by Maria Semple. It tells the story of  a girl looking for her mother by piecing together correspondence. It is utterly brilliant! Laugh out loud funny, satirical, poignant, exquisitely well observed. I was smitten.

HELL YA MOMENT:

My first Hell Ya’ moment was when I won the reading competition at my school when I was a timid eleven year old. I was the youngest competitor and read a passage from Judy Blume’s ‘Superfudge’.  We were judged on our ‘reading performances’. It was an unexpected victory – the rise of the underdog! My sister cried in the school assembly (like I was winning an Oscar) and I had to walk in front of the entire school and claim a shiny silver trophy. It was my first and last time ‘winning’ anything, but it came via my passion for reading, which made it all the more delicious.

My last Hell Ya’ moment was when I uploaded my book, Playing Along, to Amazon and began my publishing journey. It had been a long time coming and I reveled in the sense of empowerment and liberation I felt taking the book’s destiny into my own hands!

AHA MOMENT

My first Aha moment was when I was eleven years old again (clearly a momentous year!) and I used to sit on summer afternoons with my friend, Christina, on the balcony of her flat writing lyrics to the music she played on her guitar. I remember feeling so grown-up and drenched in happiness – realizing the profound joy that can come from expressing yourself through writing and sharing creativity with a friend. I guess I channelled that part of myself when I was writing George.

My last Aha moment was when I listened to some of the women in the reflective writing workshop that I lead, write and read about their on-going battles with loud and nasty inner critics. So many of us are linked in the struggle to be a little kinder to ourselves. We often follow a path of self sabotage instead of self care. I am always deeply moved by the courage it takes to be honest and vulnerable and I learn something every week from the women who come to Write To Be You. It really is a privilege to be witness to the birth of so many heartfelt words. I’m a lucky woman!

Thanks, Rory! 

Our guest today:

Why we love her: Girlfrin’ is snarky as hell!  We LOVE it!

Her latest: Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse

The scoop:Alida Nugent graduated college with a degree in one hand and a drink in the other, eager to trade in parties and all-nighters for “the real world.” But post-grad wasn’t the glam life she imagined. Soon buried under a pile of bills, laundry, and three-dollar bottles of wine, it quickly became clear that she had no idea what she was doing. But hey, what twentysomething does?

In Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse, Nugent shares what it takes to make the awkward leap from undergrad to “mature and responsible adult that definitely never eats peanut butter straight from the jar and considers it a meal.” From trying to find an apartment on the black hole otherwise known as Craigslist to the creative maneuvering needed to pay off student loans and still enjoy happy hour, Nugent documents the formative moments of being a twentysomething with a little bit of snark and a lot of heart. Perfect for fans of HBO’s Girls and Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half, and based on her popular Tumblr blog The Frenemy, Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse is a love note to boozin’, bitchin’ ladies everywhere.

Our thoughts: Really fun. If you love the series Girls,(or even if you don’t) you’ll flip for this book!

Giveaway: TWO copies!  Leave a comment and we’ll choose the  winner after NOON on Sunday, May 19th.

Fun fact: Alida’s website, The Frenemy is rad-very funny!

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…ALIDA NUGENT’S 5 BEST EVERS

BEST SONG:

I’m going to have to go with “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette. I sing it every time I do karaoke, which is almost never but still too much. I first heard it when I was a teenager and it was girl-power with such TEETH.. It’s dirty and raw and really great when screaming with friends out a window on a road trip. I know this from experience.

However, if we’re going with new hits, I can’t stop listening to Q.U.E.E.N by Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu. It’s another powerful female anthem that makes me want to dance on the subway and have everybody move out my way.

BEST BOOK

My favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I love Oscar. He’s smart and his wit cuts deep. He’s decadent and sad and isn’t afraid to describe every sense. I am nothing like him, my writing is nothing like him, but he still inspires me. My friend Shane wrote my name on his grave. I have a book cover of his tattooed on the back of my neck. Oscar is always with me, which I’m sure he’d hate, unfortunately.

I have to mention my second favorite book—The Beach by Alex Garland. I mention it because it proves I have a penchant for books that have made truly awful movies.

