Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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Debut Author of the Month
Chick Lit Authors

Debut Author of the Month

Chick Lit Plus is pleased to announce that our Debut Author of the Month for May is Nancy Scrofano, author of True Love Way.

True Love Way tells the story of Marlo Spencer, who relishes all things retro. Old TV shows, classic movies, and even the collectible lunch boxes to go with them. In fact, she’s quite cozy in her Malibu apartment, surrounded by her treasured knick-knacks and vintage memorabilia. It’s her best friend, Nik, who doesn’t get her fascination with all that “old junk,” as he calls it. He especially doesn’t understand why she’s so keen to get back to their hometown of Napa when her high school sweetheart, Josh, suddenly returns after twelve years in Paris and nary a single phone call, eager to reunite with her. So, when Marlo heads up north to wine country to rekindle her relationship with Josh, Nik tags along, claiming he was already planning to visit his sister, Savannah, Marlo’s gal pal. Once they reach Napa, however, dreams of a blissful reunion are shattered as old secrets and past betrayals are revealed, leaving an unsuspecting Marlo to pick up the pieces. Can she forgive and forget, or will true love find a different path to her heart?

In celebration of being our Debut Author of the Month, we have asked Nancy a few questions about receiving the coveted spot on Chick Lit Plus. Please read her answers below:

What was your reaction when you learned that you had been selected as the Debut Author of the Month for Chick Lit Plus?

When I was notified that I am the Debut Author of the Month for Chick Lit Plus, I was really excited, and I still am! Thank you so much, Samantha and Sara, for choosing me! I love Chick Lit Plus, so it is a huge honor to be featured in this way. I’m very flattered and grateful for such a wonderful accolade.

How does it feel to have your book so well-received by the public?

I’m so happy that I have received positive feedback from readers. It is great to know that my novel resonates with people and they enjoy the characters that I created. I’m really glad readers are entertained by my novel, and I hope that anyone who hasn’t read it yet will give it a chance.

Please be sure to get your hands on True Love Way – a definite must read on Chick Lit Plus. We will be giving away one copy of True Love Way to one of our readers, so please leave a comment below and a winner will be selected at random.

May 24, 2012
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Guest Post by Jamie Brazil
Chick Lit Authors

Guest Post by Jamie Brazil

What’s the Price of Friendship?

Friending outside my household income level isn’t new to me. I’m a writer and most years I make less than 25K. I used to make more in my emergency dispatch days, but then again, except for the freedom to travel to foreign countries, I was rarely happy. These days, just about everyone I know earns more than I do. So what does this have to do with anything?

Recently, I was asked to be a fourth on a girls’ beach weekend. Two of the other three land solidly in a six-figure income bracket. I’ve never met the third gal, so I don’t know about her. Yet suddenly I’m feeling like Columbus scanning an Alexander-Wang-handbag-carrying horizon of friendship.

Sure, I can pack my Anya Hindmarch mirror bag (bought at a garage sale last summer). And I can leave my credit card at home. But I’m human and girlfriend weekends, with the required shopping binge, can be fatal to budgets — not to mention diets and a resolve to curb alcohol consumption. Should I accept the invitation?

All this puzzling gave me pause when I realized this situation felt familiar. In fact, I’d written about it. In a novel. Mine.

In Prince Charming, Inc. my heroine, Elyse, is a matchmaker. Her best friends and clients are the upper crust of San Francisco society. Elyse barely fits in through designer thrift store finds and sturdy no-brand business-wear… and always feels a little inferior for it. Of course her friends are true, and in the end fashion has little to do with friendship.

Funny how our own characters have something to teach us! Of course I should go to the beach. So I can’t indulge in an outlet mall buying frenzy. Big deal. I can still be part of the group simply by blowing my diet and guzzling margaritas! There’s always a price to friendship.

May 23, 2012
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Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite
Chick Lit Plus

Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite

Charming Tuesday Product of the Week: Nail Polish

Samantha’s Must-Have:

I’ll admit – I’m a bit of a spa junkie. For the past few months I have been obsessed with the Shellac manicure, and go about once a month to the salon to get it done. It’s so nice not to have my nails chip for two weeks! Everyone once in a while I get pedicure too, but not nearly as often as a mani. I don’t mind giving myself a pedi at home, and I have a bunch of supplies I bust out – buffers and foot lotions, the foot bath, etc. My favorite nail polish as of late has come to me through a Birchbox – Color Club Neon Nail Polish. Neon is so in right now, everything from clothing to shoes to polish. I received the green, and got so many compliments on the color. I recently purchased a set so I have all the colors, and this will definitely help save some money at the spa!

