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In My Mailbox: Week of April 8
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of April 8

In Samantha’s Mailbox:

Title: The Divorced Lady’s Companion to Living in Italy

Author: Catherine McNamara

Received: From Catherine McNamara

Synopsis: Marilyn Wade, half-Hungarian divorcée and mother of unflinching teens, moves to Milan to remap her womanhood. Rumour had it that Marilyn s old icon Jean Harper met her Milanese lover on a singles trip to Macchu Pichu and went to Italy to bear their love child. But sexy glamorous Milan is about as unfeeling as a Prada bag. The streets are full of mile-high models, immigrants and remarkable men in suits. Who will she meet as she acquires a taste for grappa-laced espresso in bars and learns Italian in a room with George Clooney? Marilyn s entanglements involve punishing grammar lessons with a virile agronomist, stolen D&G heels and kisses with astonishing views, a kinky Hong Kong benefactor and a stirring love scene set in Venice. All this as she moves towards a dodgy Italian nirvana with lederhosen and a spread in Hello! magazine. Will Marilyn ever find herself and a way to conjugate Italian verbs? A non-cautionary tale for mothers of teenagers, late bloomers and lovers of the cocktail hour.

Title: BaSatai: Outside In

Author: Suzan Battah

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: Seventeen year old, Armani Radnelaq a full blooded BaSatai is plagued by a curse in her blood. A curse created from hate and designed to break the divide between two parallel worlds of Earth and H-trae when Armani’s blood is spilled in attack and she dies.

S’teuqoubs have been travelling back and forth across the divide for centuries without trouble. The BaSatai and Guardians monitoring activity and enforcing rules to ensure peace and harmony but if the divide splits and opens, a much greater number of supernatural S’teuqoubs will filter into earth destroying equilibrium which the BaSatai and Guardians will be unable to control. Humanity and the BaSatai will suffer and perish. The parallel divide must remain secure at all costs.

Armani has remained hidden on earth with her adopted father Elijah since her birth. She has been raised in the human way and fights her natural instinct to evolve into a BaSatai. The BaSatai in her requires her to evolve and shift, use her powers and strength. Yet Armani is freaked out by the need to shift. She smokes, has a bad attitude, must deal with aggressive bullies and control her natural BaSatai instinct. Her Guardian with BaSatai Warriors are coming for her. She refuses to accept her fate and doesn’t believe any BaSatai should die to protect her.

The blood curse maturing in her veins makes her a target for her enemies. Her Guardian Karhl and an elite BasSatai Warrior Rafael are the first to arrive and prepare her for her crossing over. Her attraction to Rafael complicates her purpose to stay on earth even more. They both insist she fall into line and follow their lead but she is not ready to leave earth just yet…

Title: Cinnamon Roll Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke

Received: Unsolicited, Kensington

Synopsis: When Hannah Swensen hears that the Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band will be playing at a festival in Lake Eden, Minnesota, she bakes up a supply of their namesake confections to welcome them. But tragedy strikes when their tour bus overturns on its way into town. And keyboard player Buddy Neiman’s minor injuries turn deadly serious when someone plunges surgical scissors into his chest…Turns out, Buddy Neiman isn’t the victim’s real name. In fact, no one is really sure who he is. Hannah’s investigation digs up a few local suspects. There is Doctor Bev, who seems to know more about “Buddy” than she’s willing to admit. And Devon, an aspiring keyboard player who may have had a fatal case of jealousy. Hannah isn’t sure how she’ll unravel the mystery, but one thing’s for sure: there’s nothing sweeter than bringing a killer to justice…

Title: The Runaway Actress

Author: Victoria Connelly

Received: Unsolicited, Avon Books

Synopsis: When the stresses of being an A-list actress get too much for her, Connie Gordon decides to escape to a tiny Scottish village. But little does she realise that whilst Lochnabrae might be quiet, it’s far from sleepy…
The latest charming novel from chick-lit’s answer to Richard Curtis.

Beautiful, rich, famous – and seriously stressed, actress Connie Gordon is ready for a change. Deciding to accept an invitation from her fan club in Scotland, Connie kisses goodbye to her ex-boyfriends, stalkers and double-crossing agents, and prepares herself for complete relaxation.

But swapping the Hollywood Hills for the Highlands of Scotland doesn’t make for the easiest of transitions and, when she meets local playwright, Alastair McInnes, who’s sworn he’ll never become involved with another actress again, sparks fly, and the sleepy village of Lochnabrae will never be the same again.

The Runaway Actress is a romantic comedy about friends, fans and family, and finding a place that you can call home.

