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In My Mailbox: Week of October 16
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of October 16

In My Mailbox: Week of October 16

Title: 5 Stages of Grief
Author: Bethany Ramos
Received: From Bethany Ramos via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Danielle thinks that the worst is behind her, but she couldn’t have been more wrong… As a beauty editor of Denver’s hot new High Life magazine, Danielle Starkey didn’t have becoming a widow on her to-do list. Then nine months after her husband’s death, she discovers he booked a vacation with another woman. Suddenly, Danielle sees Adam’s death in a whole new light and has to get over it – for the second time. Hit with the truth when she least expects it, Danielle brings a fresh, funny, and honest approach to the grieving process as she struggles through online dating, stalking her dead husband’s mistress, and, hopefully, finding the man of her dreams. With her stubborn and sassy best friend April by her side. Danielle refuses to let sleeping dogs lie. Will she finally face the truth about herself and her marriage? Or will she succumb to one of the five stages of grief?

Title: The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken
Author: Mari Passananti
Received: From Kelly and Hall
Synopsis: Zoë Clark thinks her world will implode when her fiancé dumps her on the eve of their splashy wedding. After nearly a decade with her college sweetheart, Zoë feels like a teenager about to be eaten alive by the New York dating scene. And her problems don’t end there. Zoë works a less-than-ideal job, managing other people’s careers while her own ambitions wither. To add insult to injury, she does so in the employ of a larger than life woman whose staff measures the boss’s emotional state by the zealousness of her make up application. Quitting is out of the question; Zoë’s rent doubled when her fiancé bailed. Enter Oscar Thornton. He’s handsome, charming, attentive and rich – the perfect boyfriend. But does he harbor a dark secret? Or will Zoë torpedo her newfound happiness by indulging a far fetched suspicion? The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken tells the story of a young woman who sets out to find a man to solve her problems. Instead she finds herself facing her own shortcomings, testing her oldest friendships and realizing that she has the power to make herself happy. Packed with snappy dialogue and playful wit, The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken will strike a chord with any woman who’s ever allowed herself to think, My life would be perfect, if I could just meet the right guy.

Title: The Sixes
Author: Kate White
Received: From Chick Lit Is Not Dead- Giveaway
Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of Hush and the Bailey Weggins mystery series comes a thriller set in a college town where a student’s death sends one woman on a search for the truth and into the clutches of a frightening secret society.
Phoebe Hall’s Manhattan life has suddenly begun to unravel. Right after her long-term boyfriend breaks off their relationship, she’s falsely accused of plagiarizing her latest bestselling celebrity biography. Looking for a quiet place to put her life back together, Phoebe jumps at the offer to teach in a sleepy Pennsylvania town at a small private college run by her former boarding school roommate and close friend, Glenda Johns.
But behind the campus’s quiet cafÉs and leafy maple trees lie evil happenings. The body of a female student washes up on the banks of a nearby river, and disturbing revelations begin to surface: accusations from coeds about abuses wrought by a secret society of girls on campus known as The Sixes.. To help Glenda, Phoebe embarks on a search for clues—a quest that soon raises painful memories of her own boarding school days years ago.
As the investigation heats up, Phoebe unexpectedly finds herself falling for the school’s handsome psychology professor, Duncan Shaw. But when nasty pranks turn into deadly threats, Phoebe realizes she’s in the middle of a real-life nightmare, not knowing whom she can trust and if she will even survive.
Plunging deeper into danger with every step, Phoebe knows she’s close to unmasking a killer. But with truth comes a terrifying revelation: your darkest secrets can still be uncovered . . . and starting over may be a crime punishable by death.

October 17, 2011
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The D Word by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Chick Lit Review