Sara’s Must-Have:

I am the absolute worst about removing nail polish, so, whenever I do my nail, I want to be sure that whatever I use is going to last a while. I’ve been hearing about Sally Hansen nail polish strips for quite sometime, and up until a few months ago, I had never tried them. I was hesitant because of many reasons: the price, the level of difficulty, not knowing whether or not they would work….but I finally bought a box and haven’t looked back. They are so easy to apply and most of the time, the strips last two weeks on my fingers tips. They strips are also very shiny and always make me feel like I had a professional manicure, even though I only applied them myself. My favorites are “Kitty, Kitty” which are a leopard print, as well as the bright greens and yellows that they have for summer time. I highly recommend that you swing by and some up- they’re always a lot of fun!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAIL POLISH? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW.

May 22, 2012
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Author of the Month
Chick Lit Authors

Author of the Month

Chick Lit Plus is so pleased to announce that our Author of the Month for May is Jennifer Gilbert, author of I Never Promised You A Goodie Bag.

I Never Promised You A Goodie Bag is a warm, wise, alternately painful and funny inspiring memoir of survival, renewal, and transformation. It’s a tale about learning to let go and be happy after years of faking it, proving that while we can’t always control what happens to us, we can control who we become. And instead of anticipating our present in a goodie bag at the end of an event, we realize our presence at every event is the real gift.

In celebration of being our Author of the Month for May, we have asked Jennifer a few questions about receiving the coveted spot on Chick Lit Plus. Please read her answers below:

What was your reaction when you learned that you had been selected as the Author of the Month for Chick Lit Plus?

Totally and completely honored. As May is International Chick Lit month and I am the first author to be selected as the Author of the Month, this is an incredible compliment to me as well as the ‘trailblazing’ route I like to take in life. It’s incredible to me…I’m so awed by this honor and so incredibly appreciative that my book has been chosen and it is a vote of confidence that this book has resonated with you and hopefully many others.

How does it feel to have your book so well-received by the public?

I am overwhelmed by gratitude. I have bared my soul in this book and am so nervous about how it will be received, so when I read the positive feedback it literally brings me to tears, I’m so overwhelmed. It reassures me that I NEVER PROMISED YOU A GOODIE BAG is relatable to everyone who has their own story. We ALL have something in our life that has held us back, or propelled us forward. If my story helps people to realize that we have the choice to be better, to change and let go, then I have accomplished so much more than writing a memoir.

Thank you so much Jennifer for allowing us to review your book!

Please be sure to get your hands on I Never Promised You A Goodie Bag – a definite 5 star on Chick Lit Plus.

May 22, 2012
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In My Mailbox: Week of May 20
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of May 20

Title: Southern Charm

Author: Tinsley Mortimer

Received: Amanda @ Simon and Schuster

Synopsis: A modern Manhattan fairy tale with the sparkle of a champagne cocktail, Tinsley Mortimer’s debut novel provides a delicious peek into her world of society, fashion, and big-city fame.

SOUTHERN GIRL Minty Davenport has always dreamed of skyscrapers, yellow cabs, and a life like Eloise’s in New York City. So upon graduation from college, she bids adieu to Charleston and makes a beeline for the Big Apple. Almost instantly, she finds herself at an event being photographed for Women’s Wear Daily, and her career as a New York society “It Girl” is launched. As Minty navigates the ironclad customs of New York society, a blossoming love life, and a job working for a ruthless and powerful publicist, she finds that the rules a southern belle lives by—being nice to everyone, accentuating her femininity, and minding her manners—don’t necessarily guarantee success in Manhattan. She may indeed be accumulating new friends and opportunities along with boldfaced mentions and a very eligible bachelor boyfriend, but someone is plotting her very public downfall. When Minty gets to the top of the social ladder, she must decide if the glamorous life she thought she wanted is really everything she hoped it would be.

Tinsley Mortimer’s insider observations about New York’s elite are deliciously witty, and the heart of her book is that of an irresistibly lovable young woman who is on the brink of finding her dream.

Title: The Perfect Location

Author: Kate Forster

Received: Unsolicited, Avon Books

Synopsis: Three glamorous actresses gliding through a life lived on the silver screen. One Hollywood Blockbuster.

An intricate web of passionate pasts, addictions, lovers and secrets, perfect for fans of Lesley Lokko and Adriana Trigiani.

Rose Nightingale is an Australian actress still recovering
from a bad marriage.

Sapphira De Mont is the world’s most beautiful movie star,
but hides a secret addiction and a broken heart.

Calypso Gable is a young star on the rise trying to escape
her mum-manager’s clutches.

As they come together on set in the Italian hills, they find
out more about one another – and about themselves –
than they ever thought possible.

An intricate web of passionate pasts, addictions, lovers and secrets, perfect for fans of Lesley Locko and Adriana Trigiani.

