Authors

GIVEAWAY: You Could Be A Winner…

August 21, 2014 1 Comment

Hello, family, friends, and followers!

I’m hard at work on my upcoming release, CARDS FROM KHLOE’S FLOWER SHOP, but I’m writing to tell you about an exciting giveaway. From now, until September 9th, you can enter to win a signed paperback copy of my book, THE RIGHT DESIGN, along with two bookmarks! To enter to win, click HERE to go to my author website, and then click on the Rafflecopter link. Yes, it’s that easy!

**U.S. residents only, please**

Also, click HERE to check out all the great reviews I’m getting on Amazon!

Martha Woodroof

August 11, 2014 Leave a Comment

About author, Martha Woodroof: Martha was a regular contributor to NPR news programs, and now writes for npr.org. She has also written for Martketplace and Weekend America, and for the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Radio Feature Bureau. Her print essays have appeared in such newspapers as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The San Francisco Chronicle. She lives with her husband in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Their closest neighbors are cows.

INTERVIEW

How long have you been writing? I got my first rejection letter at the age of twelve from the poetry editor of The Atlantic Monthly. As it was a personal letter asking me to send in more stuff, I took that as encouragement.

You’ve done quite a bit of freelancing for NPR. How did that come about? I met NPR’s Wendy Kaufman back in the 1980’s at a party in Charlottesville, Virginia. I’d just switched from local television to local radio (because, among other things, I got tired of answering questions about my hair), and I’d fallen in love with the story-telling possibilities of sound-only broadcast production. Wendy said I should come work with NPR.

Not being shy, I phoned up Jay Kernis (a big-deal NPR news producer at the time) and cheerfully badgered him into seeing me. I arrived toting a long, mostly-unedited interview with the late, great Blues singer, John Jackson. Jay – bless his heart – listened to it all, told me I was a great interviewer, but had no idea what I was doing technically. He said (kindly, but firmly) that I should come back when I learned something about radio production. And so I did.

I took a break from radio for a decade or so to begin recovering from alcoholism and do some other worthwhile things, then went back – freelancing for NPR and npr.org mostly on books and publishing as well as being a happy part of WMRA public radio in Harrisonburg, VA.

What else have you done since college? Well, let’s start with college.

I dropped out of Mount Holyoke College in the Sixties mainly because I wanted to experience rather than study. A decade-and-a-half later I talked my way into graduate school at the University of Virginia (MFA program in theater) and then dropped out of that. So, I’m actually a double college dropout. Mainly because I am, as my second-ex-grandfather-in-law once put it, a flibbertigibbet.

My first real job was as a teacher’s aide in a pilot Head Start program in Greensboro, North Carolina.

After that – among a lot of other things, I co-owned restaurants based on my cooking, did quite a bit of acting, got fired as a magazine editor, hosted local TV talk shows and anchored the news, wrote a book called How to Stop Screwing Up: 12 Steps to a Real Life and a Pretty Good Time, cooked for an artist’s colony, was a country music disc jockey and a psychiatric occupational therapy aide, taught preschool, published essays, was a morning drive-time personality on a tiny AM radio station, ran a college bookstore coffee shop, directed a college’s co-curricular programming, and failed to sell cars.

So you’ve been fired twice? Once as a magazine editor and once as a car salesperson? That’s correct. I think the magazine editor firing was deserved even though I’d doubled the size of the book and brought in a pretty high class bunch of writers. At the time, I had yet to address my alcoholism and so was – as active alcoholics tend to be – just a tad arrogant.

My failure to sell cars stemmed from my inability to encourage people to spend more than I thought they could afford. I remain rather proud of that particular firing.

How did you come to publish your first novel in your mid-sixties? I finished an early draft of Small Blessings a couple of years ago and then put it away to work on some radio and non-fiction projects.

I’ve never been all that frightened of failing (which is lucky, as I have failed a lot). It seems to me we are each responsible for living our own lives kindly, productively and well; figuring out what we need and want to do with our time and our talents, and then going after those things full-tilt.

With this in mind, when I hit my early sixties, I made a bucket list. As I’ve done (and failed to do) a lot of very different things, my bucket list had one item on it: Publish Small Blessings! I’d recently reread the novel, re-fallen in love with its people, and the one thing I really wanted was to land them a better gig than life in a cardboard box in my home office.

How Small Blessings came to St. Martin’s is a long, funny story involving some more major non-shyness on my part and (as any first novelist will tell you) a giant helping hand from the serendipity gods. One auction later, Small Blessings and I had fetched up at St. Martin’s, which is publishing heaven as far as I’m concerned.

Why did you write Small Blessings? Why this particular story set on a small college campus? About the story: If I had to be stuck on a desert island with only one book, it would be The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor, edited by Sally Fitzgerald. In one particular letter, someone asks Ms. O’Connor (who was a seriously devout Catholic) what our duty in prayer is. Ms. O’Connor replies something to the effect that our duty is to figure out what we want and ask for it.

The above italics are mine, as I read this at a point in my life when I was not yet sober and so was really floundering. And even though I wasn’t even a person of faith at the time, I remember those words hitting me like a blow.

