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Interview with Carole Matthews
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Carole Matthews

Q: I read that you never had the thought to be a writer. What changed your mind?
I fell into it completely by accident. Years ago I worked for a television programme presenting a feature on aromatherapy and started to write my own scripts. Then I progressed to articles about aromatherapy for whatever magazine would take it. I also happened to be getting a magazine called Writers’ News which had both market leads for freelancers and also short story competitions. I entered their annual love story competition and, to my amazement, won. Instead of blowing the money on shoes and handbags, I spent it on a writing course. As the course approached, I thought I’d better write something to take with me and started my first novel. The course tutor read it and loved it. She recommended an agent and he took me on straight away. He sold the book a week later. That book became my first published novel – Let’s Meet on Platform 8.
Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
I enjoy all of it – research, planning, creating the characters. There’s no better way to spend a working day.
Q: Do you have a favorite book or author?
The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I love this book and wish I’d written it. I still can’t bring myself to see the film in case I’m disappointed.
Q: Where do your ideas for your story lines or characters come from?
Generally, from life, magazines, newspapers, stories that people tell you. There are stories all around just waiting to be told. I’m a great collector of anecdotes.
Q: Are any of your characters based on perhaps you or people you know?
Not really. You need to know your characters far more than you would a person, but you can sometimes pinch quirks or features from real people. Having said that, I’m way too much like my own heroines!
Q: I just finished reading With or Without You and I loved it! Did you do research in the Himalayas to write this novel?
This is one of my own personal favourites too. Yes, we did go to the Himalayas. The idea for this book started when I first met my partner, Lovely Kev who makes Indiana Jones look like a sloth. For our second holiday together he booked a three-week camping trek in the Himalayas. I am a five-star hotel kind of woman. All my friends were panicking about how I was going to manage and I was training by jogging on a treadmill in my garage with a backpack full of tinned soup. That gave me the idea for the story.
Q: Can you pick one of your novels that you can say would be your favorite? Or the one that you had the most fun writing or researching?
Continuing the trekking theme, part of my latest book – It’s Now or Never – features my heroine setting out on the Inca Trail in Peru. The book I’m currently writing is set partly in the Maasai Mara in Kenya on a game safari. It’s nice to be able to feature a few exotic locations in the books.
Q: What do you love the most about being a writer? Any fabulous perks you can tell us about?
Strangely, for a profession that consists mainly of me sitting in a room on my own, I like meeting my readers most of all. That’s probably why I spend huge amounts of time on Facebook too! It’s not just a marvelous work avoidance technique!
One fabulous perk is – again – down to my readers. After writing The Chocolate Lovers’ Club and The Chocolate Lovers’ Diet my readers like to send me gifts of chocolate. Receiving chocolate in the post on a regular basis is a good thing.
Q: How long does it usually take you to complete writing a book, from start to finish?
I’m contracted to do two books a year, so I need to squeeze one into six months.
Q: What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Enjoy your writing. Too many people that I meet on workshops seem to struggle and wrestle and fight with their writing. Relax and let it flow. If you can’t think of anything to write about, then do some crazy things to get your creative juices flowing .
Q: What is or would be your favorite place to travel?
You know, I’ve been lucky to go to so many different countries that it would be hard to pick a favourite. Somewhere very special was the Galapagos Islands – followed closely by Nepal, China and the Maasai Mara takes some beating. Being just a few feet away from a wild male lion is something that I won’t forget in a hurry.

December 25, 2009
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Jessica Simpson Designing Line of Swimsuits
Chick Lit Plus

Jessica Simpson Designing Line of Swimsuits

Jessica Simpson can add yet another collection to her designer resume- swimsuits. The 29 year old star already has designed her own line of shoes, outerwear, handbags, and luggage lines, and is now collaborating with Red Carter and her own mother Tina Simpson on her swimsuit collection. People.com reveals Simpson’s inspiration for her designs, “My spring collection was inspired by my favorite vacations and the jet-setting getaways I dream about,” and describes the look as “fun and flirty, but still so classic.” The singer has been widely criticized in the past about her weight, but she believes women need to find their inner beauty. “You have to be comfortable in your own skin because when you feel good about yourself, you are going to look great no matter what you’re wearing.” The Jessica Simpson for Red Carter collection retails between $40-100 and will be available for purchase at select Macy’s and at jessicasimpsoncollection.com starting December 30.

December 25, 2009
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Hot Pursuit by Christina Skye
Chick Lit Review

Hot Pursuit by Christina Skye

When mystery writer Taylor O’Toole offers to help her friend Candace with an unfaithful boyfriend, she didn’t expect to get swept into her own mysterious world filled with mobsters, hit men, and death threats. But that is exactly what happens, starting with a mysterious climbing fall, a bouquet of black roses complete with a threat, then getting her own Navy SEAL assigned to watch after her every move. Taylor is confused- what could she possibly know about the disappearance of a Navy scientist and the threat of a deadly drug that international terrorists are after?
With SEAL Jack Broussard watching over her, Taylor begins to feel frustrated with the whole situation. She couldn’t be in any real danger, right? But a gruesome wakeup call and the death of an officer opens her eyes to the terrifying world she has stumbled into. Her love for the SEAL begins to cloud both their judgments, and their missteps almost get them both killed.
Hot Pursuit by Christina Skye has some good elements to it- specifically the suspense and the mystery. I thought the plot dragged on in the beginning, and you have wait until the end to really get caught up in the story. I liked the mystery, though the whole terrorists and hiding drugs did seem a teeny far-fetched, and the coincidences seemed a little too, well coincidental. I enjoyed the fact that I could not figure out all the guilty players involved until the very end when the criminals are unveiled. That kept the suspense even higher for me, and made me want to keep reading. This wasn’t my favorite book, but still a fun read, and romantic thriller fans will be entertained.