BEST MOVIE

These are hard questions. It’s such a cop out that I’ve said two books and two songs. I have to do one movie now. I’m going to say Jurassic Park because I’ve liked that movie the longest. I love dinosaurs, I love Jeff Goldblum, I can’t believe they thought the idea of a dino park was a good idea. As a kid, I thought the old man’s cane had a ball of maple syrup at the top and I wanted to lick it. Yes, definitely Jurassic Park. But I was considering Heathers. Now I’ve said two movies but I’ve chosen one. That’s less of a cop out, I think.

BEST LIFE MOMENT

Holding my book for the first time. I don’t have kids or a puppy, so the book is the closest thing I’ve had to a baby. When that book arrived in the mail, I wanted to go back in time to my middle-school self and say: “hey, keep writing, weirdo! It will one day pay off. Maybe go to a state school.”

BEST ADVICE

Bring a jacket with you. Who knows where the day will end up?

Thanks Alida!

Our guest: Jamie Brenner

Why we love her: Her novel immediately sucked us in.

Her latest: The Gin Lovers

The scoop on it: What price would you pay for happiness? For Charlotte, freedom from her marriage might be the one thing she can’t afford.

It’s 1925, and the Victorian era with its confining morals is all but dead. Unfortunately, for New York socialite Charlotte Delacorte, the scandalous flapper revolution is little more than a headline in the tabloids. Living with her rigid and controlling husband William, her Fifth Avenue townhouse is a gilded cage. But when William’s rebellious younger sister, the beautiful and brash Mae, comes to live with them after the death of their mother, Charlotte finds entrée to a world beyond her wildest dreams – and a handsome and mysterious stranger whom she imagines is as confident in the bedroom as he is behind the bar of his forbidden speakeasy.

Soon, Charlotte realizes that nothing is as it seems. Secrets are kept and discovered, loves are lost and found, and Charlotte is finds herself on the brink of losing everything — or having it all.

Our thoughts: Love that it has that “Downton Abbey” feel to it! With a whole lotta sexy mixed in!

Giveaway: Two copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win and we’ll select the winners after 12pm PST on Sunday, May 19th.

Fun fact: Jamie Also writes under the pen name Logan Belle!

Where you can read more about Jamie: Her website, Twitter and Facebook!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…JAMIE BRENNER’S 5 FIRSTS AND LASTS

KISS

First: It was September 13, 1985. Yes, I know the exact date because the MTV Video awards were on. It happened at my house. I was standing with my “boyfriend” in the kitchen next to the dishwashing machine. I could hear Dire Straits on the tv in the other room. I couldn’t even enjoy the moment because I kept wondering if my braces were bothering him.

Last: This morning, with my fiancé. My last, my best, my always.

BOOK I READ

First: Amazing question. I don’t know the exact first book I ever read. I remember reading books in first grade and my teacher telling me they were books for fourth graders. It was the first thing I ever took pride in. The first specific books I remember reading were the Frank L. Baum Wizard of Oz books and the Nancy Drew series.

Last: The Island by Elin Hilderbrand. I devoured it. My next will be one by her, too. I just have to decide between her slew of bestsellers!

RISK I TOOK

First: I wanted bangs but my mother said no. So I cut them myself. I got punished and the bangs looked terrible. I’m just thankful that even though the end results were bad, it didn’t stop me from taking more risks!

Last: Quitting my job to write novels full time. Only slightly more terrifying than the  moment when the scissors cut into my six year old hair.

HELL YA! MOMENT

First: April 6, 1986. The boy I’d liked since 7th grade asked me out.

Last: The day I saw a copy of my first novel, Blue Angel.  My publisher sent me a box of advance copies. I showed it off like a newborn baby. And then I put it on my bookshelf next to Judith Krantz.

AHA! MOMENT

First: The boy who asked me out told me he loved me. I was fifteen, and I realized that I was going to have a “life” after all. Things didn’t only happen in books and movies.

Last: When my fiancé kissed me for the first time. I realized that I could still feel fifteen again.

Thanks, Jamie!

Our guest today:

Why we love her: Her debut novel is FANTASTIC. And she is CUTE as hell.  And FUNNY too! (Yes, we’re girl crushin’!)

Her debut novel: The Love Wars

The scoop: Even though Molly Grant has only a handful of relationships behind her, she’s already been through more divorces than she can count.

