Book Reviews: See Jane Write and Will Write for Shoes

Nancy’s Reviews of Two Books on How to Write Chick Lit
 
See Jane Write: A Girl's Guide to Writing Chick Lit by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs
 
Bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski and chick lit editor Farrin Jacobs team up to provide a thorough guide to writing novels for the increasingly popular sub-genre of women’s fiction, chick lit. From developing your novel to selling it, Mlynowski and Jacobs provide practical tips about what to do and what to avoid as you navigate through your overall debut novel experience. In addition, they include advice from other bestselling authors such as Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot, Emily Giffin, and Marian Keys. Mlynowsi’s special feature It Happened to Me is included throughout and details her specific experiences while writing her own novels. Jacobs’ special feature Mistakes I’ve Known describes issues that she has seen and dealt with as an editor, providing valuable insight from an editor’s point of view. The book is divided into two parts: The Big Picture and The Details. In The Big Picture, Mlynowski and Jacobs delve into their definition of chick lit, reasons to write, the therapeutic power of writing chick lit, and how to rid yourself of excuses not to write and finally dive into your story. In The Details, they discuss how to create compelling main characters and secondary characters, style, structure, pacing, revising, and querying agents.

See Jane Write is a fantastic resource for aspiring chick lit authors. The fun illustrations and straightforward advice through actual authors’ stories contribute to the fresh, honest outlook from which this book is written. Mlynowski’s and Jacobs’ guide is comprehensive and packed with essential information for anyone trying to break into chick lit. However, some of the tips are obvious and will be familiar to most aspiring authors. If all of the information is brand new to you, you have a lot more work to do than you thought. But you’re in luck because there is another guide to writing chick lit that can help you as well.

Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel by Cathy Yardley
 
Chick lit and romance author Cathy Yardley shares her own guide for penning a successful chick lit novel in Will Write for Shoes. This easy to read how-to book gives aspiring novelists a point of reference when embarking on their first journey toward publication. Yardley includes an agent listing, a publisher listing, sample submission materials, and online resources. The main content of the book is separated into four parts: It’s a Chick’s World, Where Do I Sign Up?, Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes, and Frequently Asked Questions. The first part defines chick lit and gives a history of the genre, as well as the basics of traditional chick lit and new, emerging trends. The second part delves into how to write a chick lit novel by focusing on premise, characters, plot, outlining, structure, point-of-view, setting, voice, and revisions. The third part provides readers with tips on selling a novel, such as how to write a query letter and a synopsis, how to find an agent, how to approach publishers, how to network online, and how to form a critique group. The final part answers questions that Yardley is asked on a regular basis by aspiring authors.

Will Write for Shoes is another must have resource for aspiring chick lit writers. Yardley’s friendly tone is refreshing and candid. She writes with wit and ease, providing valuable advice. Like See Jane Write, some of the pointers will be familiar to writers. However, this is still an essential guide for any aspiring chick lit author to have on hand. Romance authors may also find this book helpful and necessary. The samples and agent listing are particularly important and can serve as a starting point when trying to sell your novel.

See Jane Write and Will Write for Shoes are key writing guides for anyone who wants to write chick lit. Every aspiring author will learn at least a few new pieces of information. That information can make all the difference when establishing a novel writing career.

To learn more about Sarah Mlynowski, visit http://www.sarahm.com
To learn more about Cathy Yardley, visit http://www.cathyyardley.com
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Have these books helped you? Do you know of any other essential writing books for chick lit authors? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section. Thanks!

Book Review: Names My Sisters Call Me

Nancy’s Review of Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane
 

Names My Sisters Call Me is a novel about the dysfunctional relationships between the Cassel sisters. It tells the story of Courtney’s journey as she tries to bring her sisters, Raine and Norah, together after a falling out six years ago. Norah cannot forgive Raine for ruining Norah’s wedding and then running away to California. Courtney still cannot make sense of Raine’s actions either but knows she wants Raine at her own wedding to her fiancé, Lucas. She decides to accompany Lucas on a trip to San Francisco to find Raine and figure out why she never called or kept in touch at all over the years.
 