In Sara’s Mailbox:

Title: + One

Author: Brian Baleno

Received: Brian Baleno

Synopsis: In + One, Brian Baleno has rendered in vivid contours and colors the age-old human struggle between love and work, a conflict made all the more acute when one happens to love one’s work, as well as one’s romantic partner. Jake, our protagonist, finds himself wedged into an impossible predicament, and what endures most within the reader—besides the sheer, smooth skill of the language—is this man’s valiant attempt to navigate between the Scylla and Charybdis of his existence. This novel will stand as an emblem for all those whose life course takes them down the road less traveled, a road not meant only for couples.

Title: Surprise Me

Author: Nancy Goodman

Received: Aaron Goldfarb

Synopsis: “Surprise Me!” is not your typical chick lit. Though it is a novel about a woman, Genie Burns, who runs a company that plans surprise parties for people even as she struggles to find Mr. Right amongst three suitors, at the crux of the book is the story of Genie’s emotional eating issues and how she overcomes them.

April 8, 2012
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Guest Post by Rainbow Rowell
For Writers

Guest Post by Rainbow Rowell

As I was working on my first novel, Attachments, I remember reading author blogs and listening to authors talk and always hoping they would reveal some secret that would make all the difference. Some sort of publishing shortcut or insider information or unbeatable writing tip…I don’t think these exist.

Everyone pretty much says the same thing — READ. WRITE. FINISH. (That third one is crucial)

But one piece of advice, which really didn’t have anything to do with writing, really did end up making all the difference personally. I read an interview with Diana Gabaldon, who writes the excellent Outlander series, and she was talking about how she managed to write and work and be a mom. And she said (paraphrasing here) that she stopped caring about cleaning. She forgave herself for not being a great housekeeper.

This idea hit me like three and a half tons of bricks. It seemed so wise — and so freeing!

It’s too much to work full-time and have small kids and write novels. That right there is already too much. Trying to keep up with laundry, too? MADNESS.

I asked myself what my real priorities were. Being a good mom and a good newspaper columnist were important to me. Giving myself a real shot as a novelist was important for me. Making sure that my house was always ready for company…was not.

So I gave myself permission not to clean. (Does that sound radical? It felt radical.)

My husband pinched in a lot. Between the two of us, we kept the house from smelling or changing colors. But we didn’t try to beat back the clutter. We still don’t.

There are almost always dishes in our sink — we pat ourselves on the back for getting them that far. And I sort my personal laundry on a quarterly basis. (You probably think I’m kidding. I’m not kidding. I have a hundred pairs of socks. I dig out the high-priority stuff, jeans and my favorite nerdy T-shirts, as necessary.)

I’m not exactly proud of our messy house. And it does bother me sometimes … the stacks of shoes by the door, the piles of homework and mail, the dust. But I try to think of everything I’m accomplishing instead.

My first novel is published — it’s real, I can touch it. My second comes out next year and I just finished my first draft of the third. I could never have written these books and stay on top of everything else.

I have plenty of dirty laundry, yes — but no regrets.

April 5, 2012
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March Birchbox Review
Chick Lit Plus

March Birchbox Review

Once again I’m behind on getting my Birchbox review up. This review is for my March box, which is one of my favorites yet! Some of my must-have beauty products were in here, and I felt like this was my most personalized Birchbox to date. Sign up to receive your own box and read below for my reviews!

“Birchbox delivers the best products and the best insider secrets, without any fuss. Every month Birchbox members will receive a curated box of luxe beauty samples. Each box will span beauty categories and deliver exciting products that fit into both your day-to-day routine, and into those days when you want to turn up the drama a notch.”

1. Color Club Neon Nail Polish – Neon is all the rage in fashion right now. From clothing, shoes, and yes – nail polish – this is the trend to get on board with. The color I got is a greenish turquoise, and I tried this on my toenails first and loved it! The colors in this family also include bubblegum pink, fluorescent orange, purple, electric blue, yellow, and magenta. I would buy more of these!

2. Harvey Prince Yogini – The scent is designed to help keep us calm and the stress at bay – like being in a yoga class. I must say, each fragrance I have received from Birchbox is spot on in the description. My first whiff literally made me feel like I was sitting on my yoga mat. It’s hard to describe it, but it truly does smell…calming. I love this product!

3. Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser- I love trying out new cleansers, and this one definitely hit the spot! The scent is just what the name says – juicy – and I could feel it working on my skin. I used it twice a day for four days in a row, and could see an improvement. I would buy this full-sized product.

