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Prize for June: One (1) winner will receive signed paperback copies of The Taming of the Bastard and Heart of Glass by LA Dale. One (1) bonus winner will win an ARC paperback copy of Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts. You must post the link to your review in the Mister Linky below. This can be to your blog, GoodReads page, or other sources such as Amazon.

*The June page is now closed. *

Winners:

LA Dale Books- Jill S- An Unnatural Athlete

Wanna Get Lucky? – Ashley- The Book Fetish

Interview with Kate Lace

Q: Why do you want to write books?

Because it beats working for a living?  No, seriously, when I wrote my first novel I was living in Ireland because of my husband’s job (he was an army officer), I had three small children and going out to work was simply not really an option.  Until the move to Ireland I’d been running a small publishing business from home but my partner’s husband had been posted to Alabama (she was also married to an army officer) so it was impossible to carry on and I was bored to sobs.  Writing a novel seemed a good option, although at the time wrote my first book I wasn’t sure I’d be any good at it.  Now I do it because I really love living in a fictional world where my characters can got to wonderful locations and in my head, I’m there too.  On a wet winter’s morning, imagining you’re basking in summer sun on a deserted beach on a Greek island is a pretty good escape from real life.

 

Q: When did you know you wanted to be an author?

Becoming an author came as a real shock as it was never something I’d ever thought about until it happened.  I wasn’t the sort of kid who penned stories for her sibling or friends nor did I write anything other than what I had to for homework.  Furthermore I went to the sort of blue-stocking school where we wrote essays, endless essays on mind-numbingly dull subjects – flights of fancy were definitely discouraged.  Writing creatively happened entirely by accident.  I left school to join the army (a ratio of 500:1 men to women and the chance of foreign travel being the big draw) and served for 8 years before getting thrown out when I began a family – which was what happened 25 years ago.  A couple of years later we moved into a quarter next to a woman who edited a magazine for army wives.  She asked me to help with the admin because that’s what I was really good at.  One day she was short of some copy and asked me to write ‘300 words about anything and make it funny’.  I’d spend 8 years obeying orders so I did as I was told and wrote a piece about my fellow army wives.  Apparently it was funny, it was well received, I was asked to write more columns and then it was suggested I might like to think about producing a book.  I baulked at the idea of a whole book but my neighbour said she’d write it with me.  Half a book didn’t seem quite such a huge task, so Gumboots and Pearl,  which is a wry look at how to be a perfect officer’s wife, was my first book.  And once you’ve written one, even if it’s only half of one… well, the idea of writing another isn’t so scary.

 

 

Q: How were you able to break into the writing industry?

 

Gumboots and Pearls was self-published – which I suppose is a bit of a cheat.  However we only took that step because we hawked the book round quite a few publishers who all really liked it but said there was no market for it.  No market?! There were thousands of army wives around and lots of ways to bring the book to their attention – especially in places like Cyprus and German where they are a totally captive audience with special newspapers and radio stations just for the Forces.  I mean, just how easy would it be to advertise it?  But the publishers couldn’t see it so we decided to go it alone.   We sold a staggering 16,000 copies and then went on to publish more books.  This meant that when I came to try to sell my first novel I did have a bit of a track record to put on my CV and a readership who might be persuaded to buy something else of mine.  But of course I also had the most enormous dollop of luck as my book just happened to land on the desk of an editor who was looking for new authors for a new mass market paperback venture.  I have to say that ‘luck’ plays a ridiculously large part in a lot of authors’ writing careers and mine was no exception.

 

 

Q: Where do your ideas for storylines and characters come from?

 

If I knew I’d bottle it.  The glib answer is that a deadline helps focus the mind when it comes to finding ideas but the truth is I generally think of a setting first – skiing, yachting, the movies, whatever –  and then think of a character to put into that world and find a reason why she does what she does.  In The Chalet Girl Millie (the heroine) needed a job where she gets fed and housed because her father has thrown her out of the family home so working as a chalet host ticks all her boxes.  In Moonlighting Jess is a pole dancer, but she’s been professionally trained and dreams of dancing in Cats or the Lion King.   However, when the story opens she knows that is never going to happen and she’s so utterly skint that the chance of making some real money, even if it means taking her kit off, isn’t something she can afford to turn down. 

 

Q: What do you love about Little Black Dress books?

 

Apart from the fact that they pay me I love them because I think most of the heroines are in very believable situations.  Mills & Boon are just fantastic for pure escapist fantasy where billionaires take up with their PAs or secretaries, where the world of the uber-glamorous is brought to life on the page, but LBD are a bit more down to earth.  And they tend to have a lot of humour in them, which I also like.  My favourite sort of read is one where you end up laughing AND crying and LBD can and do deliver exactly that mix. 

