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Wedding Post #2 – Dress and Engagement Pictures!

I am excited to share my second post with everyone, as I have some big news to share – I found my wedding dress! I…

My First Wedding Post!

Okay – I’ve decided to try something new on CLP – video blogs! I’ve noticed these popping up more around the blogging world so I…

Blog Tour Sign Up: The Green Ticket by Samantha March

College junior Alex Abrams scores her dream job at the ripe age of twenty – manager to a successful salon and spa. Thrilled to finally have a real adult job, Alex enthusiastically jumps into the world of schedules, conference calls, and getting a massage when interviewing prospective employees. What she doesn’t expect are the very grown-up issues that comes with a demanding boss. Kevin Dohlman quickly becomes Alex’s worse nightmare – covering up his affairs, dealing with his enormous ego, and trying to protect her female staff from him becomes a full-time job in its own right. Alex has also befriended Kevin’s wife and co-owner, Dani, and is trying to keep Kevin’s secrets hidden from her. The situation only worsens when Kevin starts paying Alex off to make sure she keeps her insider knowledge to herself.
While struggling to keep her wits and stay happy with her new grown-up job, Alex is juggling college courses, a new love interest, and keeping up with her close group of girlfriends. When her roommate and best friend Lila gets offered an opportunity to move to Los Angeles and sign with an agent, Alex realizes her life truly is changing, and everyone around her – including herself ­­–– is growing up. Knowing she is faced with some hard decisions ahead, Alex struggles with keeping her job at Blissful. But does she really want to throw away what she dreamed of as a career – or will the secret-keeping for Kevin become too much to handle? The Green Ticket is a story about morals versus money, and how one young woman navigates the shaky line between the two.

Talking Cover with Authors and Bloggers

Thanks to Michele Gorman for dropping by CLP yesterday with a fab article on cover design! Her thoughts sparked an interest in me to get…

Letter From the Publisher: Breaking the Rules

I got an email one day many months ago from Cat Lavoie, inquiring about my editing services. We did the usual back and forth banter: services provided, turn around time, queries about the MS, etc, and then I asked her to send me the first few pages, so I could get a feel for her writing and offer her a price quote. Those first five pages drew me into her story like no other, and I practically begged for her to choose me as her editor. Mainly – I just wanted to keep reading! After getting through the story (and groaning when I had to take breaks) I realized I had a big decision in front of me. When I published my debut in October 2011 (Destined to Fail) I bought the rights to my own publishing company, Marching Ink LLC. The goal was to eventually publish other author’s work besides my own, but that goal had a date of 2013. But Breaking the Rules was staring me face, and I knew deep in my bones that I loved this book. I love the book the way I’ve heard publishers are supposed to love the novels they select to put out to the public. So I took a chance and made an offer to Cat, asking her if she would be interested in having Marching Ink release her debut.
After a lot of hard work, long hours, a bazzilion tax questions to my accountant, and more re-reads than I can count, Breaking the Rules is now for sale. As Cat’s editor-turned-publisher, I say with all my heart that I hope you love this book as much I do. Cat’s writing lured me in, and Roxy Rule’s story about love, friendship, and self-discovery was simply one that needed to be shared. I want to thank Cat for taking on a small publisher and believing in me that I would put everything I could into making her book a success. I want to thank my assistant, Sara, for all the hours you put in as well and your enthusiasm for working for a possibly insane woman that will never stop using smiley faces in emails. And I want to thank the countless bloggers that have and will be hosting Cat along the next couple of months. Thank you everyone, thank you readers, and please enjoy Breaking the Rules.

Chick Lit Author Blog Hop 2012

I’ve been wanting to write an article recently reminiscing about Chick Lit Plus. I always tell people starting CLP was the best decision I’ve made (besides recently undergoing Lasik surgery), and it is the truth. The friendships I’ve made, the professional connections, and the knowledge and opportunities that have come my way make me think of how lucky I am. I wear many hats – book reviewer, editor, blog tour coordinator, publisher, author – but I love my busy life and working hard at something I truly enjoy and can say with all my heart I have a passion for.
I fell in love with books at a young age, thanks to the influence of my mother and grandmother. I knew I wanted to be a writer myself, and after graduating college with my BS in business, I decided to put some sort of plan into action. I bought my first laptop (even though I was online student the last two years of college – figure that out) and started researching. I kept coming across book blogs, since I didn’t even really know what the word “blog” meant, I had to do some research on that. After I had a better grasp on blogging and what book bloggers were doing, I searched for a web designer and Chick Lit Plus was put into motion.
So, I had my blog. Then I froze. I remember thinking – how do I get followers? What books do I review? What did I get myself into? I started making trips to the library once a week, checking out anything that looked interesting (mostly those with pink covers) and spilling my thoughts on the book, posting them for everyone to see. I joined Twitter and made a Facebook page for Chick Lit Plus, starting accumulating fans, and within three months had authors and publishers sending me books to review.
Before I started CLP, I had already joined the chick lit fan club. Most books I was checking out could fall in the category, and I was absolutely adoring them. I dove deeper into the genre, looking for some fabulous books to be my first reviews. Which made the top five cut?
1. The Agency by Ally O’Brien
2. The First Assistant by Clare Naylor & Mimi Hare
3. Bliss by Danyel Smith
4. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
5. The Truth About Diamonds by Nicole Richie
It’s fun to look back at those first few books that caught my attention purely based on covers alone (besides Nicole Richie – I’ve always just been a fan). I actually didn’t even know Emily Giffin as EMILY GIFFIN when I read Something Borrowed. I checked out the book with a pink cover. Anything with pink, drinks, lollipops, or shopping bags made it in my pile. Now, I’m super lucky to be sent amazing books each week for my reviewing pleasure. I love being a part of the chick lit community, I am so thankful to all the wonderful people I have met along the way, and I’m thrilled to be taking part in the Chick Lit International Month for the second year in a row. Cheers to chick lit – now go read a book!

Contest Info:

I am giving away an eBook copy of my debut novel, Destined to Fail to one lucky winner! To enter, please leave a comment below, and be sure to include the words “chick lit” in your comment in order to be entered!

Grand Prize:
For a chance to win the Chick Lit Author Blog Hop Grand Prize of a $150 Sephora gift card, simply do the following:

• Collect all 34 of the secret words (you will find a secret word in each of the blog posts on the hop.) The word will be italicized, so it will be easy to locate. ***HINT***The secret word in my blog hop post is in the last paragraph.
• Submit your list of 34 secret words to CLABlogHop@aol.com before midnight on Sunday, May 20th and you will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing!
• The Grand Prize winner will be announced on Monday, May 21st, and the $150 Sephora gift card can be redeemed online, or at any Sephora store in the US.
• Chick Lit Author Blog Hop contests are open to residents of the United States only.
Please see the post below for a Linky list with all 34 participating authors/blogs. You will have an opportunity to win a different e-book at each blog hop stop. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY: Destined to Fail Prize Pack

I am excited to run what you will hopefully find a fun giveaway – for myself! I recently published my debut novel Destined to Fail…

Guest Post by Samantha March – The Book Reviewer Gets Reviewed

The Book Reviewer Gets Reviewed I did not realize how much pressure I was going to feel after publishing Destined to Fail. Sure, I felt…

Guest Post from Samantha March: Obessed With Books

Around Christmas time, I traveled back to my hometown to visit family. My cousin Leah, who is three years younger than me, started talking about…