December 24, 2009
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Lisa Loeb Designing Eyewear
Chick Lit Plus

Lisa Loeb Designing Eyewear

You may know Lisa Loeb for her singing and songwriting, but the recently married celebrity is now adding designer to her resume. Loeb, who consistently wore fashionable eye glasses, is designing her own line of glasses, partnering with Classique Eyewear. Her line of frames will be titled “The LL Collection.” People.com reports that the frames will feature streamlined pieces in black and tortoiseshell, as well as embellished options punctuated with rhinestones and etchings. Loeb says, “I worked with Classique Eyewear to design a line that represents the look I love: one that can be worn from day into night, that’s classic but stylish, that frames the face and lifts the eyes, but doesn’t speak before you have a chance to. My eyewear generally has a cat-eyed look. Think sexy librarian, not retro grandma.” The glasses are designed mostly for women, but can be unisex as well. Each frame will be named after one of her songs, and will be available to purchase in the spring of 2010.

December 24, 2009
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Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins Split after 23 Years
Chick Lit Plus

Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins Split after 23 Years

Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have split- after 23 years together. People.com quotes the couple’s rep as saying they had actually split this summer. “Actress Susan Sarandon and her partner of 23 years, actor Tim Robbins have announced that they separated over the summer,” says Teal Cannada. “No further comments will be made.” The couple met on the set of Bull Durham, and they have two sons together, Jack, 20, and Miles, 17.

December 24, 2009
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T.I Releasd from Federal Prison
Chick Lit Plus

T.I Releasd from Federal Prison

Rapper T.I has been released from prison. He was released on Tuesday after 7 months in a Arkansas federal prison, and will finish the last three months at a halfway house in Atlanta. T.I was arrested in 2007 for attempting to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. He began serving the jail term in May.

December 24, 2009
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Johnny Knoxville Welcomes Son
Chick Lit Plus

Johnny Knoxville Welcomes Son

It’s a boy for Johnny Knoxville and girlfriend Naomi Nelson! The couple welcomed son Rocko Akira Clapp Sunday night in Los Angeles. People.com reports that they baby weighed in at 8 lbs and 20 inches long. The Jackass star, 38, has a 13 year old daughter, Madison, from a previous marriage.

December 24, 2009
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Eva Longoria Parker to Launch Signature Scent
Chick Lit Plus

Eva Longoria Parker to Launch Signature Scent

The next celebrity creating their own signature scent…Eva Longoria Parker! The Desperate Housewives actress has just announced her trademark scent, to be titled Eva by Eva Longoria. People.com reports her saying, “I have always been somewhat allergic to all perfumes and really wanted to create something that every woman could wear. So I decided to create my own fragrance that is light, fresh and unique. I think the scent of a woman is extremely sexy and this scent will prove that.” Her scent, which Parker was heavily involved in creating, incorporates citrus, violet, freesia and sandalwood notes.
The perfume is set to be in a curvy type bottle, to represent a women’s body, and will debut in April, costing between $45-58.

December 23, 2009
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Motivations to Hit the Gym!
Updates

Motivations to Hit the Gym!

I was browsing on the Women’s Health Magazine online when I saw an article with the title ‘8 Motivating Reasons to Hit the Gym.’ Readers had written in on why they keep active, and WH picked out the top 8. It was interesting to see what inspired others to keep up with their workouts, and I noticed that many of their reasons were some of the top reasons why I keep myself motivated. Keep reading to see the top 8!

1. To Battle Depression. Working out has been seen as a great way to overcome depressions, because of the endorphins the body releases during exercise. When I am having a particularly rough day, turning to the gym or hitting my yoga mat can often distress me and help me think clearer.
2. To Feel Sexy. One Women’s Health reader wrote in and said she began taking pole dancing lessons. Not only was she learning sexy moves and gaining confidence, her body began to firm up and she dropped a couple jean sizes. I’ve never taken pole dancing lessons myself, but have done Carmen Electra’s Striptease DVD’s, so I can understand about learning sexy moves while getting a great workout.
3. To Stay Healthy. I began a steady workout routine a few years back when I learned I had high cholesterol (hereditary in my family). Each time I work up a sweat from a great routine I feel like I am continually improving my heart health, one of the best motivators.
4. For the Kids. I don’t have children myself, but I can certainty understand why this is a top motivator. Keeping yourself healthy is not only great for you, but can also influence your children to workout and stay active
5. To Achieve New Goals. It is always nice to set goals for yourself; then you reach them you feel a heightened sense of accomplishment. Keeping a goal is a great motivator to keep pushing even when you don’t feel up to it, especially if you give yourself an incentive, such as a new outfit or trip to the spa.
6. To Feel Happier. Working out can give similar benefits when battling depressions, because of the endorphins being released.
7. To Build Stamina. Maintaining a good workout routine will help build and a keep a strong stamina. Whether you need it for your work, taking care of kids, or to do activities you love, working out can help provide the energy and strength to do that.
8. To Have Your Cake (And Eat it Too!) This is one of my big reasons to continually work out. I’m not the best eater (I say that very loosely!) and often fill up on fast foods or chips. Working out not only relieves some part of my mind about possibly keeping those extra pounds off, but after I complete a good workout, I find that I don’t want to eat junk. Usually the best meals I eat come from after a workout, where I am feeling good about myself and would rather not ruin the great job I just did.

December 21, 2009
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