 

 

Q: You also write romantic fiction under the name Catherine Jones. Why do you use separate names?

 

I wrote 6 books as Catherine Jones, all about the army and, to be totally frank, my sales were pretty poor.  I thought the public would love an insight into the world of macho-men in uniform but apparently soldiers weren’t the turn-on for other women that they were for me.  So I needed a change of writing style and a new publisher and when publishers are looking at taking on an author, their past sales figures (if they’ve been previously published) can influence whether or not they take you.  So I decided to go via the slush pile again and when you’ve been born with a name like Catherine Lace it’s daft not to make use of it So I dumped Catherine Jones and said hello to Kate Lace.  I have to say it came as a bit of a shock to the editor of LBD to discover that Catherine Jones and Kate Lace were one and the same, as we’d met quite a few times at various Romantic Novelists’ Association events.  But she didn’t know that until after they’d accepted The Chalet Girl.   So that’s twice I’ve made it off the slush pile, which just shows it can be done!

 

 

Q: Your latest LBD book was just released, Moonlighting. Where did the inspiration for the book come from?

 

My middle daughter has a friend who works as one, but she’s also a hairdresser because she knows that pole dancing is a bit like being an athlete – it’s not a job for life, only while you’re young and fit.  I just really liked her down-to-earth attitude and so I built a story around a character who is in the job purely for the money.  I then decided to spice it up by giving her a real conflict of interest – in that she’s a Special Constable in her free time.  Once I’d got those elements in place the rest of the story sort of fell into place.

 

 

Q: How do you like to spend your free time?

 

When I’m not writing I love to cook, which is also quite creative, and I adore doing quizzes.  In fact I love doing them so much I managed to persuade some of my fellow Romantic Novelists to form a team with me for University Challenge -the Professionals.  We got to the finals which was fantastic fun!  And if you’re not a politician or a student I can definitely say Jeremy Paxman is very charming. 

                                                                                                           

Q: What would be your advice for aspiring writers?

 

To keep going, to keep writing, to get impartial advice (not from your mum or bessie-mate but from a writer’s group or critique partner), to read everything you can lay your hands on of the genre you want to write and to take any advice you might get offered by a professional and really think about it.  Agents and editors don’t offer advice or suggest changes unless they really think your m/s has lots of potential.  (If they don’t think that you’ll get the ‘our list is full’ standard rejection letter.) But I know loads of aspiring writers who have ignored such advice not realising how rare it is for it to be given and have shoved the rejected m/s in a drawer and started a new one.  What they should have done is take the advice, re-write and try again. The chances are they might well have had a really good shot at being published but they let it slip away.   

 

 

Q: Where would be your dream vacation?

 

Blimey – that’s a toughie…  I love going off the beaten track and I love critters and so I think the idea of a walking safari in Africa is fairly high up my list but it wouldn’t be very restful, in fact it would be pretty energetic and I do like to re-charge my batteries on holiday.  So for restful, I think I’d like to go to a palm-fringed island with a case of books and a snorkel.  But I wouldn’t turn either down if offered.

 Click Here to Visit Kate’s Website!

The Bachelor and Spinster Ball by Janet Gover

Bec and Hailey are best friends that grew up together in the teensy town of Farewell Creek. After Bec returned to the town after trying to make it in the big city, she was hoping that high school sweetheart and childhood friend Nick would still have feelings for her, but it seems those feelings are no longer. What Bec doesn’t know is that Nick is struggling financially after his farm was taken over, and even though he still loves Bec, he doesn’t feel he can adequately provide for her. Hailey is dealing with the death of her parents, and is trying to keep up the store they ran before the car accident a year prior. Hailey has given up her dreams of being a singer and finding love to continue the memory of her parents.

The three friends are brought closer together when a bush fire destroys part of the town, prompting Bec to spur the locals into putting together a fire brigade. In order to raise the proper amount of money, the town holds a Bachelor and Spinster Ball, bringing in people from surrounding cities to enjoy the weekend festivities. When an accident nearly takes Bec’s life, a dark secret her mother has been hiding finally comes to light, and Nick also reveals his feelings to Bec. Meanwhile, Hailey is struggling to put down her guard when it comes to love, finding the man who just could be Mr. Right. But being with him would mean leaving Farewell Creek- and the memories of her parents.

The Bachelor and Spinster Ball by Janet Gover is set in the Australian outback, and each of the three main characters are immediately likeable. Each journey that is being played out is different, yet the three tie together so well. With the sub-plots also at work: the mother’s secret, a budding town romance, and a teacher’s inability to fit in with the rest of Farewell Creek, the entire novel will keep readers wondering what will happen next. A romantic story that also focuses on the meaning of friendship and the importance of family will delight chick lit fans.

