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Chick Lit Plus

BOOK EXCERPT: “Up To I Do”

September 30, 2015 1 Comment

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Blurb: Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go … not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything. 
When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.

EXCERPT

Chapter Nine

MyWeddingPlans.com Status Update: Nearly lost a bridesmaid today. #needaredo #redhotmess

The day of the bridesmaid dress appointment felt similar to picking out my wedding dress. Once again, Mom, Grams, Milly, Sienna, and the rest of the bridesmaids gathered at the house for breakfast. Delilah had even made the trip down once again, and we were going to have a sleepover at Milly’s that night with the three of us. I couldn’t wait.

Once we were finished eating, we were off in the limo once again to the bridal shop where I had purchased my dress. I had to put my foot down on this. Evie (and also Honor and a tad bit of Tatiana if I’m honest) pushed for a New York trip to find the bridesmaid dress, throwing out all these top-notch shops filled with designer dresses. But . . . if I couldn’t have a designer dress, why would my maids wear one? I had finally come to terms that I had my dream dress and it just happened not to be a big name designer. I couldn’t handle if the other girls had one. The men were wearing Vera Wang for God’s sake. Cut me a little slack here.

Once we arrived at the store and were greeted warmly by Sandra, the owner, she ushered us to the back and I sat on the throne—a big fluffy red chair reserved for brides. Milly handed me scorecards that she had made so I could rate each dress from 1-10, and Sandra explained what would happen. We had fifteen minutes to walk around the store and grab dresses, then the fun would begin. Pretty simple.

On her mark, the lot of us scattered like marbles on a wood floor, on the hunt for the perfect bridesmaid dress. I managed to pull two, getting overwhelmed quickly by all the choices. How would I ever find one? Maybe each girl could wear a different dress in the same color. Would that be too busy? Did I care? Why was I here? Couldn’t I have made Katrina handle this on her own? But no, she probably would have been sucked into going to New York as well. It was better I was here and in control.

“Time!” Sandra stood in the middle of the floor, and I realized then that we were the only people in the store, which I had to think was unusual for a Saturday morning. I wondered if Mom had reserved the space solely for us. That was sweet and a necessity I hadn’t even thought of because I wasn’t sure I could concentrate if a bunch of other bridesmaids were traipsing along the aisles.

After handing my choices over to Sandra and taking a seat at the throne, I waited anxiously for the girls to come out. Each was coming out first in a pick of their own, and I was curious to see what each girl’s style was going to be. Milly was the exception. Since she was my maid of honor, I was going to let her off the hook for trying dresses on. I figured we had enough girls around. She had thanked me profusely that morning for the favor.

“Got your scorecards at the ready?” Sienna asked me, her eyes bright. As the countdown to the big day got closer, Sienna seemed to be more and more in her element. I think Mom was relieved she was taking some of the pressure off her, especially with the pageant taking up more time than she expected it to.

I held up the thick cards that Milly had clearly put a lot of time into. “Ready to roll!”

Sandra cleared her throat and started listing off the designer names and the dress features. Honor was in a strapless dress that fell to the knee, with a belted waist and crumb catcher top. Delilah’s dress also featured a crumb catcher top (these two were so alike it could be scary) but hers had no belt and was less structured than Honor’s. Tatiana had a long strapless dress with a keyhole in the chest area—a little too risqué in my opinion. Evie . . . Evie. Evie was in a short hot pink dress that dipped low in the back, nearly to her crack, and her boobs were pushed up so high I was sure a nip slip was going to happen in the store. How in the world that was a suitable bridesmaid dress for anyone was beyond me. I couldn’t even look at her.

“Gabby’s dress is my favorite out of this group,” I said, my eyes immediately going to her soft chiffon dress with delicate straps and a ruched bodice. It fit her well and looked so pretty and feminine. And to be honest—a crumb catcher scared me. Even the name was just plain weird.

“You have a little diversity here with styles and even lengths,” Sandra said, standing by me. “Let’s focus on Honor and Delilah first, since they are similar. Do you like the crumb catcher top?”

I held up a scorecard with a 4 on it. “Sorry, ladies. I think those tops are weird.”

“Emerson!” They both screeched, looking at one another and laughing. Milly joined in from her perch on the chair next to me.