At the premier Manhattan law firm where she’s a matrimonial attorney, the hours are long, the bosses tyrannical, and the bonuses stratospheric. Her clients are rich, famous, and used to getting their way. Molly’s job—and primary concern in life—is to work as hard as possible to make sure they do. Until she meets the client who changes everything….

Fern Walker is the desperate former wife of a ruthless media mogul. Her powerful ex is slowly pushing her out of her young children’s lives, and she fears losing them forever. Molly—haunted by an incident from her own past—finds herself unable to walk away from Fern and sets out to help her. She just needs to do it without her bosses finding out.

Now, as complications both professional and personal stack up, Molly can only hope that her own wits, heart, and instincts are enough—both in and out of court.

Our thoughts: Very Devil Wears Prada-esque! We LOVED it–fast paced and fun, you won’t be able to resist The Love Wars. One of our faves so far in 2013.

Giveaway: TWO copies!  Leave a comment and you’ll be entered.  We’ll choose the winners on Sunday, May 19th after NOON PST.

Fun fact: Alison writes what she knows–she opened her own family law and mediation practice in 2006.

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

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…2013 CLUB: L. ALISON HELLER’S THE LOVE WARS

DO’S: 3 things every aspiring novelist should do

Be Nosy! Eavesdrop, people watch and make up pretend lives for any strangers who inspire such speculation. I always thought this was just a weird thing I did, and it decidedly is, but it’s also a skill that when nurtured can strengthen your fiction.

Read Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott. Not only does it fantastically describe the writer’s state of being open and observing, but it also coaxes that openness. It changed the way I think a little bit.

Write (of course) and revise, revise, revise.

DON’TS: 3 things every aspiring novelist shouldn’t do

Think that you can’t be a novelist because you don’t have an MFA.

Think that you can’t be a novelist because the first draft doesn’t turn out the way you want. (That means you’re doing it right. Or at least I hope it does.)

Give up! I’ve heard plenty of novelists reference the trick to success: finishing things.

MUST HAVES

On your desk? A lot of mail that I’ve opened but not yet dealt with. Stray sticky pads stuck in random places. Five pens, three of which are uncapped. The largest pair of noise cancelling headphones I’ve ever seen. (In all honesty, I don’t need ANY of these things, but they’re on my desk and have been for quite some time. I would much prefer to chalk this up to their being crucial than my sloppiness.)

Truly, my only must have is my computer, which I love and take pretty much everywhere.

On your Facebook feed? True confession: I am a lurker—an unrelenting, take-no-prisoners lurker on both Facebook, specifically and the Internet, generally. I LOVE looking at pictures—the adorable toddler pictures, the good times at a bar pictures, the we-hiked-up-a-mountain pictures, the we-got-a-fish tank-and-this-is-us-setting-it-up pictures. I am rather heavy-handed with the likes, which I hope is enough to save me from being a creepy lurker and at least land me in the friendly/benign category.

App on your phone? Pages and Notes. It frustrates me beyond to try and edit on that tiny keyboard (and small screen), but it’s still comforting to feel like I can do it wherever.

I also have a surprising amount of apps for dressing up princesses, but I swear those aren’t for me.

LASTS

Song you listened to on repeat? Under African Skies by Paul Simon. There’s a scene in my second book in which sisters listen to it on a car trip, so I was playing the song over and over while conjuring and writing. In the book, the track sparks one of the sisters to remember her childhood, which was almost nothing like mine except that I too listened to Paul Simon a lot growing up.

My Dad loved music, Paul Simon’s included, and since he passed away two years ago, playing the songs he loved has been one of the ways that we remember him and continue to feel connected. It’s wonderful, but also sad. I had no idea that Under African Skies would bring on the nostalgia (because honestly, it’s the earlier stuff I remember listening to as a kid) but it did.  I got completely sidetracked from the scene and—between the crying and the memories and singing along and the continued pressing of repeat—things got a little messy.

Book you read? PICTURES OF YOU by Caroline Leavitt. LOVED it.

Time you laughed? The last time was a few hours ago when I arrived at my daughter’s preschool for pick up and saw hanging on her little hallway cubby hook the dress AND tights she had been wearing that morning. I briefly imagined her casting off her clothing like some pirouetting fairy sprite too ethereal to be bothered with such earthly confinement (an act that would have been in character for her) before thinking to check whether her spare clothes were missing. Thankfully, they were, at which point I allowed myself the laugh. (The reason for the change was rather tame—water spill.)

