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	<title>Chick Lit Plus &#187; Author News</title>
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		<title>Guest Post from Author Fleur McDonald</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/guest-post-from-author-fleur/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/guest-post-from-author-fleur/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:23:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[For Writers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blue skies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chick lit books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chick lit review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fleur mcdonald]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[red dust]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=3172</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How were  you able to get published?
About five years ago, I decided I wanted to write a book that I would like to read. Without too much thought, I decided on the topic of stock stealing. I still don’t know why I thought of it, particularly at a time when I was completely sleep deprived with two littlies, but I thought I could develop intrigue and mystery around this subject.
I set about writing. Once I had written five chapters, I asked a friend to read it to see if it was any good. I also sent it to my writing mentor for his opinion. The responses were brilliant and overwhelmed me. I decided I needed to keep writing.
Patience has never been my strong point! When I had written about a third of the story, I thought I’d try Allen and Unwin publisher’s ‘Friday Pitch’. This offers first-time authors a chance to have their first chapter and a synopsis read and considered by its publisher Louise Thurtell. I wanted to know what she thought about it—never mind finishing the manuscript!
Her response was just as encouraging as others I had received, although it wasn’t what she was looking for at that time and she encouraged me to try another publisher. I didn’t want to now I had established contact with Louise. So I waited about a year, tweaked it a bit more, and resent it—but I did little work on finishing the manuscript.
Suddenly, not only was there was a phone call saying ‘Yes! We want your manuscript!’, there was a contract and … an unfinished manuscript!
I got to work quick smart and finished the rest of the story in about six-months.
My journey to get to this point has been amazing. It blows me away whenever I think about it. I don’t have any writing qualifications or experience in writing for publishers. I just wrote the book I wanted to read. From that, I was picked up from the ‘slush pile’, handed a contract, now have two books published with another two book deal  and have also sold the rights for both Red Dust and Blue Skies to Germany. (Red Dust has already been released there with Blue Skies due out next year.)
 
Has anything in general surprised you since becoming an author?
 
Hm, not sure. I didn't really know enough about the industry when I first started, to be surprised by anything. I just went with the flow and did what ever I was told to do!
 
I guess the response to my books has been surprising and very overwhelming. Red Dust flew off the shelves as did Blue Skies, but that may be more because there is a hunger for Australian stories than anything else. 
 
I also love the way that Allen and Unwin are as passionate about my books as I am - I'm not sure if I'm surprised by that or just grateful!

How many times were you rejected before finding your agent?
 
I haven't actually ever been rejected by an agent, when I was submitting my fiction novels. I got my first two books published without an agent, but Gaby Naher, from the Naher Agency is now my wonderful, patient and calming agent and negotiated my two book deal.
 
I was rejected by plenty when I was pitching my children picture books.
 
One thing I will  point out here - it's harder to get an agent once you are published. Most people think it wouldn't be the case, but it is. My publisher introduced me to both Curtis and Brown and Gaby Naher. Curtis and Brown wouldn't take me on, because they had a similar client and because I had already negotiated two books. Just something to be aware of.
 
 
How long does it take you to finish writing a novel?
 
About a year - I diddle around for the first part - don't do much, just think a lot, write lots of notes and then when I realise I've only got about six months before it's due, get really stuck in and write. I usually have enough ideas and thoughts to be able to do that.
 
 
What gave you the drive and motivation to write a book and push to get it published?
 
Well, I never really started out with the thought that I would try and get published. I started to write a book that I would like to read and then, it was one of my friends who thought I should try.
 
I started researching the industry and submitted for the ASA Mentorship program, but didn't get anywhere there. I don't like failing so that was probably my turning point! 
]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Interview with Adele Parks</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-adele-parks/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-adele-parks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:36:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adele parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chick lit authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chick lit books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview with adele parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[men i've loved before]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=3118</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: How did you choose a career in writing?
A: I’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember but for years I thought it was an unrealistic ambition. I just didn’t know how to go about it or whether I was producing anything any one would ever want to read! But you don’t know what you can do until you try, which is an obvious thing to say but still worth saying. Whatever your ambition is, give it a go (providing it is legal!).

Q: Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?
A: Life sparks my imagination but I never write biographies of individuals or try to reproduce people I know; my friends are saved that indignity. My characters are an amalgamation of a number of people I’ve met, watched or heard about plus a great big dose of ‘but what if…?’. The question ‘but what if...?’ is the one that kindles my imagination.

Q: You have many books in print. Is there one in particular that you really enjoyed writing or doing the research for?
A: I have ten novels in print. I’ve written ten novels in ten years which surprises me every time I think of it. I love all my babies but I can, hand on heart, say that my latest Men I’ve Loved Before is one of my favourites possibly my absolute favourite. There are some really meaty issues in there. It’s my sister’s favourite and she’s quite a tough judge!

