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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
1 Comment
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
1 Comment
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
4 Comments
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
1 Comment
Chick Lit Reading Challenge for 2011
Updates

Chick Lit Reading Challenge for 2011

I have been seeing a bunch of challenges popping up in the past week, but I have yet to see anything with just chick lit…so I decided to go for it and host my own! This will be my first year doing this, so there may be some bumps along the way, but I am excited to give it a try. So, welcome to the Chick Lit Plus Chick Lit Challenge for 2011!
Rules:
Challengers will read 12 chick lit books throughout 2011. You can obviously read more books of other genres, but you need at least 12 chick lit to count for this challenge.
Two of the twelve books need to be from debut authors. The debuts should be released in 2011. I am starting a new feature on my blog that will highlight new releases and debuts, so you can find suggestions there.
Start your own challenge post on your blog, and put the link in the Mister Linky below. This must be to the specific post mentioning the Chick Lit Plus Challenge, not just to your blog. This way, other challengers can link over to your page and see how you are doing! If you do not have a blog but wish to sign up, just email me at Samantha (at) chicklitplus (dot) com and I will get you signed up.
Please send me an email when you start a new book for the challenge. I will be doing a weekly post on the challenge, and I will mention all the books that are being read by challengers.
Starting in January, there will be a link specific to the challenge. Challengers can add their links to their book reviews.
Readers can join the challenge anytime between now and the later part of 2011. The books you read do not need to be selected beforehand, you can them add them as you go.
Prizes:
I have some fantastic authors that are willing to contribute their books to this challenge. There will be monthly prizes, and each reader who links over their reviews or emails me the book they are reading will be entered to win the monthly prize.
And that’s it! If you are wondering if a specific book will count towards chick lit, just send me an email and I will let you know. Also, if you have any trouble adding your URL below, send me an email with the link and I will get it added for you.
So I think that is it, but like I said, this is my first challenge I’m hosting, so if I missed anything please let me know, or I might be adding some info along the way. I hope you sign up and enjoy the challenge, and hopefully find some great books, authors, and new friends!

December 12, 2010
109 Comments
Blind Faith by CJ Lyons
Chick Lit Review

Blind Faith by CJ Lyons

Sarah Durandt is still living a nightmare. Two years ago, her husband and young son were murdered, but their bodies were never recovered. Now, as the man who confessed to killing her family awaits his execution, Sarah begs to know where the bodies were buried. She just wants her closure, but the killer won’t give that to her. She returns home with her lawyer and special friend, Alan, but the memories of Josh and Sam continue to haunt her. She is determined to find her husband and son, but never imagines what the search could lead her to. A tangle of deceit, multiple identities, and surprising foes await to be unearthed as Sarah begins the complicated unraveling of her families murders.
Oh boy. Blind Faith by CJ Lyons had five stars written all over it from the moment I started reading. Lyons has an obvious talent for creating her “thrillers of the heart” and wastes no times hooking the readers to Sarah, the main character. The complicated twists and turns in the story didn’t deter me or frustrate me at all, instead they pulled me in further, keeping up with the characters and action as it all unfolded. This is a fantastic mystery, and the writing flows along so smoothly that I often times felt I was the detective trying to piece all the clues together. There were even a few scenes where I felt my heart beating faster, as I was anxious to where the plot would take me. Not a lot of mysteries can cause that intense reaction from me! This is a great novel, and I would definitely recommend CJ Lyons and her thrillers to readers.
Rating: 5/5

December 10, 2010
1 Comment
Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley
Chick Lit Review

Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Rarely do I read a book that is so powerful, so moving, and so thought-provoking, that the characters and plot invade my thoughts for weeks after finishing. Debut author Aidan Donnelly Rowley does exactly that in the SheKnows Book Club final pick of the year, Life After Yes. The story follows Prudence Quinn O’Malley, a born and bred New Yorker, after she accepts a marriage proposal from her supportive and loving boyfriend, Sage. The proposal, which takes place in Paris, is beyond beautiful and romantic, and Quinn accepts without a second thought. But just a day later, Quinn’s thoughts and emotions begin to spin out of control. Is it because her father won’t be able to walk her down the aisle, as he perished on that fateful 9/11 day? Is it because she still thinks about her first love, and wonders if she is making the right choice in committing her life with Sage?
I think one reason I found a common ground with Quinn is because of the numerous mistakes she makes. Quinn is a highly successful young lawyer and is set to marry Sage, who is an equally successful investment banker. But even with her success and her supporting friends and family, Quinn still almost seems like a misfit, determined to be selfish and indulge in binge drinking, and upset those she’s loves the most. At first, I was angry with the book. I hated Quinn! The way she treated people, especially her fiancée, the way she seemed to care so little for anyone else but herself, made me disgusted with her character. But as the story moved along, I started to understand. I began to feel for Quinn. The more dilemmas’ she faced, the more the deeper meaning of the story became obvious to me. By the time I reached the last few chapters, I had started crying, thinking about my own life and the mistakes I made, the ones I haven’t owned up to and probably never will, and how I can strive to be the best I can with what I have. It was almost like therapy!
Life After Yes was one of my favorite reads of 2010. I commend Aidan Donnelly 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.
Rating: 5/5

December 8, 2010
5 Comments
The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton
Chick Lit Review

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

I have read a previous book from author Rosy Thornton, Crossed Wires and enjoyed it, so when Rosy asked if I would review her latest novel, The Tapestry of Love, I had no problem accepting. I’m saddened that I didn’t like this story as much as Crossed Wires. The heroine is Catherine, who sells her home in England and moves to the Cevennes Mountains after her divorce and her kids have grown and moved out of the home. She desires to set up a small business as a needlewoman, creating tapestries among other items for the locals. She must adapt to the mountain life, to her neighbors, and fight to run her business against the demands of the French bureaucracy.
I was about nine chapters into this story and still I was confused on what the plot was. Was there a romance between Catherine and any of her neighbors? Did she want her husband back? I wasn’t sure which direction the plot was going to lead me to, and I felt very confused and a little lost. This novel was just a bit too quiet for my taste. Not a lot of drama, mystery, or passion seemed to by hiding. I didn’t get a real emotional involvement with any of the characters, except for when one of the locals sleeps with Catherine’s sister because “she needed him” and he was doing her a favor. That made me dislike this character the rest of the way. Thornton’s writing is very beautiful though, and her descriptions are picturesque and vivid enough to make me feel like I’m in the Cevennes Mountains. I only wish the characters would have pulled me into the story more, and the plot would have been a bit more enticing.
Rating: 2.5/5

December 5, 2010
1 Comment
Anyone For Me? by Fiona Cassidy
Chick Lit Review

Anyone For Me? by Fiona Cassidy

I highly enjoyed newcomer Fiona Cassidy’s debut novel, Anyone for Seconds? and gladly accepted her offer to review her sophomore novel. With Seconds, the story focused on Frankie and her tumultuous life of children and romance, with her best friend Ruby being her biggest supporter along the way. In Anyone for Me? Ruby is the heroine, and the story focuses on her journey of searching for her birth mother. Ruby was adopted at a young age, and becomes insistent on knowing her birth story and why her mother gave her up, even when her adoptive mother tries to derail her plans. On top of her mad search, Ruby must keep up on her wedding plans with Luke, deal with a cancer scare with Frankie, and try to stop a greedy group of hotel managers from scaring her mother out of her picturesque cottage.
As I was first reading Anyone for Me? and getting to know Ruby on a more persona level, I really didn’t like her. She was loud and rude and brash and I felt embarrassed many times during the first few chapters for the way she acted in public. I was worried that I wasn’t going to have many nice things to say about her and the novel, but as time went on, you could see a change in Ruby and her personality. I started to warm up to her character more, and really became invested in her search for her birth mother. Cassidy has great comedic writing, and some of the supporting cast she thought up (in particular the wedding planner Gabriel) were laugh out loud hysterical. I was a bit disappointed at the end though. Most of the book is made up of Ruby searching for her birth mother, and I didn’t feel the ending really justified the mystery. I won’t say why so I don’t give away the ending, but I’m hoping maybe a third novel will be in the works giving a better explantation and closure to Ruby’s journey. But that being said, I still enjoyed this witty Irish novel, and would recommend it to chick lit fans.
Rating: 3.5/5

December 3, 2010
1 Comment