4. Lulu Organics Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Powder- I have been using dry shampoos for the past few months, but haven’t found one that I was a big fan of. Usually they leave my hair feeling gross to the touch and weighing everything down. This powder is a lot lighter, and smells nice in my hair. I would recommend others to give this one a try.

5. stila Smoky Eye Shadow – I was introduced to stila products through Birchbox, and they have become one of my favorite brands. I just recently purchased their tinted moisturizer at Ulta, and am loving it. The three pack I received is for the classic smoky eye. It shows clearly what is the base, the lid and the liner, and gives the instructions on how to achieve the smoky eye on your own. Love it!

6. Tea Forte skin-smart Teas – I won’t lie – I haven’t tried this yet. I am not a fan of tea, and though I set this on my countertop to make sometime, I just haven’t been able to try it yet. Though the descriptions make them sound pretty awesome – containing “mega-high levels of antioxidants to repair your skin from the inside out,” I just haven’t got around to try them out yet. But I will! Who knows? Maybe this will be the product to change my mind about tea.

April 4, 2012
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Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite & Giveaway
Chick Lit Plus

Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite & Giveaway

I started using Maybelline mascara when I first started college. It’s been my go-to mascara since. I love to try out other products, always searching for that gem, but a particular Maybelline mascara will always be in my bag. I love the ones that feature a double brush, one side being the microfiber base coat, and the other side the mascara. The one that I am currently addicted to is the Maybelline XXL Curlpower. It makes my lashes longer and really lasts throughout the night, coming off only once I use my makeup remover. I haven’t found a mascara yet to top this one!

A good runner up that I’ve found is from Too Faced. I’m a big fan of the Too Faced brand, and own many of their products. The mascara that I really love is the Too Faced Lash Injection. It has a 3-D formula that builds tubes around the lashes, making them look longer and fuller. And it’s the truth! When I take off this mascara at night, the little tubes come off. It’s pretty neat to see something really working. I also always have this mascara in my makeup bag!

Sara’s Must-Have:

I am without-a-doubt a beauty product connoisseur; I read reviews online, engulf myself in “the best-of-the-best” lists in magazines, and spend too much time browsing the beauty aisles when I am out and about. The reason why is because I am always searching … searching for the next “must-have” in my beauty arsenal. I have found a few new additions over the years, but none of them have ever been Mascara. I have used Maybelline Great Lash in Blackest Black since I started really wearing makeup when I was fourteen. I have deviated some here and there, lured by advertising for a new product that promises a “thicker, fuller lash”, but nothing has ever come close. By far, Maybelline Great Lash is hands down my absolute favorite and an absolute beauty must-have of mine.

April 3, 2012
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Challenge 2012:Post Reviews:April
Updates

Challenge 2012:Post Reviews:April

April Reviews

See past reviews

January Reviews

February Reviews

March Reviews

Please note this is not the sign up page. To sign up, click here

To see what challengers are reading, click here

Only signed up challengers are eligible to win

Prize for April: Three (3) winners will be chosen at random and will win an eBook copy of either Paradise Cove, Soap Dreams, or Karma Kameleon by Stephanie Haefner. 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.

April 2, 2012
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In My Mailbox: Week of April 1
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of April 1

In My Mailbox: Week of April 1
In Samantha’s Mailbox:

Title: Misfortune Cookie
Author: Michele Gorman
Received: From Michele Gorman
Synopsis: “Following your heart will pay off in the near future”

The fortune cookie had spoken, affirming Hannah’s decision to move to Hong Kong to be with her boyfriend. She’s no stranger to rash decisions – after all she moved from the US to London on a dare, and that worked out, didn’t it? Ever the optimist, she’s determined to make a success of her move, no matter what anybody says.

Unfortunately, anybody seems to be everybody and her life isn’t going exactly to plan.

Sure, she’s found a career in fashion that she loves, her best friend Stacy moved to be with her, and they’re exploring the weird and wonderful in Hong Kong. It’s her love life that’s not quite living up to expectations. It isn’t easy having a relationship with a boyfriend who’s been posted to a job in another country. Particularly one who seems a bit too cosy with his new boss.

When things also start going wrong at work, Hannah begins to think her friends and family were right. Has she made the worst mistake of her life?

Title: The Darker Side of Mummy Misfit
Author: Amanda Egan
Received: From Amanda Egan
Synopsis: THE SEQUEL TO ‘DIARY OF A MUMMY MISFIT’

Think you knew Mummy Misfit?

Well, you might be in for a surprise.

After a year of struggling with school fees, trying to become pregnant and feeling like she didn’t belong amongst the prep-school ‘Meemies’, Libby is back.

Only this time, she’s got it all.