Title: Come Fly With Me

Author: Sandi Perry

Received: From Sandy Perry

Synopsis: Haven’t we all experienced a moment when we’ve said something we wish we could take back? What if you were an eleven-year old girl and thought that moment caused the death of someone you cherished? Allison Ross, now a twenty-nine year old art gallery owner in Chelsea, was that young girl. The sudden death of her father in a suspicious car crash begins the unraveling of the tightly-wound world she has built around herself. This present day tragedy raises the unresolved issue of her Uncle Joey’s untimely demise, for which she feels responsible. Adding to her turmoil, she is shocked to learn that she’s been named interim CEO of her father’s luxury jet company. Past and present blur as she fights to maintain control of a company she wants no involvement in while she struggles to keep her gallery afloat.

Allison’s neighbor and good friend, Kenyon James, bakes butter-filled goodies culled from her Bubby’s recipe files, and teases her that one day someone is going to come along who will be able to break through the armor she wears over her heart. Enter Alexander Coventry, a brilliant barracuda who is the prime candidate to take her father’s place as CEO of RossAir Industries. Alex is the charmingly handsome son of a wealthy Atlanta family whose father taught him defeat is not an option. Allison and Alexander have two things in common—they both feel the need to prove to themselves to their fathers, and they’re both incredibly stubborn. His motives toward her and the company get muddier by the day as these two opinionated forces dance around one another as they jockey for power, fall in love, and search for her father’s killer. The story reaches its climax with a return to the cliffs of Frenchman’s Bay in Bar Harbor, the scene of her early childhood trauma.

In Sara’s Mailbox:

Title: The Rock Star in Seat 3A

Author: Jill Kargman

Received by: Unsolicited

Synopsis: It’s Hazel’s thirtieth birthday and she has everything she’s ever wanted: a kickass job, a dream apartment in New York City, and the perfect boyfriend—who’s just days away from proposing. Hazel thinks she’s happy but isn’t quite ready to settle down. So when her most far-fetched fantasy enters the realm of the possible, shouldn’t she drop everything to see it through?

The morning after her birthday, Hazel boards a flight to L.A. only to get the surprise of her life. When she’s bumped up to first class, extra legroom and free drinks are absolutely the last things on her mind when she catches sight of her seatmate: her all-time biggest celebrity crush, rock star Finn Schiller! Only the night before she’d confessed her infatuation with the gorgeous musician, and her boyfriend joked that she had a free pass if she ever met him. Hazel can’t believe fate has actually thrown them together.

Even more unbelievable is that during the flight they genuinely connect. Finn likes her uncensored cursing and wicked sense of humor, and that she’s unlike all of his groupies; Hazel likes his killer looks, ripped physique, and soulful music. But what started as a fantasy quickly becomes a real attraction, and after a dream date and taste of the rock-star life with Finn in L.A., Hazel is forced to examine the track her life is on. Indulging in a passionate affair with a rock star seems crazy—but could she ever forgive herself if she walked away from her wildest dream coming true? And is her wildest dream the stuff that happiness is made of?

A lively novel about a down-to-earth New York City girl who suddenly finds herself in a rock ‘n’ roll Cinderella fantasy, The Rock Star in Seat 3A is seasoned with Jill Kargman’s signature wit and hilarious dialogue. This is a fairy-tale romance with a twist.

Title: South Hills Sidekicks: Uninvited

Author: Leah Spiegel & Megan Summers

Received By: Leah Spiegel

Synopsis: When Alley started her senior year at Upper St. Clair in the South Hills area, it was supposed to be the usual drag of hanging out with people who spent more on one outfit than Alley did on her entire wardrobe. That was until Kirsten, a girl in their clique, suddenly goes missing and the only people who seem to care are her friends. All evidence leads to the new comer Shane, a cocky and self-pretentious person in Alley’s opinion, but the police seem uninterested so she and the rest of the girls start a little investigation of their own. But they are nowhere closer to finding Kirsten than when they started and now they had the police’s attention; just not in the way they expected. The girls have to start over and discover that maybe it wasn’t an outsider who took Kirsten, but someone within their own clique who has something to hide; a secret that just might have gotten Kirsten killed.

Title: Secrets, Lies & PG Tips

Author: Leanne Rose

Received by: Leanne Rose

Synopsis: ‘Secrets, Lies & PG Tips’ is a chick-lit novel written in first person, narrated by British 25 year old Nina Parker. Nina is a self-confessed hopeless romantic and recently moved to San Francisco to pursue a glamorous (as seen on TV) life of cocktail parties, designer shoes, a high flying career and of course, the perfect man to share it all with.

In reality, Nina’s biggest work challenge is remembering the soy milk in her boss, Eddie’s overcomplicated coffee. And the cocktail parties are more ‘swigging wine from the bottle while watching sitcom reruns’ kind of evenings. And as for the perfect man…..