Courtney is a driven person who is a professional cellist with the Philadelphia Second Symphony Orchestra. She loves Lucas and loves Norah, despite Norah’s controlling behavior and harsh attitude. Even though Courtney’s life is seemingly going well, she has not been able to fill the void that Raine left when she disappeared. Also, she has not been able to forget about her first love, Matt, who left her to follow Raine to California. Courtney must confront the past to mend the present and bring her family back together. Has everything gone too far though? Will these sisters be able to reconnect despite their many differences?

The characters in Names My Sisters Call Me are humorous, engaging individuals. Crane captured the stark personality differences between the Cassel sisters but also incorporated some of their similarities. She did so with wit and charm, creating a dynamic between the sisters that is believable. It is likely that all readers have had an ex-boyfriend like Matt. He is the one who got away, should have gotten away, and needs to stay away for Courtney’s sake. Her relationship with him is confusing and complicated. As she develops her own identity, Courtney’s transformation throughout the book is refreshing and inspiring. Names My Sisters Call Me is worth reading for anyone who has sisters, has family issues, relationship issues, or just wants to dive into a well-written story about different kinds of love.

Crane is also the author of Frenemies, Everyone Else’s Girl, English as a Second Language, and forthcoming I Love the 80s. She contributed to anthologies It’s a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties and Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume. She also writes romance novels under the pen name Caitlin Crews. For more information, please visit
http://megancrane.com and http://www.caitlincrews.com.

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Have you read any novels by Megan Crane? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section. Thanks! 

2011 Chick Lit Reading Challenge

Hey everyone! Just a quick note to let you know that I joined the Chick Lit Reading Challenge for 2011 hosted by Chick Lit Plus. I’m really excited about this! It would be great if you join too, so we can all read great books and make new friends. Here are some of the details:

• Challengers will read 12 chick lit books throughout 2011.

• 2 of the 12 books need to be from debut authors. The debuts should be released in 2011.

• Readers can join the challenge anytime between now and the latter part of 2011. The books you read do not need to be selected beforehand. You can them add them as you go.

• There will be monthly prizes!

Sounds like fun, right? For more details and to sign up, please click below. Thanks to Samantha at Chick Lit Plus for organizing this!

Nancy

Clip from I Love Lucy: Lucy Writes a Novel

Here's a clip from one of my favorite TV shows, I Love Lucy. Even Lucy wrote a novel! It's good that we have computers now and can save our work without worrying that Fred will "burn the trash." :) Enjoy the clip and happy weekend! -Nancy

In Anticipation of 2011 Releases

Since the holiday season is here and January is not far away, I decided to share which books I am most looking forward to in the new year. There will be so many fabulous releases next year, but the following books really caught my eye. Some have descriptions and some do not yet. I can't wait for these books because of the author, the description, or both. Which books are you looking forward to next year? Are your choices the same as mine? I would love to hear from you. :)  Nancy

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
Release date: January 20, 2011
There is no problem that a library card can't solve. The Andreas family is one of readers. Their father, a renowned Shakespeare professor who speaks almost entirely in verse, has named his three daughters after famous Shakespearean women. When the sisters return to their childhood home, ostensibly to care for their ailing mother, but really to lick their wounds and bury their secrets, they are horrified to find the others there. See, we love each other. We just don't happen to like each other very much. But the sisters soon discover that everything they've been running from-one another, their small hometown, and themselves-might offer more than they ever expected.

I Love the 80s by Megan Crane 
Release date: March 17, 2011
Jenna Jenkins has always loved 80s pop legend Tommy Seer, and in her heart she knows that they were meant to be together - despite the fact that he died when she was 12. For a while it looked like her fiancé Adam might take his place in her heart, but when he dumps her for a 23 year old, Jenna resigns herself to a life of yearning for the man she can never have. When a freak accident sends her back to 1987 and into Tommy’s world, Jenna realizes she might have a chance after all. Unfortunately, fashion crimes are at an all time high: everyone has big shoulder pads and even bigger hair. More upsetting than the lack of Starbucks and mobiles is that Tommy does not recognize Jenna as his soul mate. Even worse, Jenna knows that in just a few weeks Tommy is going die in a terrible accident. At least, everyone will assume it’s an accident. But was it really? Can Jenna save Tommy from his fate? Can she survive the horrors of 1987—for the second time around? And is Tommy Seer really the guy for her after all?

Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne
Release date: March 22, 2011 
Hester Browne's witty new stand-alone novel of sisterly love and romantic hijinks is set at a Reeling Ball in the Scottish countryside. Review: "Swept Off Her Feet is a delight! If you're looking for a modern day fairy tale with the perfect edge of acerbic Brit wit, you'll be swept off your feet by Hester Browne!" -Teresa Medeiros, New York Times bestselling author. 

The First Husband by Laura Dave
Release date: May 2011

Best Staged Plans by Claire Cook
Release date: June 7, 2011
Sandy Sullivan is a professional home stager in the Boston suburbs, so getting rid of her own house, remaking it for the market, and downsizing should be a breeze. But nothing is ever as easy as it seems, with her husband Greg dragging his feet and their son Luke moving back home to inhabit the basement "bat cave." Sandy reads them the riot act and takes a job staging a boutique hotel in Atlanta recently acquired by her best friend’s boyfriend. The good news is that she can spend time with her recently married daughter Shannon. The bad news is that Shannon soon receives a promotion and heads back to Boston for training, leaving Sandy and her Southern son-in-law Chance as reluctant roommates. And if that's not complicated enough, she suspects her best friend's boyfriend may be seeing another woman on the side. Sandy quickly finds her hands full fixing up houses — and her life — in a story guaranteed to delight and entertain Claire Cook fans everywhere.

A Pug’s Tale by Alison Pace
Release date: June 7, 2011

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
Release date: July 12, 2011

A Summer in Europe by Marilyn Brant
Release date: November 29, 2011
A modern story along the lines of E.M. Forster's A Room with a View about a young woman's journey of self-discovery as she travels across Europe with her adventurous aunt's sudoku-and-mahjong club. Many wild (and a few romantic) experiences await!

Book Review: Nancy's Theory of Style

Nancy’s Review of Nancy’s Theory of Style by Grace Coopersmith (Marta Acosta)

Nancy Carrington-Chambers is a socialite who moves to her own apartment in San Francisco after separating from her husband, Todd. She dives into her event planning business, Froth, and hires a British assistant named Derek Cathcart. Nancy is attracted to him but assumes that he is gay. She tries to sort out her feelings for Derek and the details of her impending divorce but must confront an even more important situation when her cousin, Birdie, leaves her daughter, Eugenia, with Nancy indefinitely. Nancy, Derek, and Eugenia soon become an unconventional family. Will Nancy be able to leave her new family behind for her old socialite lifestyle? Is Derek really who he says he is? Nancy’s usual controlling attitude must take a back seat when she realizes that there are so many things in her life that she cannot control.

Nancy's Theory of Style is a good effort from Grace Coopersmith, who also writes the Casa Dracula series under her real name, Marta Acosta. However, the characters in this book were difficult to relate to. Nancy is very snobby throughout the book. Coopersmith likely wrote Nancy’s character this way on purpose since she is supposed to be a stuck up socialite. However, her attitude does not transform enough during the course of the book. Without giving too much away, it should also be noted that Derek’s dialogue and tone can be very frustrating to read. Coopersmith does have a purpose for writing Derek’s dialogue this way but it distracts from the story. The relationship between Derek and Nancy is lacking as well. More of a connection between them and further development of their friendship would have been ideal. Coopersmith does have a knack for detail, revealing engaging information about design, architecture, and fashion.

Acosta says she uses a pen name to write romantic comedy "because Grace Coopersmith is always elegant and tasteful, and she never leaves her clothes in a pile on a chair or sings to her dogs. Despite Grace's annoying superiority, she is hilarious and always shows up with a good bottle of wine." To read an interview with Coopersmith, you can go here. You can also learn more about her at http://www.martaacosta.com, read her blog at http://vampirewire.blogspot.com, or follow her on Twitter. The books in the Casa Dracula series include Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Midnight Brunch at Casa Dracula, The Bride of Casa Dracula, and Haunted Honeymoon.
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Have you read Nancy's Theory of Style of any of the Casa Dracula books? Share your thoughts with us by posting a comment. Thanks!

Stories from the Hart: The Biggest Mistake

The Biggest Mistake by Shannon Hart

On a beautiful April evening, I sat there, watching the wine in my glass occasionally stir while I listened intently to Jack as he told me his story. I sighed repeatedly, feeling horrible and sick to my stomach as I digested everything.

"So, at the end of the day, I stood up there, said my vows, but didn’t mean a damn thing," he said, resting his elbows on the table and burying his head in his hands. "I was so wasted I don’t even remember half the words I said."

