Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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Tony Romo Engaged to Candice Crawford
Chick Lit Plus

Tony Romo Engaged to Candice Crawford

Anyone else close to Jessica Simpson going to get engaged? Not only has Simpson herself recently gotten engaged, ex-husband Nick Lachey popped the question to girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo, but now Simpson’s ex, Tony Romo, has proposed to his girlfriend! The Dallas Cowboys quarterback popped the question to girlfriend Candice Crawford (brother is Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl) Thursday night during her 24th birthday dinner in Dallas. Romo, 30, began dating the former beauty queen in September 2009, only two months after breaking things off with Simpson. The ring is approximated at four carats. No word yet on when the wedding will be.
Wait! Didn’t Romo break up with Jessica Simpson on her birthday? And now he proposes to his next girlfriend on her birthday? Hmm…interesting.

December 17, 2010
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Debut Author Spotlight: Aidan Donnelley Rowley
Chick Lit Authors

Debut Author Spotlight: Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Debut Author: Aidan Donnelley Rowley
Debut Novel: Life After Yes
I met Aidan because her debut novel, Life After Yes, was the final selection for the fabulous book club I belong to- SheKnows. The SheKnows bloggers got to vote on our last book, and I am sure glad we chose Life After Yes. Here is a clip of my five star review:
“Life After Yes was one of my favorite reads of 2010. I commend Aidan Donnelley Rowley for writing such a truthful story, with real characters and real problems. I almost feel this novel should come with a warning label: Will you risk asking yourself the questions Quinn is asking of herself? Are you brave enough to face the answers? I recommend everyone to read this book, chick lit fan or not. I think we can all identify with a piece of Quinn, and take away a lesson on true happiness.”
After our selection was chosen, I hopped online to find out more about Aidan Donnelley Rowley, and was pleasantly surprised to find that she has a pretty unique blog going. Aidan tackles numerous subjects, ranging from pregnancy and parenthood, health and happiness, and of course- writing. Her blog is titled “Ivy League Insecurities” which I found interesting. Like her main character Quinn in Life After Yes, Aidan is Ivy League educated, and attended Yale College and Columbia Law School. She worked as a lawyer for a hot second, but now has focused on her family- who includes her two young daughters- and her writing. Aidan blogs about her daily life, her struggles as a writer, and her insecurities. I like her blog because she feels like a real person. Yeah, she has an Ivy League education. And yes, she has published a fantastic novel. But she isn’t afraid to admit her insecurities. I find her writing refreshing, meaningful, and inspiring.
So please take some time out to swing by Ivy League Insecurities and drop a line to Aidan, or visit her on Twitter or Facebook. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet of Life After Yes, you will want to get that on your Christmas list. I gave Aidan’s debut a five star review, and I’m sure many other readers will agree!

December 17, 2010
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Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta
Chick Lit Review

Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Happy Hour at Casa Dracula is book one in the feisty, fantasy, and romantic “vampire” series from Marta Acosta. Readers are introduced to Milagro de los Santos, the hip Latina who accidently gets infected by the ravishing Oswald. When Milagro suddenly gets the urges to eat raw meat and drink blood, Oswald whisks Milagro away to his family compound, and starts spilling the family secrets. Oswald and his family won’t claim themselves as vampires, instead insisting that they have a genetic condition- which makes them have urges to drink blood and can’t go in the sun. They fear Milagro has been infected after her encounter with Oswald, and that no human has survived infection. When Milagro appears to be able to fight off the infection, and grows increasingly attracted to the engaged Oswald, she must accept the vastly different life she will now lead.
I have never read vampires book, and don’t get much into paranormal reads, but when my pal Marta Acosta asked me to review her series, I couldn’t say no. And I’m glad I didn’t turn her down! Happy Hour isn’t a typical vampire novel filled with dark scenes and biting necks. Milagro is a hilarious protagonist, an independent chick who isn’t afraid to walk on the wild side and wear that skin tight leopard dress. The journey she takes readers on promises to be funny, entertaining, and will keep you flipping the pages. I love the world that Acosta has created, and look forward to more from the series!
Rating: 4/5

December 16, 2010
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Author Profile: Shannon McKelden
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Shannon McKelden

Author Name: Shannon McKelden

Website: http://shannonmckelden.com/

Bio: Shannon knew she enjoyed writing since the sixth grade, when her short stories earned her A+ grades. While she enjoyed writing, that dream got sidetracked as she worked in a shoe store and a bank, graduated high school, got married and took on a mortgage. After her daughter was born, Shannon was able to start dabbling in the writing again- and went on to publish short stories for magazines. It took a few years later and finding the Romance Writers of America, but Shannon now has published three novels.

Currently: Shannon lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two kids, three cats, a dog and a crow.
Titles: Venus Envy, Venus Guy Trap, and The Kiss Test
Bio Retrieved from shannonmckelden.com

December 15, 2010
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Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds Split
Chick Lit Plus

Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds Split

What is eating Hollywood? It seems to be the week for breakups- and it’s only Tuesday! Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens split after four years of dating, Jennifer Connelly and Michael C. Hall are on their way to a divorce, and now Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds have separated! People.com reported the news, and released this joint statement form the couple, “”After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we’ve decided to end our marriage. We entered our relationship with love and it’s with love and kindness we leave it. While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.”
A source close to the couple says Johansson initiated the split and the couple has been separated for six months. Johansson, 26, and Reynolds, 34, have been known for their hush-hush relationship, rarely speaking out about each other. They married in 2008 in Reynold’s hometown of Vancouver, with only friends and family to witness the ceremony, and no wedding photos were ever released. The couple have no children.

