Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

Latest Youtube Videos

Interview with Carla Neggers
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Carla Neggers

Q: When did you decide to get serious about writing?

I’ve always been serious in the sense that I’ve always been dedicated to writing the best book I can — even when I was eleven and climbed a tree with pad and pen! I entered college as a music major but graduated with a degree in journalism. After college, I freelanced and kept writing fiction. I finished a manuscript and finally got up the courage to submit a query letter to a New York literary agent. That was a big step! She took me on, and now here I am.

Q: You have over fifty novels published! Where does the inspiration for your stories keep coming from?

I’ve asked myself this, too, and I think coming up with new stories is a natural, intuitive process for me. I don’t have to hunt up ideas so that I can write. I write because I have ideas! For example, I was on vacation in Ireland a few years ago. No writing! But we visited a stone ruin and an ancient stone circle…and next thing I knew, I had a stories and characters percolating that eventually became THE ANGEL, THE MIST and THE WHISPER.

Q: Can you describe your latest novel, Cold Dawn, in twenty words or less?

Okay, let me give this a shot: A search-and-rescue expert and a smokejumper go after a deadly serial arsonist who strikes the small Vermont town of Black Falls. How’s that?

Q: Do you have a certain writing schedule you stick to?

Yes and no. I write most days and work hard, but I’m not regimented. I don’t write X number of pages a day or work X number of hours. What I get done and how long it takes depends on where I am in the book. At the beginning of a book, I tend to work more in fits and starts. I need little breaks for the story to meander and then settle. Toward the end of a book, I’ll write for longer periods at a stretch.

Q: What are you currently reading?

I just re-read the last 100 pages of MJ Rose’s THE HYPNOTIST. Fascinating book!

Q: What are your thoughts on the rise of technology for the writing industry- e-readers and self-publishing?

It’ll be what it’ll be. I love to write and I love to read, and that’s not going to change.

Q: When writing, do you often start from Chapter 1, or do you work backwards, or start somewhere in the middle?

Chapter 1, but I’ll jot down scenes or snippets of scenes that occur to me as I write. Sometimes I’ll start in on Chapter 1 with no synopsis, just to get a feel for the story; other times I’ll have a brief synopsis before I start.

Q: Are you currently working on a project?

Yes, I am. I’m deep into my latest work-in-progress. It’s a brand-new world, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it!

Q: You have been to some amazing locations around the world. Where is your favorite place to vacation?

My husband and I adore the southwest Irish coast. We stay in the pretty village of Kenmare and wander the hills of the Iveragh and Beara peninsulas. Stunning scenery, great food, wonderful people. Just love it there!

Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Write what you’re driven and love to write, but don’t postpone happiness until you achieve a certain goal. Be happy now! It’s too easy to say to yourself, “I’ll be happy when I finish a book.” Then it’ll be, “I’ll be happy when I’ve sold a book.” Then…”I’ll be happy when I make the bestseller lists.” Then…see how it works? It’s corrosive. Focus on writing the best book you can and living your life. Easier said than done some days, but,, FWIW, that’s my advice.

October 26, 2010
Leave a comment
In My Mailbox: Week of October 24
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of October 24

In My Mailbox: Week of October 24th

Title: Until the End of Forever
Author: Shannon Hart
Received: From Shannon Hart
Synopsis: When Sarah Matthews keeps having recurring nightmares she begins to psycho-analyse herself in an attempt to find the reason behind them. After all, she has a perfect marriage; two beautiful children; a part-share in a little business; and everything in the world she could possibly wish for. She is totally content…or is she? Could her life be just a little too perfect? Over a friendly luncheon, Sarah suddenly has stirrings of envy for the total freedom she can no longer enjoy; and when the opportunity is offered her to go to Paris for a month to work with a photographer on the production of a series of Coffee Table books, she decides to go off and find herself. However, in the wake of tragedy she is called back home again, only to find upon her return that the relationship between her and her husband rapidly begins to deteriorate. Very much aimed at the feminine reader, this is a lovely story, and one to which very few will be unable to relate.