"Why did you do it? I mean, if you knew it didn’t feel right to marry her, why did you go through with the whole thing?" I asked, a spark of anger in my tone.

"I don’t know. I guess I just felt sorry for her. I mean, she would have been so embarrassed if we cancelled the wedding. I guess I wanted to spare her that because she didn’t deserve it."

"And you think she deserves this? To be left after five weeks of marriage?"

His head sunk lower. "I am such a jackass," he admitted, which I completely agreed with.

"Yes, you certainly are." I crossed my arms and gave him a hateful look. I didn’t care that I was sending bitchy vibes to the guy who had been best friend since third grade. I couldn’t stand to listen to him talk about how much of a jerk he had been.

"I know, I know! I’m awful, I don’t deserve to live," he said.

I sighed again.

"So what happens next?" I asked, getting explicit images in my head of Karen torn and in tears. Even I, who was just an outsider listening to the whole ordeal, felt heartbroken and crushed. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to be her and in that position.

"Well, I already spoke to a divorce attorney from my dad’s firm. She already got one too, I think. Her friend, Sam, is a lawyer. I think they used to be childhood neighbors or something."

"How did she… react? When you said you were leaving?" I already knew how Karen reacted – after all, I had been there when they broke up last year. I was literally standing between them as Jack told her that he didn’t see himself being able to commit to marriage to her. I was the one she held on to when she was about to pass out in shock.

"Surprisingly, she didn’t actually say much. She said she already knew I wasn’t in it for the long run and said that she saw it coming right after we moved into the new house. She said she had a feeling that my heart didn’t completely belong to her and that sooner or later I’d pack up and leave."

That surprised me. Not that she knew he would leave, but that she was willing to put herself in the middle of the twisted situation. How could she allow herself to be tied down to him in marriage like that, knowing that it would end anyway? Did she love him that much, or did she not love herself that much?

"What I don’t understand is, if you knew you weren’t that into her, why did you propose? Why did you even ask her to marry you? And why did you play along with all the wedding preparations and everything? You could have just avoided this whole thing if you were just man enough to tell her you didn’t want marriage." Clearly, I was not Karen, but I felt like I had to ask on her behalf since apparently she didn’t ask. I have no idea why she didn’t ask, it would have been the first thing I would ask had I been her.

"I don’t know… I don’t know…" he answered, unconvincingly.

"Oh come on, Jack. Be honest with me. If you couldn’t be honest with Karen, the least you could do is be honest with me." It annoyed me that he insisted on playing dumb about it.

It was then his turn to sigh. He sat back in his chair, looking at the empty plate that forty-five minutes earlier had been filled with his favorite Tuna Aglio Olio Spaghetti.

"Jack, if not for me, then for you. You have to at least be honest with yourself about this otherwise you’ll keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Now come on, man up and spill it."

Jack went silent for a few long seconds. The anticipation nearly killed me but I knew him well enough to know that he’d eventually spill the beans. There wasn’t a single secret he could keep from me. There was that one time in high school when he secretly had a crush on Violet Monroe who sat in front of him during English Lit class; he pretended to not care, but I could tell from the way he looked at her whenever she flipped her hair. He denied it like nobody’s business when I confronted him, but in the end, on a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon while we were decorating the school gym for the winter dance, he finally confessed and said, "You’re right, I think I have a thing for her," while he hung fake crystal ornaments.

"It’s not that simple, Mia. You’ve been away for a long time. There are things that you don’t know."

"I was gone for 8 months, Jack. And besides, it wasn’t like I was off jet-setting and exploring the globe, I was working."

"Working so hard that you couldn’t even come to my wedding," he replied sarcastically.

"Look, if you don’t want to tell me, hey, that’s fine. I don’t want to push you. You have no obligations to me. But at least admit it to yourself."

"What are you, a twelve-step program instructor? Did you get certified while you were off in Africa helping the sick and needy?" he chuckled.

"You really are a jackass," I said, rolling my eyes.

Our dessert came and as the waiter gently placed my plate of buttermilk panna cotta – I promised my trainer I’d lay off the desserts, but with a conversation like this, dessert seemed to be  the only way I’d survive the night – I found myself still dying to know.

