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Fiona Neill's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Today's guest: Fiona Neill Why we love her:  She's written a standout book, one that will stick with us for a long time.

Her latest: What the Nanny Saw

The scoop on it: It’s the summer of 2008. For the past decade Nick and Bryony Skinner and their four children have ridden high on the economic boom, but their luck is about to run out. Suddenly, the privileged family finds itself at the center of a financial scandal: their Central London house is besieged by the press, Nick disappears, and Bryony and the children become virtual prisoners in their own home. And Ali, their trusted nanny, watches it all. As the babysitter, she brings a unique insider-outsider perspective to the family, seeing far more than even the family itself is capable of. But when a reporter with a personal connection to the story comes asking her for the inside scoop, will Ali remain loyal to the family who never saw her as anything other than the help? Or will she tell her side?

Our thoughts: It's a novel that demands your full attention- in a good way. It's incredibly well-written, the scenes so realistic that you can envision yourself smack in the middle of the story.

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll select the winners after 3pm on Monday, August 27th.

Fun fact: Her first novel, The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy has been optioned to be a TV series in the US.

Where you can read more about Fiona Neill: Her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...FIONA NEILL'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. Wear a bikini. Youth is lovely, beautiful and effortless so make the most of it. I look back at photos of myself as a teenager and can’t believe how critical I was about my appearance. Teenagers have wonderful bodies in all shapes and sizes. Appreciate it and don’t over-analyze tiny flaws. And be kind to your hair. I had a perm. It looked terrible and required too much upkeep.

2. Parents are mostly right. ‘You’re wearing too much make-up.’ ‘Thirteen is too young to see the Sex Pistols live, even if it might be their last concert.’ ‘I’m picking you up at midnight even if the party is meant to end at 3am.’ ‘Your grandfather’s long johns are not a good look.’  I grew up on a remote farm in rural East England with fairly strict Scottish parents. My friend’s parents were all very laissez faire and Bohemian and I resented the way my parents interfered in my life. I now realize that they prevented me from developing many of the vices that have plagued the lives of some of my contemporaries. They also made me work in the holidays from a young age, which engendered a good work ethic.

3. Don’t burn your diaries. Sometime in my late teens I re-read the diaries I had assiduously kept on a daily basis since I was eleven and decided to destroy them. Obviously they were a testimony to the mood swings and utter self-absorption of adolescence and had no literary value. But now that I have teenage children and am writing teenage characters in my novels, I wish that could read through them to remind myself how it all felt. I would like to pick up the threads of who I was then to see how it impacted on who I am and what I do now.

4. Don’t give up sport. This isn’t post-Olympic euphoria. Until I was sixteen, I played sport six days a week at school. Then when I had the choice to give up, I abandoned it in a fit of pique and stopped taking regular exercise for the next two decades. It has taken me years to make the association between exercise and emotional and physical wellbeing and I wish someone had pointed this out for me before I became a couch potato. Now I am fitter than I have been since I was eighteen.

5. Stop obsessing over Mark Robbins (not his real name). Your friends are right. He is taking up too much headspace and you would be much better off reading even more books, playing sport, writing about subjects other than him in your diary and wondering if your saggy knees (I know) might be putting him off making a move.  He is now a very over-weight, bald middle-aged man who sells industrial storage space.  Don’t waste time on people who don’t make you feel good about yourself and sidetrack you from the things that you are really interested in.

Thanks, Fiona! xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Be a Woman's Caitlin Moran: Giveaway and excerpt

Today's guest: Caitlin Moran Why we love her: She's been called the UK version of Tina Fey and we couldn't agree more. So, what's not to love?

Her latest: How to Be a Woman

The scoop on it:  Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them?

Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother. With rapier wit, Moran slices right to the truth—whether it's about the workplace, strip clubs, love, fat, abortion, popular entertainment, or children—to jump-start a new conversation about feminism.

With humor, insight, and verve, How To Be a Woman lays bare the reasons why female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for women today but also for society itself.

Our thoughts: Witty and funny, it's a book for every woman!

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll select the winners after 3pm on Monday, August 27, 2012.

Fun Fact: She's the oldest of eight children!

Where you can read more about Caitlin: Twitter and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...AN EXCERPT FROM HOW TO BE A WOMAN

I have no idea what to wear to a strip club. It’s one of the biggest wardrobe crises of my life.

“What are you wearing?” I ask Vicky on the phone.

“Skirt. Cardigan,” Vicky says, lighting a fag.

“What shoes?”

“Boots. Low heel.”

“Oh, I was going to wear boots, low heel, too,” I say. “We can both wear boots, low heel. That’s good. We’ll be matchy.” Then a bad thought occurs to me. “Actually, maybe we shouldn’t both wear boots, low heel,” I say. “If we look too matchy, people might think we’re an act. You know. Like a lesbian act. And try and touch us.”

“No one would believe you’re a lesbian,” Vicky sighs. “You’d make a terrible lesbian.”

“I wouldn’t!” I say indignantly. This offends my can-do nature.

“If I wanted, I could be a great lesbian!”

“No, you couldn’t,” Vicky says. “You’re offensively heterosexual. You fancy Father Christmas. By no stretch of the imagination could Father Christmas be construed to have Sapphic androgyny. He wears Wellington boots indoors.”

I can’t believe Vicky is doubting my ability to be a lesbian, if I really wanted to be. She’s seen how versatile I can be on a night out. Once, when we went to Bournemouth, we blagged our way backstage of a theater and convinced the star of the show—a legendary sitcom actor—that we were prostitutes, just to see his reaction. He said, “Blimey!” in a very edifying manner. My capabilities are endless. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

“Maybe I’ll wear sneakers, instead,” I say.

Vicky has asked me if I want to join her for a night out at Spearmint Rhino, on Tottenham Court Road. It’s the year 2000, and strip clubs—for so long regarded as the holding pen for the last few sad, sweaty fucks on earth—have become acceptable again.

In Britain, the mid-nineties have been all about the rediscovery of the British working class’s monochrome tropes—pubs, greyhound racing, anoraks, football in the park, bacon sandwiches, “birds”—and strip clubs come under this heading. “Ladettes” now enjoy a night out in the classier strip clubs of the metropolis. Various Spice Girls have been pictured in strip clubs, smoking cigars and cheering the acts on. Titty-bars are being marketed as an exciting, marginally loucher version of the Groucho Club—just somewhere for anyone who liked to start a night out at 1 a.m.

Partly out of journalistic hunger to cover the phenomenon, and partly because newspaper editors are invariably excited by pictures of female hacks in a strip club, the Evening Standard has asked Vicky to go spend an evening in the Rhino in order to see what all the fuss is about.

“It’s against every single one of my feminist principles. These are arenas of abuse,” I said when she called.

“The manager is giving us complimentary champagne all night,” Vicky said.

“I will meet you there at 9 p.m.,” I said, with all the dignity I could muster.

Thanks, Caitlin!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

 

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Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Tracey Garvis Graves

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Our latest Lit IT girl: Tracey Garvis-Graves Why we love her: She is an inspiration to all self-pubbers! (And she's a great writer too!)

Her debut: On The Island

The Scoop: Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.

Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.

At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Our thoughts: The ultimate beach read! Love it!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners after 6pm PST on Sunday, August 19th.

Fun fact: Tracey broke all the so-called "rules" when she self-pubbed On The Island and it paid off in spades!

Where to read more about Tracey: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIT IT GIRL:DEBUT AUTHOR TRACEY GARVIS GRAVES

1. How many agents did you query before you found "the one"? I queried fourteen agents but unfortunately, I never found the one. I received only form rejection letters. After On the Island hit the top 10 on Amazon an agent reached out to me and I signed with her. She's done wonderful things for me, including selling foreign rights in seventeen countries, a feature film option to MGM, and a two-book deal with Penguin.

2. What's a line from your "favorite" rejection letter? Well, since they were all form letters I never received a personalized rejection. I did win a first chapter critique on Twitter and after the agent read it she said that it was just very "scene setting" and that nothing really happened. I was a bit surprised by the feedback since I crashed a plane in that chapter.