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what do you think you would be doing for a career?
A: I might be a photographer. I love capturing who and what we are. People are infinitely splendid and stupid – that’s what’s so great about us. If not a photographer then maybe a Time Lord; I’m big into Dr Who

Q: How did you celebrate your first novel being published?
A: I got pregnant! 

Q: How do you spend any free time you can get?
A: With my family. I’m married with one son. We’re a tiny unit but we adore each other. I’m very lucky and before I know it my son will be a teenager and his hormones will declare war on me so I’m enjoying as much time with him now as I possibly can.

Q: What is one personal or professional goal you have yet to achieve?
A: There are lots of things I’ve yet to achieve. It would be lovely to see one of my books made into a film or TV series. I’m always drifting in and out of options but nothing has gone into production yet. I think it’s good to have a dream though… I’d also really love to learn to stand on my head or do a cartwheel. I was a chubby kid and didn’t shine at anything remotely athletic; I’m now going to yoga classes and dream of standing on my head.

Q: Are you currently working on a novel?
A: Yes, I’m always currently working on a novel. I’m just putting the finishing touches to 2011’s novel, which is about friendship.

Q: What would be your advice to writers?
A: 
1. Read. Novels, articles, newspapers  - anything you can get your hands on. If you are not familiar (in fact in love) with the written word, you’ll never be a decent writer.
2. Write. Seriously, it astonishes me how many people tell me they want to be a writer but then confess they never write anything more elaborate than a shopping list. Write everyday even if it’s only for 20 minutes. Discipline is key.
3. Develop a thick skin, you’ll almost certainly get a few knock backs along the way. Pick yourself up brush yourself down and start all over again. Talent will break through.
4. Consider going on a course/join an online support group. I did a degree in English Literature and Language, I’m not suggesting you have to do the same but a weekend creative writing course may help with understanding the tools of the trade such as structure, plot and characterisation. You’ll also meet other would be writers and they can offer support.
5. Listen. Be inspired by everything that is going on around you.


Q: I’ve read that you’ve done quite a bit of traveling. What was your favorite place to visit?
A: The next place. 

]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Guest Post from Author Holly Christine</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/guest-post-from-author-holly-christine/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/guest-post-from-author-holly-christine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:09:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holly christine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-publishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tuesday tells it slant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=3109</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Self-Publishing

For me, writing is like preparing a meal. After toiling for days or months, I want to be the person who serves the hot dish. I want to be the one who says, Be careful. It’s still hot. I want to be the one who watches with a kitchen towel thrown over her shoulder, arms crossed across her chest, bags under her eyes, smiling as my guests say, This is delicious. What spice is this? Words. 

Main Dish. Ingredients for writing Tuesday Tells it Slant: three weeks, 65,000 words, six to eight cups of coffee a day, four to five hours of sleep each night. 

After twenty-one days of repeating the above ingredients, I was spent. I saved my Word document a thousand times, compulsively, as I didn’t want to lose a single word. Then I slept. I slept for days. When I arose, my head was free enough to begin the editing process. Some authors outline before they begin to write. I tend to outline once I reach a certain point in the story: a kind of reverse outline, to attempt to protect against major plot holes. 

Soup and Salad. Ingredients for editing: a solid week of coffee, a few colorful pens, post it notes, two to three black ink cartridges, two reams of paper and the ability to look at your words without remembering the sweat behind them. I print my work, read over it with a colorful pen in hand to fix errors that can’t be seen on my laptop screen and return to the original document to correct the errors I caught. Once I do this, I print again, pouring over the second draft before finalizing the document. 

I wrote soup and salad because the above process is most efficient when repeated. May as well get two dishes out of it. 

Before I move on to dessert, I have to say that this is the point of the process when I realized I was going to self-publish. I had the desire to share my work with others immediately. I was proud and excited. I still believe that self-publishing doesn’t signify the end in the publishing world. Today, it opens doors. 

Dessert. Cover creation and description. This is tricky. A great chef doesn’t necessarily equate to a brilliant baker. A major force throughout Tuesday Tells it Slant was a diary. I decided to make a cover that mimicked a diary with a casual font and doodles. Make the cover relate to the book. Most readers do judge a book by its cover. 

This is also the part of the process where you will create the book’s description. Keep it simple, yet detailed enough to grab a reader’s attention. Don’t be afraid to give away too much. A reader doesn’t need to be surprised at every turn of the page. They need to know enough to hook them before they start reading. 