The D Word by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Jordan Daniels knows her marriage to Kevin is over. Even though they have a young son together, Jordan hasn’t been happy, and knows she wants more. But a year after she files for divorce, Jordan isn’t so sure she made the right choice. Even more frustrating- her career. Jordan makes a living as a spiritual counselor, and relies on her feelings and dreams to help others see their future. But she can’t see hers, and wonders if it’s too late to get Kevin back. Kevin seems to have moved on easily from the divorce, while Jordan can’t put clothes on his side of the closet yet. Can she win him back?
Elle Ryan knew something felt off when she agreed to marry Chase. But it took just weeks before the wedding before Elle got the strength to call it off- hurting her boyfriend and his sister, who happens to be her best friend. Elle never thought she could meet a great guy at the dog park, but when she runs into Kevin Daniels and his dog Georgie, the sparks fly immediately. Though Elle comes with her own baggage, so does Kevin- his ex-wife Jordan and five year old son Max. Elle can clearly see Jordan wants Kevin back, and will try to do anything to get Elle out of his life. Can Elle win the battle?
The D Word, co-authored by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke (the ladies behind the fabulous blog chicklitisnotdead.com) bring chick lit readers a story full of love and heartache, with twists in the story and enough light-hearted situations to make you smile even when you are reading about a not so happy topic. The story is told from both Jordan and Elle’s point of view, and it’s always interesting to get inside two character’s minds and see how they think- and what they think of each other. I loved that Jordan was jealous of Elle for her red hair and fresh face, and Elle was jealous of Jordan for being blonde and sophisticated. Spot-on for how woman usually think! I was curious throughout the way about how all the characters would end up, because there was no clear path. And I could easily side with both Jordan and Elle, so that made me invested in both characters. The only think I didn’t like was all the flashbacks. Those would yank me out of the story, and some I thought were really unnecessary. But other than that, a lot of fun to read and I think chick lit fans should put this on their to-read list!
[Rating: 4]

June 22, 2011
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Interview with Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

Q: Why did you decide to do a dual narrative book?
We feel readers (like us!) enjoy getting inside the head of more than one key player in a story. And there’s also the fact that we can barely compose a joint email without debating each word, (don’t even get us started on the play we tried to co-write back in college!) so we thought it would make things a wee bit easier if we each wrote our own character. But luckily, we have a very collaborative editing process and we each take feedback from the other about our character, plot points, etc…(Our motto: once the book is written, anything is fair game!)
Q: Do either of you want to write a novel on your own?
Right now, we’re having so much fun collaborating that it would feel like we were missing a limb if we tried to do it on our own.
Q: Where did you get the idea for I’ll Have Who She’s Having?
We had talked about writing a book for TEN years, but we hadn’t decided on the plot. It wasn’t until Lisa went on vacation to Maui and brought home a chapter about a girl named Kate that we decided it was now or never and we developed the storyline and wrote our book.
Q: Can you give any details about your second novel in works?
Anther dual narrative, it’s about two women who never expected to find themselves in the complicated world of divorce.
Q: I am such a fan of your website. How do you keep up with all the posts and get the ideas for each piece?
Thanks so much! We have a lot of fun with Chick Lit Is Not Dead. And honestly, we find the best material comes from the simplest things in our lives, like painting the house with your spouse (major no no!) or watching and wanting to try out for The Amazing Race (Liz says, “Yes”. Lisa says, “No!”). The only downside? Our friends now begin sentences with, “This better not end up on your blog!”
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies (besides reading and writing!)
Liz likes to play tennis or shop in all her (non-existent!) spare time. And Lisa is a workout and reality TV junkie (not necessarily in that order).
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors that you have been able to interview?
We loved our series “25 Things Liz and Lisa want to know about….” And now we’re equally excited about our latest feature, “5 things Liz and Lisa didn’t know about…” because our favorite authors give us juicy nuggets about themselves that we wouldn’t otherwise know. They share their favorite coffee order, what they’d be doing if they weren’t a writer, who they crush on…And we feel lucky that so many of our favorite authors like Jennifer Weiner and Allison Winn Scotch have played along. And we nearly died when our writing partner role models, the authors of THE NANNY DIARIES, not only gave us an interview but also interviewed us! We’re still coming down from that high!

Q: And what authors have you yet to interview that you are most excited about?
Because of her obsession with The Hills, Liz is pretty pumped about Lauren Conrad. And Lisa is very excited about Wendy Wax. Wendy’s novel, “The Accidental Bestseller” is one of her all-time fav’s. Lisa just finished her soon to be released novel, “Magnolia Wednesdays” which was also fantastic!
Q: What advice can you give to others like me, wanting to get published and be so involved with the chick lit world?
Write the book you want to write. Always stay true to the person you are because publishing trends come and go. (We can’t tell you how many times agents we queried told us that Chick Lit was dead!) There will always be an audience that wants to read good books about engaging characters. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun!
Q: Have you been on any great trips, together or separately? What would be your favorite?
We had a blast on our writer’s retreat to Palm Springs last fall. Let’s just say that warm weather + Hot Latin cabana boys= low word count.

February 7, 2010
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