Our duty is to figure out what we want…

At the time I was clueless about who I was, let alone what I wanted. That moment with Ms. O’Connor began an ongoing process of learning to accept myself exactly as I am in the world as it actually is. This has been both challenging and, at times, very scary. But – yowza! – it’s also, in my opinion, the most alive way to live. How can we possibly be happy without first being our real selves?

So – back to Small Blessings – in general, I think I’m interested in writing about nice, well-meaning people who are willing to face the extreme challenge of accepting themselves as they really are and, in the process, learning what it is they really, truly want.

As for setting Small Blessings at a college, I’ve been connected with college campuses all my life. They are, in my opinion, the ideal setting for an examination of community. Which, I think, is something a lot of us are examining afresh as we wade into the I.T. Age.

One note about the college bookstore where Rose Callahan (one of Small Blessings’ central characters) works. As I mentioned before, I once ran a quite magical coffee shop in a quite magical college bookstore. None of the characters in Small Blessings are based on real people (Rose is most emphatically not me); but The Bookstore is very much a tribute to that bookstore.

You’ve mentioned two things that a lot of people shy away from being so open about: your age and the fact that you are in substance-abuse recovery. Why? Oh golly, why not? As Popeye put it (anyone remember Popeye?), I yam what I yam. Life is change, and, it seems to me, if you don’t embrace life – if you let it scare you – you miss out on so much!

As far as being open about recovery, it’s the only way I’m able to share my experiences, strengths and hope with others who are still struggling – or who are concerned about someone else’s struggles. Secrecy about issues such as substance abuse, mental illness, and child abuse does nothing but perpetuate suffering. Life is often uncomfortable. That’s no reason to deny reality. Deny reality, and reality gets worse.

As for being in my sixties, why is that something I should be ashamed of? We Second and Third Wave Feminists fought so hard to be thought of as more than sex objects. Until, it almost seems, we were no longer viable sex objects. I want to see us Boomer Babes embrace womanhood in all its glory – and all its glorious stages.

Just last night, I heard an ad for “Botox and other anti-aging remedies.”

Yuck!!!

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“Small Blessings” by Martha Woodroof:

From debut novelist Martha Woodroof comes an inspiring tale of a small-town college professor, a remarkable new woman at the bookshop, and the ten-year old son he never knew he had.

Tom Putnam has resigned himself to a quiet and half-fulfilled life. An English professor in a sleepy college town, he spends his days browsing the Shakespeare shelves at the campus bookstore, managing the oddball faculty in his department and caring, alongside his formidable mother-in-law, for his wife Marjory, a fragile shut-in with unrelenting neuroses, a condition exacerbated by her discovery of Tom’s brief and misguided affair with a visiting poetess a decade earlier.

Then, one evening at the bookstore, Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the shop’s charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to their home for dinner, out of the blue, her first social interaction since her breakdown. Tom wonders if it’s a sign that change is on the horizon, a feeling confirmed upon his return home, where he opens a letter from his former paramour, informing him he’d fathered a son who is heading Tom’s way on a train. His mind races at the possibility of having a family after so many years of loneliness. And it becomes clear change is coming whether Tom’s ready or not.

A heartwarming story with a charmingly imperfect cast of characters to cheer for, Small Blessings‘s wonderfully optimistic heart that reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life has veered irrevocably off track, the track shifts in ways we never can have imagined.

**The release date for “Small Blessings” is August 12th, 2014!

Are You Following Isabella?

July 27, 2014 Leave a Comment

Hey, everyone! There are a lot of exciting things coming up on Chick Lit Goddess this upcoming month, and I can’t wait to share them with you! With two reviews coming, several book features, and more, I hope you enjoy the features.

Anyway, I’m writing to remind you that I have updated my new author site, and have been writing blog posts. I’d love for you to check them out:

Site: Isabella Louise Anderson, (Be sure you’ve subscribed so that you don’t miss anything!)

Blog Changes & Blog Tours

Let’s Talk Book Covers

A Week of Work

Monday Inspiration

A Writer’s Life Wednesday

Furry Friday

It’s True, Authors Can Be Friends & Still Be On Top

My Writing Process Blog Hop

Happy Sunday!

The End of the Blog Tour

June 30, 2014 7 Comments

Hello, everyone, and happy Monday!

Well, family, friends and followers, today is the last day of my Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour, but it seems like it just started. Bloggers have shared excerpts, guest posts, interviews, have written reviews of “The Right Design,” and I can’t thank them enough. It was an amazing experience. As a new author who published in March, the attention my book has received has been wonderful, mostly thanks to this tour. My sales increased (get your copy now for only $0.99!), the book was shared with more people than I could have ever imagined, and I was received into authorhood with open arms. Without Samantha, who made it so much fun, was professional and in charge of it all, I couldn’t have done it without her, (and yes, when the time comes, I will be working with her again for my next tour).

Now that I’m back from a week-long vacation (one I desperately needed) and am feeling better (YAY!), for the next few weeks, I will be working on my second draft of my next release, CARDS FROM KHLOE’S FLOWER SHOP, its blurb, and other publishing details. Wish me luck!