Setting the table with eBooks. Amazon’s Digital Text Platform allows authors to upload their work, cover, and description easily. After uploading, name your price. I priced my work at $0.99 to start. At this price, Amazon pays a royalty rate of 35%, though this figure is flipping to 70% for all eBooks priced at or above $2.99 in June. In as little as twenty-four hours, your work becomes available to Kindle owners for purchasing. As an independent author, you can also utilize Smashwords to make your work available in multiple eFormats (Sony Reader, Barnes and Noble Nook). The royalty rate for authors using Smashwords is 57%. These services are free for authors. There aren’t any set-up fees or gimmicks. They merely make your work available for download. 

Proper serving ware. Paperbacks. If you want to serve your readers traditionally, Amazon’s CreateSpace is the way to go. There are no set-up costs involved and the process is fairly simple to make your work available as a paperback on Amazon. Your books are printed as needed. When a reader purchases your book from Amazon, the book is then printed and shipped to that reader. Traditionally, an author would pay thousands of dollars to see their work in print. Using Amazon’s CreateSpace, a copy of your own 400-page book would cost about $4.00. Though CreateSpace offers certain (pricey) services to its authors, these services aren’t required to publish your work. 

Serving. Marketing, marketing, marketing. This part of the process comes easily for some. For others, it is the most difficult part of the course of self-publishing. Between press releases, reviews, social marketing and developing a readership, the road to success can be rocky, and it all depends upon the work that you put into it. For eBook sales, I recommend joining online forums dedicated to certain eReaders. The Kindle has multiple forums where authors are welcome to post their book and description. For paperback sales, consider giveaways, blog tours and obtaining reviews from reputable sources. If this seems overwhelming, you should consider hiring a publicist to help build an arsenal of marketing material. 

More writers are looking at self-publishing as a viable option to getting their work out there. Currently, fewer publishing houses seem willing to take on a work by an unknown, unproven author. According to Publishers Weekly, over 760,000 titles were self-published in 2009: nearly double the total from 2008. Traditional publishers printed less than 290,000 books in 2009. 

With the publishing industry gradually failing to keep up with the times, it seems as if the new game is self-publishing. This leaves more power in the hands of the author, instead of the hands of the publishing houses. 






]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Jennifer Weiner Coming to a City Near You!</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/jennifer-weiner-coming-to-a-city-near-you/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/jennifer-weiner-coming-to-a-city-near-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:48:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fly away home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jennifer weiner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jennifer weiner book tour]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=2942</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Jennifer Weiner is coming to a city near you! Weiner will be taking on a national book tour to promote the launch of her latest novel, Fly Away Home, which will be out July 13th. She will be appearing in the following cities:
-	NEW YORK - July 13th
-	PRINCETON - July 14th 
-	PHILADELPHIA - July 14th
-	WASHINGTON, DC - July 15th
-	ATLANTA - July 16th
-	FORT LAUDERDALE - July 17th 
-	MIAMI - July 19th
-	DALLAS - July 20th
-	BOSTON - July 21st
-	CHICAGO - July 25th and 26th
-	DENVER - July 27th 
-	SAN FRANCISCO - July 28th and 29th 
-	CAPE COD - August 12th


Click here to get more information on Jennifer’s tour!
]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Interview with Mary O&#8217;Sullivan</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-mary-osullivan/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-mary-osullivan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2010 20:45:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[as easy as that]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chick lit books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inside out]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview with mary o'sullivan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mary o'sullivan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parting ways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thirty and fab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[under the rainbow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[womens fiction authors]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=2723</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: I read on your website that your passion was always writing. How were you finally able to break into the industry?
A: I sent the manuscript of my first novel, Parting Company, to Pooolbeg Press in Ireland, more in hope than expectation.  I didn’t hear back from them for a while so I was bracing myself for rejection when Poolbeg director, Paula Campbell, rang to offer me a three book contract. That is a moment I will always treasure. Of course it takes hard work and many, many hours of writing and re-writing to produce a manuscript that will interest a publisher but I also believe that good old-fashioned luck plays a part too. I certainly feel very lucky to have had my stories published. 


Q: Where do the ideas for your stories come from?
A: I always start with a subject or situation that interests me and I ask the question ‘what if?’  For instance in my first novel, Parting Company – what if someone discovered the cure for cancer? In As Easy As That the question was, what if you suspected your boss of being involved in criminal activity? I have covered topics in my books such as   post traumatic stress disorder, the possibility that ghosts exist and religious cults. But no matter what the background to a story, the characters and how they deal with the situations are the most important and satisfying element in writing a book. 
 