Title: Fourteen Days Later
Author: Sibel Hodge
Received: From Sibel Hodge
Synopsis: When Helen Grey is set a fourteen day life-changing challenge the last thing she expects is to be pushed closer to her best friend’s brother, Kalem. But how can he fall for her when he’s too busy falling prey to her mishaps and too in love with his own perfect girlfriend? How will Kalem’s Turkish Cypriot family react when they find out? Is it really possible to change your life in fourteen days?

Title: Hollywood Ending
Author: Lucie Simone
Received: From Lucie Simone
Synopsis: Trina Stewart needs cash. Fast. She’s barely got enough dough to keep her fanny off the streets, let alone any spending money for hot nights clubbing on Sunset Strip. And her job teaching English as a Second Language is seriously lacking in both pay and glamour. But not just any job will do. She’s after a real Hollywood job. The kind that makes her $100,000 in film school debt and ten years in Tinsel Town not seem like such a big fat waste of time and money. But a girl can’t fritter away all her time fretting over her next paycheck, can she? Certainly not when a man like Matiu Wulf, a sexy Maori from New Zealand, parks his oh-so-fine self in the apartment above hers while he takes his best shot at Showbiz.
If only Matiu didn’t seem so… repelled by Trina. Really, though, it’s Los Angeles that Matiu finds so revolting. He’s only in L.A. to get some scene design experience to beef up his resume, and then he’s headed back to New Zealand to follow his dreams in peace, thank you very much. That’s his plan, anyway, until he falls hard for Trina…and Trina falls under the spell of a toothy-grinned wannabe actor who charms the pants right off her.
With Matiu on a mission to win Trina’s heart, and Trina on a mission to nail down that ever elusive Hollywood job, these two soon discover that when love gets tossed in the mix, life in Tinsel Town isn’t all red carpets, after parties, and celebrity gossip. In fact, Hollywood can be a downright bitch!

October 25, 2010
2 Comments
John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles
Chick Lit Review

John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles

Seventeen year old Hilda is not a typical teenager. She and her best friend, Benji, are fascinated with death, specifically dead celebrities. They visit the areas of some of LA’s most notorious crime scenes and cemeteries, collecting mementos of death. When Hilda and Benji meet Hank, a reclusive old man living in an apartment where an actor stabbed himself to death, Hilda and Hank form an odd bond. Soon, Hilda is visiting Hank by herself, becoming fascinated in his world and the secrets he keeps. When Hilda meets Jake, Hank’s downstairs neighbor who just happens to be a good looking screenwriter, Hilda begins to questions her fascination in death. Is she missing out on life because of it? When Benji goes too far one night while trying to emulate John Belushi, Hilda finally gets another perspective on living life.
John Belushi is Dead, the debut novel by Kathy Charles, is an interesting YA contemporary novel. The characters are strong, and Charles writing is clearly fantastic. This is more of a dark and edgy novel, not supernatural at all, just digs into the unhappy cases of some real Hollywood murders (the OJ Simpson case, Charles Manson murders, etc). I liked the mystery that surrounds Hank’s character, and a possible love connection between Hilda and Jake adds another layer to the story. I didn’t hate this book, but didn’t quite love it either. I didn’t get as drawn into the plot as I would have liked, as interesting and different as it was. And a little forewarning: this book does contain multiple graphic scenes of murders and death, so if you don’t mesh well with those types of scenes, I wouldn’t recommend this specific title for you. But if you are looking for something on the opposite spectrum of chick lit, I would say check out John Belushi is Dead. There is a good life lesson to be learned from the young heroine.
Rating: 3.5.5

October 19, 2010
Leave a comment
In My Mailbox: Week of October 17
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of October 17

In My Mailbox: Week of October 17th

Title: Four Thousand Miles
Author: Jesi Lea Ryan
Received: From Jesi Lea Ryan
Synopsis: When Natalie Spencer loses both her career and marriage in the same morning, the emotional shock sends her on a spontaneous journey to England. There, she is nearly mugged in a Tube station, but an introverted songwriter named Gavin Ashby scares off her attackers. Recognizing Natalie’s fragile state, Gavin offers help and invites her to recuperate from her trauma at his country home.

