Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

Chick Lit Plus

Celebrity gossip, articles on fashion, health, fitness, and beauty.

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Kim Kardashian to File for Divorce
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Kim Kardashian to File for Divorce

Who saw this one coming? Oh, right––the majority of America! After Kim Kardashian received her 20.5 carat ring from NBA player Kris Humphries, the reality star and fiancée embarked on their engagement journey––all filmed courtesy of the E! network. When preparations for the wedding began, one could easily tell this couple was just not meant to be. The constant fights, Kim’s prissy attitude compared to the laid-back one Kris showed, the family’s angst against their new addition––who really thought this was going to last? Even the days right before the wedding seemed to be a joke. What I wondered––was it for real, or just a show for the cameras? Now the bigger question––was the whole wedding a joke?
Just 72 days after saying “I do” in a lavish ceremony in Montecito, California in front of 440 guests, Kim Kardashian is filing for divorce. Ryan Seacrest tweeted early today, “Yes @kimkardashian is filing for divorce this morning. I touched base with her, getting a statement in just a few minutes.” TMZ is reporting that Kardashian, 31, will not seek an annulment and plans to cite “irreconcilable differences in her filing.”
If you can’t tell, I’m just grossed out by this whole thing. The preparations that went into it, the time, effort, and money that went into making “Kim’s Fairytale Wedding” are all for a naught. Some “sources” are claiming that Kardashian knew before the wedding that she had made a mistake, but got “caught up” in the wedding planning and the fairytale aspect. How selfish. Usually, I am not this opinionated over celebrities, but this just really rubbed me the wrong way. And for how many viewers and followers Kim and the whole Kardashian family has––how does that look? To me, the message is no matter how much is costs or who it will affect, make sure you have your way. When it doesn’t work, marriage isn’t a big deal––just get a divorce! What a great role model. Then again, this is the same woman who to rose to fame off a sex tape.
How do you feel about the divorce? Did you see it coming? Do you care? Would love to get your thoughts!

October 31, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of October 30
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In My Mailbox: Week of October 30

In My Mailbox: Week of October 30

Title: Hot Water
Author: Erin Brockovich with CJ CLyons
Received: From Leyane @ FSB Media
Synopsis: No stranger to balancing an intensely demanding work schedule with the stresses of keeping her family together, AJ Palladino now faces another challenge: she is leaving her young son home with her ailing parents so that she can travel to the site of a new case involving a nuclear power plant in peril. And it will take all her skills to keep her cool while the action and tension build to a fever pitch.
Colleton River, a new, one-of-a-kind nuclear facility designed to create medical isotopes with the potential to save millions of lives, has recently been plagued by a series of unexplained mishaps. The accidents have caused the locals to protest the plant, drawing the attention of an anti-nuclear protest group as well as several home-grown terrorists who sense an opportunity to sow fear and chaos. The plant’s owner, Owen Grandel, has traveled from South Carolina to West Virginia to personally ask AJ for help. AJ knows she’s going to have her hands full investigating the accidents and calming the situation at the plant. What she doesn’t foresee is her simple business trip turning into disaster, with her family coming apart at the seams in her absence—and her young son disappearing. While AJ tries to find her missing child, she also discovers what caused the “accidents.” Soon the plant begins hurtling towards nuclear catastrophe, with AJ stranded at ground zero. But can she save her son, herself, and the community—and prevent a nuclear meltdown before it’s too late?