3. What was the hardest part about writing your debut novel? Since I'd never written a novel the structure and pacing were the trickiest parts, especially since On the Island is written in a dual narrative. There were many times when I had to cut, paste, and reorganize. I also needed to make sure that each character had their own distinctive voice. The research needed to write a desert island book set in the Maldives was overwhelming at times. I'm not sure I ever want to tackle that again.

4. What is the best/worst advice you received while you were trying to break into the book biz? The best advice was to get a thick skin. Most of the time I'm bulletproof, but catch me on a bad day and I'm just as vulnerable and heartbroken as the next girl. The worst advice was all the rules I read on agent's blogs. Don't include a prologue (I didn't, but only because the story didn't warrant one), don't attempt a dual narrative (I did and it was very effective for the type of book I'd written), don't write in present tense (On the Island is written in past tense, but the epilogue is written in present). Bottom line: do whatever you want but try your best to do it well. Know what the rules are but break them if you need to. The literature police aren't going to come after you and chances are your readers won't care (or even notice) what you do as long as you hold their attention and tell a good story.

5. How did you celebrate your book deal? The way I celebrate most things -with wine, friends, and family.

6. Who is your writer crush? Stephen King. I'd love to sit down with him for an hour and pick his brain. I think he's brilliant.

7. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book, what would it be? Stephen King's The Stand.

8. What's on your iPod right now? I've compiled a playlist for Covet, the book I'm currently writing. It is on constant repeat in my car and features songs from Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 (off the Cradlesong album), Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, and The Police. My kids are so tired of it.

9. What's your #1 stress reliever? Reading and getting a good night's sleep. I feel so much better and more energetic if I get to bed on time.

10. Who/what would you place in the center of the Entertainment Weekly bullseye? The wonderful olympic athletes who worked so hard and gave their all in London.

Thanks Tracey! xoxo, L&L

Moving Day by Liz

There are few things in life that give me a instant headache. cheap vodka, Kanye and Kim K as a couple and...MOVING. Yes, that's right, I detest moving more than wearing Spanx in summer. Just the thought of packing and unpacking makes me start to sweat in places I don't even want to think about.

So no one was more surprised than me when we made a snap decision to move over an hour away to my hometown in San Diego to be closer to my parents. And by snap decision, I mean we went into escrow without JOBS in that area. Or basically without thinking ANYTHING through.  But hey, when your dream house that's down the street from built-in babysitting becomes available, you jump at it!  Because making a living comes secondary to being able to dump your kids off and jet to Vegas at a moment's notice in my book.

Seriously, I don't know how to explain it to y'all, but I just KNEW it would all work out. Well, I was pretty sure.  I *may* have snuck over to my psychic after a small panic attack. I mean, I was pretty zen considering I was relocating without a job to a place where snakes and coyotes roam free and we'd be on *gasp* septic tank!  But I needed spiritual reassurance. She told me she'd been shitting a brick about it too until she consulted with her "people"-turns out the angels were totally on board with the Fenton family getting the hell out of Los Angeles also?!  She even told me that the butterflies that seem to be following me (creepy, btw) were the universe's way of telling me to chill the F out.

So I calmed down and things just started falling into place.  I hired cougar bait college athlete movers and started packing my little type A head off.  I tried not to worry to much about the recurring nightmare I kept having where I got into a hair-pulling girlfight with my old high-school nemesis at Starbucks. I even blocked out all the emails my dad kept sending about the rattlesnakes that he insisted were hiding in the brush at our new house.

For the first time in my life, I took a REAL leap of faith that things would all work out if I just stopped trying to control the hell out of everything.

And you know what? They did.

Right before closing escrow, a job magically opened up internally in San Diego. I started warming up to the idea of my neighbors pulling up in their tractors to introduce themselves and had visions of losing ten pounds eating the organic vegetables would grow and then brag about it to anyone who would listen.  I even had one weird fantasy where wild rabbits would come up and eat out of my hand. I know, I took it a bit too far.  But you get my point, I was ready to get back to my roots.

And now that we're settling in, the pain of those hottie movers leaving half our shit in the garage at the old house(long story!) and losing my most expensive pots and pans is starting to fade into the background. (you suck, Meathead movers!) I'm actually really loving the peace and quiet. And I'm getting used to driving by places I'd rather forget, like the street where I made out with some douchebag on his moped or the intersection where my sixteen-year old self wrapped her car around a tree. And the best part?  My new Starbucks has the cutest barista EVEH at the drive thru each morning.

It's the little things, people.

But the moral here? Don't be afraid to take a leap of faith once in a while.  I'm not saying you need to freakin' buy a house and just hope it all works out like we did, but maybe just be more open to letting things just happen the way they're meant to.

What about you?  Have you ever taken a huge leap of faith? How did it work out? Tell me about it!  I have SIGNED copies of Sarah Jio's The Violets of March and The Bungalow for one lucky winner!  I'll choose the winners on Sunday August 19th after 6pm PST.

xoxo,

Liz

 

 

 

Kristin Harmel's 5 Things I'd Tell The Teen Me

Our guest today: Kristin Harmel Why we love her: She was one of the first authors we met and she was so incredibly sweet, awesome and adorable!

Her latest: The Sweetness Of Forgetting

The scoop: At thirty-six , Hope McKenna-Smith is no stranger to bad news. She lost her mother to cancer, her husband left her for a twenty-two year old, and her bank account is nearly depleted. Her own dreams of becoming a lawyer long gone, she’s running a failing family bakery on Cape Cod and raising a troubled preteen.

Now, Hope’s beloved French-born grandmother Mamie, who wowed the Cape with her fabulous pastries for more than fifty years, is drifting away into a haze of Alzheimer’s. But in a rare moment of clarity, Mamie realizes that unless she tells Hope about the past, the secrets she has held on to for so many years will soon be lost forever. Tantalizingly, she reveals mysterious snippets of a tragic history in Paris. And then, arming her with a scrawled list of names, she sends Hope to France to uncover a seventy-year-old mystery.

Hope’s emotional journey takes her through the bakeries of Paris and three religious traditions, all guided by Mamie’s fairy tales and the sweet tastes of home. As Hope pieces together her family’s history, she finds horrific Holocaust stories mixed with powerful testimonies of her family’s will to survive in a world gone mad. And to reunite two lovers torn apart by terror, all she’ll need is a dash of courage, and the belief that God exists everywhere, even in cake. . . .

Our thoughts: We think this is Kristin's best yet!  Run out and grab a copy today.

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Monday August 13th after 6pm PST.

Fun fact: Kristin has also interviewed a ton of cool celebrities for People Magazine!

Where to read more about Kristin: Her website, Facebook or Twitter!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...KRISTIN HARMEL'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. One Day, You’ll Appreciate People Thinking You Look Younger: When I was a teenager, I looked two or three years younger than I actually was, thanks to the fact that I was (and still am!) only five feet tall. Because this was the thing that made me “different,” I worried about it all the time. I lived in constant fear of receiving crayons and a kids menu at a restaurant while on a date (which never happened, thank goodness, although it happened plenty of times when I was out with my family! Cringe!). Now, however, I’m 33 with lines creeping in, and sometimes people assume – oh, the horror! – that I’m older than I really am! So I think the lesson here isn’t just for the teen me. It’s for the current me too. It’s important to learn to feel happy where you are in life, and not to let other people’s opinions – or misconceptions – define you.

2. High School Popularity Means Nothing in the Grand Scheme of Life. NOTHING. That goes for middle school popularity too. When you’re a teenager, there’s so much pressure to fit in, to pick a group, to prove yourself. And that can destroy you on the inside. When I look back at my teen years now, I think about how much happier I would have been if I wasn’t worrying so much about the social dynamics at school. Here’s the secret no one tells you in middle school or high school: Teen popularity means nothing once you’re in your 20s and beyond. Some of the happiest, most successful, most interesting people I know now, as an adult, were the dorks in their schools. And truly, some of the most popular people from my classes over the years seem to have peaked in high school and are living somewhat unhappy lives now. So if you’re not in the "in crowd," stop worrying. If you feel different, good. Conformity doesn’t get you anywhere interesting in life. Dare to be you – and realize that when you get a bit older, you’ll spread your wings and soar in a way that most of those Populars will never know how to do.