“I bet this would look great in your wedding,” Delilah said, patting Honor on the arm, who I think turned a little pale at that. “Or yours, Milly. And I can’t wait to hear all about this Miles tonight!”

Milly blushed as we all—even Grams and Sienna—hooted at her. “Yeah, yeah, let’s get back to the task at hand. So nothing fashion forward for the bride. No crumb catcher. Got it.”

“How about Tatiana’s? What do you think of a long dress?” Sandra asked.

I flipped through my stack and held up a 7. “I like this one more, but I’m not sure about long. Most of the pictures I’ve been pinning are short.”

“Long tends to work better for more formal weddings,” Mom said as her cell phone started to ring, piercing through the quiet store. “My gracious, my apologies. I thought I turned the ringer off.” She fumbled in her Prada for her phone, looking at the screen and frowning. “It’s the pageant. Again. Third call this morning. I’m sorry, let me just step outside quick and I’ll be back in a shake.” She rushed outside without even grabbing her coat, and I stared at her retreating back, frowning. For someone who was donating her time and efforts to the pageant cause, she sure was pretty invested in that event.

Shaking my head, I focused again at the task at hand. “Let’s keep it long then,” I said. “I like the idea of a more formal wedding, so if that will help with the pictures, let’s do it. And it’ll be September, so not like the girls will be overheated or anything.”

“Long it is,” Grams confirmed.

“Let’s move to Gabby’s,” Sandra suggested.

“I thought you didn’t want chiffon,” Milly said, remembering a conversation we had in the past about bridesmaid dresses.

“I didn’t think I did, but seeing it on her, it looks really good. I especially like how it’s tight in the middle. I think it would be really flattering on everyone.” I eyed the dress, liking it more with each passing second. I held up a 9. “This is a serious contender.”

Sandra cleared her throat. “And how about . . . Evie’s?”

Everyone was silent. “No,” I said simply.

Evie stomped a foot. “But, Emerson, this color is gorgeous! And not to diss any of these other top-notch dresses, but this one really is the best.” Her tone dripped in sarcasm.

I raised a brow. “No,” I said again. “I’m not even going to touch on how hideous that dress is—no offense, Sandra—or how inappropriate it would be for not only my wedding, but the majority of weddings that take place. Now go back, pick a dress that is actually suitable, and come back. Or leave. I honestly don’t care which.” I folded my arms and stared at her.

She wavered under my glare—I saw it. “Fine.” She flounced away and everyone stood frozen to their spots, not sure of what to say.

Sandra cleared her throat. “Well, um, a successful first round. Let’s head back into the dressing room and I’ll do one of your picks, Emerson, along with picks from the others in the group.” Sandra ushered my maids away and I leaned back in the chair, replacing all the score cards and gearing up for round two.

**Check out the “Up To I Do” book links: Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Kobo   Goodreads

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SamanthaMarchNewPic**About the author: Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and has three published novels – Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket and A Questionable Friendship. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.

**Keep in touch with Samantha: Instagram   Facebook   Twitter   Youtube

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**GIVEAWAY**

**Click HERE to enter to win a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!

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**Click HERE to see other stops on Samantha’s Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour!

Filed Under: Up To I Do - Book tour Tagged With: Books, Chick Lit Goddess, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, Excerpt, Giveaway, New Release, Samantha March, Up To I Do, Weddings, Women's Fiction

COVER REVEAL: Up To I Do by Samantha March

May 20, 2015 2 Comments

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a cover reveal, but I’m fairly partial to this one. I’ve had the pleasure of beta reading Samantha March’s fourth novel, “Up To I Do,” and today, I’m beyond thrilled to share the cover release with you! ISN’T IT BEAUTIFUL?! While the book hasn’t been released yet, this is already one of the best books I’ve read this year, as Samantha March’s writing just gets better and better!

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“Up To I Do” by Samantha March

Blurb: Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go…not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything.

When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.
But her spirited Grams is there to make sure neither happens. With her help and guidance, Emerson not only has her wedding plans back on track, but she remembers the reason why they are going through the stress of wedding planning – because at the end of it all she gets to marry her true love, and marriage is defined by more than a wedding.

**Click HERE to add “Up To I Do” to your reading list on Goodreads!

Filed Under: Up To I Do Tagged With: Books, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, Cover Reveal, Romance, Samantha March, Up To I Do, Weddings, Women's Fiction

I’m Going on a Book Tour!