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Anyway, if you haven’t had a chance to check out all the stops, here they are:

June 16- Keep Calm and Blog On – Review

June 17 – Relatively Yours – Guest Post & Excerpt

June 18- eBook Addict – Guest Post

June 19 – Storm Goddess Book Reviews – Review & Q&A

June 20 – Karen’s Korner – Review

June 23 – Jiha’s File – Review

June 24 – Samantha March – Q&A & Excerpt

June 25 – Clippings in the Shed – Guest Post & Excerpt

June 27 – Elke Feuer – Guest Post

June 30- Chick Lit Plus – Review

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Here are just a few comments from reviews:

“The Right Design is a quick, fun read that could help you relax during an afternoon by the pool.” Keep Calm and Blog On

“The Right Design is a light story of relationships, self discovery and finding real love.” Storm Goddess Book Reviews

“The Right Design is full of humor, drama and romance – the ultimate chick lit book.” Karen’s Korner

“I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys reading chick lit!” Jiha’s File

“A wonderful combination of light-heartedness but with several poignant moments, The Right Design delivers something for everyone.” Chick Lit Plus

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SALE ENDS TODAY!

“The Right Design” is only $0.99!

AMAZON * BARNES & NOBLE

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**Everyone who leaves a comment the Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour page (click HERE) will be entered to win a The Right Design prize pack! Prizes include an eBook of The Right Design, plus a mug and pen! Please note this is open to US/CA residents only!**

Keeping An Author’s Mind Healthy

June 19, 2014 5 Comments

“You get paid to make stuff up,” said my dad, over Father’s Day weekend. I laughed at his comment, but the more I thought about, the more I came to realize he was right, and that I’d never thought about it that way. No matter how little or how much, authors do get paid to make things up. (If you ask me, that’s pretty cool).

So, yesterday I stumbled upon THIS article about staying healthy in order for you to write better, and it energized me to start keeping my mind clear–you know, the one I’m paid to make stuff up with. It’s not about being physically fit, but rather keeping your mind healthy.

For a few months now, my mind has felt like it’s been in a bubble that just won’t burst, and it’s been very stressful. I’ve had all these ideas for my second draft of “Cards From Khloe’s Flower Shop,” and haven been eager to get back to it, but feeling the way I have, it’s been impossible to get any progress made. Also, some of you might also know that I’ve been experiencing vertigo, which has also been stressful, but I’m on day four of not having any dizziness, so I’m hoping it’s finally going away–YAY!

Now that I’m feeling a more like myself, I’d like to share just a few tips that I do to keep my mind healthy:

WALK/RUN ON A TREADMILL: Before I started experiencing vertigo, I was a walker. I loved being on my treadmill. Not only did it often help writer’s block disappear, it helped keep my mind energized. My mind would be clear, and I would be focused on nothing but my steady pace. However, on days where I felt really energized, I’d speed it up a bit, which made my workout even better. Not only was I burning calories, I was feeling motivated to get back to my characters.

Not only can walking rejuvenate your mind, you’ll begin to look better, too!

DRINK MORE WATER: I’ve tried to like water, and do off and on, but I’m not consistent as I should be with it. So, to spark up the taste a bit, I add drops of lemon or limes to it, which gives it a refreshing spin. You can also buy Dasani Drops, which come in all different flavors, (my favorite is the Pineapple Coconut). I try to drink at least six cups a day–yes, I know I should drink the typical 8, but I’m trying to get better at this.

Chug-a-lug!

TRY SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE: So, today I did something I thought I’d never do. I had my first Pilates session, (yes, you read that right). My husband has been going for over a year now, and he loves it. Finally agreeing, a few weeks ago, I went to go see him during a session, and I was really impressed. He’s been telling me to at least give it a try for so long, but I’d alway find an excuse, but he was right (yes, I just wrote for the world that he was right…Shh, I hope he’s not reading this!). Anyway, for sixty minutes, I was able to relax, breathe and do the stretches/movements without focusing on sales for my book and work on a scene I’m having trouble with at the moment, and solely let my mind go. In a way, it was euphoric, and I cannot wait to go back.

By trying something new, and giving it your best, you’ll be glad you did!

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**Click HERE to see all the stops**

Now…what would a blog post be without a plug of my book tour, right?!

I’m having a blast reading reviews, sharing guest posts, and interviews, and am loving the feedback I’m receiving, too! Just today, “The Right Design” received another 4-star review! Click HERE to see that review, and to learn more about me through an interview I did with Storm Goddess Reviews.

Also, if you haven’t picked up a copy of “The Right Design”, you can get your copy on SALE for only $0.99!:

Amazon Barnes & Noble

BooksinBloom: A $0.99 Chick Lit Sale Promo!

April 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

It brings me great joy to share with you that I’m part of a $0.99 promo with six amazing authors! The sale starts today and ends tomorrow, so be sure to get your discounted books now! Also, please don’t forget to share the promo through Twitter, using the hashtag, #BooksinBloom.

Isabella Louise Anderson, author of “The Right Design”

Tweet: “Embrace spring with #BooksInBloom and get your copy of THE RIGHT DESIGN for only $0.99! @ILA121209 amzn.to/1dVLVxD“

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Blurb: Interior designer Carrie Newman could not have envisioned a more perfect life for herself. She had a great job doing what she loved, wonderful friends, and a close relationship with her sister and brother-in-law. Add in an amazing man who she’d hoped would soon become her husband, and her life was perfect. Until one devastating decision ruins her relationship and changes the course of her life.