But how long can it last and will she ever be truly happy?

Join Libby on her hilarious, yet sensitive journey as loyalty, friendships and values are tested in ‘The Darker Side of Mummy Misfit’.

Title: True Love Way
Author: Nancy Scrofano
Received: From Lucie @ Simon and Fig
Synopsis: Marlo Spencer relishes all things retro. Old TV shows, classic movies, and even the collectible lunch boxes to go with them. In fact, she’s quite cozy in her Malibu apartment, surrounded by her treasured knick-knacks and vintage memorabilia. It’s her best friend, Nik, who doesn’t get her fascination with all that “old junk,” as he calls it. He especially doesn’t understand why she’s so keen to get back to their hometown of Napa when her high school sweetheart, Josh, suddenly returns after twelve years in Paris and nary a single phone call, eager to reunite with her. So, when Marlo heads up north to wine country to rekindle her relationship with Josh, Nik tags along, claiming he was already planning to visit his sister, Savannah, Marlo’s gal pal. Once they reach Napa, however, dreams of a blissful reunion are shattered as old secrets and past betrayals are revealed, leaving an unsuspecting Marlo to pick up the pieces. Can she forgive and forget, or will true love find a different path to her heart?

Title: Willow Pond
Author: Carol Tibaldi
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: The Roaring Twenties crumble into the Great Depression. Bootlegging is flourishing. Virginia Kingsley, New York’s most successful speakeasy owner, is queen of that castle. Rudy Strauss wants to help with her business. Virginia, wisely suspicious, refuses. He shifts his trademark toothpicks to the other side of his mouth and asks about her niece, Laura, and Laura’s nineteen-month-old son, Todd. Virginia warns him off, but Rudy is intrigued. Laura is movie star beautiful but it is her ex-husband, Phillip, who is an actor. Laura, a writer, is devastated when Todd’s nanny calls, hysterical, saying Laura’s son has been kidnapped.

Title: Escape
Author: Barbara Delinsky
Received: From Laura @ Laura Sherlock PR
Synopsis: Publication Date: July 5, 2011
In her luminous new novel, Barbara Delinsky explores every woman’s desire to abandon the endless obligations of work and marriage—and the idea that the most passionate romance can be found with the person you know best.

Emily Aulenbach is thirty, a lawyer married to a lawyer, working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, but she spends her days in a cubicle talking on the phone with vic¬tims of tainted bottled water—and she is on the bottler’s side.

And it isn’t only work. It’s her sister, her friends, even her husband, Tim, with whom she doesn’t connect the way she used to. She doesn’t connect to much in her life, period, with the exception of three things—her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch.

Acting on impulse, Emily leaves work early one day, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. Groping toward the future, uncharacteristically following her gut rather than her mind, she heads north toward a New Hampshire town tucked between mountains. She knows this town. During her college years, she spent a watershed summer here. Painful as it is to return, she knows that if she is to right her life, she has to start here.

In Sara’s Mailbox:

Title: When You Were Older
Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Received: Unsolicited
Synopsis:
I was doing my best to get out the door. And then the phone rang. I almost let it go.

New York, September 11th 2001
Russell Ammiano is rushing to work when he gets a phone call that saves his life. As the city he loves is hit by unimaginable tragedy, Russell must turn his back and hurry home to Kansas.

Kansas, September 14th 2001
Ben Ammiano is mentally disabled, and a creature of habit. Any change to his routine sends him into a spin. But now his estranged brother has reappeared, and Ben’s simple, ordered world has turned upside down.

In a story as heartbreaking as it is uplifting, two brothers must bury their pasts and learn from each other, if they are to survive.

April 1, 2012
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Author Profile: Heather Hummel
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Heather Hummel

Author Name: Heather Hummel
Website: http://www.heatherhummel.net/

Bio: Heather Hummel is a “photonovelist” who blends her love for photography with her award-winning career as an author. Her published works include:
Journals from the Heart Series:
Whispers from the Heart (2011)
Write from the Heart (2011)
Nonfiction
GO BIKE & Other Signs from the Universe (2011)
Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw-Hill, 2008),
Essays:
Messages of Hope and Healing ( Sunpiper Media, 2006)
Blue Ridge Anthology (Cedar Creek, 2007) with David Baldacci and Rita Mae Brown
Awards:
2009 Mature Media Awards, Merit Award
2009 New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention

Heather’s books have appeared in newspapers such as: Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Washington Post; and in magazines that include: Health, Body & Soul, First, and Spry Living, a combined circulation of nearly 15 million. A graduate with High Distinction from the University of Virginia, Heather holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree with concentrations in English and Secondary Education. She is currently earning a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences.