"I know you still don’t really want to talk about it but I can’t help it. Call me nosy, I don’t care, I want to know why you didn’t feel for her the way she did for you," I announced as I put my tiny spoon through the soft custard. "I just can’t wrap my head around it. She’s beautiful, she’s nice and she’s smart. She dresses like she’s a movie star and she even puts up with your crap. She even played along when you had that vegan phase a while back!"

Jack nodded.

"She’s everything you always told me you were looking for in a woman. Remember, when we were camping that time? The perfect girlfriend you described is basically her!" I continued.

"I was eighteen, Mia. I didn’t know any better."

I took a moment to savor the amazing taste of the panna cotta melting in my mouth and Jack smiled.

"What?"

"I love how you can grill and torture me with questions and still enjoy a good desert," he laughed.

"Hah. Glad I amuse you," I said, giving him a nasty look.

"Look, I can tell you why, but I’m not sure you’d understand it and I’d like to get through this dinner without looking like more of a jackass than I already do," he said, putting his spoon down and then folding his napkin.

"Seriously, Jack. You could never be more of a jackass than now. It’s not even humanly possible!" I chuckled at his expense.

"Gee, thanks."

We were silent for a while, and all of a sudden things just seemed awfully awkward. Jack was visibly uncomfortable in his seat and kept playing with the corner of his folded napkin.

"OK, look, let’s just forget it. Let’s not talk about this anymore," I decided. "I have just come back from a long trip and I just want to enjoy a good dinner conversation with my best friend. Can we do that?"

Jack laughed. "Of course we can."

"Good, so now let’s talk about work. How’s the new job?"

Jack snorted. "It’s been three months, it’s hardly new anymore. I love it though, I can’t imagine doing anything else."

I smiled, happy that at least something was working well in his life. We continued to talk for another hour, laughing and joking just like we always did. We talked about our dearest friend Kip, who had just declared he wanted to quit his job and backpack around Europe like a teenager (he was 40). We also had a field day mocking Jack’s brother Dean, who just bought a boat but was actually seasick prone.

The night ended too quickly – my cell phone was beeping thanks to the alarm I set for 11pm, to remind me that I had an early morning flight to catch. As we walked out of the restaurant, he grabbed my coat for me and put his own on, then slid his arm around my waist.

"Can I walk you home?" he asked, gazing into my eyes like… like what? He had never done that before. I didn’t even have a comparison.

"What? We always walk home together," I answered, finding my heart beat a little off the beat. What was he doing?

He grabbed my hand and circled my arm around his. Shyly and hesitantly from what I had observed but he did it anyway. And for some strange reason, I let him. I had no idea what I was doing, but pulling my hand away didn’t seem like an option unless I wanted a complete overreaction from him.

"Look Mia, before you go back to Africa and disappear for another year or whatever, I have to get this off my chest," he said as we turned onto 7^th Street.

"Oh my God, are you dying?" I asked. My eyes widened and I almost really believed it.

"No! What are you talking about? I’m not dying!" he exclaimed. I watched a sweat break on his forehead.

"Then why are you so serious?"

Jack halted his steps. He turned to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. Before I knew it, with my hands limp on my sides, he was hugging me. He was hugging me so tight, I thought I’d die of lack of oxygen.

"Mia, you asked me why I couldn’t love Karen…" he started to say.

My heart stopped.

No. No. This can’t be happening, I thought to myself. What was he doing? Panic began to rise within me and I suddenly felt like everything was spinning.

"Mia, the truth is…"

"Stop!" I suddenly shouted. I broke away from his ridiculously tight embrace and put my hand on his mouth. "Don’t say it. I swear Jack, if you say one more word, I’ll kill you."

My heart was racing so fast, it was like my heart was in a Formula One Grand Prix race. Fear of him telling me that he had loved me all this time began to haunt me instantly, and I didn’t know how I’d respond to it if he did.

"Mia, please, I have to say this. I can’t keep this a secret anymore," he pleaded. In my head, I snorted – so much for thinking he could never keep a secret from me.

"But why? Why do you need to tell me? I don’t even want to hear it!" I said, covering my ears and closing my eyes like a little girl. I was this close to humming so I wouldn’t be able to hear him say it.

"Stop that. Stop acting like a little child. This is serious. Besides, you are the one who asked. I am simply entertaining your request," he answered.

I kept shaking my head.

