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In My Mailbox: April 13
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In My Mailbox: April 13

In My Mailbox: April 13

Title: Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier
Author: Lisa Dale
Received: Erin Galloway @ Penguin Group
Synopsis: Fifteen years ago, Garret Sorensen’s family, trust, and heart were destroyed when Thea Celik betrayed him and married his brother. Now that her marriage is ending in divorce, Garret finally feels free to mend his relationship with his brother and put the past behind him. But the quaint streets and bustling piers of Newport, Rhode Island, trigger a lot of memories—all leading back to Thea.
Navigating through the divorce, Thea struggles to keep things as peaceful as possible for her daughter. And she’s not ready to let go of the Sorensens—the only family she has—even if it means being around Garret again and risking the return of her feelings for him. As they cautiously circle around each other—drawing together and moving apart—they both realize that if they follow their hearts, their already fragile family ties could be irreparably severed—casting them both adrift…

Title: Along Came a Stork
Author: Marisa Mackle
Received: From Marisa Mackle
Synopsis: Every young girl dreams of meeting Prince Charming. But what if the prince turns into the frog instead of the other way around? Diana Kay is thirty years old, single and pregnant. A glamorous socialite, she has just landed her dream job on TV as a dating guru. But how can she advise women on their struggling love lives when she’s hiding a secret pregnancy? And why has the baby’s father, who swore he’d love her forever, decided instead to vanish off the face of the earth? Terrified of losing her television job, Diana watches her bump grow bigger by the day. How long can she keep pretending she’s developed a sudden fondness for jam doughnuts? When it all becomes too much she flees to the West of Ireland in search of peace and privacy. Instead she stumbles on a dark family secret. Diana soon forgets her own personal turmoil as she delves into the past. But is it really a good idea to resurrect a shocking scandal that has been so firmly swept under the family carpet?

Title: Risk It All
Author: Stan Stamper
Received: From Stan Stamper
Synopsis: Pitting billionaire terrorist thugs against a rookie CIA agent
would normally be the prelude to a hasty funeral. But Carissa
Johnson defied the odds to survive not one, but two years before
she had to play a trump card…a 9 mm bullet.

What not even the CIA saw coming was Tanner Stone,
the gorgeous hunk who would steal her heart. Special Agent
Carissa Johnson was stunned to learn the West Point grad
was a Special Forces Commander on direct assignment by
the President—to identify the woman who was laundering the
dirty money from power-crazed Sheiks on the Arabian Peninsula—
HER!

When the entire plan comes unraveled, Carissa chooses to
put her life on the line for a politician she despises, to save the
only man who ever touched her heart.

April 13, 2011
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Guest Post by Susan Mallery
For Writers

Guest Post by Susan Mallery

Susan Mallery, author of ALREADY HOME

Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories of women and the relationships that move them. In her latest novel, ALREADY HOME, Jenna Stevens, still reeling from a recent divorce, is unpleasantly surprised by the arrival of her birth parents, who seem to want her to feel a family bond immediately. She was perfectly happy with the loving, traditional parents who raised her. Can she learn to love a second mother without damaging her relationship with the woman who raised her? Join Susan’s Members Only area at www.susanmallery.com for exclusive sneak peeks, short stories, and more.

Chick Lit Plus: Susan, what advice would you give to an unpublished writer who wants to break into the business?

The publishing industry is experiencing a lot of changes right now, but my advice remains the same: Write what you love to read.
You can only read what’s being published, meaning that there’s a market for that type of book. Now, if what you love to read are books that were published in the 1930s, for example, then you might have a tough time finding a market for that type of story today. So try to find books you love that are being published today. If no other author has written a book similar in theme, content, and tone to your book, then you might have a tough time selling it to a publisher.
Once readers discover you and fall in love with your writing, they’ll want more of the same type of story from you. That’s fabulous if you’re writing stories you love. But it would be confining, uncomfortable, and ultimately impossible if you published a story that doesn’t truly fit who you are.
Which is not to say that write the same story over and over again. What I mean is that readers will want to get the same emotional experience from reading your subsequent books. If you don’t like reading scary books, then don’t write one. If it’s fabulous, you could be stuck for years writing books that give you nightmares.
I started my career writing romance novels because that’s what I looooved to read. I still do, and I still adore writing them, too. Now I’m also branching out to write stories about the other relationships that touch women’s lives.
While ALREADY HOME isn’t a romance novel, I do fulfill the promises I have made over the years to my readers: They will get an emotionally complex story with characters who feel like real people, a lot of laughs along the way, and a satisfying ending. (There are romantic subplots, too, so readers who love love will get plenty of sigh-worthy moments.)