Q: What is the best part about being a full time writer?
A: It has to be the freedom to write whenever you like. I spent many years working full-time as a lab technician, always with story ideas in my head but no time to develop them. Now if I feel like writing into the small hours, I can do so without being worried about  getting up early to go to my job.  I currently work harder and put in longer hours than I have ever done but every minute of it is a pleasure.   
 
Q: You have 5 published novels. Do you have one in particular that you really loved either writing or doing research for?
A: This is a hard question to answer as each of my novels is important to me in its own way. The first, of course, will always hold a special place in my heart. Both my parents died from cancer and writing a fictional cure for the disease in Parting Company was very helpful as part of the grieving process. Under The Rainbow, my latest book, is also very special as it is the only novel I’ve written in the first person. Telling the story in the main character’s voice rather than third person allowed me to get to know everything about Adele Burke, even things she probably wouldn’t want me to know! 
The most interesting research I’ve done is for my next novel Time And Tide (Apr 2011). For this book I read up on Climate Change and studied both sides of the Global Warming argument. In my reading I came across the curious fact that the Maya calendar ends on December 31st 2012. Many believe this means the world will end on that date though what the Maya predicted was a change rather than an ending. 
 
Q: What do you find most difficult about the writing process?
A: Probably letting go. It takes at least a year for me to write a novel. In that time I live with the characters and their story day in, day out. I love them all, even the baddies as they are fun to write. Then comes the day when you type THE END. Silly as it seems, I always feel lonely when I finish a book. The only cure is to start another one. 
 

Q: Do you have a certain area that you get all your writing done?
A:I have a small office into which I have squashed all my favourite things – two book cases, family photos, my collection of stones from special places I have been, Martin Luther King’s  ‘I Have A Dream ‘poster and a large wall map of the world.  A stack of CD’s sits on my desk as I always play music when I write- each book has its own individual soundtrack. It’s a cosy little room and conveniently close to the kitchen for the endless cups of coffee. 

 
Q: Have you ever had an idea for a plot or character at a strange place or time?
A:I got the idea for Under The Rainbow as I was sitting in a seaside café having coffee (again!) with a group of friends. I wondered if childhood friends who had gone their separate ways could meet up as adults and resume their friendship with the same intensity. This thought raised many more questions in my mind and the end result of mulling over the answers was Under The Rainbow.    
 

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?
A: John Irving – The World According To Garp is one of my all-time favourite novels ; Jodi Picoult ; John Connolly ; Sebastian Barry; Val McDermid; MandaSue  Heller;  Mary Malone ; Walter Macken and many ,many more authors who have given me hours of pleasure reading their wonderful work. 
 

Q: Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Any fun celebration stories?
A: I certainly celebrate St Patrick’s Day. It’s a great day to be Irish. I remember a year when the shamrock did not grow very well. My mother went searching for some and arrived home with lovely sprays which we proudly wore on St Patrick’s Day. It was much later before she admitted that the sprays we had worn on March 17th had actually been clover and not shamrock at all. At least it didn’t affect our celebrations and I’m sure St Patrick forgave us! 

 
Q: What would be your best advice for aspiring writers?
A: My advice would be to never give up and to take hope from my history. I had been writing since I was a child but being  occupied in full-time work and rearing a family I believed my chance to be a published author had passed me by. I eventually got my lucky break and I would advise anyone with the passion to write to keep working hard on your manuscript and your opportunity will come too. 

 
Q: Is there any place in the world that you would love to travel to?
A: Reading Stephen King and John Connolly piqued my interest in Maine, USA. I based part of my fourth novel, Inside Out there. I researched the state thoroughly, read books on it, got maps and visited on-line Maine sites. The more I learned about the scenery, the history, the uniqueness of Maine, the more I wanted to visit there. A trip to beautiful Maine is definitely on my wish list.  
]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Interview with Jackie Pilossoph</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-jackie-pilossoph/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-jackie-pilossoph/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2010 23:13:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[hook line and sink him]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=2719</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
About nine years ago, I had a great idea for a romantic comedy.  I used to go jogging on the lake front in Chicago and write the story in my head.  Shortly after, I began writing my ideas down on my computer.  One story lead to another, and another, and another, and nine years later, I’ve finished seven screenplays and four novels.
Q: In addition to novels, you have also written screenplays. How different and or/alike are writing novels and screenplays?
VERY different.  Novels are a lot more fun for me to write, because I get to live inside the minds of my characters, and I get to tell readers what my characters are thinking and feeling.  I enjoy creating funny and lovable people, or if someone’s a villain, it’s fun to make him or her really unlikeable.  When it comes to movies, the actors and director both have so much more control over character personalities.   
Writing novels and screenplays are similar in regards to dialogue.  In both, I truly enjoy delivering great dialogue to make my characters’ conversations witty and funny and hip and dramatic.  Then again, in movies, an actor can be flexible with his or her lines.  