As she adjusts to her new role and surroundings, Natalie finds healing by helping others. Gavin and his family begin to accept Natalie into their hearts, leading her to a choice…abandon her old life in the States and trust in a new chance at love, or flee once again?

Title: Her Latest Supporting Role
Author: Cynthia Ashworth
Received: From Cynthia Ashworth
Synopsis: Jill Barber is a failed former actress and almost-MFA…or so she thinks. A botched exam and her reluctance to submit to a lecherous lecturer’s proposal—sleep with him for a passing grade—land her in summer school, taking a class taught by hot young novelist Jonathan Wunder.

Jill’s nights are spent working to finish her degree, her days at a large Madison Avenue ad agency trying desperately to hang onto its largest account. Tellco Toys’ business is about to walk out the door, and Constable, the agency’s mercurial President, is making everyone’s life miserable: Jill’s bosses, the Über-Producers Sandi and Nick; Petra and Robin (a hip and friendly creative team with a knack for giving Jill the wrong advice); and client-service guy Graham, who has taken quite a shine to Jill. And against her better judgment, she soon finds herself in an ambiguous romantic relationship with her instructor, while trying to deflect the attentions of her straight-laced and smitten co-worker without hurting her budding career.

HER LATEST SUPPORTING ROLE is a romantic comedy set in the funny and frantic world of New York advertising. Jill’s romantic missteps—as she maneuvers between her enigmatic instructor and a charming but hapless colleague—and the agency’s increasingly desperate attempts to save the big account (and everyone’s jobs) are parallel stories that drive toward a surprising climax.

Title: Falling Home
Author: Karen White
Received: From Joy Strazza with Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting
Synopsis: Falling Home is a coming home story about forgiveness and acceptance, and of finding love in the most unexpected of places. Home is where the heart is, but Cassie Madison prefers to think of it as a place where one is born, then outgrows, along with skinned knees and childhood dreams. A humiliated Cassie left Walton, Georgia for Manhattan fifteen years before, vowing never to return.
And then her sister calls. Their father is dying and wants Cassie to come back home. When Cassie’s father dies, saddling her with the family’s antebellum home and letters hinting of an unknown sibling, Cassie finds herself sinking into the red Georgia clay like quicksand. Reluctantly, Cassie is pulled into the lives of her sister and family, and that of Sam Parker, the town doctor.
When tragedy strikes, Cassie is led to discover that home is a place that lives in one’s heart, waiting with open arms to be rediscovered.

October 17, 2010
Leave a comment
She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter
Chick Lit Review

She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter

Shey Darcy is having a hard time adjusting being back home in Texas. After living in New York City, working as a supermodel with her photographer husband and three sons, Shey is shocked to learn that her husband is leaving her- for another man. Unsure of where else to recover from her heartache, Shey flees to Texas, back to her country roots. Life doesn’t get easier for Shey after the move though. Her teenage sons have trouble adjusting to their new lives as well, Shey’s Southern Baptist mom won’t stop hounding her about her broken life, and Shey’s love from her teenage years enters back into her life- and Shey realizes she may not have stopped loving him.
When I read that She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter focused on a mother struggling with issues within her family, I worried I wouldn’t be able to relate well to the main character- as I am without a husband or children. But Shey’s story wrapped me in and commanded my attention throughout. The love story may have been a bit too overpowering between Shey and her ex-crush, Dane, but I really enjoyed the ending for these characters. As for the motherhood aspect, even though I am not a mom, it was so easy for me to understand the struggles Shey was feeling and coping with. Porter’s writing feels straight from the heart, like Shey opened up her diary for all to read. It is because that emotion, that vulnerability from the main characters, that makes this story so fantastic. A definite recommendation from me for She’s Gone Country!
Rating: 4.5/5

October 15, 2010
Leave a comment
Author Profile: Robyn Harding
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Robyn Harding