3. Mom’s Right. About Almost Everything. Okay, so she may not have realized that the family minivan isn’t the coolest first car for a 16-year-old. Or that wearing that top with those jeans would be social suicide. But looking back, those things didn’t really matter, did they? She was right about the important stuff. So when she told me that the boy I had an unrequited crush on was a complete loser anyhow, or that it was cool to play the drums in the marching band if that’s what I wanted to do, or that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for… she was right. When she told me that having morals was far more valuable than conforming, that it was fine (and even preferable) to prefer the Beatles to Rage Against the Machine (everyone else’s favorite at the time), and that I should always follow my heart… she was right. And she’s been right ever since. The biggest mistakes I've made in life were the ones I made while deliberately ignoring her advice. In life, your mom is often your biggest cheerleader, the one who wants to see you as happy as possible. She always has your best interests at heart, and that means her advice is always worth considering.

4. Stop Hurrying to Grow Up: When I was a teenager, I couldn’t wait to be an adult. I wanted to live my own life, make my own decisions, chart my own course. And those things would come in time. But looking back, I wish I’d paused to enjoy my teen years a bit more instead of always rushing to the next step. When you’re a grownup, you don’t get a three-month summer vacation. There’s no one to cook your meals, fold your laundry, chauffeur you from spot to spot and pay all your bills. So enjoy being a kid while it lasts. The adult freedoms – and the responsibilities that come with them – will be here before you know it. And you’ll regret not enjoying childhood a bit more while you had the chance.

5. It’s Never Too Early to Chase Your Dreams: I’ve known I wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. And I wrote all the time – secretly, furtively, feeling almost foolish for dreaming that I could one day be a novelist. I started off as a journalist –when I was 16, actually! – but novel-writing still seemed to be a far-off dream. I thought I’d have to be very old before I had the maturity to write a book. But what I didn’t realize was that at 16 – or 17 – or 21 – I had a unique perspective on the world too. I should have realized I had something to give and therefore had the courage to try. So if there’s something you dream of, whether you’re 7, or 17, or 77, don’t be afraid to begin today. The future’s what you make of it, and it starts now.

Thanks Kristin! xoxo, L&L

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Kathleen McCleary's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Today's guest: Kathleen McCleary Why we love her:  Her writing is honest and heartfelt. We've all been where her characters have been. We love that we can relate.

Her latest: A Simple Thing

The scoop on it: When Susannah Delaney discovers her young son is being bullied and her adolescent daughter is spinning out of control, she moves them to remote, rustic Sounder Island to live for a year. A simple island existence—with no computers or electricity and only a one-room schoolhouse—is just what her over scheduled East Coast kids need to learn what's really important in life. But the move threatens her marriage to the man she's loved since childhood, and her very sense of self.

For Betty Pavalak, who moved to Sounder to save her own troubled marriage, the island has been a haven for fifty years. But Betty also knows the guilt of living with choices made long ago and actions that cannot be undone. The unlikely friendship between Susannah and Betty ignites a journey of self-discovery for both women and brings them both home to what they love most. A Simple Thing moves beyond friendship, children, and marriages to look deeply into what it means to love and forgive—yourself.

Our thoughts: A moving story about friendship and forgiveness.

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, August 5 after 3PM PST.

Fun fact: At age 12 she was briefly considered for the lead role in “The Exorcist,” until her mother found out what the movie was about. (Her mom had a friend who was a casting agent.)


Where you can read more about Kathleen: Twitter, Facebook or her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. No one is really paying that much attention. Do you know how self-conscious you feel? How shy? Let it go. Really. Everyone around you is busy thinking their own thoughts and worrying about the minutiae of their own lives. They don’t notice your pimples (well, okay, maybe that one giant one in the middle of your forehead) or your bad hair days or your bowlegs or that stupid thing you said at a party three weeks ago. And if they do notice all that stuff and tell you about it, they’re not worth your notice. Let them go.

2. Hang on to that friend. Your girlfriend across the street, the one you share most things with, including your biggest crushes, a love of Motown music, and your first taste of alcohol? She’s a keeper. She’ll be the maid of honor in your wedding; you’ll care for her oldest daughter while she’s in the hospital giving birth to baby number two, she’ll cry with you when your father dies, and you’ll still laugh so hard every time you get together that your face hurts. Friends like that don’t come along too often. When you run across one, hang on to her as though your life depends on it. Someday, it will.

3. You get better with age. I’m not kidding. That baby fat will drop away. You’ll lose those chubby cheeks and that awkward way of standing with both arms crossed over your stomach (which believe me, is flatter than you think). You’ll figure out that you are at least as smart as everyone else. You won’t be afraid to express your opinions, to admit it when you’re wrong, or to apologize. You’ll be great at things you never dreamed you’d be good at, like soothing a fussy baby and writing and doing handstands (no kidding!). You’ll learn to love your body for what it can do, and not hate it for what it doesn’t look like. You’ll laugh more easily and without self-consciousness. You’ll understand with your whole being how important it is to be kind. You’ll understand that this is what true beauty is about.

4. It’s okay to be a book nerd. Keep reading. I know you spend a lot of time alone in the library. You know what? One day, you’re going to write books that will sit on those shelves. It’s your little shot at immortality. Grab it.

5. You are worthy. Of attention, of respect, of love, of understanding, of forgiveness—from yourself most of all. You’re a keeper, too. Take care of yourself. Be kind.

Thanks, Kathleen!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

 

 

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Liz & Lisa's 5 Things I'd Tell My Teen Me with SWEET VALLEY HIGH giveaway!

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We are LOVING the teen me feature.  Maybe it's because we met in high school. Or maybe it's because there's so much we WISH we had known back then.(Like to just say no to MC Hammer pants...) Liz is feeling especially reminiscent lately, having just moved back to her hometown last week-one mile away from Lisa's dad and a handful of houses away from her own mom!So when got the chance to do a super cool giveaway with one of our teen faves, Sweet Valley High, we figured it was finally time to give our teen selves some serious advice. If you leave a comment, you'll be entered to win one of FIVE copies of the ENTIRE series of Sweet Valley Confidential-a new six part e-series! We'll choose the winners on Sunday, August 5th, after 6pm PST.

Here's the scoop on SVH:From Francine Pascal, creator of the bestselling SWEET VALLEY HIGH series and author of the NY Times bestselling SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL, comes the continuing adventures of beautiful blonde twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield in an exciting new six-part e-serial, THE SWEET LIFE.The first novella-length episode – THE SWEET LIFE #1 – begins three years after the events of Sweet Valley Confidential; Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are back in Sweet Valley and inseparable once more. Things are looking up for both twins: Elizabeth is a star reporter at the LA Tribune with a popular blog, and Jessica’s PR career is on the fast-track. But while the professional lives of the Wakefield sisters are secure, their personal lives may be in jeopardy. Jessica, now a mother, finds that managing parenthood, marriage, and a job is harder than she expected, while Elizabeth and Bruce must face a scandal that could strengthen their bond…or tear them apart for ever.Meanwhile, life goes on in Sweet Valley. Families are made, hearts are broken, and…Lila Fowler is a reality TV star? Some things never change.Sound good?  Then don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win!  We'd love to hear what advice you'd give YOUR teen self!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIZ & LISA'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

LIZ'S

 

1. Like yourself and others will follow suit. This is a tough one. But something I wish someone had told my shoulder-pad wearing self-it would have saved me YEARS of angst. Admittedly, I still hate myself sometimes(last night I told my husband that my arms looked like those huge slabs of meat that hang at the butcher shop), but at least I'm self-aware of it now, so that's progress, right?

2. Forgive often. Trust me on this one.  Holding onto that anger will only make things worse-there's a freedom in letting go of the past and moving forward that can bring true happiness.  P.S. don't forget to forgive YOURSELF often too-we all make mistakes, girlfrin'.  Time to move on!