Q: Your fist novel, Hook, Line, and Sink Him! Is based on some of your dating experiences. What is the worst first date you have been on?
I actually have a name for my worst first date, worst date ever, in fact.  Let’s call him, “Root Canal Rick.” 
Several years ago, I met this guy at a diner while visiting friends in Boston.   He lived in Minnesota, I lived in Chicago.  After no more than a twelve minute conversation, we decided to exchange numbers.  Neither of us knew if we’d ever see each other again, but we’d really hit it off, so we figured it was the right thing to do.  
As fate would have it, about a year later, I got a TV reporting job in none other than Minnesota.  So, one of the first things I did when I moved there was call the guy, who was pretty much a stranger to me, but who I’d thought about so many times during the past year.  Maybe this was fate!  It was really exciting!
We ended up going out to a bar/restaurant where we had dinner and where he consumed at least seven beers.  ‘Maybe he’s just really nervous’ I rationalized to myself, as I watched him chug and chug and chug.  
After dinner, we decided to play a couple games of pool in the next room.  A very nice guy (who was also kind of cute) said “Nice shot,” to me, after I sank the 7 ball into the side pocket.
Staggering up to the guy, my date said, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing, jerk?”
“What?” asked the other guy.
“Is something wrong?” I asked my heavily buzzed date, who had just ordered another beer.
“Yes!” he practically shouted, “I just bought you dinner and you’re hitting on another guy!”
I was dumbfounded.  “I’m not hitting on anyone,” I defended.
He then called me a few names that I’d rather not mention in this interview.  All I can say is THANK GOD I drove separately that night.  I put my pool stick down on a nearby rack, and then told my date I was leaving and that he should consider calling a cab versus driving home.
As I exited the place, I could hear him shouting obscenities.  I was practically running out of there, which is why it shouldn’t have surprised me when I bumped into some guy on the way out, and his beer spilled and splashed all over me.
Driving home, drenched, cold, disappointed and hurt, I actually felt really happy, too.  The guy I thought could be my soul mate had turned out to be a drunken, abusive idiot.  It was sad, but I no longer had to wonder.  Plus, I NEVER had to see the guy, EVER again!  
If someone gave me a choice between experiencing this date and having a root canal, I’d choose the root canal, hands down! 

Q: Are you currently working on a book # 2?
Yes, and it’s awesome!  Just wait!  I am so excited to share it!

Q:  If you hadn’t started writing, what do you think would be your career?
I’ve had a bunch of different careers in my life.  I’ve been a sales representative for a few different companies, I’ve been a financial advisor, I’ve been in sales management, I’ve been a TV news reporter, I’ve been a college professor, and now, I’m an author.  I can’t imagine being anything else anymore.  But one job I think would be really, really fun would be a barista at Starbucks.  Stress free, talking to people all day, and free coffee!  What could be better than that?! 
Q: What is your biggest personal accomplishment?
Becoming a mother to my two beautiful, wonderful children and raising them.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?
Jonathan Tropper, Emily Giffen, Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Terry McMillan
Q: What is the perfect ‘girl’s night out’ for you?
I LOVE girl’s nights!  It’s so much fun to get together with a bunch of chicks, all who dress up for each other.  We wear our favorite designer jeans, cute little tops, big hoop earrings, heels, little hand bags and lots of lip gloss.  I think it’s really sweet that girls dress to the hilt for other girls. 
 I enjoy drinking wine or sangria or martinis, and eating sushi or sharing a bunch of appetizers, while all the girls tell and listen to stories, and laugh and joke around.  It’s entertaining and relaxing, but there are emotional moments, as well.  One minute someone’s telling you her eye shadow’s Bobbi Brown, the next, someone starts crying about her impending divorce.  
The nights almost always include funny encounters with strange men sitting at the bar, or someone running into a random acquaintance, such as the cousin of a friend of her ex-boyfriend from college.   Funny memories are always created when girls get together!
At the end of the night, two things are guaranteed; girls hug like they’re never going to see each other again, and  everyone vows to do it again real soon. 
Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?
DON’T GIVE UP!  It would be impossible for me to count the hundreds of rejections I received when submitting my work to agents and publishers.  If you keep sending out your writing, people will give you advice and tips and they’ll help you become a better writer.  And then, one day, someone will give you a contract!  But remember, that’s only if you DON’T GIVE UP!
Q: What would be your dream vacation?
I’ve always wanted to go to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  It looks amazing!  I would go there with my entire family, my kids, my parents, my brothers and sisters, and their families.  We all love each other very much, but we drive each other crazy.  That’s why I’d make sure we got separate villas!