HOW MANY

Agents did you query before you found “the one?” I had read somewhere to send out queries in shifts of 15-20 because your manuscript will change along the journey of finding representation. Because I’m nothing if not obedient, I had sent out my first shift of about that many and got several rejections, very quickly—one less than a minute after I sent it out, which I felt had to be some sort of record. As part of my surveying stage, I also signed up for one of those “find an agent” writers’ conferences being held in my city.

Here’s how it went down: on Friday, I attended the conference with my first two pages and query and was basically told that I needed to scrap everything before anyone would get within fifty feet of it. I returned home demoralized and spent the weekend fairly moany and groany. On Monday—two days after that—my now-agent, part of the initial batch of 15-20, who had previously requested a full manuscript, called and offered representation.

Mine was sort of like a classic agent quest on speed. I got incredibly, incredibly lucky that someone on the top of my list from my first batch made an offer. But, I also experienced that metallic taste of rejection—blank looks after nervous oral pitching (the worst) and the feeling that I was just throwing queries into a black hole.

The moral: taste is subjective. Polish your manuscript as best you can and listen to the suggestions, but sleep on them and go with your gut on what’s a valuable comment and what’s noise.

Hours do you write per day? I don’t have a strict count because any goal would be too vulnerable. I usually try to use the morning hours. If I can’t because of my divorce work, I will attempt to mobilize after dinner (the time when I am usually at my weakest as a human being).

Hours do you waste online when you should be writing? A lot. This is another reason much why I don’t hold myself to a strict word count. If anyone has any tips of how to spend less time on Internet, please let me know.

BESTS

Way to celebrate a book deal? I was really good at celebrating. I bought a handbag I’d been eyeing. I drank champagne. I had far more celebratory meals than the event warranted. Truly, in the celebrating-your-own-book-deal category, I shone.

Trick to overcome writer’s block? Reading or writing something else can help, as can the passage of time—sometimes you just need to NOT actively think about something for the ideas to start breaking free from your brain.

Way to think of a book idea? Primarily newspapers; stories from friends (gossip, I guess, although that term sounds rather mean); and magazines. I get excited when a story makes me stop and ask what if and why.

My idea for my second book came along with the true story of a regular guy—with a family, house, respectably boring job and probably a golden retriever—who’d committed a crime in the workplace. There are plenty of whys in there, but I couldn’t stop wondering about his wife—was she surprised or in denial? How did it square with her morality and family priorities? What, if anything, did she tune out? What was she consciously aware of? And so on. The story changed drastically as I got into it, but that was the germ.

NEXTS

Show you’ll DVR? Right now I think I’m DVRing Mad Men and The Good Wife. My DVR, however, has likely decided on its own that it’s too full and tired and underappreciated to tape either. I’ll realize it later in the week when I go to watch them and have another exhausting yes, you can! talk with it. And the DVR might appear to get with the program (no pun intended), but will ultimately ignore me again. That’s our dynamic as of late.

Book you’ll read? I just cracked open WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel— my sister and mother (along with most others on planet earth) loved it and I can see why. I really want to read Amy Shearn’s THE MERMAID OF BROOKLYN both because I’m a mother in Brooklyn and because it looks wonderful. And, of course, as soon as I can get my hands on it, the all-around fabulous and talented Meg Donohue’s ALL THE SUMMER GIRLS. Doesn’t just reading the title make you feel the fresh sea breeze across your face?

Book you’ll write? My second will be out in 2014 and I just handed in the first round of revisions on it to my editor. It has a working title, but we changed THE LOVE WARS so many times (four) that I’m reluctant to put it out there until it’s cemented. Also, as life is generally better for me and those around me when I have a work-in-progress, I’ve started the initial draft of my third, which doesn’t take place in NYC—a first for me.

Thanks Alison!

Giveaway:

The scoop: When chic Parisian lawyer Catherine Lambert lands her dream job as intellectual property director for Christian Dior, she is on top of the world. She’s prepared to embark on the ride of her life in the world of fashion, fighting high-profile legal battles against international counterfeiters. She’ll also be reunited with colleague-turned-boyfriend Antoine in her beloved hometown.