3. Be nice to your Mother. Gawd, I was a horrible bitch to my poor mom.  Thankfully, I got the chance to make it right later in life.  But, time is precious and you never know if you'll have that luxury, so tell your Mom TODAY how much you love her, even if she did embarrass the shit out of you last week at the mall.  That woman shoved your big, fat head out of her va-jay-jay, so show some respect!

4. Pluck your eyebrows. Please. Why the HELL did no one mention this to me until I was TWENTY-TWO years old?  I'm ITALIAN for God's sake. It was BAD. (the picture above is photographic evidence.)

5. Stop trying to grow up so fast. Seriously, it's not all that it's cracked up to be.  Take time to be a kid-wear those Mickey Mouse ears at Disneyland and have pillow fights with your girlfriends.  There will be plenty of time to have grown-up issues. Until then, have fun going to the mall, making  s'mores and eating whatever the hell you want without gaining a pound!

LISA'S

1. Journal the hell out of this time in your life. At the very least, it will be good fodder later- especially when you decide you want to write novels. (Yes, it happens!)

2. Don't get that spiral perm. Don't use Sun-In. Don't use a crimping iron. Your hair is beautiful as it is- au natural. Trust me, you'll spend thousands of dollars later trying to get it to look just like it does right now.

3. Don't wear high-waisted shorts or jeans. Ask for help in purchasing a decent bra when your boobs grow from an "A" to a "D" in one summer (Yes, it happens!). Burn all of your boxy t-shirts. If for no other reason, do these things so your husband doesn't get the chance to find the pictures during a move and mercilessly make fun of you for months-years even.

4. Date, date, date. (Did I mention date?) WAIT until you get married to have that long long-term relationship. Before then, have all the fun you can dating different people. Have many relationships. Figure out who you are and what type of man you're most compatible with. Although you're going to fall in love- a lot- which is a good thing if you ask me, you don't want to fall in love and stay with that person for a long time. You won't end up marrying him. Trust me.

5. Learn to spend time alone (to be okay being alone). Somewhere along the way, I figured out that it's nice to be able to see a movie by yourself, have lunch by yourself, hang at home by yourself. Being comfortable being with just you. And this might not make much sense to you now, but  it will serve you well later to not need someone else to fill up that space, but rather to find people to compliment it.

xoxo, L&L

 

Steena Holmes's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Our guest today: Steena Holmes Why we love her: Her passions are chocolate and writing-how can we not love her?!

Her latest: Finding Emma

The Scoop: A child torn from the arms of loving parents, a relationship torn apart from loss...

Megan sees her daughter Emma everywhere. She's the little girl standing in the supermarket, the child waiting for the swings at the playground, the girl with ice cream dripping down her face. But it's never Emma.

Because Emma's been missing for two years.

Unable to handle the constant heartache of all the false sightings, Megan's husband threatens to walk away unless Megan can agree to accept Emma is gone. Megan's life and marriage is crumbling all around her and she realizes she may have to do the thing she dreads most: move on.

When Megan takes a photo of a little girl with an elderly couple at the town fair, she believes it to be her missing daughter. Unable to let go, she sets in motion a sequence of events that could destroy both families lives.

Our thoughts: A thoughtful summer read we think you'll enjoy!

Giveaway: FIVE Copies-US only.  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday, August 5th.

Fun Fact: Steena is afraid of heights and can't stand for anyone to touch her nose!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...STEENA HOLMES'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. Fries with gravy might be the best food you’ve ever tasted- but it’s not the only food. Be adventurous. It’s okay to try new things and like them. And don’t eat those chocolate covered ants - no dare is worth it.

2. Boys make better friends than boyfriends. Trust me. Yes, have fun and enjoy yourself, but not every boy who takes you on a hike is trust worthy. And - if they try to pick you up at your friends funeral and won’t take no for an answer - run the other way. RUN. Don’t walk.

3. Best friends are worth their weight in gold. Don’t ever diss your girlfriends for a boy. Remember walking down the middle of the street at 2am giggling while singing “I’m a little tea pot” and you weren’t drunk just happy? Cherish that memory and that friend. Don’t ever let her go cause you will regret it. Trust me on this. The few girlfriends you have are worth more than any boy that comes your way.

4. Your parents aren’t perfect, but they love you. They do understand what you are going through and no, they aren’t being bullies. They just love you. And no, they don’t love your brother more, it just seems that way, but appearances can be deceiving. Think of it this way -- you’re much stronger than your brother - they trust you to get through life on your own two feet. That doesn’t mean they love you less, it just means they trust you more.

5. It’s okay to love yourself. Really, it is. You are beautiful. You have the most gorgeous blue eyes and a curvaceous body most girls secretly dream of having. Accept it. Your chest is never going to get smaller and your waist will get bigger but some day you’ll realize just how awesome that is.

Thanks Steena! xoxo, L&L

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Jessica Park's 5 Things I'd Tell The Teen Me

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Our guest today: Jessica Park Why we love her:  She's freakin' fierce-kicking ass and taking names.  Not to mention the fact that she's funny as hell.

Her latest: Flat Out Love

The scoop: Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Our thoughts: Another great YA novel that adults will love too!  Pick it up today!

Giveaway: FIVE Smashwords e-copies!  Just leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win-we'll choose the winners after 6pm EST on Sunday July 29th.

Fun fact: Flat out Love hit the NYT ebook bestseller list recently after Jessica was featured on Amazon.  A true inspiration to all self-pubbers!

Where to read more about Jessica: her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JESSICA PARK'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. All those boys who seem so hot and desirable in high school are not the boys you should be crushing on. The super popular, gorgeous, girls-hanging-all-over-them guys who are not paying attention to you? This is their heyday.  Screw ‘em. Don’t waste your time getting caught up in hype. Ignore what the media tells you is boyfriend material because you are probably missing out on some pretty spectacular guys.

2. Along those same lines, stop worrying about what you look like. Enough with the self-loathing because you don’t have a 95 lb. body, huge boobs, and a perfect ass. You are beautiful just as you are. If your classmates don’t see that, brush it off. Wait until you get out of high school and you can create an amazing world for yourself. You have no control over who you are stuck with in math class, but high school is only high school. There are beautiful people who will come into your life.

3. Friendships can last forever. Friendships can also die a horrible death. It happens. You might screw up and get dumped by your bestie. If a friend isn’t willing to work something out with you, you don’t need that friend.

OR, maybe there is someone in your life who is simply exhausting and awful. You have the right to weed people out of your life. We put so much pressure on ourselves to stay loyal to friends no matter what, and there’s no reason for that. Sometimes it’s healthier to let people go.

Friends and relationships come in and out of our lives. It’s okay. That’s just how the world works. When we lose one connection, another takes its place. So mourn and be sad, but don’t drown in it.

4. Don’t be a slave to fashion trends. You will be severely traumatized later in life when you look at photographs of yourself in which you’re wearing a v-neck Gap sweater BACKWARDS with pegged acid-washed jeans and giant socks under your high-top sneakers. Seriously. You knew that you looked stupid and you did it anyway.

Wear what you want, not what you’re told to want. But don’t forget that you’ll have to look at yourself twenty years later.

5. You will fall in love, you will get your heart splintered into hideous little shards. It will hurt like all hell.

Most importantly, you will recover. It doesn’t feel like it in the moment, but there will come a day when you want to do something other than eat vats of ice cream and sob on the floor of the bathtub. I promise you. Don’t let the heartache stop you from falling in love again.

Thanks Jessica! xoxo, L&L

 

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Emily Giffin's 5 Things I'd tell the Teen Me

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Today's guest: Emily Giffin Why we love her: She will always have a special place in our heart. Her first novel, Something Borrowed inspired us to get off our booties and start writing.

Her latest: Where We Belong (July 24)

The scoop on it: Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.

For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

Our thoughts: Loved the dual narrative and hearing from both women about how they were affected by adoption. Also loved and appreciated the unexpected ending!

Giveaway:FIVE copies. Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, July 29 after 3PM PST.