Determined to make a new start, Carrie leaves Texas and heads to Palm Beach to pick up the pieces of her shattered and broken life. The last thing she expects is to find herself attracted to her first client at her new job—Brad Larson, who has proven himself time and time again to be caddish.

But there’s something beneath the surface of Brad’s arrogant exterior that keeps her craving more of him—something almost sweet that Carrie can’t seem to resist.

Is Carrie ready to take another chance on romance? And will this new design of her life prove to be the right one…?

**This book is also $0.99 on Barnes & Noble (Nook) and on Kobo!

Billie Bates, author of “Private Air”

Tweet: “Celebrate spring with #BooksInBloom and get the fun and flirty novel PRIVATE AIR for only 99 cents! @BillieBates1 http://amzn.com/B00HBJD3GG“

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Blurb: When Sienna Harris joined the Australian Air Force as a flight attendant for the Prime Minister, she thought she’d hit the glam-job jackpot. But three years of weapons training, outback destinations, and a cheating fighter pilot fiancé, and she’s realized it’s not so fabulous after all. Time to embark on a new adventure, this time to the prestigious world of international VIP aviation.

Sienna and her best friend leave behind their small-town lives for a glitzy career flight attending on a Saudi prince’s private jet. Money, parties, designer clothes, and exotic locations fill the job description, while the sexy pilot, Ted, makes it hard for Sienna to obey the “no fraternizing” rule.

But even the most opulent of journeys can hit turbulence. Sienna’s boss, the appearance-obsessed chief stewardess, issues diuretics and Botox with the uniforms and catering orders, and the prince is a man who’s never told no. Underneath its lush appearance, could this desert oasis be more of a muddy puddle?

The Devil Wears Prada meets Pan Am in this fun frolic to the glamorous side of air travel, inspired by the author’s own experience as a VIP flight attendant in Saudi Arabia and Europe.

Laura Chapman, author of “Hard Hats and Doormats”

Tweet: HARD HATS AND DOORMATS by @lmchap: Girl meets job, meets boy, changes her world. Just 99 cents! http://amzn.com/B00H7OME88 #BooksInBloom

Hard Hats and Doormats

Blurb: Lexi Burke has always been a stickler for following rules and procedures. As a human resources manager for a leading Gulf Coast chemical company, it’s her job to make sure everyone else falls in line, too.

But after losing out on a big promotion–-because her boss sees her as too much of a yes-woman––Lexi adopts a new policy of following her heart instead of the fine print. And her heart knows what it wants: Jason Beaumont, a workplace crush who is off limits based on her previous protocol.

While navigating a new romance and interoffice politics, Lexi must find the confidence to stand on her own or face a lifetime of following someone else’s orders.

Who says nice girls have to finish last?

Jessica Gordon, author of “Becoming Mrs. Walsh”

Tweet: “BECOMING MRS. WALSH is $0.99! Get your copy now, available for 2 days! Enjoy #booksinbloom and happy spring! 🙂 http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Mrs-Walsh-Jessica-Gordon-ebook/dp/B009O3NO9I“

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Blurb: Shoshana Thompson is 26 years old, miles from home, and engaged to Andrew Walsh, the last single Walsh brother of one of Washington, D.C.’s wealthiest families. Throughout her engagement she becomes enamored with the Walsh lifestyle.

Life in the fast lane comes to a screeching halt when Shoshana develops feelings for another man. When she discovers the feelings may not be one-sided, things are about to get a lot more complicated. This man is not only part of her fancy new world, he is also completely off-limits.

Cat Lavoie, author of “Zoey & the Moment of Zen”

Tweet: “Love Blossoms this Spring with #BooksinBloom! ZOEY & THE MOMENT OF ZEN is only $0.99 for your #Kindle on April 21-22! amzn.to/Has3aU“

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Blurb: When coffee shop owner Zoey Everwood takes her obsession with ex-boyfriend Braden too far, everyone—except Zoey—is convinced a bit of fun in the sun at the Moment of Zen Wellness Resort will help her get over him once and for all.

But Zoey’s relaxing vacation turns out to be anything but peaceful when she meets Shane Lawson, a resort guest who bears a striking resemblance to Braden. And things get even more complicated when the resort’s owner starts spilling secrets about Zoey’s aunt Nessa, the woman who raised her. Add a snarky Wellness Coordinator and Nate Holmes—Shane’s grumpy friend—to the mix, and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect tropical storm.

When Zoey comes back home with a new husband instead of tacky souvenirs, she must convince everyone she hasn’t completely lost her mind. As Zoey and Shane struggle to keep the magic alive outside the resort, Zoey discovers that she isn’t the only one having trouble letting go of the past. And when Nate drops a bombshell that changes everything, Zoey must decide if the old saying is true—what happens at the Moment of Zen stays at the Moment of Zen.