April 12, 2011
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Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson
Chick Lit Review

Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson

Taylor Steele, a professional wealth and assets manager, knows she wants to have a baby. She just doesn’t want a husband. She also doesn’t want to take the adoption route, or be artificially inseminated. But who could she convince to help her conceive the natural way, with no strings attached? Taylor knows the only man that would make her plan work would be Dominic Saxon, one of her millionaire clients. Dominic is single, wealthy, and gorgeous. Taylor convinces him to go on a “procreation vacation” with her, to resort whose purpose is to help couples make babies. But while there, Taylor and Dominic start to wonder if this will truly be a no strings attached plan, or if something more is brewing between the sheets.
I don’t often read straight romance books, but I decided to take a chance on Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson. I really couldn’t get into it. The plot just seemed too absurd, and it was predictable from the beginning. Both Taylor and Dominic seem to have feelings from each other before the baby plans, yet try to do something with no strings attached? We can all see how this will end. No excitement or mystery was there. The middle of the book completely falls away from any plot or real dialogue, and is basically just Taylor and Dominic having sex. When there is dialogue, it sounds so unrealistic that I couldn’t really buy it. This was a shorter book, but missed the mark for me.
[Rating: 2]

April 11, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of April 10
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of April 10

In My Mailbox: Week of April 10

Title: Breaking Even
Author: Kathleen Kole
Received: From Kathleen Kole for Blog Tour
Synopsis: Meet Penelope Whittaker, an accountant. A sensible, do things the right way, soon-to-be-married accountant. Penelope is engaged to the wonderful, kind and caring Ben Miller … a man she has known forever.
Enter Single Dad.
While on a school run, Penelope accidentally locks her keys in her car. A seemingly boring event, until she is offered aid by a very handsome (hubba, hubba) and personable Single Dad. Shaken by the encounter, or, more to the point, shaken by her reaction to the encounter, Penelope tries to put it where it belongs: on a shelf marked “Chance Encounters”.
Life has different plans.
Just when Penelope thinks she has blown the whole encounter out of proportion, and made much out of nothing, she is thrown together by chance (or fate?) with Single Dad. Suddenly, he’s a part of her life and, even though Penelope knows it can only cause trouble, she is helpless to stop it. Besides, she doesn’t want to. At least, not until she finds out the unsettling truth about Single Dad.
Penelope is confused. Her family, friends and, most importantly, her fiance, Ben, even more so. Will she be able to find her footing and go back to where she used to be, safe in her carefully structured world? Or, will she take the path of redefining herself, possibly leaving Ben behind?

Title: Beneath a Starlet Sky
Author: Amanda Goldberg & Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper
Received: From Ann-Marie Nieves @ Get Red PR

Synopsis: Lola Santisi—CEO of a struggling fashion line, reformed Actorholic and daughter of Hollywood Royalty—is now not only bicoastal, she’s Bi-Lolar: That is the condition which causes her to swing like a pendulum between the opposing poles of the fashion world in New York and the real world with her Doctor Boyfriend in Los Angeles. She hardly knows which shoe fits her anymore: the Louboutin stiletto or the Croc. As Lola tries to launch Julian Tennant’s new dress line, it looks like they’re about to get their next big break: his wedding dresses have been chosen to feature in the top film at the Cannes Film Festival. And suddenly Lola is staging a full-blown couture show on a yacht – in the middle of the Med. Think those super models had trouble walking down the catwalks at Fashion Week? With an unexpected finale twist, this time it’s Lola who’s tumbling off the runway.

Having recently endured a disastrous break-up with Lola’s brother Christopher, Kate Woods, Lola’s BFF and CAA’s rising star agent, is newly single, and focused 24-7 on her clients. The only thing worse than thinking it was a good idea for Kate to date Lola’s brother, is thinking it was a good idea for Kate to put one of her most loose-cannon clients, Nic Knight, in Lola’s father’s movie. Among Kate’s other mega star clients is Saffron Sykes whose appearance on the cover of Vain magazine in Julian Tennant could be the difference between Julian Tennant, Inc. weathering the economy or going bust.

As Lola fights to survive the Cannes Film Festival, will she get swept into the French Riviera’s riptide of glamour and superficiality? Are real love and couture mutually exclusive? Or can Lola have it all – the good doctor and her Louboutins. With her father and brother vying for the same prize, her mother starring in her new reality show, and one heartbroken girlfriend about to declare motherhood, it’s all on Lola to come up with the answers. And it’s going to take more than one of her mother’s prosperity chants to save the day.

Title: Click: An Online Love Story
Author: Lisa Becker
Received: From Lisa Becker
Synopsis: Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, the novel’s heroine reluctantly joins her best guy pal in a journey of online dating. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online.
“The book is loosely based on my real-life online dating experiences,” said Becker, who met her husband on a popular online dating site in June 2000. They now live in Manhattan Beach and have two daughters – ages 6 and 4. “While some of my experiences did inspire the novel, they are exaggerated here for comedic affect. But I think there’s a story here that many people can identify with,” she added.
From the guy who starts every story with “My buddies and I were out drinking one night,” to the egotistical “B” celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC’s, FWD’s and inadvertent Reply to All’s, readers will root for Renee to “click” with the right man.