Fun fact: Check out this fun video Emily made. (She reveals 12 things we didn't know about her.)

Where you can read more about Emily: Twitter, Facebook and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...EMILY GIFFIN'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. Drop your cash on one great pair of jeans or jacket instead of 15 tops at Forever 21. I finally figured this one out at about age thirty, and I swear I’ve saved so much money with the philosophy.

2. Don’t wear too much makeup, but if you must, don’t pull so hard on your skin when you remove it. Especially your under eye area. And appreciate your taut, perfect neck every single day!

3. When you know a relationship is over, move on and move on fast. You can waste years trying to make something work that isn’t meant to be.

4. You can quit the band, but don’t quit playing your instrument. You’ll wish you knew how later. Ditto to your foreign language!

5. The girl who is being mean to you? You won’t remember her name. And if you do, it’s because she now comes to your book signings!

Thanks, Emily!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

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Lit IT Girl: Debut Author Gretchen Berg

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Our guest today: Gretchen Berg Why we love her: We fell in love from the first word of the first chapter of her debut memoir.  Seriously.  This is the kind of girl that we'd love to do happy hour with!

Her debut: I Have Iraq In My Shoe

The scoop on it: It's the timeless, classic tale: girl-meets-recession, recession-forces-girl-to-go-to-Iraq. I Have Iraq in My Shoe follows the author out of her comfort zone and into the Middle East. Taking the wit of Jen Lancaster and the fun of Sophie Kinsella and moving it to the desert, this is the story of a single, fashion-obsessed American female who finds herself metaphorically strapping on a Kevlar caftan to work in Iraq for a year. Irreverent and hilarious, saucy and smart, it's a tale of lessons both taught and learned, and all in the midst of a war zone: from teaching Iraqi women in headscarves while wearing designer pumps to enduring the shame and frustration of astronomical luggage fees.

Our thoughts: Liz's favorite book of the year so far.  It's like Sex and the City 2, but awesome and hilarious instead of boring and predictable. Gretchen's narrative is addicting.  LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win!  We'll choose the winners on Monday, July 23rd after 6pm PST.

Fun fact: If you love her book, check out her blog!  It's super fun too!

Where to read more about Gretchen: her website or Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...LIT IT GIRL: DEBUT AUTHOR GRETCHEN BERG

1. How many agents did you query before you found "the one"? Nine (which, incidentally, is my lucky number)

2. What's a line from your "favorite" rejection letter? Each rejection was surprisingly kind and helpful. One really great agent had emailed me and said while there were things she loved about my writing, and things she loved about the story, she was really hoping it would be more like “Eat, Pray, Love”. I huffed to myself, “Yes, wouldn’t it be great if we could ALL have lives like ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. I mean, who wouldn’t want to flit off to Italy and spend all that time eating delicious pasta and gelato, and then end up in Bali meeting her soulmate? Who?!” So. Very. Bitter.

And then I went home for summer break, and the movie had just come out. It was everywhere. “EAT, PRAY, LOVE!” JULIA ROBERTS! Everyone was reading it, everyone was going to see the movie, everyone was talking about it. I could not get away from it. It mocked me from television interviews and book covers and movie posters and silently taunted “Your story isn’t like thiiiiiiiiis one!”

After summer break I went back to the ms and resumed my search for an agent. I revisited the few rejections I had received to really absorb their comments and see how I could use that information to make the ms better. I re-read that one agent’s email again, which upon closer inspection actually said:

“…There is so much I like about your voice and your energy, but ultimately I wanted more of an organizing principle (like EAT, PRAY, LOVE)…”

Oh. That is different from what I had thought it said. Hunh. She’s right about that organizing principle thing. She hadn’t wanted the book to be like “Eat, Pray, Love”, she just wanted the mess of my manuscript to have more of a shape to it (at the time it was very blobbish.) So, now I read my emails a little more carefully and a little more slowly, but still laugh whenever I see “Eat, Pray, Love”.

3. What was the hardest part about writing your debut novel? Writing without knowing whether or not it would be published. “All this work when I could be creating outfits on Polyvore!” I can do blog post after blog post (after blog post), but writing an entire book takes serious discipline, and I’m not so much about the discipline.

4. What is the best/worst advice you received while you were trying to break into the book biz? I faithfully read Nathan Bransford and Chuck Sambuchino’s blogs for any/all information about getting published, and all their advice is “best”.

Worst advice would be from my dad, when I was talking about querying agents he rolled his eyes and made disparaging remarks, doubting the integrity of literary agents everywhere.

5. How did you celebrate your book deal? I know I should be whipped soundly for admitting this but I really haven’t properly celebrated it yet. I think I’ve been baby-stepping through the entire process, afraid to get too excited about any one part of it, because after that there’s still more. I’ll celebrate properly when I get my first royalty check, and the celebration will totally depend on the size of the check (crosses fingers for beach house).

6. Who is your writer crush? Tina Fey. And since crushes do not have to be monogamous, also Helen Fielding.

7. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book, what would it be? “Bridget Jones’s Diary”. Being in Iraq was kind of like being on a desert island, and that was the one book I brought with me.

8. What's on your iPod right now? Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim”, Sia’s “Clap Your Hands”, and I’m almost sick of “Call Me Maybe”. Almost. My obsession can be entirely attributed to the Harvard Baseball Team’s YouTube video. I’m not proud.

9. What's your #1 stress reliever? Exercise. Or wine. Sometimes I’ll have a few glasses of wine and then think “I should totally get on the treadmill. I’m so motivated right now!”

Not advised, no matter how confident you are the railings will assist your balance.

10. Who/what would you place in the center of the Entertainment Weekly bullseye? Anderson Cooper and Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes. For totally unrelated reasons, of course.

Thanks Gretchen!  xoxo, L&L

 

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Joy Castro's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Our guest today: Joy Castro Why we love her: We love discovering a new, talented author!

Her latest: Hell or High Water 

The scoop on it: Nola Céspedes, an ambitious young reporter at the Times-Picayune, finally catches a break: an assignment to write her first full-length feature. While investigating her story, she also becomes fixated on the search for a missing tourist in the French Quarter. As Nola’s work leads her into a violent criminal underworld, she’s forced to face disturbing truths from her own past and is confronted with the question: In the aftermath of devastation, who is responsible for rebuilding what's been broken?

Vividly rendered in razor-sharp prose, this haunting thriller is a riveting journey of trust betrayed—and the courageous struggle to rebuild. Fast-paced, atmospheric, and with a knockout twist, Hell or High Water features an unforgettable heroine as fascinating and multilayered as New Orleans itself.

Our thoughts: We were completely engrossed in this thriller & loved that it was set in New Orleans.

Giveaway: FIVE copies! We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, July 22 after 3pm PST.

Fun Fact: She also writes memoirs, short fiction and  poetry.

Where you can read more about Joy: Twitter, Facebook and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JOY CASTRO'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN  ME

1. It was not about you.  I came from a rocky background that included domestic violence, poverty, prison, cultish fundamentalist religion, child abuse and neglect, and eleven different homes by the time I was fourteen.  When I was a kid, I thought the lack of care meant something about my worth.  It took a long time to realize otherwise.

2. A boy cannot provide the love you need.  Nor can anyone or anything else.  Not friends, not the praise of teachers, not a bottle, and not a drug.  “You save yourself or you remain unsaved,” writes Alice Sebold in her memoir Lucky, and she’s right.

3. Having a baby at 20 will not end your dreams.  It will give you new ones.  Your son’s wonderment at the world will reawaken your own, and his sweet innocence will help you see what you yourself must have been like as a child, instead of what you were told you were.  Later in life, you’ll be a foster mother to a damaged teenage girl, and you’ll know how to make a difference.

4. Not all men cheat.  Just because your father was a serial philanderer doesn’t mean that all men are.  Your husband won’t be, and even though it will be hard to trust him, it will be worth it.  You’ll have a long, happy marriage that will be both more difficult and more beautiful than anything you could have imagined.  Happy endings are real.