December 15, 2010
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Guest Post: For Love of Writing by Donna VanLiere
For Writers

Guest Post: For Love of Writing by Donna VanLiere

For Love of Writing
Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Journey
www.donnavanliere.com

At every writer’s seminar or symposium you’ll hear someone from a publishing house or literary agency say to write about you love or what you know. Red Smith, the first sportswriter to win the Pulitzer Prize, said, “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” That’s easier said than done and impossible to do unless you’re pouring your heart into the words and writing about you know.

It’s those books, the ones that come from the place of knowing that are the ones worth reading—ones where the writer poured herself into the writing. Those are the novels that touch the reader to the core, prompting her to care more deeply or give more generously. Those are the stories that reach the far places of the reader’s heart making her angry at injustice or more passionate about the homeless. Eloquence and style have their place but for my money I’d rather read a book that was written with passion because it’s within those pages that I feel something.

In Hebrew, the word dabar means both word and action. A good book shouldn’t just say something but make you feel something. When I give a book away as a gift it’s always because the book did something to me. As a writer, you should always ask yourself, “What do I want the reader to feel?” because it’s not all about the words. There’s more. There’s helping the reader feel a little wiser, a little less alone, a little less afraid, a heap more grateful, a little more understanding, patient or loving, a bit more human and a lot more alive. Those are the books worth reading and the only ones worth writing.

December 14, 2010
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Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens Split
Chick Lit Plus

Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens Split

One of Hollywood’s youngest golden couples has called it quits. People.com reported that High School Musical stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have split after four years together. A source tells People that “they are 100 percent still good friends.” Efron, 23, is filming The Lucky One in New Orleans, and Hudgens, who turns 22 on Tuesday, is working on Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in Hawaii. No reason was given for the split.

December 14, 2010
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The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden
Chick Lit Review

The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden

Margo Gentry has a great life. She works as a DJ to Manhattan’s only country music station, and just got a prestigious award that will likely come with promotions and praise. Her boyfriend is fabulous and understanding of Margo never wanting to get married. Her mother lives far far away, and can never just pop in for dinner. Yes, Margo has a great life.
Until it all explodes. The radio station gets bought out and all DJ’s lose their jobs- even Margo with her fancy new award. Her boyfriend suddenly decides marriage, kids, and moving to the suburbs is a must- something that makes Margo want to gag. And her mom calls to say she is getting married-for the 11th time!- and insists that Margo be her maid of honor. With no job and no place to live after refusing her boyfriend’s proposal, Margo finds comfort by living with her best friend Chris- until she realizes his house is just a revolving door for all women trying to pin him down by passing his “kiss test.” Chris, a friend from Margo’s childhood, insists she be a part of her mother’s wedding, and offers to drive her across the country to attend. Margo accepts his offer on one condition- they can stop by in Graceland to visit the home of Elvis- Margo’s obsession. The road trip turns out to be a test of their friendship- and of the kiss test.
I really enjoyed The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden. The one-liners are hilarious, the situations Margo gets herself into are off the wall funny (the part where she has to sleep in a bathtub was the best!) and I thought this novel had some good life lessons buried under the humor. The friendship between Margo and Chris has a genuine feel to it, and I thought the road trip was the perfect way to show that. I did get a little overwhelmed with all the Elvis obsessions, but other than that, this is a super funny read and I recommend it to all chick lit fans!
Rating: 4/5

December 13, 2010
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In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th

In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th

Title: Celebrities For Breakfast
Author: Shelley Stout
Received: From Shelley Stout
Synopsis: Personal shopper to the stars, Judith Collington, refuses to spend one more day in LA, answering the whiney demands of her Hollywood clientele. To escape, Judith and her seventh-grader, Shannon, give up their lucrative lifestyle to run a bed and breakfast in central Illinois. Judith prepares to purchase the property, until it changes hands in a poker game. New owner: Hollywood actor and part-time egomaniac, Ren Spencer. Judith installs Ren into the nearest guest room, where he insists on heated towels and meals on a tray. She would love to hate him, except he’s pathetic in an endearing sort of way. Oh, and did I mention he’s about to become engaged?

If you really want the latest, just read Shannon’s private computer journal. Her bedroom wall is plastered with posters of her all-time favorite star, but Shannon could care less if Ren Spencer’s a has-been at 35. He’s so hot, she can’t stop writing love stories about him. So what if Ren drinks too much and has to sober up in jail? And why can’t Shannon just have a normal mother like everybody else?

CELEBRITIES FOR BREAKFAST is a romantic comedy told through Judith’s voice, but sprinkled throughout are Shannon’s journal entries and Ren’s two cents.

Title: Blue
Author: Lou Aronica
Received: From Lou Aronica
Synopsis: Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris’s fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman – and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.

Title: The Christmas Journey
Author: Donna VanLiere
Received: From Ann Staszaleck with AuthorsOntheWeb.com
Synopsis: The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world.
Accompanied by moving and beautifully rendered original watercolor illustrations throughout, Donna’s signature voice retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.

December 12, 2010
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