Samantha March, author a “A Questionable Friendship”

Tweet: “Celebrate spring with #BooksinBloom and get your copy of A QUESTIONABLE FRIENDSHIP for just 99 cents! @chicklitplus http://amzn.to/1rnYxRH“

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Blurb: Brynne Ropert and Portland Dolish have been best friends since being paired as roommates in college. Seven years later they are now twenty-five, married, and living in Maine–– but the two women couldn’t be more different. Brynne finds fulfillment in her life as a wife, mother and owner of a small café and bookshop, but is struggling to expand her family. Portland is still coping with her mother’s death during her childhood, and her marriage is unraveling before her eyes. Portland envies her friend’s seemingly stable and easy life while Brynne doesn’t understand the growing distance between them and cannot begin to guess what secret Portland is hiding about her husband and crumbling marriage. While one woman feels shut out, the other enters into a web of lies to protect herself.

A Questionable Friendship explores what really makes someone a true friend, a support system, a sister. How much trust goes into a friendship and when is being a friend not enough? Brynne and Portland’s story will attempt to answer those questions, and show that happily ever after isn’t in the cards for everyone.

Savannah Page, author of the “When Girlfriends Collection”

Tweet: *Chick Lit Lovers* Check out #BooksinBloom and snag up WHEN GIRLFRIENDS COLLECTION (Books 1-3) for just 99 cents! http://amzn.to/16CNB4C“

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“When Girlfriends Break Heart” Blurb: Sophie Wharton doesn’t like losing control, especially of her life. She’s always been the girl who’s kept it together–the girl with a charming boyfriend, a lively social life, and plans to start her own bakery. Life is great for Sophie a few years out of college in Seattle…or so she thinks.

Then a series of events start to turn Sophie’s perfectly ordered world upside down.

After three years, her boyfriend suddenly decides to call it quits. Her close camaraderie of girlfriends is starting to fall apart. Secrets are exposed. And when she thinks things couldn’t get any worse, Sophie learns that one of her friends is fighting a devastating battle.

Now living with her best friend Claire, Sophie struggles with learning to forgive or forget those who break hearts, while trying to accept that there are some situations she cannot control. But is there still a light at the end of the tunnel? Can a girl find the “good” in the “bad”?

This is a heartfelt story about what happens when friendships take different paths and when life doesn’t exactly go according to plan.

“When Girlfriends Step Up” Blurb: Robin Sinclair is young, determined, and has a promising career at a small publishing house in Seattle. Even though she considers herself unlucky in love, Robin still dreams of eventually meeting Mr. Right and having a happily-ever-after kind of life. And at twenty-five, the world of opportunity is wide. But it’s been a difficult year filled with trials…and it’s only just begun.

While long-time friendships are finally on the mend, and things are starting to look up again, Robin is faced with her biggest challenge yet. She’s single and pregnant.

Uncertain now of her future and scared of being alone, Robin must re-examine her life and choices, and summon the courage to step up.

With the love and support of her best girlfriends from college, especially her best friend and roommate, Lara, Robin will learn that when the going gets tough, the best of friends become family. And, perhaps, with their encouragement, Robin can mature and gain the confidence needed to become a single mother. And, who knows about being unlucky in love. Things are suddenly getting interesting with Robin’s attractive co-worker, Bobby.

This is an endearing story about maturity and perseverance. It’s a story about friends coming together as family, about finding the strength within and around, and about writing your own happily-ever-after.

“When Girlfriends Make Choices” Blurb: Lara Kearns has it all. She has her MBA, a successful career in advertising in Seattle, and she’s even living with her best friend and single mom, Robin. Reliable, dedicated, and eager, Lara is the resident go-to-girl, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lara’s that girl who has everything going for her…everything, that is, except for true love. With the big 3-0 on its way and no man in sight, Lara wonders if she’ll always be married to her career, or her cat, and never find the One.

But then, when she least expects it, a handsome and suave executive at her firm, Paul Mackenzie, makes a pass at her. Hesitant at first about striking up an office romance, Lara eventually finds herself falling for her charming colleague. And the best part? Paul is falling in love with Lara, too!

What happens, though, when the man of your dreams loves you…and his wife?

Battling with what the head and the heart want, Lara finds herself in a precarious situation. Life is spiraling out of control, but with the support of her therapist and friends, Lara must make a choice. Is she really prepared to chase after love…at all costs?

This is a provocative story about struggling between right and wrong. About what you will or won’t do for true love.

**Don’t forget to share about the sale, it ends tomorrow (April 22nd)**

Kim Gruenenfelder

March 12, 2014 Leave a Comment

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About author, Kim Gruenenfelder: Kim Gruenenfelder lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son, and continues to avoid anything even remotely resembling a real job. In addition to her books A Total Waste of Makeup, Misery Loves Cabernet, There’s Cake in My Future, and her newest, Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink, she has written feature film screenplays, episodic teleplays and two stage plays.

INTERVIEW

When did you start writing? I officially started writing when I was 20 years old, and working for the gameshow Jeopardy!. They were doing a teen tournament, and the writers on staff were all in their 30s and 40s and I thought a little out of touch with what teens knew. So I asked the producer of the show if I could write a few categories. He said yes, and I loved it and officially joined the writing staff a few months later. My first category was “Boys”. (Things haven’t changed much.)