Author Name: Robyn Harding

Website: http://www.robynharding.com/
Bio: Robyn Harding grew up in Quesnel, a logging town in northern British Columbia. To relieve her small town angst she turned to creative writing, hoping to become another S.E. Hinton and publish a novel at seventeen. After high school, creative writing was relegated to a hobby and Robyn moved to Vancouver. She studied English Literature, journalism, and then marketing, eventually landing a job at an advertising agency. After seven years in the industry, Robyn left to raise her two young children and work as a freelance copywriter. During this time, Robyn began to write fiction again. In 2004, she published her first novel, THE JOURNAL OF MORTIFYING MOMENTS. Since then, Robyn has continued to write: fiction, nonfiction and screenplays.
Currently: Robyn currently lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her family.
Titles: the Journal of Mortifying Moments, Unravelled, The Secret Desires of a Soccer Mom, Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?, Girls Night Out, My Parents Are Sex Maniacs, and Chronicles of a Mid Life Crisis.
Bio Retrieved from www.robynharding.com

October 14, 2010
2 Comments
Seven Exes Are Eight Too Many by Heather Wardell
Chick Lit Review

Seven Exes Are Eight Too Many by Heather Wardell

Madeleine-Cora Spencer, or MC, gets a little too drunk one night and decides to sign up for a reality dating show. Her love life is nothing to boast about, so why not? When she is chosen for the show, reality isn’t what it seems. Instead of a Bachelor-esque type dating show, MC is forced into the jungle with seven of her exes! Just when MC didn’t think having her personal life displayed on public TV was bad enough, another ex enters the picture- the one she may still be in love with.
Seven Exes are Eight too Many by Heather Wardell paints a realistic picture of reality TV. Lies, schemes, backstabbing, and not just among teammates, but the production crew as well! The behind the scene look of a craze that has swept society is an interesting concept for a novel, and with Wardell’s excellently placed humor and knack for bringing characters to life, it works. The main character may be slightly (mostly) neurotic, but her flaws only make her that much more relatable for readers. The seven exes each have distinct personalities, and I could easily love them or hate them. A few areas left me a little unsettled though: the concept of the reality show and the producer lying about what the contestants signed up for, and the ending. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but the finale episode didn’t do the story justice, in my opinion. Still an excellent novel from the always clever Heather Wardell, and I would recommend you check out Seven Exes are Eight too Many.
Rating: 4/5

October 13, 2010
Leave a comment
Christina Aguilera, Husband Announce Split
Chick Lit Plus

Christina Aguilera, Husband Announce Split

Another celebrity couple separates! What is in the water over there? Singer Christina Aguilera and husband Jordan Bratman have decided to separate after five years of marriage, sources tell People.com. Though the source says “no divorce proceedings” are happening, the couple is “trying to figure things out.” Aguilera, 29, and Bratman, 33, have one son together- Max, age 2. This separation surprises me more than Courteneny Cox’s, there was never any mention of tension in the marriage or problems. Last I read, Christina loved having “Naked Sundays” with Jordan! What are your thoughts- surprised? Sad?

October 13, 2010
Leave a comment
Courteney Cox, David Arquette Seperate
Chick Lit Plus

Courteney Cox, David Arquette Seperate

Well this is sad news. After eleven years together (54 in Hollywood years) Courteney Cox and David Arquette have separated. The actors, who first met in 1996 while filming Scream, are parents to 6 year old daughter Coco. Cox, 46, and Arquette, 39, married in San Francisco three years after meeting, and have often publicly talked about marriage struggles and the fact they use couples counseling. The couple released this statement regarding their separation:
“The reason for this separation is to better understand ourselves and the qualities we need in a partner and for our marriage. We remain best friends and responsible parents to our daughter and we still love each other deeply. As we go through this process we are determined to use kindness and understanding to get through this together. We are comfortable with the boundaries that we have established for each other during this separation and we hope that our friends, family, fans and the media also show us respect, dignity, understanding and love at this time as well.”
Darn. These were one of my favorite Hollywood couples. What do you think? Did you see this one coming?

October 12, 2010
Leave a comment