But Catherine’s visions of front-row seats at the couture shows and strolling the Champs-Élysées hand in hand with the love of her life are soon displaced by the realities of dingy police vans and threatening anonymous phone calls. The code of ethics that she knew from mergers and acquisitions does not seem to apply in the nefarious counterfeiting underworld, and Catherine finds her life turned upside-down by surprise meetings in dark alleys and an unexpected degree of notoriety among the criminal element. Will Catherine and her loyal assistant, Rikash, manage to outsmart even the most crooked of characters and come out on top?

Our thoughts:  Say oui oui to this one!

Leave a comment to enter.  We’ll choose the winners on Sunday May 19th after NOON PST.

Our guest today: Amy Sue Nathan

Why she rocks: We can’t believe this is her debut novel! Can’t wait for her next book! (Which sounds juicy, btw. Details below!)

Her debut: The Glass Wives (Out May 14th!)

The scoop on it: Evie and Nicole Glass share a last name. They also shared a husband.

When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all.  But Evie wasn’t counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no matter how frayed. Strapped for cash, Evie cautiously agrees to share living expenses—and her home—with Nicole and the baby. But when Evie suspects that Nicole is determined to rearrange more than her kitchen, Evie must decide who she can trust. More than that, she must ask: what makes a family?

Our thoughts: We loved this book about the complexities of friendship! A must-read!

Giveaway: TWO copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We’ll select the winners on Sunday, May 12 after 12pm PST.

Fun fact: She hosts the popular Women’s Fiction Writers blog! (In all her spare time!)

Where you can read more about Amy Sue: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…2013 CLUB: AMY SUE NATHAN

DO’S: 3 things every aspiring novelist should do

1. First, believe in yourself and your story. If you don’t, chances are you won’t be able to convince anyone else to believe in it either.

2. Second, remember that kind criticism is your friend. It’s not easy (nor is the first “should”) but it’s essential.

3. Third, take a break when you need a break. I’m a big believer in letting things simmer and stew. When I’m stuck I don’t sit in front of the computer, I walk away from it. That seems to always allow me to find the answers to my plot or character issues or to get reinspired.

DON’TS: 3 things every aspiring novelist shouldn’t do

1. First and foremost, ignore the naysayers. That means if someone rolls his or her eyes when you say you’re writing a book, or seems disinterested in your ambition, cross ‘em off your list. At least for a while.

2. Next, do not compare yourself or your book to others. I’m still working on that one.

3. Last but not least, don’t forget that what works for one writer doesn’t always work for another. Do what works for you.

MUST HAVES:

1. On your desk? I have learned to always have a drink on my desk, otherwise I tend to forget to get up and drink. That means coffee, water, sugar-free lemonade, or if I’m working at night, it could be wine!

2. On your Facebook feed?   On my Facebook feed I always follow my writer friends. They inspire me.

3. App on your phone? The app on my phone I can’t do without is weather. It’s very important for me to know the temperature in many different cities. Tell me where you live and I’ll add it to my list.

LASTS:

1. Song you listened to on repeat? Confession time: I rarely listen to music.

2. Book you read? But the last book I read was THE LIFE LIST by Lori Nelson Spielman, which comes out July 9th. It was fabulous and I read it in less than two days!

3. Time you laughed? The last time I laughed was a few minutes ago when one of my dogs poked her nose in front of the computer. She wants to know why you don’t want HER to answer questions.

HOW MANY:

1. Agents did you query before you found “the one?” In total I queried 116 and my agent was somewhere in the middle.

2. Hours do you write per day? I don’t write every day, but when I do, it’s hours and hours and hours. I’m an all or nothing kind of writer.

3. Hours do you waste online when you should be writing?  Online hours are wasted? I don’t think so! Okay, maybe. Sometimes. Okay—way too many.

BESTS:

1. Way to celebrate a book deal? My best friend of thirty-three years is flying out to celebrate with me. My son will be home from college and my daughter is staying home from school.  We are having a small launch party to celebrate that night, but the big event will be at my local library a few weeks later.  I think all of those things make it “the best” for me!

2. Trick to overcome writer’s block? My trick for overcoming writers block is to block out writing. I walk away, do something else, forget about the issue or problem.  The muse is displeased when ignored. Ta-dah! Problem solved.