]]></description>
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		<title>Interview with Danielle Ganek</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-danielle-ganek/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-danielle-ganek/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 May 2010 20:09:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[chick lit authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danielle ganek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview with danielle ganek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lulu meets god and doubts him]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the summer we read gatsby]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=2661</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: Where do you think your passion for writing comes from?  I think it is something one is just born with, or maybe it’s afflicted with!…I’ve thought of myself as a writer since about the age of 9, but it took me a lot longer to actually complete a novel and then let anyone see it.  I simply have to write, and I like to do it every day, although I don’t. I get a bit cranky when I go too long without writing.
Q: How did you get the idea for Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him?  I’d always been interested in female characters who wrestle with their creative ambitions. The novel really came together when I placed Mia, this wry aspiring artist behind the desk in a gallery, commenting on what she witnessed.
Q: Your second novel, The Summer We Read Gatsby comes out in May. Where was the inspiration for these characters? Like Cassie, the narrator,  I’m American but I grew up in Brazil and Switzerland, always a foreigner, both there and here.  I had this idea that she would study novels like Gatsby almost as textbooks, to better understand the country she loved from afar. I was inspired by the legacy of artists and writers in the Hamptons and I imagined my characters would be too.
Q: How were you able to break into the writing industry?  I was very lucky to meet my agent, whom I absolutely adore, through a mutual friend.  I had been reluctant to show many people my work but once she had the manuscript for Lulu it all happened very quickly and Viking bought it in a pre-empt deal.  But I’d been working on that novel for quite some time so it was pretty evolved once I showed it to anyone.
Q: Have you ever had an idea for a novel/character at an odd time or place? I’m always finding little bits of ideas or characters or situations, it’s putting them together to create a novel that doesn’t seem to  deliver itself as a whole. 
Q: You’ve lived in New York City for many years. I have visited there once and was completely overwhelmed by all there is to do. What are your top 3 picks for a tourist to do/see when visiting NYC? That’s a hard question, because, as you said, there is so much and the most fun thing to do in New York is just walk the streets and take it all in, the people, the smells, the buildings! But also  I think a visit to Central Park is key, just to walk around. Definitely a museum or two, the Met, the Guggenheim (even just to see the building) and for galleries, 24th street in Chelsea. And there is so much great food, I would recommend checking Zagat’s for the top choices in the category you might be interested in. 
Q: What would you say is your biggest personal success? I probably shouldn’t say this because I don’t want to jinx anything but my husband and my children. And I’m very happy to be able to keep writing and finding an audience. 
Q: What are some of your bad habits? I have many. I’m a terrible procrastinator.
Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?  I know this gets said a lot but it really is the best advice:  just write. People say they want to write but don’t have the time -- you make time for what you need to do in life. Writing is re-writing. Novels don’t just happen, they have to be crafted over many many drafts, so you have to put in the time. And that’s often the hardest part, time management.
Q: I read that you have traveled to places such as Brazil and Switzerland. Is there more places you would like to travel too? Yes, I want to go everywhere! I’ve never been to Asia and am dying to go.  I hope to get to India very soon as well. 
]]></description>
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		<title>Interview with Fiona Cassidy</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-fiona-cassidy/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-fiona-cassidy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 May 2010 17:26:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[anyone for me]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[fiona cassidy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interivewwith fionna cassidy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=2656</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Interview With Fiona Cassidy
Q: Why did you want to start writing?
I’ve always been a passionate reader so for me it was a natural progression to want to write my own novel. My parents were both primary school teachers and fostered a love of literature in me from an early age. I had ambitions to become a newspaper journalist and had actually been offered a place to complete a journalism degree at one of the most prestigious universities in Edinburgh, Scotland but unfortunately wasn’t in a position to accept it as I got pregnant with my son Colm when I was eighteen. The ambition never went away, however, and continued to bubble under the surface whilst I raised my family and held down a full-time job. I think the catalyst for me was when I read a book about adoption several years ago. It annoyed me as to my mind the author had no idea about what they were talking about regarding the feelings and emotions experienced when embarking on a search for birth roots as I had done myself so I decided to write my own fictional story about it (with no research required) and it’s now being published in August! 
Q: You received a three book publishing deal in April 2009. How did you celebrate the fabulous news?