5. Have more fun.  Relax.   You’re right to believe in education and hard work; they’ll be your ticket out of poverty and dysfunction.  But when you work too hard for too long, life loses its joy.  Notice the beauty around you.  Take time to just be.  Hope and imagination are the most powerful forces in the world.  Believe.  Trust.

Thanks, Joy!

xoxo,

L&L

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Meg Cabot's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Our guest today: Meg Cabot Why we love her: Um, hello, we love The Princess Diaries, not to mention all her fun adult novels too!

Her latest: Size 12 And Ready to Rock

The scoop on it: Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy!

Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself—who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.

Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright—who just happens to be Heather's new fiancÉ. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, this reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

Our thoughts: We love the Heather Wells series-it's fun with a bit of mystery thrown in-we think you'll love it!

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win-we'll choose the winners after 6pm PST on Monday, July 23rd.

Fun Fact: Meg shared some fun pics of herself last time she was a guest here-check it out!

Where you can read more about Meg: Her website, Facebook or Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...MEG CABOT'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. Perm: DON'T DO IT

2. That guy who seems like he's so great? He's not.

3. That guy who seems like he's so awful? He's not.

4. You're not fat.  You're not fat.  You're not fat.  YOU ARE NOT FAT.

5. It really doesn't matter what college you go to. What matters is how much effort you make while you're there.  Stop stressing.

Thanks Meg! xoxo, L&L

 

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Claire & Mia Fontaine's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Our guests today: Claire and Mia Fontaine Why we love them: Their writing is honest and hilarious. And they have no qualms about putting it all out there.

Their latest: Have Mother, Will Travel: A Mother and Daughter Discover Each Other, Themselves and The World (July 17)

The scoop on it: A mother, a daughter, and a life-changing adventure around the world. Their bestselling memoir, Come Back, moved and inspired readers with the story of Mia Fontaine's harrowing drug addiction and her mother, Claire's, desperate and ultimately successful attempts to save her. Now it's a decade later and Claire and Mia each face a defining moment in her life, and a mother-daughter relationship that has frayed around the edges. At fifty-one, Claire's shed her identity as Mia's savior but realizes that, oops, she forgot to plan for life after motherhood; Mia, twenty-five and eager to step outside her role as recovery's poster child, finds adult life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Determined to transform themselves and their relationship once again, the pair sets off on a five-month around-the-world adventure.

What awaits them is an extraordinary, often hilarious journey through twenty cities and twelve countries—one that includes mishaps, mayhem, and unexpected joys, from a passport-eating elephant to a calamitous camel ride around the Pyramids—and finally making peace with their tumultuous past in the lavender fields of France, where they live for the last four months of the trip. Seeing how self-possessed and community-minded twentysomethings are in other countries broadens Mia's perspective, helping her grow, and grow up. Claire uses the trip to examine her broken relationship with her own mother, a Holocaust survivor, and to create a vision for her second act. Watching her mom assess half a century of life, Mia comes to know her as Claire has always known Mia—as all mothers know their daughters—better than anyone else, and often better than themselves.

Wiser for what they've learned from women in other cultures, and from each other, they return with a deepened sense of who they are and where they want to go—and with each embracing the mature friendship they've discovered and the profound love they share.

Read an excerpt here.

Our thoughts: What's better than a book about travel, the nuances, complications and bonds of a mother/daughter relationship with a lot of heart and laughter mixed in?

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Just leave a comment to be entered to win- we'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, July 15 after 3PM PST.

Fun fact: Both Claire and Mia are also national public speakers.

Where you can read more about Claire and Mia: Facebook, Pinterest and their website

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...CLAIRE AND MIA FONTAINE'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

(PS: Could they be any more gorgeous??)

CLAIRE, 55

Five things I’d tell my teenage self? Now that I’m fifty-five, I realize that some of them aren’t much different than things I’d tell my forty-year-old self (which tells you what a late bloomer I am).

1. You know those grand, romantic dreams you used to have of a “great love?” Of finding your Heathcliff, your Rochester (I guess nowadays it would be your Edward)? Before you decided it was nerdy, pathetic, and unrealistic? Well, it does exist, and it’s going to take four decades and a lot of work for you to become the kind of woman who will attract your Rochester, but you will, trust me on that. And it will be everything you dreamed and more, far more.

2. Listen to what your mom tells you on the Three Big M’s of a woman’s life – money, men, and motherhood. She’s got thirty years, two marriages, six kids, three cultures, and five languages on you and she knows a lot more than you think she does. She’ll turn out to be right on just about everything.

3. You know all those hours you’re spending trying to iron your frizzy hair with heated tin cans, saving for a nose job, and sucking in your lips to make them look smaller because kids made fun of them? Go out and spend those hours having fun instead.

4. Don’t follow a boyfriend to college. You’ll end up leaving him and the school in a year, and with it your dreams.

5. Don’t spend so much time alone or focused on the two jaded, cool girls you hope will like you. Join a team, the school paper, a club; those kids are much nicer and way more fun.

MIA, age 29

1. For all the times your mom says “one day you'll thank me for this–“—it’s true. Seriously. True. You’re rolling your eyes and groaning now when she insists on French lessons, looking up words you don’t know the meaning of, and joining a sports team, but you’ll be really glad when you’re bi-lingual, articulate, and able to join in a pick-up soccer game.

2. Be nice. You have more of an impact on those around you than you can imagine, and a few nice, or thoughtless, words or deeds go a long way. Sometimes things you don’t even remember saying or doing are remembered by others for years to come.

3. No matter how much more “together” than you someone seems, they’re not. College is where everyone opens up about how unattractive, insecure, and unpopular they felt in high school. Even the “popular” girls.

4. Save your clothing. At some point it’s guaranteed to come back in style, at which point either your daughter will want it, or you can sell it as vintage.

5. Amazing but true: one day you’ll actually enjoy classical music. And salad.

Thanks Claire and Mia!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

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Stacey Ballis's 5 Things I'd Tell The Teen Me

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Our guest today: Stacey Ballis Why we love her: Her books are warm and witty-just like her!

Her latest: Off The Menu

The scoop on it: As the executive culinary assistant to celebrity Chicago chef Patrick Conlon, Alana Ostermann works behind the scenes—and that’s just the way she likes it. But with developing recipes for Patrick’s cookbooks, training his sous chefs, picking out the perfect birthday gifts for his ex-mother-in-law, and dealing with the fallout from his romantic escapades, she barely has a personal life, much less time to spend with her combo platter of a mutt, Dumpling.

Then a fluke online connection brings her RJ, a transplant from Tennessee, who adds some Southern spice to her life. Suddenly Alana’s priorities shift, and Patrick—and Dumpling—find themselves facing a rival for her time and affection. With RJ in the mix, and some serious decisions to make about her personal and professional future, Alana must discover the perfect balance of work and play, money and meaning, to bring it all to the table—one delicious dish at a time…

Our thoughts: We think it's a yummy treat that's perfect for the holiday!

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win!  We'll choose the winners on Sunday July 8th after Noon PST.

Fun Fact: Stacey lived in Kenya for three months and taught at a local secondary school.  So cool, right?

Read more about Stacey: her website, Facebook or Twitter

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...STACEY BALLIS'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1. The buzz cut is not a good idea and if you do it you will spend all if high school in "growing out" phase.

2. Don't be afraid to like the people you like publicly, even if they aren't the coolest.  Especially if they aren't the coolest.  Doesn't matter if it is a crush on the odd duckling in the back of the room who always has the best insight during English class, or being friends with the kid who wears the piano key scarf every day but has a quiet wickedly dry sense of humor.  If you are drawn to someone who falls outside your usual sphere, trust your gut.  They will be the ones who most enrich your life, and stay with you for the long haul.  If your other friends give you crap, just remember that the most interesting and successful people in the world were rarely in the popular crowd in high school.  This lesson brought to you by me, and I learned it from John Hughes.  Never served me wrong.

3. People are who they are.  Don't jump into a romantic relationship with someone who has great potential and try to change them into what you want and need in a partner.  Be okay alone, and the right one will find you.  There will always be friends to fill the gap, hobbies to fill time.  You are the most important person you will ever be in a relationship with, and the more you love you and like being with you, the more you will attract people who are the right people.