Have you always wanted to be an author? Nope. I started writing screenplays while I worked at Jeopardy!, and had enough success with those to get to leave that show and write full time. But frequently in Hollywood, you sell a script and have a job, then no one ever shoots it. After awhile it got hard on my ego to never have anything to show for my career. After I had my son, I decided to take a little time off to write a novel. The book was “A Total Waste of Makeup”, and it was just my take on turning 30. It sold very well (I was very lucky), and suddenly I had a new career.

What is the writing/editing/publishing process like for you? Wow. Those are 3 totally different categories. When I wrote “Makeup”, I wrote whatever I wanted, then got an agent, rewrote it based on her notes, then sold it to St. Martin’s. My editor didn’t have many notes. However, for my next three books, “Misery Loves Cabernet”, “There’s Cake in my Future” and “Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink” I spent month pitching ideas for books, many of which were rejected. Once an idea was approved, I would write a first draft, which my editor gave notes on, then write a second draft.

The publishing process is all about other people doing their jobs – I mostly get to sit back and watch. My editor oversees the design of the cover, done by an artist I don’t know. A proofreader makes sure the copy looks good (I also proofread the final copy twice). The marketing people get me into bookstores, and my publicist (Hi Nick!) gets me into publications like yours so that I sell more books. Publishing the book itself is a team effort which actually has very little to do with me. And I am very lucky to have such talented people doing that part.

Do you prefer the term “chick lit” or “women’s fiction”? I am trying to get the term “Romantic Comedy fiction” to gain some traction. My husband made up the term to describe to men what I do for a living. I don’t mind “chicklit” though: I even defended it on a TV show recently. I also don’t mind “Women’s Fiction”, but the term is so general, and includes so many types of books – everything from erotic fiction (which is nothing like what I write) to comical fiction. So I prefer chicklit or Romantic Comedy lit, because the terms are more specific.

Which author inspires you? I’m going to cheat and give you two answers, because they inspire me for different reasons:

Shakespeare. I love all things Shakespeare. Okay, not Titus Andronicus, but everything else. I can just open his collected works and pick a comedy to read, and it makes my world a better place.

Charles Dickens (as a work in progress). Years ago, my father gave me a copy of a rough draft of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, which includes all of his notes scribbled all over the pages as he was working on his final draft. I am inspired by it, because even a great author like him clearly had days when he thought, “What am I doing? Is this even good?”

How do you come up with the titles of your books? Back in college, my roommates and I used the expression “A Total Waste of Makeup” to refer to really bad dates. When I wrote that book, I used it as a working title, just assuming someone else would have already used it. Turned out, no one had. I originally called “Misery Loves Cabernet” “A Total Waste of New Lingerie”, since it is a sequel to “Makeup”, but my editor didn’t love it, so I came up with a bunch of alternate titles, and she burst out laughing when I said, “Misery Loves Cabernet”. Getting someone to burst out laughing is always my goal.

“There’s Cake in my Future” was actually suggested to me by Jennifer Enderlin, an editor at St. Martin’s, and I loved it. “Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink” was inspired one night when I threw out on Facebook that I needed a title. My friend Janet DiVincenzio started the “Keep Calm and” part, and my agent, Kim Whalen, finished it with “Carry a Big Drink”.

I loved There’s Cake In My Future! Where did you get the idea for that book, and who was your favorite character to write? My friend Dorothy went to a cake pull, and told me all about how the bride tried to rig the cake for the guests. She suggested I write a book about that. I thought the idea of the bride trying to rig the cake, then screwing it up, was a fun comedy of errors. I liked writing all of the characters: by making Nic a stepmom, I was able to jump into the stage of motherhood I was in at the time (still am actually), which is the driving all over town getting your kid to school and after school activities, dealing with shopping trips for random things like poster board and a jester’s hat (I didn’t include that specific story, but yes, one afternoon I had to track down a jester’s hat, which my son announced he needed the next morning for school. It was already 4:00. Fortunately, I live in L.A., and tracked down a costume shop open until 7, but jeez…) Seema was fun because I got to go back in time to when I had a huge crush on my friend, and Mel was fun because I could go back in time and laugh at all the disastrous plans I had back when I was actively trying to find a man.

In Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink you wrote the book from Mel’s POV. What made you decide to pick her character? I actually started writing “Keep Calm” the same way I wrote “Cake”: with all three women speaking from chapter to chapter. But I soon realized that Nic’s story was a little boring: people don’t really want to read about changing diapers. Seema’s story was about the struggles of the first year of marriage, when fantasy becomes reality and your Prince Charming becomes the guy who can’t do a dish or pick up his socks. And while I liked that, I decided I could include her as a secondary character and still keep those struggles in the book. Mel was really the only one who did not yet have her happy ending, so she quickly became the person I wanted to write about.

Every author must have a…:

Screw Loose.