3. Way to think of a book idea? Ideas come to me. I pretty much have nothing to do with them, except I write them down immediately so I don’t forget, which I’m apt to do.

NEXTS:

1. Show you’ll DVR? I’m embarrassed how many shows I DVR. I love TV and I love documentaries. My DVR runneth over.

2. Book you’ll read? Right now I’m re-reading THE THIRD SON by Julie Wu.

3. Book you’ll write? The book I’m writing now is about a blogger, but not just any blogger.  This woman misrepresents herself. Okay, she lies. It’s a story about those big life lies, what makes people tell them and what has to happen to compel someone to come clean and deal with the consequences. It’s also about the perils of getting lost in an online life at the expense of a real life.  I also have two more books in the hopper.  I have no idea what a hopper is, by the way, but that is definitely where my books are waiting for me and they’re pounding to get out.

Thanks, Amy!

Our guest today: Jon Harrison

Why we want to spend 7 Seconds in Heaven with him: We love a man who can not only write about love but do it well.

His latest: The Banks of Certain Rivers

The scoop on it: Neil Kazenzakis is barely holding his life together: ever since an accident left his wife profoundly disabled, he’s been doing his best as a single dad and popular high school teacher. He’s also been dealing with Lauren Downey, his sort-of girlfriend of the past two years who’s pushing for a commitment—and for Neil to finally tell his son Christopher about their secret relationship.

Neil’s carefully balanced world begins to fall apart when some questionable footage of him is anonymously posted to YouTube…just as Chris learns about Lauren in the worst possible way. Doubting his own recollection of the events in the online video as he’s threatened with the loss of his job and the ability to care for his wife, Neil must find a way to prove the truth to his family, his community, and himself as he struggles to regain the splintered trust of his son.

Heartbreaking, poignant, and written with devastating humor and warmth, The Banks of Certain Rivers is a shattering story of memory, loss, and just how far a man will go to show the people closest to him the meaning of love.

Our thoughts: Warning: This book is unputdownable.

Giveaway: One e-copy. Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We’ll select the winner on Sunday, May 12th after 12pm PST.

Fun fact: The fabulous Catherine McKenzie told us about Jon. Thanks, Catherine!

Where you can read more about Jon: Facebook,Twitter and his website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS…7 SECONDS IN HEAVEN WITH…JON HARRISON

1. Liz & Lisa: What’s your favorite book and why?
Jon Harrison: There are so many. If I had to pick one novel, I’d say The Sun Also Rises. For all the ugly behavior of its characters, it’s really the spring from which all modern fiction flows. I can go back to Raymond Carver’s collected poems again and again. Ditto for St. Augustine’s Confessions.

2. L&L: What’s the best thing about living in the Rockies?
JH: We get all four seasons, sometimes in the same day. Also, the views can be pretty great.

3. L&L: What do you love about running? Does it help your writing?
JH: It’s nice to be reminded that there can be something just as painful as writing, and that’s running. The great thing about it, though, is that after a run I actually feel good instead of filled with the usual dread and self-doubt. So it’s a nice break from my writing routine.

4. L&L: Where’s your favorite place to write?
JH: I have a wobbly table in my loft on which there are marked-up manuscript pages, sticky note pads, a brass barometer, a volcanic rock from Mt. Fuji, a baseball signed by Fritz Peterson, a faded Mystery Science Theater 3000 mug filled with pens and sharpies, and my laptop. That’s my favorite place to write.

5. L&L: What are you reading right now?
JH: A fantastic book called The Rider by the Dutch novelist Tim Krabbé. On the surface it’s a spare, tight story about a bike race, each kilometer in the race taking a page in the novel, but really it’s a profound trip inside this guy’s head that blows me away each time I read it.

6. L&L: Where did the inspiration for The Banks of Certain Rivers come from?
JH: A while back there was a thing in the news where a bicyclist in New York City was charged with assault for aggressively charging toward a cop. As it turned out, some tourists had filmed the whole thing, and the cop had actually run out into the street and knocked the guy off his bike. It got me thinking about how, with cameras everywhere, things are so thoroughly documented now, and how easily that could be manipulated.

7. L&L: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
JH: People who make a big show of writing in coffee shops.

Thanks, Jon!