Rating: 4/5

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde

Sarah is a jaded wedding planner, helping couples create their special day while not believing in love after her college heartbreak. Bron, a hairdresser, is struggling while living with her over-demanding boyfriend and working at a salon where she clashes on every subject with her overbearing boss. And Elsa, a dressmaker, is painfully shy and would prefer to live life in the shadows. Together, these three women form a tight friendship, each trying to help one another with their issues while working on two weddings-scheduled for the same day.

Sarah is trying to pull off a wedding for her pregnant and over-exuberant younger sister and one of the biggest celebrities, all while fighting feelings for a photographer that is already engaged. Bron is desperate to get out of her relationship and away from her salon job, but never expected to find betrayal on both ends. And Elsa is unsure how to handle advances for the charming Laurence, not used to someone being interested in her romantically. The woman work together charmingly, even when multiple plot twists threaten.

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde is a fun read for chick lit fans, filled with weddings, parties, love, and friendships. Even though Sarah is the main character, Elsa and Bron each get enough time in the spotlight so a deep connection is made with them and their personal stories. An entertaining and light read throughout, sometimes a bit too fluffy for my taste, but still a fun book.

Rating: 4/5

In My Mailbox: Week of May 17

In My Mailbox: Week of May 17^th

 

Title: The Lies We Told

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Received: From Diane Chamberlain

Synopsis: Maya and Rebecca Ward are both accomplished physicians, but that’s where the sisters’ similarities end. As teenagers, they witnessed their parents’ murder, but it was Rebecca who saved Maya from becoming another of the gunman’s victims. The tragedy left Maya cautious and timid, settling for a sedate medical practice with her husband, Adam, while Rebecca became the risk taker.

After a devastating hurricane hits the coast of North Carolina, Rebecca and Adam urge Maya to join them in the relief effort. To please her husband, Maya finally agrees. She loses herself in the care and transport of victims, but when her helicopter crashes into raging floodwaters, there appear to be no survivors.

Forced to accept Maya is gone, Rebecca and Adam turn to one another—first for comfort, then in passion—unaware that, miles from civilization, Maya is injured and trapped with strangers she’s not certain she can trust. Away from the sister who has always been there to save her, now Maya must find the courage to save herself—unaware that the life she knew has changed forever.

Title: The Sky is Everywhere

Author: Jandy Nelson

Received: From Jandy Nelson

Synopsis: When her fiery older sister Bailey dies, the air is sucked from Lennie’s world. Torn from the safety of her sister’s shadow, she finds herself taking centre stage of her own life and, despite a nonexistent history with boys, suddenly she’s struggling to balance two. First there’s Toby. But what kind of girl falls for her dead sister’s boyfriend? Then there’s Joe, the new boy in town, with a jaw-dropping grin. But how dare Lennie feel joy so soon? It doesn’t seem right that anything good can come out of Bailey’s death- does it?

Intimate Encounters by Sierra Michaels

Cali is leading two very different lives. While a graduate student earning high grades in her archeology field and working to finish her master thesis, she also works as a sensual massagist, working with a handful of other young women that are trying to get by in life. Cali struggles with finding normalcy, even though the only men she is meeting is for her services, and her friendships are with women who perform those same services each night. She desperately wants out of the shady business, especially after she is drugged and raped by a client, and a cop poses as a client to bust the illegal acts. But she knows that she can’t hold down a regular job while trying to finish her studies, and the money she makes is too good to refuse.

Intimate Encounters is the debut album from author Sierra Michaels, and is a genuine piece about the struggles many women must deal with. The heroine is wondering if she made the right choice about her chosen field of study, but feels she has come to far to turn her back now. And she knows she can’t keep on leading this double life to make great money if she wants to be able to settle down with a man. Though the novel talks openly about extremely proactive subjects, I never felt I was reading a ‘dirty’ book. Instead, I felt truly touched by Cali and the decisions she needed to make.  Encounters is a favorite of mine, mostly due to Michaels being able to take this character who is unsure about her life and is going down the wrong path, and be able to set her straight. It was a long journey for Cali, and I think readers will not only respect the decisions she made along the way, but find the inspiring message lying within.

Rating: 5/5

The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is an open-eyed peek at the lives of six very different women. The group of college friends, or sucia’s, as they call themselves, are all trying to figure out their loves lives and find a promising career, but none have it easy. Lauren, a feisty columnist, is struggling with her love life after finding her fiancée cheating on her. Usnavys, a successful executive for United Way, is trying to find a man that will be able to meet her pricey expectations of lavish vacations and designer clothes. Rebecca is miserable in her stiff marriage, and uses her job as founder and editor of a Latina women’s magazine as comfort. Elizabeth works as a prominent TV anchor, but is hiding the fact that she is a lesbian from her friends. Amber is trying to make it in the entertainment biz as a performer, and Sara is hiding a frightening secret in her home life.