Okay, I mentioned this question to some writer friends, and they wanted to add a few:

Wine rack. — Bart Baker, Honeymoon with Harry

Trust fund. – Quinn Cummings, Notes from the Underwire: Adventures from my Awkward and Lovely Life

And a corkscrew. – Back to Bart Baker

From your first to your latest release, can you see a difference in your writing? I don’t notice a difference in my writing per se, although I guess I use less of my real life now. My first book “A Total Waste of Makeup” was pretty autobiographical, particularly the family stuff (I even used some of my family’s real names: for example, my mom and dad are named Carol and Ed.) The characters of my later books are in completely made up situations.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given? In terms of writing: “Unapologetically write for women.” Years ago, while writing screenplays, I was trying to imitate the male action writers at the time, including a friend of mine who was quite successful. I was imitating him poorly (although he was nice enough never to say that.) So one night he asked me, “What do you want to write?” And I said, “I want to write female characters for women.” And he said, “So do that. Unapologetically write for women.” The conversation was longer, but ever since then I have unapologetically written for women. I hope men like it too, but that’s not my goal. Also, I no longer try to imitate anyone else. I throw it out there, and people either like it or hate it, but at least it’s all mine.

What are you working on right now? I just finished a TV pilot of “Makeup”, and am about to start a new book. Will keep you posted.

**An additional comment from Kim: Please buy my books! I’m not qualified to do anything else!

**Contact Kim: Email Website Facebook Twitter

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**Books by Kim Gruenenfelder**

TotalWasteOfMakeupCoverPic — A Total Waste of Makeup

MiseryLovesCabernetCoverPic — Misery Loves Cabernet

**Click HERE to read my review of “There’s Cake in My Future”

BigDrinkCoverPic — Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink

I’M PUBLISHED!

March 10, 2014 7 Comments

Yep, it’s true! I’m a published author, and wow, it feels great! Read all about my self-publishing experience on my author blog, HERE!

Excited that The Right Design is finally released, and want it now? Get it for $3.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo!

Thank you all for your love and support during the happiest time in my life!

TRD-FinalCoverPic

The Great Chick Lit Ebook Giveaway

March 9, 2014 Leave a Comment

**PROPER CONTEST RULES APPLY, (see below)**

After Wimbledon by Jennifer Gilby Roberts

After 12 years on the pro. tennis tour and four years with her sort-of boyfriend, Lucy Bennett has had enough. She wants real life… and real love.

Her life, her decision. Right? Well, no one else seems to think so. With opinions on all sides, Lucy’s head is spinning. And she’s stumbling right into the arms of long-term crush and fellow player Sam. Shame her boyfriend – his arch-rival – would sooner smash a racquet over their heads than agree to a simple change of partners.

As the Wimbledon Championships play out, Lucy fights for her life on and off the courts. The question is: what will she be left with after Wimbledon?

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble

Thirty-Two Going on Spinster by Becky Monson

Julia Dorning is a spinster, or at least on the road to becoming one. She has no social life, hates her career, and lives in her parent’s basement with her cat, Charlie.

With the arrival of Jared Moody, the new hire at work, Julia’s mundane life is suddenly turned upside down. Her instant (and totally ridiculous) crush on the new guy causes Julia to finally make some long-overdue changes, in hopes to find a life that includes more than baking and hanging out with Charlie.

But when the biggest and most unexpected change comes, will the new and improved Julia be able to overcome it? Or will she go back to her spinster ways?

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Dangled Carat by Hilary Grossman

Hilary had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc, thirteen years her senior. They had a great relationship–why rush into things? She saw no need to pressure him for marriage, believing that when the time was right, he would propose.

But after they had been together for four years, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose and making Hilary realize how much she really did want to marry the man that she loved. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn’t ready–and their friends’ meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year’s Eve that brought their relationship to an inevitable turning point.

In this relatable, light-hearted, and playful memoir, Hilary reminisces about her life before Marc—from the insecure and awkward teenage years she spent in a back brace and dealing with the loss of her father, to her early relationships and, finally, to the day she met Marc and realized that she really wanted to see him again. Through their first date—even though Hilary was technically seeing someone else at the time—and the ease of their early time together until Marc first decided that they were moving too quickly, up until that fateful New Year’s Eve, Hilary shares the details of their relationship and how Marc’s inability to commit led her to find an inner strength and confidence she didn’t know she possessed.

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble

Conditional Love by Cathy Bramley

Meet Sophie Stone, a thirty-something serial procrastinator. Tesco knickers, Take That and tea with two sugars is about as exciting as it gets. Sophie’s life is safe and predictable, which is just the way she likes it, thank you very much. But when her boyfriend dumps her on Valentine’s Day and a mysterious benefactor leaves her an inheritance, even Sophie has to accept that change is afoot. There is a catch: in order to inherit, Sophie must agree to meet the father she has never seen.

Not a fan of surprises, Sophie would rather not; why not let sleeping dads lie? Besides, her mother would kill her. With interference from an evil boss, bickering flat mates, warring parents and a sexy ex-boyfriend, Sophie has plenty to contend with without an architect who puts his foot in it every time he opens his mouth.

But it soon becomes clear that she will have to face the past and learn some uncomfortable home truths before she can finally build a future on her own terms.

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble

The Shopping Swap by Erin Brady

Maggie Andrew has a problem. She needs to convince Richard, her attorney boyfriend of five years, that he’s finally ready for a commitment. How? By planning an unforgettable night starting with a romantic dinner for two and ending in the bedroom. And to help things along, Maggie has spent half of her salary on sexy black lingerie from Crandall’s Department Store that Richard won’t be able to resist.