See my reviews for Heather’s books!
Whispers from the Heart
Write from the Heart

Check out Heather’s blog tour for Write from the Heart on CLP Blog Tours!

Visit Heather on Facebook & Twitter!

March 31, 2012
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GIVEAWAY: Momnesia by Lori Verni-Fogarsi
Updates

GIVEAWAY: Momnesia by Lori Verni-Fogarsi

She’s smart, pretty, and runs her own business. So then why does she feel so dead inside? Between work, two kids, and a husband who finds her about as exciting as furniture shopping, this is the story of a (formerly-exciting but now way-too-typical) suburban mom who diagnoses herself with Momnesia and sets about finessing a new version of her old vivaciousness:
Momnesia (mahm-nee-zhuh) -noun-
Loss of the memory of who you used to be. Caused by pregnancy, play dates, and trying to keep the house cleaner than the Joneses.
She finds some adventure pursing her own interests, and does make some new friends (including the battery operated variety), but still feels like nothing more than a caretaker.
In between dealing with her husband’s manic-depresssive behavior, drama with her friends, and some naughty Internet escapades, she ponders, Is it that I haven’t been myself? Or is it that I am being myself, but just different than I used to be?
It isn’t until she tosses the Invisible Rule Book altogether, that she discovers life–and love–have more to offer than she ever imagined!
With custom-painted cover art that perfectly epitomizes the struggle of finding balance between “momminess” and “sexiness,” Momnesia is a must read for anyone who has ever been a mother, had a mother, wanted to be a mother, judged a mother, or even just wondered about mothers. A great gift book, too!

I have one copy of Momnesia by Lori Verni-Fogarsi up for grabs! The winner can choose between a print or eBook, but print books will be limited to US/Canada residents only. The winner will be chosen on Saturday, March 31. To enter to win, please just leave a comment below. Thank you to Lori for sponsoring this giveaway!

March 29, 2012
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Guest Post by Lori Verni-Fogarsi
Chick Lit Authors

Guest Post by Lori Verni-Fogarsi

Chick Lit Plus
Guest Author Article

“The Nitty Gritty Process of Being an Author”
By Lori Verni-Fogarsi, author of “Momnesia”

What kind of a title is that? For heaven’s sake! It sounds as if being an author is nitty. And gritty! Which it both is and isn’t. The truth is, if your goal is to have strangers read your book and have it be successful, there is far more involved than the pleasure of writing.

Everywhere I go, I meet people that say, “You’re a published author? Omigod! I have a great idea for a novel but can’t get around to writing it!” (This is largely because everyone I come across gets a bookmark foisted on them.) My advice? Just write it. Don’t worry about what you’re going to do with it later. Get your story out of your head and into the computer.

They look at me dubiously. “But how am I going to get it published?” My answer? “If you don’t write it, it can never be published.”

The next step is to be a cruel and brutal monster against your own work. How many words is it? More than 90,000? It’s too long. When I first finished “Momnesia,” it was 130,000 words and rest assured, finding 40,000 words to cut was extremely painful, yet necessary. Along the way, I did my spelling and punctuation corrections, and formatting.

Moving on, it’s time to let someone else mess with your work. And I don’t mean your mother, sister, or husband—not even if they’re an editor. I mean an impartial professional who has no personal stake in your life. Who will tell you if something stinks and praise you if it sings. Who knows that Roller Blades is supposed to be capitalized, and is not afraid to tell you that almost ALL of your parentheses need to be removed. They will identify characters that need development, inconsistencies in the timeline, and redundancies that cause readers to glaze over. Pay them. It’s worth it.

Here is the point where I could easily launch into a series of additional articles: Whether to seek an agent or self-publish, unusual aspects to keep in mind for your book’s cover, the roles of additional professionals, the marketing you’ll have to do. How to make your book stand out as the professional, highly readable work that it is (as opposed to an unedited, too long thing that people may read once but will never recommend).

One of the most common questions people ask is, “How long did the process take?” “Momnesia” took me a year to write, a year to edit, and a year to launch. As of the writing of this article, its success is still to be measured (release date was 3/16/12 in paperback and Kindle). “Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs” took two years. It was published in 2005 and I still receive a decent royalty check every quarter.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips! I invite you to join me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/LoriTheAuthor), and find additional resources on my website, (www.LoriTheAuthor.com). Happy authoring!

P.S: This article was 868 words. Too long! See? I had to edit it to a length that people will have time to read—all 526 words of it! (Um, perhaps still a teeny bit too long.)

March 29, 2012
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