June 13, 2014 2 Comments

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Hey, everyone, and happy Friday! It’s been quite busy, fun, and sometimes hectic here in my world (dealing with an inner ear problem that has caused me to experience vertigo, which isn’t fun, going to see the last George Strait concert with my sister–thank goodness I was feeling okay that night, and working on another draft of my next book, Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop), but things are looking up, and I have some awesome news to share with you.

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Starting this Monday, I’m going on my first book tour with Chick Lit Plus, and I can’t be more excited! Also, from the 16th thru the 30th, you can get your copy of “The Right Design” for only $0.99 (only on Kindle and Nook)!

Purchase links: Amazon   Barnes & Noble

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Be sure to check the following dates to see all the stops, or click HERE to go to my CLP Blog Tour page:

June 16th – Keep Calm and Blog On – Review

June 17th – Relatively Yours – Guest Post & Excerpt

June 18th – eBook Addict – Guest Post

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

June 20th – Karen’s Korner – Review

June 23rd – Jiha’s File – Review

June 24th – Samantha March – Q&A & Excerpt

June 25th – Clippings in the Shed – Guest Post

June 27th – Elke Feuer – Guest Post & Excerpt

June 30th – Chick Lit Plus – Review

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Have a wonderful weekend, family, friends and followers!

Filed Under: Isabella, The Right Design Tagged With: $0.99 Cent Promo, Books, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, CLP blog tours, Dallas, Excerpts, Florida, Guest posts, Interviews, Isabella Louise Anderson, Palm Beach, Reviews, Texas, Women's Fiction

A Questionable Friendship

April 10, 2014 2 Comments

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“A Questionable Friendship” by Samantha March

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.

Excerpt:

I lay in bed by myself that night, as Trent said he still had some reports to look at. I flipped onto my stomach, my favorite sleeping position, and tried to will myself to sleep. But my mind wouldn’t shut off. I flashed to the papers I found in Trent’s desk last night, purely on accident. I had never thought to snoop on my husband of two years. I was trying to find our tax returns from last year to give to the accountant, as we were severely behind and the April deadline was just around the corner. I had tried calling Trent to see where they were, but his phone was going to straight to voicemail. I knew he was driving home and sometimes his service cut in and out, so I didn’t think anything of it. I decided to find the papers myself, mostly out of boredom and the need to do something.

Trent’s office in our 2200 square foot ranch home was on the first floor, all the way to the east. I rarely ventured in there as I had no reason too, only popping in when Trent was working. It felt a little foreign being there, but I sat at his desk chair and looked around me. His desk wasn’t just some shoddy little thing tucked into the corner, no, the desk ran almost the full length of the wall, big enough for three people to easily fit at. He had one desktop computer set up and a laptop as well, and he carried yet another laptop with him on business trips. A printer that doubled as a scanner sat on one corner, and a fax machine on another. He had multiple calendars hung up with agendas scribbled on the majority of the dates, and another smaller calendar that sat to the right of the desktop. It was opened to that date, March 14, and scribbled on there was “Petosi.” He had been in that town for the past two nights, and was due home late in the night.

After some searching, I finally found the drawer that seemed to hold important records. Our passports were in there, our wedding license, birth certificates, and deed to the house. I found the titles to both our vehicles, but no tax information. I frowned, trying to think of another spot he would have them. I slipped all the papers back in the appropriate files and shut the drawer, and when I did, a single piece of paper had floated down to me, from somewhere at the top of the desk. I grabbed the sheet and read over the words, my eyes growing wide, then squinting as I read and re-read. My body turned cold as I sat in shock, trying to process what I had read. When I realized I’d been sitting there for probably thirty minutes doing absolutely nothing I jumped, understanding that Trent could walk through the door at any minute and find me. Then what would I say?

Carefully, I pushed myself up and climbed onto the office chair, putting the piece of paper back where I thought it had come from. From my new vantage point, I saw the top of his desk was riddled with other papers and…a calendar. I swallowed hard as I peered closer and saw what was written in under March 13. My stomach heaving, I quickly left the office after righting the chair to its original spot, and fled to the bathroom.