Title: Too Much Trouble in Paradise
Author: Michelle Betham
Received: From Michelle Bethan
Synopsis: Molly Parker is a DWAG – a darts wife and girlfriend. Or rather, she’s an ex-DWAG after divorcing Paul “Bad Lad” Parker, a professional darts player and the self-pronounced Geordie pantomime villain of the sport, after catching him aiming more than his arrows in the direction of more than a few very willing glamour models.
So, leaving her life – and her ex-husband – behind in their native North East of England, she moves to the Canarian island of Tenerife with her best friend Fran, putting the past behind her, determined to start a whole new life abroad.
Within months of arriving on the island she finds herself engaged to her Spanish boyfriend Antonio – a handsome Canarian bar owner – and with their whirlwind wedding just weeks away she’s the happiest she’s been in a long time with a great job at a Timeshare complex, fantastic friends, and a lovely little home in a country she’s fallen completely in love with.
But what Molly didn’t bank on was her ex-husband turning up out of the blue declaring his undying love for her and begging her to come back to him – and not just because his darts were suffering! His unannounced arrival turns Molly’s new and seemingly perfect life upside down as she suddenly has to face up to feelings she’d thought were long gone, and make decisions she never thought she’d have to make as her whole world is thrown into total confusion. Does she stay in Tenerife and marry her wonderful, romantic, drop-dead-gorgeous Spanish fiancé? Or does she give the man she’d once loved but who’d treated her so badly another chance? Days in the sun or darts – it’s the choice she has to make. Throw in a Bolton-born lounge singer and a Take That tribute act, a famous TV actor with a reputation as a shameless flirt, and a major darts tournament that throws up more than it’s fair share of surprises, and all of a sudden Molly Parker’s life really is ‘Too Much Trouble in Paradise’ – a story of new beginnings, second chances, sun, sea – and darts!

Title: Growing Up Beautiful
Author: Lori Jones
Received: From Lori Jones
Synopsis: In the summer of 1986, three young American models are chosen to join a modeling agency in Europe’s fashion capital of Milan. United as roommates by chance, Star, Joanne and Casey soon find their dreamed-of careers as models taking paths as different as their personalities.
Star, who leaves behind a waitress job along with a handful of crumpled up dollar tips, sees her beauty as a way to move to the top of Milan’s social strata.
Joanne, raised in a privileged lifestyle, is expected to continue an Ivy League education, which doesn’t interest her as much as a young photographer she meets on a casting.
Casey is a naive seventeen year old who is ready for adventure, even the dangerous kind.
Together, these three learn the funny, unexpected and sometimes ugly truth about growing up beautiful.

October 31, 2011
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Destined to Fail- eBooks Available
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Destined to Fail- eBooks Available

Well, I’ll be. My eBooks are here. Like- you can buy them. Yep. It’s official. Destined to Fail is for sale. That is so surreal to type. And to say. It has only been three days, but I don’t think it has quite sunk in yet. And get this- people are buying my book! Say what?? I can’t believe it. I’m hoping the shock feeling will wear off sometime soon.
Anyways, the eBooks are here. As of right now, they are available on Smashwords and Amazon. I also have a GoodReads author page that you can visit, and my Samantha March website. Samantha March is also on Facebook and Twitter. I’m all over the place 🙂 My paperbacks should become available as scheduled in November, so be on the lookout for those if you are not an eReader lover yet. For all you lovely book bloggers that have embarked on many blog tours with me and CLP Blog Tours- don’t you worry, I will be going on tour. You should be hearing from me shortly.
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey. Many of you are in my acknowledgement, so be sure to find your name in there. I couldn’t have done this alone. All the writing, re-writing, editing, revisions, formatting (I hate formatting), designing, uploading…has led to this. Now the fun part- and frightening part. Having readers. Getting reviews. I know not everyone will love the book. I hope not everyone hates it. But I do hope you enjoy and appreciate Jasmine’s journey, and take away a little something from Destined to Fail. Of course, I would love to see reviews on Amazon and other sites, your own blogs, or little comments on this website. Feel free to email me anytime as well. I am preparing for a whirlwind of marketing, but will also be continuing work on my second novel. I’m hoping to release that one by the spring of 2012. Listen to me- talking about my next release. Surreal. Thanks again for all the support, encouragement, and guidance.
Samantha March

October 27, 2011
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Meet Laura Pepper Wu and Ladies Who Critique
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Meet Laura Pepper Wu and Ladies Who Critique

How does a writer join Ladies Who Critique?