Dirty Girls offers readers steamy romance scenes, heartwarming love stories, and enough drama to make your head spin. The ending is particularly intense with a murder that lands one of the characters in a coma, but the beginning was a little shaky for me. I actually read these novels out of order; I read the sequel to Dirty Girls, Dirty Girls on Top, before this one, and that novel is what really kept me going through the slow beginning of its prequel. If I didn’t already have a background on the characters and had fallen in love with their stories, I would have been really tempted to give up on Dirty Girls. I am glad that I didn’t though, once you get passed the rocky beginning and get into the real dramatic scenarios, the novel becomes almost irresistible to put down.

Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins

Lucky Santangelo is back again for another round of Hollywood romance and deceit in this Jackie Collin’s tale. Lucky, who stems from a mafia family but has managed to turn herself into one of the hottest Hollywood players, is busy planning a birthday party for her 95 year old father, Gino.  She is also in the midst of opening a megaresort in the city of sin, Las Vegas, but is unaware that a long-time family enemy, Anthony Bonar is seeking revenge on the Santangelo clan.

There is many subplots involved, like usual with Collins, and they bring along a hefty portion of suspense, sex, and drama. Lucky’s 16 year old daughter, Max, sneaks away from home to meet the Prince Charming she met on the internet- who turns out to be a crazed ex-actor that is holding a grudge against Lucky since she passed him over for a part in one of her past films. Anthony Bonar, a violent drug dealer, is unaware that his wife is having an affair with the Mexican gardener. Other slightly less exciting plots deal with Lucky’s best friend, an aging Hollywood actress, and her much younger boyfriend trying to maintain a relationship amidst the paparazzi and rag magazines, and Lucky’s business partner and his growing affection for Lucky, despite having a live in girlfriend. 

 Drop Dead Beautiful from Jackie Collins covers the Hollywood scene with open eyes and no holding back. The sex scenes are raunchy, the violence is gruesome, and each plot will hook readers more and more. This was one of my favorite Jackie Collins reads, and a definite recommendation for chick lit fans.

Dirty Girls on Top by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Six caliente chicas are back again in the follow-up novel from The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. This time, the friends are together for a reunion at a posh New Mexico resort, and the secrets each girl is keeping from one another makes this an engaging plot. Usnavys, a plus-sized married mother and sex blogger, is having an affair because she finds her husband too boring. Lauren, a successful journalist, is struggling with bulimia and a boyfriend who unbeknownst to her is also dabbling in something on the side.  Rebecca, a magazine publisher, is coping with the fact that infertility may cause her to never have a child with her husband. Sara, host of her own TV show, is dealing with her abusive ex-husband that has re-entered her life. Elizabeth is struggling to make things work with her partner and their newly adopted son, all while her feelings are growing for fellow friend Lauren. And Cuicatl, the wild rock star, is struggling to stay on top of the charts and find a man to finally settle down with. Each woman’s personal story gives the reader something new, whether that be love, betrayal, fear, or despair.

Dirty Girls on Top by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is a fast-paced tale giving readers an inside look on these different woman and the adversities they are facing. I found at times following six different story lines was a challenge, but the captivating tales were enough to keep me pushing through. I found towards the end I wasn’t able put the novel down, as a near tragedy hits the group and forces life decisions to be made. Dirty Girls will make readers think, tap into an emotional side, but still gives off a fabulous and funky chick lit vibe.

Reunion by J.L. Penn

Jessica Stratford wouldn’t change her life for anything. Living in Maryland, working from home as a budget analyst, and enjoying her time with loving husband Kyle couldn’t get any better. Then Jessica joins the popular social networking group Facebook. She quickly finds her old high school crush David Miller and begins an innocent catch-up conversation. The innocence turns into flirtation, which turns into a lunch, that turns into a dinner…and soon Jessica is on the verge of beginning an affair with the one who got away.

Jessica finds herself lying to Kyle about where she is, who she is talking on the phone to, even starts fantasizing about David when she is with her husband. Her support group- an eclectic group of five girlfriends- tries to help her through her difficult time, but she even starts lying to all of them about what is really going on with her and David. She only tells Candace- probably because Candace herself has been carrying on affair with a pizza delivery boy underneath her wealthy husband’s nose.

Reunion, the debut novel from J.L. Penn, is an excellent contemporary novel about the dangers of social networking and relationships that can be formed over the internet. This is an exceptional story about love, marriage, and friendship, and once I started there was no putting down. This is one of the few novels I’ve read that I was completely hooked within the first few pages. My heart broke when Jessica’s did, I was hopeful when she was hopeful, and devastated when she was devastated. I can’t say enough praises about this book, and I am looking forward to more novels from J.L. Penn.

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