No, I didn’t want to hear it. Seriously – I didn’t want to hear him declare his love for me, and I didn’t want to have to reject him. And I would reject him for sure, because I didn’t mention it, but I had a boyfriend; a wonderful, adorable, good looking and smart hazel eyed doctor boyfriend, who was waiting for me back in Africa.

I have no idea why I never bothered to tell Jack that I had a boyfriend.

"I can’t do this, Jack. Just don’t, OK? I can’t."

"Can’t what?"

"Can’t hear it. Please."

Jack looked down. His head hung from his neck like he no longer had the will to live. He sighed, and I sighed, and I felt like I was going to cry.

"Mia, please. I’ll never have the courage to say this again. Please."

The way he begged me like that just sliced my heart, but I couldn’t hear it. I couldn’t listen to him say the words because… I had a boyfriend. And because given the opportunity, I could very possibly leave him and choose to be with Jack instead. And choosing to be with Jack would mean leaving behind all my life’s work in Africa – leaving my passion and leaving the children I had helped teach all this time.

But then I made the silly mistake of actually looking him straight in the eyes. His blue eyes pierced right through me and I found myself nodding like an idiot. Like I didn’t know better, I let him finally say the words he had apparently wanted to tell me the entire night.

"I couldn’t love Karen because my heart already belongs to someone else. All this time, girlfriend after girlfriend – I could never truly love them because I already gave my heart away."

Oh. My. God.

I thought I was going to throw up out of nervousness.

"I have loved you since the third grade, Mia. I can’t love anyone else."

There. He said it.

And surprisingly, it didn’t kill me. But it did make me want to kill him.

"I can’t believe you! All this time, and you didn’t say a damn thing! And now it’s too late, Jack. I already have a boyfriend and Ethan is amazing. I can’t just leave everything – leave him – behind and be with you!"

I hit him repeatedly, throwing punches at him like he was a sand sack.

"Whoa. Stop hitting! Why are you so mad?" he asked, confused.

"Ugh! I’m mad because… I don’t know why I’m mad! I’m just… mad!" I pushed him away until he almost fell over, and I ran.

I ran as fast as I could to my apartment which, thank God, was only a block away from where we had our dramatic "fight" – if you could even call it that. I opened the lock with my trembling hand and quickly shut the door behind me.

For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why this was happening: why he was telling me all this, why I was reacting this way and why this was all happening now – when I thought I had finally moved on and had a great life of my own. I never admitted it to anyone, but I had been in love with him too, up until he decided to ask Karen to marry him. I tried to tell him to rethink things, I tried to hint to him that he may have other options under his nose, but his mind was made up. He wanted Karen – or he thought he did. Even I thought he did.

He knocked on my door repeatedly, unwilling to give up.

"Come on, you have to let me in! We can talk about this," he said, banging on my door.

"No. Go away!" I shouted.

"You can’t make me go away. If you don’t come out, I’ll just stay out here, I’ll tell all your neighbors that you’re under house arrest or something," he insisted.

I had to laugh a little – it sounded a bit like how I would lock him in his own closet when we were younger.

"Jack, stop. Really. You can’t make me open the door."

I heard him grunt.

A few minutes of silence passed by. I started to convince myself that he left, but just as I slowly placed my hand on my doorknob, he started singing. Like, really singing that old slow-rock song Knocking on Heaven’s Door, and Jack singing was even worse than Jack banging on the door. He was so oblivious of the fact that he was completely tone deaf, that I couldn’t decide whether it was hilarious or annoying. He made my ears hurt, that was for sure, but I couldn’t help but to find it freakishly charming.

"Oh God, please, stop singing! You’re cracking all the windows in the building!" I shouted, desperate for him to stop singing; desperate because it was getting to me as much as it was appealing to me.

"So open the door and the singing will stop, I swear," he answered, still trying to be musical even though it sounded nothing like any note I’d ever heard in my life.

I took a deep breath and gave up. I opened the door.

I opened the door half expecting for him to barge in and demand an explanation. The other half of me expected him to stand outside, begging me for forgiveness, admitting he was completely crazy to have just blurted out that he loved me like that. But no part of me expected him to just charge at me with a soft and gentle kiss.

Nope. Completely did not see that one coming.

His hands held my face and while I could have very much pushed him away and slapped him for being so aggressive, I didn’t. Instead, I let him kiss me.