I blinked back tears in bed as I forced myself to calm my mind. Trent had some explaining to do sure, but how did I tell him what I had found? Did that really even matter in the grand scheme of things? But knowing the Trent as of lately, he would try to turn this around on me and make me look like the bad person. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed for sleep. I just wanted to sleep, to forget about what I had found. The day had been torturous enough, trying to make everything seem like it was hunky dory and nothing out of place. And what would tomorrow bring? More questions. And next week – Trent would be gone for two weeks. Would he be going where he said he was? What was he actually doing on his trips away?

The bedroom door opened and I saw Trent enter the room, already in just his boxers. I let my breathing become even so he would think I was asleep.

He plugged his cell phone in and set it on the nightstand, then pulled the covers back and crawled in. I felt his cold feet touch mine and jerked involuntarily. “Are you awake?” he whispered. I could feel his erection pressing into my back, and knew what he wanted. He probably touched me on purchase.

“Mmmph,” I mumbled, not opening my eyes.

“Port. You awake?” he asked again, clearly not getting the hint as his hand wandered to my breast.

I rolled away and made more sleeping noises, begging in my mind for him to leave me alone. He stayed quiet for another moment, then finally rolled the other way.

I was off the hook – at least for one night.

SamanthaMarchPic**About author, Samantha March:

Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and has three published novels – Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket and A Questionable Friendship. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.

**Contact Samantha: Website   Facebook   GoodReads   Twitter

**Buy “A Questionable Friendship”: Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Kobo – eBook

**GIVEAWAY**

Click HERE to enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift card!

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**Click HERE to see other stops on Samantha’s Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours!

Filed Under: A Questionable Friendship Tagged With: A Questionable Friendship, Books, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, CLP blog tours, Excerpt, Giveaway, Samantha March, Women's Fiction

COVER REVEAL: A Questionable Friendship

January 8, 2014 2 Comments

Once again, it’s time for another cover reveal! Being one who often judges a cover by its cover, which makes me want to read it. A Questionable Friendship by Samantha March, is no different!

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“A Questionable Friendship” by Samantha March

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.

**Blogger note: I cannot wait to read this one!

SamanthaMarchPic**About Samantha March:

Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and has three published novels – Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket and A Questionable Friendship. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.

**Contact Samantha: Website   Facebook   Goodreads   Twitter

Filed Under: A Questionable Friendship Tagged With: A Questionable Friendship, Books, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, Cover Reveal, Samantha March, Women's Fiction

Samantha March

December 27, 2012 5 Comments

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Author bio of Samantha March:  Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and her debut novel Destined to Fail. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

Interview with Samantha March

What about the Chick Lit genre do you love the most?  I love the main characters. I am big advocate for strong women, and even though some characters might start off unsure of themselves or confused with a certain situation, they always figure it out and get their happy ending!

Describe how writing/editing/publishing works for you?  I love what I do, and while some call it a hobby, I take it very seriously. I have set hours, I have deadlines that I meet, and work hard every day – weekends included! I’ve always loved writing and creating stories for characters, and I’m sometimes in awe where that little idea has taken me to. Calling myself a freelance editor was a big deal for me; I enrolled in online courses to learn as much as I could and begged for clients to let me work for them for free in the beginning. And now I’m so busy I’ve had to (sadly!) turn some requests down. And then came launching Marching Ink, my independent publishing company. I love books, I love writing, I love it all. Being this busy and wearing so many hats works for me because this is my passion, and I never feel like I’m working!

You’re a very busy woman, take us through your busy day:  Oh boy. Okay. It can change a lot, so I’ll just make it easy on myself and do the day that I am typing this, which happens to be a Thursday. I work 10-630 at my full-time job on Thursdays, which is for a hospital in my town. I do get to work from home, which is a great perk! But I woke up at 730 and hopped on the computer to tackle my emails, go through CLP Blog Tours, and make sure my scheduled post ran on time on Chick Lit Plus. I ate some breakfast and headed off to the gym. Once home I did a quick workout DVD (currently participating in Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred) showered, and then logged in to the hospital. On my lunch break I check out my emails again and get caught up. At 5 I welcome home my fiancé for a hot second before he leaves for his bowling league (he’s 24 – I swear!). Log off at 630 and eat some dinner, then really tackle my emails, work on blog tours, get the posts ready for CLP for Friday, and do all this while watching some wedding shows on TV – I’m getting married next September! I typically work on the computer until about 10 when my fiancé gets home, then I give my eyes a rest! That’s my fun-filled day 🙂

What has been your greatest challenge in your career?  I would say getting started. I really wasn’t too sure what I was doing, and I was basically diving in blind. I didn’t even own a laptop when I got the idea to start Chick Lit Plus – which was the kick off to everything else. So learning how to create and manage a website was crazy hard for me!