I celebrated with friends and family but to be honest was so completely shell shocked at the beginning that I could hardly absorb it fully! Getting a publishing deal for me was a dream come true and although we all have dreams and aspirations we never really expect them to come to fruition! I am in the very privileged position of having an extremely supportive partner, Philip, who always shared the dream with me and continues to do so in whatever I do! He took me away for a lovely (child free) weekend to Dublin several weeks after I secured my deal and it was pure bliss! 
Q: Your first novel, Anyone for Seconds? is all about broken families. What can we expect from your second novel, Anyone For Me? 
Anyone for Seconds? is a humorous look at modern family life and explores the trials and tribulations of single parenthood and step-families. As a step-mother to Philip’s children I am able to write confidently about the subject although I do have to stress that the horrendous teenage step-daughter in the storyline wasn’t based on any of our daughters!! Anyone for Me? is the story of Ruby Ross (who is one of the main characters in Anyone for Seconds?) and how she goes on an adventure when she embarks upon a mission to trace her birth mother. The book is of a comedic nature but deals with some serious topics. I like books that make me laugh out loud but provide solid storylines about every day issues which is what I try to achieve with my writing! As with Anyone for Seconds? (which reached no. 6 in the Irish Fiction book chart) readers can expect more laughs and appearances from characters they got to know in the first book along with lots of thrills and suspense!
Q: You’ve said you write want you know, and you’ve lived the life as a single parent. What do you think was the hardest part for you in being a single mom?
I think it’s hard to watch your children growing up and feeling somehow different from others who’ve come from the typical ‘nuclear’ family where both parents are together and involved in their children’s lives. In my own personal circumstances my husband and I separated when I was four months pregnant with my daughter Úna and I found the experience of going to ante-natal appointments and scans alone and having no doting father in the labour ward very difficult to deal with. It’s also very hard to admit that you’ve obviously made a mistake. I was very young when I got pregnant and married and had to return to my parent’s house after I gave birth which I found very hard after living away from home for several years. Thankfully, however, I wasn’t on my own for very long. My partner Philip and I have been together now for ten years and he has been the best father my children could ever have wished for! We’ve since had a daughter of our own, Áine, and it’s wonderful to be bringing her up together in a stable and happy environment and knowing that she won’t have to deal with issues that the older children have had to deal with. 
Q: What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t writing? 
As I love working with the public and am very outgoing and sociable I suspect I would be doing something within marketing or public relations. I already have a scant working background in this area but recently gave up my job as I want to concentrate more on my books! I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else other than writing, however, and would love to make a full-time career out of it. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen!
Q: What character would you say you are most like from Sex in the City?
I don’t think I can pigeon hole myself into being one particular character. I can see myself being a combination of Carrie with her creative writing side and witty observations on life whilst displaying similar traits to feisty Miranda with her constant juggling between work and life as a single mother. As for Philip he’d probably like me to be more like Samantha!
Q: Any guilty pleasures you can share with us?
I don’t have much time to indulge in many pleasures but I have to say I love getting away with Philip on our own. He has taken me several times to a spa hotel in Westport, Co. Mayo who provide reflexology and Indian head massage as part of their weekend package! Obviously this doesn’t happen very often as we have commitments to our children and also as finances simply wouldn’t allow it but it is something I really enjoy and think that every couple need! As for me on my own I just adore eating chocolate, having bubble baths and reading when I can! In fact I’ve been known to do all three at once!
Q: If you could trade lives with one other person- anyone!- for one day, who would it be and why?
I’d love to be in government for a day! I’d relax taxing laws, give better benefits to single parents and couples with young children and put a large dent in third world debt! I’d also make myself chief executive of a worldwide publishing conglomerate and give a new author from Northern Ireland called Fiona Cassidy the opportunity to make all nationalities laugh!
Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?
I would advise anyone who is interested in writing to go along to creative writing classes and surround themselves with people who have similar ambitions as you can learn from each other and pick up writing tips! There are also plenty of online forums and websites that would provide support and advice in this area! I would advocate reading as much as possible and ask them to familiarize themselves with publisher’s guidelines if they wish to submit manuscripts for consideration! It’s also useful to have an agent but not essential as I got my publishing deal first and had to choose an agent afterwards as I had three offering to represent me at one stage! An agent is a Godsend when it comes to negotiating contracts and understanding what way the market works. They also give invaluable editorial support! Above all I would advise people not to give up on their dreams. If writing is something you really want to do I would continue. It’s all too easy to get disillusioned as I myself was on many occasions but it’s about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and tackling every rejection with a steely determination to succeed the next time!
Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
I’d love to take the whole family away on a holiday perhaps to Disneyland or to Australia as we have relatives there who we haven’t seen in a number of years! However any holiday with the family where everyone is happy and relaxed would be a dream for me! 