Log onto LadiesWhoCritique.com and click on ‘Sign Up’. The sign up form will ask you some questions about your writing and critiquing experience in order to create your profile. It’s easy, free and shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. Then voila! You are part of the LWC family 😉

How does someone who wants to be a critique partner join?

The process is the same as above. You can choose to state whether you are “looking for a critique partner” or not and this will be displayed on your profile so that other writers know that it’s okay to contact you through our internal messaging system or not.

How was Ladies Who Created started?

Great question! It was born from my own struggle to find critique partners that “got” my genre (chick lit actually!). I attended a fantastic writers group for a year but I was about 20 years younger than everyone else there, and because the group was constantly growing in size we had to listen to 3 hours of reading for 20 minutes of feedback. As I started getting more serious about my writing I realized that I needed to step up the game a little!

You can read more about how the site fell into place here.

What are the benefits of joining Ladies Who Critique? What will writers get out of LWC that they couldn’t from just asking a friend?

Critiquing is certainly not for everyone and it does take guts to put your baby out there and receive good, honest feedback. A friend will most likely praise your work and give you some sugar which is great, and these so-called “beta readers” do serve a very important purpose of their own. But for the most part it is hard to hear honest feedback from friends and family. Plus they don’t often give it!

For writers who are serious about improving their style, seeking publication and to really “taking their writing to the next level” (the tagline for LWC atually!) a good critique partner will help you to see where you need to make improvements and also point out what you are doing right, objectively and without the emotional attachment. That stuff will do wonders for your writing!

What really goes into critiquing a novel?

There are a lot of different aspects; the bigger picture stuff and the smaller details. The bigger picture includes the consistency of the main character, the believability of the characters, pacing, description, setting, holes in the plot and so on. Smaller details include awkward phrases, repetitive use of words, unrealistic dialogue and so on. There’s a lot to consider! A good critique partner will help you work on this step by step, and many writers find that having several critique partners (all with different strengths) is the best way of polishing their novels.

Why is having a critique partner so valuable to a writer?

You can read the 11 top reasons why having a CP will rock your world here! In sum though, not only will they provide a fresh pair of eyes for your work (crucial when you have been so close to the writing for so long), they will also support you and raise your spirits when writing gets hard, share your successes when you get published, and also keep you on track with the editing process. Accountability is one of writers’ greatest motivations and a good critique partner can get your ass into gear with the process for sure!

Thanks for having me on Chick Lit Plus! I’d be delighted to see more chick lit writers at Ladies Who Critique. Join me over there or follow me on Twitter @LauraPepWu for more updates.

October 25, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of October 23
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In My Mailbox: Week of October 23

In My Mailbox: Week of October 23

Title: A Heart in Sun and Shadow

Author: Annie Bellet

Received: From Annie Bellet via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: In an ancient Wales that never was…

Twin brothers Emyr and Idrys are cursed to live as hounds; Emyr by night, and Idrys by day. The twins believe they will be trapped this way forever until they meet the fierce and curious Áine, a changeling woman born with Fey blood and gifts struggling to fit into a suspicious human world.
Áine unravels the fate of Emyr and his twin as all three of them fall in love. To free her lovers from the curse, she embarks on a journey to the realm of the fey where she confronts her own unique gifts and heritage. Ultimately, she must decide where her heart truly lies and what she’s willing to risk to get what she desires most.