Except, once home, Maggie realizes she has someone else’s shopping bag and instead of her very expensive lingerie, she’s stuck with a housecoat that wouldn’t turn anyone’s head, least of all Richards. When Maggie goes back to the scene of the swap, she runs into Benjamin Saunders, a tall, dark and handsome stranger, who not only has what she wants but may also turn out to have what she needs.

Suddenly what Maggie thinks she has with Richard is called into question and she’s not sure of anything.

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, Amazon.in

Zoey and the Moment of Zen by Cat Lavoie

When coffee shop owner Zoey Everwood takes her obsession with ex-boyfriend Braden too far, everyone—except Zoey—is convinced a bit of fun in the sun at the Moment of Zen Wellness Resort will help her get over him once and for all.

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Saving Saffron Sweeting by Pauline Wiles

Grace Palmer’s British friends all think she’s living the American Dream. But her design business is floundering and when she discovers her husband is cheating with her best client, she panics and flees home to England.

The tranquil village of Saffron Sweeting appears to be a good place for Grace to lick her wounds, but the community is battling its own changes. Reluctantly, Grace finds herself helping her new neighbours as they struggle to adjust and save their businesses. However, not everyone has the same opinion on what’s good for the village. The charismatic new man in her life may have one speculative eye on Grace, but the other is firmly on profit. How will she navigate the tricky path between her home and her happiness?

With gentle humour and generous helpings of British tea and cake, Saving Saffron Sweeting explores one woman’s need to define herself through her career and community, before she can figure out who should be by her side.

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble

Super Natalie by Caitlin McKenna

Natalie Dalton can’t hold down a job. It’s not because she is constantly late, has a terrible work ethic or doesn’t try. It’s because she is plagued with a gift she’d rather give back. Natalie can communicate with ghosts—annoying, persistent ghosts who choose to have a word with her at the most inconvenient times, often at work with bosses and colleagues around.

Fired from her umpteenth job and nearly out of cash, Natalie accepts an offer to appear on the low-brow, sensationalist TV talk show, World’s Weirdest Hobbies, to discuss her unusual ability, but more importantly to collect a paycheck. Unfortunately, a spirit appears as she’s being interviewed and ends up embarrassing the host of the show by revealing a juicy secret. The host goes ballistic and the clip of his attack goes viral, which catapults Natalie into the limelight and lands her a reality series as a paranormal investigator.

With her financial future secure, it looks like Natalie’s life is finally going to run smoothly for a change. Then she meets Ryan Emery, a gorgeous, sweet, funny guy who is working on her new series. Natalie could really fall for him except for the fact that Ryan is a major skeptic. He doesn’t believe in ghosts and never will. This presents a problem when a persistent spirit wants Natalie to give Ryan a message—one that will dramatically change his life. Now Natalie must somehow get Ryan to believe. Can she do it without ruining a potentially great relationship?

As Natalie carefully navigates her precarious situation, she suffers a loss which makes her question her own beliefs. With both of their lives turned upside down, Natalie and Ryan lean on each other and soon learn that what they truly need cannot always be explained with logic and reason.

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, Amazon.in, Barnes & Noble

Hard Hats and Doormats by Laura Chapman

Lexi Burke has always been a stickler for following rules and procedures. As a human resources manager for a leading Gulf Coast chemical company, it’s her job to make sure everyone else falls in line, too.

While navigating a new romance and interoffice politics, Lexi must find the confidence to stand on her own or face a lifetime of following someone else’s orders.

Who says nice girls have to finish last?

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

The Great British Date Off by Sheila Brady

Londoner Maggie Sullivan hadn’t exactly spent her teenage years beating off hordes of panting admirers with a stick. In fact, most of it was spent alone in her bedroom either working on her Spice Girls, Union Jack dress or trying out her dead mother’s heated rollers.

All that had changed in her final year at school. As the object of her all-consuming school girl crush, Steve, had remarked at the time; who would have thought losing a little puppy fat, discovering hair product and investing in a Wonderbra would make such a difference? More than ten years on, he still has ‘plans’ for Maggie … but not until he’s got one or two things out of his system.

Only now Maggie has announced her intention to move to the country and he is not happy; especially since he’s noticed a ‘country toff’ rival ‘sniffing around’. He is more than delighted that Maggie’s move is turning out to be somewhat of a disaster. While she had been expecting village fetes, cricket teas and to be able to finally unleash her inner baker; in reality her cake-making efforts are being described as ‘lacklustre’, her godfather and boss is being referred to in very derogatory terms and somehow an extremely embarrassing photo has appeared in the local paper.

An overheard conversation and a chance late night encounter lead Maggie to conclude that widower and local ‘catch’, Will is responsible and there is a price to be paid, right? How can she know that her day (or rather, intimate evening) of reckoning will set in motion a roller coaster ride of high points and humiliations that will put to the test some of her most long standing relationships and lead her to question everything she thinks she knows about her capacity for love…

**Purchase links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, other Amazon sites

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End Date: Midnight 14 March 2014 EST

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