April 10, 2011
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Save as Draft by Cavanaugh Lee
Chick Lit Review

Save as Draft by Cavanaugh Lee

Not too long ago, I gingerly accepted a review request for Teresa Medeiros’s Goodnight Tweetheart, a novel made up mostly of Tweets. I say gingerly because I thought, “Tweets? How could readers understand and connect with characters by reading their Twitter thoughts?” I gave the novel 4 ½ stars.
Proven wrong, I now eagerly accepted to read the debut by Cavanaugh Lee, Save As Draft. This novel is written mostly in email messages, along with a few tweets, texts, and Facebook updates along the way. The story follows Izzy Chin as she tries to find love. She joins E-Harmony and connects with Martin, and they have an instant connection. Through technology, they decide they could meet in person. One wildly successful date later, Izzy dumps Martin after deciding to take a chance on her best friend Peter. Peter and Izzy fall in love, as readers can depict from the sappy emails and TMI Facebook status updates, and quickly get engaged. But when Peter starts acting like he is married to his job, Izzy feels lost in the shuffle. She knows it may be wrong, be she drifts back to Martin, who is overly hopeful he can make a relationship with Izzy work. Readers can see how different the outcome could have been, if only some of the characters would just hit send.
The ending I think will shock everyone. I actually started shouting after I closed this book. But in a good way, a way that made me think. What if we were just honest with each other? What if we didn’t have technology allowing us to censor our thoughts and emotions? Save As Draft is definitely on my Favorites List. I loved getting to know characters a different way, and the added friendships of Izzy’s and their take on marriage brings in the comedic relief. The subjects touched in this novel are actually very serious, and I appreciate how this story is told with such honesty and validity in the technology crazed world we live in. I highly recommend this book, and looks forward to more from newcomer Cavanaugh Lee.
Rating: 5

April 8, 2011
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Tina Fey Pregnant
Chick Lit Plus

Tina Fey Pregnant

Congratulations are in order for power woman Tina Fey. The 30 Rock star announced on a Wednesday taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show that she is expecting. This will be the second child for Fey, 40, and her husband, composer Jeff Richmond. The baby will join five year old daughter Alice. Reps confirmed to People.com that Fey is five months along. The taping of Fey’s appearance on Oprah will air April 12th.

April 8, 2011
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Beauty Review:Biore Clay Mask
Chick Lit Plus

Beauty Review:Biore Clay Mask

I have been searching for a good mask to use in my beauty regime, as my Mary Kay was all gone and didn’t prefer to re-order it. Of course, I first turned to my trusty Biore pals, since I own almost all their products anyways. While browsing Biore products on Amazon, I found the Biore Clay Mask. It is for shine control, which I do have problems with, and is described as an “oil-absorbing clay mask with skin-refreshing extracts” that “absorbs dirt, oil and shine.” It also promises to leave “skin tingly-cool and naturally matte.”
This four ounce bottle only cost $2.99, which I couldn’t believe, and I quickly snatched it up- or placed it in my virtual shopping cart. I have used the mask twice so far, and have had great results. The green mask is easy to apply to the face, and I leave it on for about eight minutes while it hardens. It was easier than other masks that I have tried to take off, instead of rubbing vigorously at my skin, I simply dampened a washcloth and wiped off smoothly. That was probably my favorite part. My skin did feel tingly cool afterwards, and have noticed a definite cut down on the shine- which is great because I am not using my oil blotting sheets as much! One off thing though that I will point out- this item is not on Biore’s website. I have no idea why, because you can buy it on Amazon or other sites such as Overstock.com, but I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t on Biore.com. But I would definitely recommend this product if you are looking for a good mask and need help with shine.
[Rating: 4.5]

April 7, 2011
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Author Profile: Laurie Frankel
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Laurie Frankel

Author Name: Laurie Frankel

Website: http://www.lauriefrankel.net/

Bio: Laurie Frankel lives in Seattle where it’s sometimes hard to find a day on which to take an author photo without an umbrella. Originally from Columbia, Maryland, she often fails to understand why it won’t stop raining here. Then it becomes summer in Seattle, and she remembers why she loves it. She teaches writing, literature, and gender studies at the University of Puget Sound. She roots for the Orioles and the Mariners (and thus is often very frustrated during baseball season). She makes good soup. She lives in the city with her wonderful husband, her wonderful baby, and her wonderful border collie. The Atlas of Love is her first novel.
Titles: The Atlas of Love
See my review of The Atlas of Love
Visit Laurie’s Blog! http://lauriefrankel.blogspot.com/
Bio Retrieved from lauriefrankel.net

April 6, 2011
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Health Tidbit: Breast Cancer Genes
Chick Lit Plus

Health Tidbit: Breast Cancer Genes

As genetic testing is becoming more popular, there is an increased number of individuals that need to make the decision to go through the testing process. Because genetic testing can be highly expensive and a positive test can increase stress, it is important to examine all reasons why or why not you want to be tested. If there are several members of your close family (parent, sibling, grandparent) that have a disease such as breast cancer, it can be beneficial to be tested to see if you carry a BRCA gene. The March issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine touched one an important topic when it comes to breast cancer. Cosmo uncovered a scary fact- according to a study done in the Lancet Oncology journal, “doctors are five times less likely to refer women with a paternal history of the disease to a genetic counselor than they are those who had it on their mom’s side.” Because both mother and father have a fifty percent chance of passing on the gene, it is important to tell your doctor if anyone in your family had the disease.
Source: Cosmopolitan Magazine, March 2011

April 5, 2011
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