Title: LA Commandments

Author: Gillian Duffy

Received: From Gillian Duffy

Synopsis: Joanne Kavanagh and best friend Suzie pack their bags and swap dreary, depressing Dublin for the cool Californian coast. Both are determined to start a new life in the land of opportunity, leaving behind the recession and their complicated families.
They make a pact at the airport to stick religiously to the ‘LA Commandments’, a list of ten ‘Thou Shalt Nots’ for their new life in LA, including ‘Thou Shall Not Fall in Love,’ but when Jo befriends sexy, shy musician Marc, and Suzie falls for womanizing bar-man Chris, not only are the commandments at risk of being broken, but also the girls’ hearts…
With all California has to offer —sunshine, shopping, killer nightlife, and drop-dead-gorgeous men, will the girls stay faithful to the LA Commandments?

Title: Chosen

Author: Chandra Hoffman

Received: From Chandra/Harper Collins via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: In the spirit of Jodi Picoult and Anna Quindlen, CHOSEN features a young caseworker increasingly entangled in the lives of the adoptive and birth parents she represents, and who faces life-altering choices when an extortion attempt goes horribly wrong.
It all begins with a fantasy: the caseworker in her “signing paperwork” charcoal suit, paired with beaming parents cradling their adopted newborn, against a fluorescent-lit delivery room backdrop. It’s this blissful picture that keeps Chloe Pinter, director of The Chosen Child’s domestic adoption program, happy juggling the high demands of her boss and the incessant needs of parents on both sides.

But the job that offers Chloe refuge from her turbulent personal life and Portland’s winter rains soon becomes a battleground itself involving three very different couples: the Novas, college sweethearts who suffered fertility problems but are now expecting their own baby; the McAdoos, a wealthy husband and desperate wife for whom adoption is a last chance; and Jason and Penny, an impoverished couple who have nothing-except the baby everyone wants. When a child goes missing, dreams dissolve into nightmares, and everyone is forced to examine what they really want and where it all went wrong.

October 23, 2011
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Giuliana Rancic Has Breast Cancer
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Giuliana Rancic Has Breast Cancer

Sad news coming from Hollywood today. Giuliana Rancic, TV host for the E! Network and star of her own reality show, Giuliana and Bill, revealed that she has breast cancer. Rancic, 37, made the announcement Monday morning on an appearance on The Today Show. Rancic and husband Bill have been very open about their journey to parenthood, which has included IVF and a devastating miscarriage. The couple- who have been married for four years ¬– were gearing up for round three of IVF when their doctor insisted Rancic get a mammogram. Because Rancic has no history of breast cancer in her family, she admitted she “wasn’t prepared to get a mammogram until I was 40 years old. I never in my wildest dreams expected anything to be wrong.”
The discovery of the tumor happened in August, and Rancic is preparing for surgery and then six and a half weeks of radiation. She assured fans that the cancer was caught in the “early stages” and will not give up on having a baby. “That baby will have saved my life. There’s some master plan. Now I know that [God] was looking out for me.”
She continues on to say, “I think a lot of us think we’re invincible. We have to start putting ourselves on the to do list.”
CLP and Breast Cancer Awareness month- My Donations & Writing Challenge

October 17, 2011
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Breast Cancer Awareness- Call For Submissions
Chick Lit Plus

Breast Cancer Awareness- Call For Submissions

Call for submissions! Throughout the month of October (which is Breast Cancer Awareness month), I am looking for stories from woman that deal with your experiences with breast cancer. This is pretty open topic that can range from if you had breast cancer, a family member or a friend had cancer, what you do to support and find a cause, how you raise awareness, etc. There is no word count limit on these submissions. Please send your stories to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com with the subject line Breast Cancer Submission. Please include your story, any pictures that you would like to be included along with captions, and your full name and mailing address. Depending on the number of submissions, I will choose a winner each week. That weekly winner will have their story published on Chick Lit Plus, and also be able to choose a book from my personal bookshelf. (I will email the available titles to winners). The four weekly winners will also have their names entered into a drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card, which will be chosen at the end of the month. For those entries that were not chosen as winners, snippets from those stories will be featured in an article that I write at the end of October. If there are any questions, please email me at the above email address. Thank you!