You’re a Green Bay Packers fan!  Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers?  Go Pack Go! My fiancé and I actually also just bought stock in the team last year 🙂 Just had to get that out there! I was a big Favre fan growing up (of course) but when the decision time came, I was all for Aaron. I was okay with looking towards the future instead of staying with the past, and um…look how that decision panned out 😉

Where is your favorite place to write?  Just my office! It’s easier for me to write (and work) in my office because I don’t have any distractions there.

What or who helps you create ideas for your next book?  Really just my mind. Characters and scenes jump into my head literally all the time, and I’ve started a running list with all the ideas that have come to me. I think a lot are inspired by my life and my friends, and I’m really passionate about telling stories that mean something to me.

As a writer, what is the item you must have with you at all times?  It used to be a paper and pen, but now it’s my phone with the memo app. If I get an idea or hear something that I think would work in a book, I’ll type it in. I do also keep paper and pen by my bed for when I have an idea and my phone is out of reach charging!

Tell us about the most memorable highlight in your career:  My most memorable moments are really just when I get told by a family member or friend how proud of me or how excited they are for me. It never fails to make me cry.

What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?  Gosh that’s hard because I am to the point where I feel like I share everything! Maybe the fact that I don’t eat vegetables – I don’t like any of them!!

What is your favorite snack while working?  Can I say ice cream? That’s my favorite all-time snack! I do try to eat healthier at home though, so I like to keep Special K Cereal Bars on hand – they are yummy!

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?  I am working on book number 3, starting the planning and researching for that now. My first two books are set in Iowa which is where I live, but the third will be out of state, so I am busy researching right now to get all those little details right 🙂

**Bonus question!

Congratulations on your engagement!  How are the wedding plans going, and do you plan on writing about your journey as a bride-to-be through a fictional character?  Thank you so much! I am very excited to get married next year 🙂 The wedding plans are coming along! It is a lot of work, but I have great friends and family members that are supporting and helping all the way. I have also started video blogging about the journey on CLP! I did actually intern with a wedding planner a few years back and always wanted to write a story where maybe the MC is a wedding planner, and this is just giving me more ideas to work with!

**Contact Samantha!

Samantha March

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter

**Click HERE to read my 5 star review of “The Green Ticket!”

Filed Under: Samantha March Tagged With: Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, CLP blog tours, Guest Interview, Samantha March, The Green Ticket

Unlocked

June 15, 2012 2 Comments

Book review of “Unlocked”

“Unlocked” by Rachael O’Bryan

This book is about a woman’s relationships with men while working as a tutor in college.  With all the ups and downs of this part in Rebecca’s life, it’s a clear view of how relationships can impact the rest of your life.

With all the intimate details of Rebecca’s life, it reminded me of reading a diary with very little dialog, which I didn’t mind.  The chapters are broken up into little stories and I thought that was a creative way to draw the reader in — I know I was!  The main character, Rebecca, has very low self-esteem, which was sad because I liked her.  With each story and relationship, it seemed to change the way she thought about men and life.  By the end, I was happy for her because she seemed to be content, but unfortunately, I didn’t buy it.  I would have really liked to see more of a change at the end, making her truly evolved in life and in love.  The writing was good and it didn’t drag, but no matter how much I tried to connect with Rebecca, I couldn’t.  Overall, I thought this book was really good.  If you’re looking for a quick read, filled with the ups and downs of relationships, you will really enjoy this book.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars!

Buy “Unlocked!”

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Lulu – Paperback

Lulu – ePub

Lulu – PDF

**Click HERE to read a guest post by the author!

Filed Under: Rachael O'Bryan, Unlocked Tagged With: Book Reviews, Book tours, Books, Chick Lit Plus, Guest Author, Rachael O'Bryan, Unlocked, Writing

Rachael O’Bryan

June 15, 2012 7 Comments

Author Bio: Rachael O’Bryan grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. She attended college at Temple University. After college she pursued her law degree, starting off at Tulane University and then graduating at American University. Rachael is a lawyer, but pursues writing in her free time. Besides writing Unlocked, she keeps a blog. Also, on June 1st she launched her own business – an online women’s magazine. The magazine is operated under Rachael Magazine LLC. The self-titled magazine is geared towards professional women in their 20s and 30s that want it all. You can subscribe HERE. When Rachael isn’t working, writing, or running her own business she enjoys reading, traveling, watching The New York Mets. and following the University of Louisville basketball team. She currently resides in New York City.