]]></description>
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		<title>Interview with Michael Baron</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-michael-baron/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/interview-with-michael-baron/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Author News]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[crossing the bridge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview with michael baron]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael baron]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the journey home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[when you went away]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[womens fiction writers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=2533</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I've been making up stories since I was a little kid, but I think the moment I realized I really wanted to do this was when I was thirteen and decided to write a novel. It was a dreadful, mawkish love story, but I found the experience extremely satisfying. From that point forward, writing became very important to me.


Q: You write both fiction and non-fiction. Why did you decide to write both?

Well, I actually didn't decide to write fiction professionally for a long time. I wrote a novel right out of college, tried to get it published, and collected enough rejections to heat the house for a week. After that, I walked away from fiction for a long time – walked away from book-length writing completely for a period. I got on with my day job and then a nonfiction writing opportunity presented itself. This turned into a rather steady career. A couple of years ago, though, I realized that I really missed writing fiction. I felt that there were all kinds of things I wanted to say, especially about relationships between people, that I couldn't ever address in my nonfiction. Fortunately, my fiction writing skills had been quietly improving in the background all these years. My first published novel, When You Went Away is just a tiny bit better than that novel I wrote in college (which will never come out of the trunk).


Q: What do you want readers to take about from your books?

What I'm hoping they get is some level of reflection. Each of my novels have come about because I wanted to do two things: I wanted to explore how people connect with one another and I wanted to ruminate on a particular thing. In When You Went Away, it was parenthood. In Crossing the Bridge it was family, specifically brothers. These are obviously tremendously common experiences, and I'm hoping the novels give people a reason to think about their own lives. 


Q: I am about to start reading your third novel, The Journey Home. Where did the inspiration for these characters come from?

The inspiration for The Journey Home was particularly strong: my mother and father's romance. They had been married for more than fifty years when my father died (I was born after they'd been married quite a while and I'm last in the birth order – more on that in another novel) and they were the most important people in each other's lives for every one of those years. One of the important viewpoint characters in the novel is an elderly woman whose husband died five years earlier and who has decided to live in her head so she can re-live the time they had together. Some of this is the direct result of conversations I had with my mother after my father passed.


Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

I love creating and learning about the characters. I spend a great deal of time thinking about them and getting to know them. My goal is to be so familiar with them that I don't have to think about how they would react when I'm in the middle of a scene, that it all just comes naturally to me. I also love writing dialogue. I have a tremendous amount of fun playing out the conversations in my head. One day, I'd like to write entire novella in dialogue. 


Q: I read that you were previously a teacher. How were you able to break into the writing industry?

Lucky break, really. Someone needed a co-author for a book and I happened to have the right skillset for the job. I connected with that person's agent and things have been very steady since.


Q: I also read you worked in retail (as have I). Do you have any customer horror or hilarious tales?

(You know, I really don't have a great one. It was a while ago, and I think I blocked a lot of it out. Probably best if we just skipped this question.)


Q: If you were stranded on an island and had to have on celebrity with you, who would choose and why?

That's a huge challenge for me. If you were going to spend a huge amount of time with another person, you'd want that person to be genuinely interesting rather than simply a personality. I admire many celebrities for their craft, but I'm not sure they'd be all that much fun to hang out with once we got past the starstruck stage. I'd probably say Bruce Springsteen because I not only love his work, but I admire his passion and the causes he supports. I would imagine we'd have a number of fascinating conversations, though I doubt I'd be able to hold up my end of them.


Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?

Write what you love and write it as passionately and honestly as you possibly can. Also, never do it because you think you're going to be a star. If that happens, great, but it's unlikely to happen if this is your only reason for doing it. 


Q: Where would be your dream vacation?

It would be a week each in all of the dining capitals of the world. And since we're taking "dream," I'd get to eat like a true gourmand and not gain a single pound.

]]></description>
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		<title>Jennifer Weiner Philadelphia Event</title>
		<link>http://chicklitplus.com/jennifer-weiner-philadelphia-event/</link>
		<comments>http://chicklitplus.com/jennifer-weiner-philadelphia-event/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:55:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[jennifer weiner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jennifer weiner book signing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jennifer weiner tour dates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chicklitplus.com/?p=2481</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, May 4th at 6:00pm bestselling author Jennifer Weiner will be at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia to celebrate the paperback publication of her #1 New York Times bestseller Best Friends Forever.  Jen will be signing paperback copies of Best Friends Forever and will read from her upcoming novel Fly Away Home, landing on bookshelves July 13th, 2010.  Wine and chocolate will be served!

WHO: Best-selling author Jennifer Weiner

WHAT: Jennifer Weiner will be signing paperback copies of her #1 New York Times bestseller Best Friends Forever and reading from upcoming novel FLY AWAY HOME, landing on shelves July 13th, 2010.   Wine and chocolate will be served!

WHERE: Reading Terminal Market – 51 North 12th Street – PHILADELPHIA

WHEN: Tuesday, May 4th at 6:00pm
]]></description>
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