October 17, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of October 16
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In My Mailbox: Week of October 16

In My Mailbox: Week of October 16

Title: 5 Stages of Grief
Author: Bethany Ramos
Received: From Bethany Ramos via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Danielle thinks that the worst is behind her, but she couldn’t have been more wrong… As a beauty editor of Denver’s hot new High Life magazine, Danielle Starkey didn’t have becoming a widow on her to-do list. Then nine months after her husband’s death, she discovers he booked a vacation with another woman. Suddenly, Danielle sees Adam’s death in a whole new light and has to get over it – for the second time. Hit with the truth when she least expects it, Danielle brings a fresh, funny, and honest approach to the grieving process as she struggles through online dating, stalking her dead husband’s mistress, and, hopefully, finding the man of her dreams. With her stubborn and sassy best friend April by her side. Danielle refuses to let sleeping dogs lie. Will she finally face the truth about herself and her marriage? Or will she succumb to one of the five stages of grief?

Title: The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken
Author: Mari Passananti
Received: From Kelly and Hall
Synopsis: Zoë Clark thinks her world will implode when her fiancé dumps her on the eve of their splashy wedding. After nearly a decade with her college sweetheart, Zoë feels like a teenager about to be eaten alive by the New York dating scene. And her problems don’t end there. Zoë works a less-than-ideal job, managing other people’s careers while her own ambitions wither. To add insult to injury, she does so in the employ of a larger than life woman whose staff measures the boss’s emotional state by the zealousness of her make up application. Quitting is out of the question; Zoë’s rent doubled when her fiancé bailed. Enter Oscar Thornton. He’s handsome, charming, attentive and rich – the perfect boyfriend. But does he harbor a dark secret? Or will Zoë torpedo her newfound happiness by indulging a far fetched suspicion? The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken tells the story of a young woman who sets out to find a man to solve her problems. Instead she finds herself facing her own shortcomings, testing her oldest friendships and realizing that she has the power to make herself happy. Packed with snappy dialogue and playful wit, The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken will strike a chord with any woman who’s ever allowed herself to think, My life would be perfect, if I could just meet the right guy.

Title: The Sixes
Author: Kate White
Received: From Chick Lit Is Not Dead- Giveaway
Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of Hush and the Bailey Weggins mystery series comes a thriller set in a college town where a student’s death sends one woman on a search for the truth and into the clutches of a frightening secret society.
Phoebe Hall’s Manhattan life has suddenly begun to unravel. Right after her long-term boyfriend breaks off their relationship, she’s falsely accused of plagiarizing her latest bestselling celebrity biography. Looking for a quiet place to put her life back together, Phoebe jumps at the offer to teach in a sleepy Pennsylvania town at a small private college run by her former boarding school roommate and close friend, Glenda Johns.
But behind the campus’s quiet cafÉs and leafy maple trees lie evil happenings. The body of a female student washes up on the banks of a nearby river, and disturbing revelations begin to surface: accusations from coeds about abuses wrought by a secret society of girls on campus known as The Sixes.. To help Glenda, Phoebe embarks on a search for clues—a quest that soon raises painful memories of her own boarding school days years ago.
As the investigation heats up, Phoebe unexpectedly finds herself falling for the school’s handsome psychology professor, Duncan Shaw. But when nasty pranks turn into deadly threats, Phoebe realizes she’s in the middle of a real-life nightmare, not knowing whom she can trust and if she will even survive.
Plunging deeper into danger with every step, Phoebe knows she’s close to unmasking a killer. But with truth comes a terrifying revelation: your darkest secrets can still be uncovered . . . and starting over may be a crime punishable by death.

October 17, 2011
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Breast Cancer Submission Winner: Kate Supino
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Breast Cancer Submission Winner: Kate Supino

“Abigail” by Kate Supino was chosen as Week One’s winner in CLP’s Breast Cancer Awareness story contest. For more details on the contest and how…

October 10, 2011
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