4. Listen more than you speak.  Be the person who really hears the people they talk to, not the person who just waits for their turn to talk.  And make eye contact.

5. Tie dye.  Just, no.

Thanks Stacey!  xoxo, L&L

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Pamela Ribon's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Today's guest: Pamela Ribon

Why we love her: She's hilarious- not just in her novels, but on her blog.

Her latest: You take it From Here

The scoop: Just because you’d give your best friend everything doesn’t mean she has to take it.

On the heels of a divorce, all Danielle Meyers wants is her annual vacation with sassy, life-long best friend, Smidge—complete with umbrella cocktails by an infinity pool—but instead she’s hit with the curveball of a lifetime. Smidge takes Danielle to the middle of nowhere to reveal a diagnosis of terminal cancer, followed by an unusual request: “After I’m gone, I want you to finish the job. Marry my husband. Raise my daughter. I’m gonna teach you to how to be Smidge 2.0.”

As Danielle wrestles with this major life decision, she finds herself torn between being true to her best friend’s wishes and being honest with herself. Parenting issues aside, Smidge’s small-town Louisiana world is exactly the one Danielle made sure to escape. Danielle isn’t one for playing the social butterfly, or being the center of attention. And when your best friend tries to set you up on a date night with her husband, it might be time to become the bossy one for a change.

In the spirit of Beaches and Steel Magnolias, You Take It from Here is an honest, hilarious, and heartbreaking novel that ultimately asks: How much should we sacrifice for the ones we love the most?

Our thoughts: We love Beaches (c'mon, the ultimate BFF movie!) and Steel Magnolias and her novel definitely has a flavor of both. It's the perfect blend of humor and heart. PS: We love the cover & for that matter, love all of her book covers.

Fun Fact: She's a TV writer too. She wrote for one of Lisa's favorite shows, Samantha Who?

Giveaway: 5 copies of You Take it From Here. Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners on Sunday, July 8 after 6PM PST.

Where you can read more about Pamela (Pamie): Facebook, Twitter and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME
1. You’re right. Nobody understands you. And they won’t for a very long time.  Not until you learn how to stop feeling everything at once and learn how to accurately describe what you’re feeling.  Right now all you’re feeling are feelings, and they don’t really have anywhere to go, nor can you do anything about them.  Life is completely unfair and will be for a while longer, so go ahead and keep crying into that notebook.  It’ll come in handy in fifteen years when I need strong comedic material for my blog.

 

2. Stop with the boxer shorts. I don’t know where you saw a girl wearing boxers underneath her baggy jeans, but you obviously found it sexy and I need to tell you right now that you don’t look like whatever model you saw in Rolling Stone or maybe it was a TLC video or something, but listen: just go put on some girl underwear. I remember one pair of those boxer shorts had glow-in-the-dark polka dots and I don’t think those chemicals should be near your very new ladyparts.

3. If he’s got a girlfriend, you need to stop trying to be so great of a best friend to him.This isn’t a romantic comedy; this isn’t how you’re going to find a soul mate.  This is a recipe for disaster.  Either you are going to fall in (what you think is) love and waste months upon months waiting for this guy to feel the same way about you, or he is going to keep using you as his girlfriend Fairy Godmother, who keeps making him a better boyfriend by telling him how you wish he felt about you. Also, his actual girlfriend? Hates you so much right now.  Not to mention, all that time she’s got on her hands because you’re off with her boyfriend?  Right now she’s using it to make everyone else hate you just as much as she does.  Go find some nice girls to hang out with until you find a cute, single boy who wants to play video games with you and only you.

4. Make your dad teach you how to cook like he does.  I know he’s not very friendly in the kitchen, but the man knows how to cook, and one day he’ll be gone and it’ll be too late and you’ll be craving his steak and Caesar salad and there will be nothing you can do and nobody will ever make this meal as good as he did for the rest of your life and it will be one of your biggest regrets.

5. Don’t tell everyone your secrets.  Listen, I get it.  You’re just looking for someone who will rage against the world with you, but not everyone is worthy of your deepest confessions.  Some people won’t understand their currency, and will be so careless with your heart.  Don’t always be the first to yearn for the strong connection, don’t always be the first to hand over a mix tape.  Yes, every single human is special and wonderful, but they’re not all going to be special and wonderful back at you.  Quit setting yourself up for a heart-smash.  I know it’s hard to comprehend, but not everybody is thinking about you nearly as much as you are.

(PS: IT’LL ALL BE OKAY ONCE IT’S OVER. JUST HANG ON, TEEN ME. AND MAYBE TURN OFF THE SINEAD O’ CONNOR FOR A SECOND.)

Thanks, Pamela! xoxo, Liz & Lisa

 

 

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Jennifer Weiner's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Today's guest: Jennifer Weiner! Why we love her: Too many reasons to count! (#5 of the "5 Things" she'd tell her teen self is yet another reason.)

Her latest: The Next Best Thing (July 3)

The scoop: Actors aren’t the only ones trying to make it in Hollywood.…At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders left her childhood home in Massachusetts and headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to make it as a screenwriter. Six years later, she hits the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the showrunner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on her boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials.

Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear for writer’s room showdowns and an eye for bad backstage behavior and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood roller coaster, a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.

Our thoughts: LOVED. She just keeps getting better. How does she do it?

Fun fact: She mentioned us when she delivered the opening keynote ay BEA’s 2012 Bloggers Conference! We haven't been this excited about anything since Spanx or Lasik eye surgery or Phillip Phillips...

Giveaway: 5 copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners after 6pm PST on Sunday, July 29.

Want to see Jen on tour? Check out her "Cupcakes Across America" book tour schedule.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JENNIFER WEINER'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

1.    It gets better. No, really, it does. If I tell you how much better, you won’t even believe me. So just keep reading; keep writing stories, and some day, all those guys who were mean to you in Mr. Hallas’s American History class are going to ask to be your friend on Facebook. (Never mind what Facebook is. Just trust me – they’re going to want to be your friends. It’s going to be amazing).

2.    Just because it’s your wedding doesn’t mean that everyone’s going to start magically behaving themselves. In fact, it is far more likely that they will magically become even more awful/clinging/self-involved/horrible versions of themselves. Just roll with it. Also, enjoy the appetizers, because you aren’t going to be eating any dinner.

3.    You are not fat. Not even close. In fact, you are never going to be thinner than you are right now. Enjoy it.

4.    It’s all material. Your dad is going to abandon you and your siblings. Your mother’s going to come out of the closet and start dating a woman who wears her wallet on a chain. Your father is going to die, and you’re going to learn about it because the police will call you, and you’ll try to use your Amex to pay for his funeral because you need the miles. It’s all going to be heartbreakingly sad…but it’s going to make you and your siblings so close. It won’t kill you. It will make you stronger. And, someday, you’re going to write about it, and some of the people who read it will feel less alone in the world.

5. Having a book turned into a movie, or hitting the best-seller list, feels wonderful. But nothing feels better than helping someone else’s book take off and find its audience. The sooner you figure that out, the happier you’ll be.

Thanks Jen! xoxo, L&L

To read more about Jen, you can also go to her website, Facebook or Twitter.

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Ellen Hopkins's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

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Our guest today: Ellen Hopkins Why we love her: Her novels are honest, relevant and gripping!

Her latest: Triangles

The scoop on it: Three female friends face midlife crises in a no-holds-barred exploration of sex, marriage, and the fragility of life. Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for? Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband? Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts. As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles.  As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins’s gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.Get lost in the world of Triangles, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.

Our thoughts: Um, hello, you had us at EROTIC.

Giveaway: FIVE copies!  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.  We'll choose the winners on Sunday, July 1st after 6pm PST.

Fun fact: This is Ellen's first adult novel-she's a NYT bestselling YA author!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...ELLEN HOPKINS'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

Want to see a pic of Ellen's teen self?  Click here!