My Not So Chick Lit Life

In college I worked at a summer program in Louisville, Kentucky called Summerbridge. As I was driving to a work related event with a fellow summer teacher she told me of her desire to have a Carrie Bradshaw type of life in the future – an apartment in New York, a live in boyfriend, etc. She loved the independence and glamour of what was portrayed on HBO at the time. I had never seen Sex and the City at that point; I unfortunately didn’t get HBO in my college dorm. However, I now am the proud owner of the whole series on DVD minus the second movie.

And after watching the most notorious example of a chick lit based series, I see why the life is so appealing. Carrie was able to have an amazing apartment in New York, that prior to becoming a successful author, seemed completely unrealistic. She spent money on the best brands in fashion and took cabs everywhere. She seemed to have this endless money supply, until she really needed it to buy her apartment. Her finances didn’t match her lifestyle and as an aspiring writer and a new New Yorker, those things bother me to no end. I know life in New York doesn’t exist for most people like that and certainly not for me.

I moved here with no job, but was able to after about a week land my first contracting job (which was what I was doing in Washington, DC before I moved). And since moving here I’ve also been working on my writing career through blogging, promoting my book, starting a second book, and launching my online women’s magazine. I do all this from my tiny studio apartment in the East Village after I fit in 40+ hours of work at my day job (that sometimes turns into a night job and weekend job). Not only do all of these things fight for my time and attention, they also fight over my financial resources.

Besides my insane jealousy of the make believe financial situation she had, she also had lots of dates and relationships. Ugh the world of dating is one I can barely navigate, especially in New York. I mean I’m not longing to be broken up with on a post-it note, but if that means that someone is breaking up with me because I had a relationship for awhile than maybe I am wishing for it (I’d prefer the relationship without the break-up though of course). Besides the post-it break up Carrie definitely had lots of ups and downs with the opposite sex, but in the end she got her guy. Big rescued her from that Russian guy she dated (that I was not a fan of ) in my favorite city in the world – Paris.

But with all this said I still find myself tuning into Sex and the City and dreaming of my Carrie Bradshaw life. I don’t need Manolo Blahnik shoes, I’m perfectly happy with my shoes from DSW. I don’t need expensive bags, although a part of me does want to buy a Marc Jacobs bag, but that’s for when I make it big with my writing (hey you have to treat yourself every once in awhile). And I do love my Chanel sunglasses, but I’ve had them for years. So what’s the appeal then you may ask? It’s the same appeal of every other chick lit book – love. Every girl, every person wants love. I haven’t found that type of love yet and it’s always refreshing even if it’s in a TV show to see it happen. As much as her financial/living situation wasn’t realistic in parts of the series, her struggles with love were. The heartaches, the infatuation, the nerves, the over thinking, the happy moments – those are all relatable. However, the one difference between me and Carrie is that I don’t need someone to rescue me in the City of Lights and Love, I need someone to board the plan with me at JFK to go explore the city. I want someone to share my life, not save it, because the hero of my story has always been myself and that’s the way every woman should think. Unless my ideal Mr. Big would like to save me from my law school debt, then save away … I’m joking … mostly … law school wasn’t cheap.

I leave you with my favorite quote from the series by Carrie Bradshaw: “Some people are settling down, some people are settling, and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies.”

**Contact Rachael:

Blog

Rachel Magazine

**Click HERE to read my review of “Unlocked!”

Filed Under: Isabella, Rachael O'Bryan Tagged With: Book Reviews, Book tours, Books, Chick Lit Plus, Rachael O'Bryan, Relationships, Unlocked, Writing

Chick Lit

June 6, 2012 2 Comments

Do you like Chick Lit books?  Well tonight, I created a Facebook group called Chick Lit Goddesses…

I’d love if you’d join!

Filed Under: Isabella Tagged With: Book Reviews, Book tours, Books, Chick Lit Group, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, Editing, Facebook, Guest Author, Isabella, Random, Romance Books, Self-publishing, Writing

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