May 20, 2012
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The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy
Chick Lit Review

The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy

The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy starts off in Mexico in 1989, following newlyweds Danny and Harriet on their honeymoon. Days letter, Harriet realizes that her heart isn’t in it and returns home, leaving Danny behind in Mexico. He finds comfort in the arms of two separate women, and nine months later, three baby girls are born. The story follows the three women as they grow up and in 2010, set off on their own respective adventures to uncover the secrets surrounding their father whom they’ve never met. What they find instead is a past filled with mystery and intrigue and one that may take them to places they never thought possible.

I found the Summer of Secrets to be full of suspense and mystery. All three of the girls who were raised very, very differently must all journey to the same place in their hearts and find out the truth about their long lost father. Is he alive? He hasn’t been seen since 1989 and is presumed to be dead, but what really happened? And how will that impact the three women? They each have their own issues but are able to put them aside in search of Danny- and I loved being apart of their quest for the truth. Another big factor in this book is love- and for one of the girls specifically, the lack of love. I found Alison Lucy’s first novel to be a solid, great read full of everything that one wants in a good summer book- love, mystery, honesty, and romance.
[Rating: 4/5]

May 18, 2012
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Taking Charge by Mandy Baggot
Chick Lit Review

Taking Charge by Mandy Baggot

Taking Charge by Mandy Baggot follows Robyn Matthers as she goes back home to Michigan when she learns that her father is ill. With him in the hospital, the world he has created is falling to pieces. With his roadhouse in ruins and the hockey team in the dumps, things haven’t looked worse. So, Robyn takes the helm and takes charge and unexpectedly falls into the arms of Cole Ryan, hunky hockey player. With everything going down in flames around her, does Robyn have it in her to take on a relationship on top of everything else on her plate? Will she survive all of the new responsibilities? Will she be able to revive the life that she left behind?

Taking Charge is a very cute novel about going back to the place you grew up in. In a way, I was slightly reminded of the movie Sweet Home Alabama in all of its hick-glory and painful memories from the past. Robyn obviously escaped this place once already, and I can only imagine how difficult it was for her to return. But, with her dad in the hospital and things looking grim, she had no choice. I really enjoyed this novel and thought it was great fun. Plus- I thought Cole was the perfect guy to come in and rock her world…and that is exactly what he did.

Overall, a fun, light read.

[Rating: 4/5]

May 17, 2012
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Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite
Chick Lit Plus

Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite

I just recently started using a new shampoo – Aveeno for dry or damaged hair. This was my first time using Aveeno in general, but I had been seeing some pretty great reviews for it online and from friends, so I figured I would give it a whirl. And I’m glad! I think this is my favorite shampoo I’ve used – ever. It smells fabulous, it makes my hair look and feel good, and it really looks like more life is coming back to my very damaged mane. I love how soft it feels and dare I say – shiny? My hair never looks shiny! Really happy with my latest choice, and will be trying the conditioner as well.

Sara’s Must-Have:

Over the years, I’ve gone through periods in my life where I have spent a lot of money on hair products- one of them being shampoo. My hair is very fine and often times limp, and I’ve found that a lot of products weigh it down, even though they’re not supposed to. There are two shampoo’s that I purchase on a pretty regular basis. The first one is a generic “cleansing” shampoo that really strips any extra buildup out of my hair, the second one is TRESemme Healthy Volume. I’ve found that this one gives my hair an extra ounce of “oomph” as far as body and volume are concerned, and really helps lock in the moisture.

WHAT IS YOUR MUST-HAVE SHAMPOO? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW.

May 15, 2012
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Flipping by Mary Ellenton
Chick Lit Review

Flipping by Mary Ellenton

Flipping by Mary Ellenton is the scandalous story of young mortgage broker, Fay Famaghetti, as she becomes an unstoppable real-estate agent by capitalizing on needy individuals. Lured by money, Fay steps into the sub-prime lending culture moments before the real estate bubble bursts, and in doing so, she makes a lot of money at the misfortune of others, loses her husband in the process due to an steamy affair with a co-worker, and puts her fate (and freedom) at risk. She faces ethical and moral dilemmas left and right and we watch first hand as they impact her life. Was it worth it? You will have to read to find out.

As many Americans know by now, anything dealing with the “housing crisis” or the “financial crisis” is no joke. We all know someone greatly impacted and have curiously thought about those selfish individuals behind the catastrophe. In Flipping, we meet Fay and watch as she (and her co-workers) cleverly try to beat the system. At first, I was appalled by Fay and her behavior, whether it be because of her role in the housing crisis or because of her outrageous affair, I’m not sure … but I was quite surprised as I watched her actively attempt to change her life and get out before things got even more out of hand.

Overall, Ellenton provides very realistic details about the creative financial “loopholes” and about the lending market. And oddly, does so with a woman at the helm (instead of the stereotypical older male). I was quite surprised that I enjoyed this book so much.

[Rating: 4/5]

May 15, 2012
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