1. Embrace your inner rebel. She’ll insist on claiming you anyway, and in the future people will respect the uniqueness of you. Conventions suffocate, and the things that make you different are integral to the voice you’re developing right now, even though you don’t realize it. Be brave. Live large. Speak loudly. Your opinions matter.

2. Play the field. Love usually makes sex better, because love equals trust. But don’t tie yourself down too early. Have fun while you’re young. There’s plenty of time to settle down and have kids. Children—and commitment—are easier when your partying days are behind you. And while it’s okay to give your heart away, make sure you’re giving it to the right man.

3. Spend more time with your parents. Because you were adopted by an older couple, you will lose both of them early—your father when you’re 16; your mom when you’re 32. Listen to their stories. In fact, write them down, not only so there’s a record of them, but also so you can draw inspiration from them. Create special days that will become happy memories.

4. Keep exercising. You tend to start programs, get in great shape, then slack off enough so the next time you start a program it’s harder than the time before. The older you get, the more difficult it is to motivate yourself to begin again. So stay with the habit. You always feel better when you do. Hint: The “slide” always begins around Thanksgiving.

5. That poetry you’re writing? Safeguard it, or you’ll lose it, and one day you just might like to look at it again. Not only that but, believe it or not, a lot of other people would like to see it, too.  And all those naysayers who’ll tell you it’s impossible to make a living as a writer, let alone a poet? The last laugh will most definitely be on them.

Thanks Ellen! xoxo, L&L

To read more about Ellen, head on over to her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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7 Seconds in Heaven with...Matthew Quirk

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Today's guest: Matthew Quirk His debut: The 500

Why we love him: He knows how to write for men and women!

The scoop: A year ago, fresh out of Harvard Law School, Mike Ford landed his dream job at the Davies Group, Washington's most powerful consulting firm. Now, he's staring down the barrel of a gun, pursued by two of the world's most dangerous men. To get out, he'll have to do all the things he thought he'd never do again: lie, cheat, steal-and this time, maybe even kill.

Mike grew up in a world of small-stakes con men, learning lessons at his father's knee. His hard-won success in college and law school was his ticket out. As the Davies Group's rising star, he rubs shoulders with "The 500," the elite men and women who really run Washington -- and the world. But peddling influence, he soon learns, is familiar work: even with a pedigree, a con is still a con.

Read an excerpt here.

Our thoughts: We loved The Firm and have been waiting for another author to take us on an equally suspenseful and page-turning ride. PS: We were SO THRILLED Matthew agreed to be our guest today to answer our 7 "burning" questions. We love the story behind his author photo & the fact that he loves strong women!

Fun fact: The 500 has already been optioned to be made into a movie and has been translated into 20 languages. Did we mention this is his DEBUT?

Giveaway: 5 copies! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll randomly select the winners after 6PM PST on Sunday, July 29.

Where you can read more about Matthew: Facebook, Twitter and his website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...7 SECONDS IN HEAVEN WITH... MATTHEW QUIRK

Liz and Lisa:This is your debut novel and has already been compared to The Firm, been translated into 20 languages and is in development to be made into a movie by 20th Century Fox. What's been the biggest surprise to you about the success of The 500?

Matthew Quirk: Everything about the book’s reception has been a wonderful surprise. You always daydream about this sort of thing in the long years when you’re working on your writing without recognition. But for it to actually happen is just mindblowing. I was hoping to be able to write books as a day job. That was the dream. The rest is beyond everything I hoped. I had lost my job as a reporter at The Atlantic and my then-fiancée, now-wife was incredibly supportive, adamant actually, that I go for it (I dedicated the book to her). I wrote The 500 at a folding table in the little one-bedroom apartment where she and and I were both working from home. I finally sold the book a month before our wedding, just when I was running out of time on the whole writing experiment. Talk about suspense!

If I had to pick the most surprising element, it would be how receptive the film and publishing people are to a first-time author and how quickly it all happens. People often think of those industries as being really tough to break in to, and they are, but they are always looking for good stories and if they find something they like, it doesn’t matter who you are, they’ll snap it up. One day I had this giant word document on my computer and the next week it was shooting around Hollywood and people were makings bids on it from restaurants in Malibu. It’s nuts.

L&L:  What's the story behind the title of the book? The cover?

MQ: The 500 refers to the 500 most powerful people in Washington, most of whom have a relationship with the Davies Group, an extremely powerful DC consulting/lobbying firm run by a power broker named Henry Davies. Mike Ford, a guy with a shady past who has spent years working to earn a respectable life, puts himself through Harvard Law and lands a job at the Davies Group. He learns the ways of power in Washington, and soon enough, learns the secret behind Henry Davies’ power.

It was fun to mine all the real Washington grit I’d learned working as a political reporter in DC and put it to work in the service of a fast-paced, twisting plot like the kind I love to read.

I think the publisher and designer, Ploy Siripant, did an amazing job on the cover. Many of the foreign publishers are using the same design. There’s not too much of a story to it, which I think is its strength. I like that it’s not the usual DC thriller cover, you know, a guy with a briefcase running for his life with the Washington monument or the Capitol Dome in the background. I think it fits the book well, because hopefully The 500 will satisfy hard-core political thriller fans while standing out of the crowd a little because of the narrator’s voice, the humor, the characters, and the love story.

L&L:  We're women. A lot (make that most) of our readers are women. Why should women read your novel?

MQ: I love strong women, and I tried to make sure that the women in this book didn’t fall into any outdated thriller clichés. Mike Ford’s love interest, Annie Clark, is a badass: smart and strong and independent and successful. And there’s a fun love story in this as she and Mike fall for each other and take turns saving each other’s butts. Mike can definitely hold it down as a tough guy, but he’s also thoughtful and able to laugh at himself. I did have “chick lit” tropes in mind for one scene where, believe or not, a pair of Jimmy Choo slingbacks play a key role in some serious action. A good book appeals to everyone. I was shooting for a novel that above all, was fun to read and hard to put down, one of those books where you say, “oh my God, it’s one am. I should go to bed…maybe one more chapter.” A few people have written me notes saying the book kept them up way too late. That always makes my day.

L&L: Your book was recently written up in Entertainment Weekly's Must List and received an "A." What entertainment is on your must-list?

MQ: Breaking Bad. I can’t wait for the final season. That show is such a great mix of smart action, character, and humor. I’m loving Veep, too. It can be a little cynical, but it nails a lot of the petty, mundane aspects of political life you don’t see on the West Wing. I’ll talk more about books below, but a great, great book that everyone should read is Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. It’s hilarious. I need to go back and re-read all of his novels.

L&L: When not living and breathing your current book tour, what do you that has nothing to do with books or writing?

MQ: Going out with friends, cooking with my wife, hiking and cycling and skiing and sailing. You never know what will end up going into the books, though. I wrecked my knee skiing last year, a pretty harrowing accident where I tumbled down some steep chutes and ended up alone in the trees with a torn ACL fifteen minutes before the mountain shut down. The last thing I was thinking about was writing, of course, but I’m sure it helped. Periodically scaring the living daylights out of yourself is a good thing to do if you write thrillers.

L&L: What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?

MQ: People who have only seen the author photo are usually surprised when they meet me in person. When I was setting up my headshots, I looked at a bunch of thriller authors and said, Ok, industry standard is the total badass look. But when I’m hanging out with people, I’m usually laughing and smiling. When I went to meet the Dutch publishers for a book event in Amsterdam, the women who first met me, who had only seen the photo, greeted me by saying, “Oh! I thought you would be taller…and more regal.” It was hilarious.

L&L: What are you reading right now?

Tailor of Panama, by John Le Carré I’ve been reading a lot of Le Carré recently. As a former intelligence officer, he really knows what he’s talking about and as a stylist he can hold his own with most any literary author. Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead is great, as is Dare Me by Megan Abbot. And then I have a big stack of books on my desk about prison security, lock-picking, safe-cracking, corporate espionage, and political corruption. It’s all research for the sequel to The 500, which I’m wrapping up now. I’ve always loved research and reporting and am glad I get to do it for the novels.

Thanks, Matthew!

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

 

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