Which was obviously wrong because my head knew that Ethan was waiting for me in Africa. It was so wrong because Jack wasn’t even divorced yet. Worst of all, it just felt wrong. It almost felt like I was kissing a brother or something.

Eww.

I spent so much time of my life thinking I was in love with Jack, and dreaming of kissing him but when we actually did kiss, it felt more wrong than right.

Could I have been in love with the thought of being in love with Jack? Did I just want something I thought I couldn’t have? Was I just obsessed with the thrill of the chase?

He pulled away, taking a few steps back, looking every bit as awkward and uncomfortable as I did.

"Was that as weird for you as it was for me?" I asked bluntly.

He nodded hesitantly, with his eyes squinted and his nose wrinkled. "That just felt so wrong," he replied, which I then replied to with a sigh of relief.

We stood there looking at each other, not sure what to say or what to do next – after having made one of the stupidest mistakes in platonic-friendship history.

"Where do we go from here?" Jack asked, finally breaking the unbearable silence.

I shrugged. It was all just too bizarre to comprehend.

"Is it going to be weird for us now?"

It took me a few minutes to answer, and when I said "Probably," I saw his face fall and felt my own heart sink. "But you’ll always be my best friend, Jack. No matter what, OK? And the good thing is, I get to go away and be in Africa for awhile so we won’t have to look at each other like this for another six months at least."

He slipped his hands into his pocket and lifted his shoulders. "Great, well, you go on ahead. Go away again and I’ll just stay here and just deal with my miserable messy divorce."

I laughed lightly. "You know, we could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble if you had just told me you were dying instead."

He chuckled.

"So you’re still getting a divorce, even though you now know you’re not in love with me?"

"I am still getting a divorce, yes. Although I’m still not sure that I’m not in love with you, Mia, but I’m positive that I don’t love Karen. I just can’t stay married to her – it wouldn’t be fair to her to continue pretending. It wouldn’t be fair to me either."

I nodded, even though I wasn’t quite sure what he meant. He wasn’t sure he was not in love with me? What on earth did that even mean?

He took his hands out of his pockets and moved a few inches closer.

"Mia, I… I know this doesn’t make sense, but…"

Before I knew it, my heart started pounding again.

"I don’t want you to go back to Africa," he said, as if it was even his call to make. "I know this is selfish and I know that I have no right to even ask you of this, but I don’t know if I’m not in love with you. And until I know, I don’t want to blow my chances by letting you go back to Africa, to your… boyfriend…"

As much as I loved Jack – in whatever sense, be it in the brotherly sense or whatever else it may be, the way he said what he said just made me want to slap him. I couldn’t believe he even dared to say that.

"So, you bend over backwards trying to make things fair for you and for Karen, but not for me?" I snapped.

He shook his head repeatedly. "I know I’m being unfair to you, but what I’m asking for is just a chance, Mia. I don’t want us to part ways now and then realize we’re meant for each other and waste all that time in between. Don’t you think it’s worth a try? I mean, if we’re meant for each other, imagine how happy we could be…"

I didn’t know what to say. I just stood there, like a complete fool, looking at him with my mouth hanging open.

As much as I would love to deny it, I was actually tempted. A small part of my brain, way in the back of my head, asked me "Wasn’t this what you wanted all this time?" But a different part of me kept reminding me that Ethan was waiting – that I had no business messing up a perfectly good relationship just because the guy who I thought I loved all this time suddenly wants to try it out. With no guarantee that things would even work out and considering the possibility that if things didn’t work out I’d lose my best friend, I shook my head.

"No. I can’t. We can’t. It’s not an option, Jack," I answered firmly.

Sure, my legs were shaking. Whatever – I sounded firm enough that he thought it was for real.

"You won’t even give it a week? You can delay your flight back. Come on, Mia. Give us a week… You don’t know where this can go." He took my hands in his. "Please."

By then I had tears in the corner of my eyes and they were ready to drop anytime. I couldn’t pretend like I didn’t want to try. But then again, I couldn’t bring myself to risk damaging the one relationship I always had faith in: our friendship.

Our friendship was too important to me.

So with tears finally rolling down steadily on my cheeks, I shook my head one more time and gave him my final answer.

"If you asked me this a year ago, I’d say yes in a heartbeat. But… things have changed now, Jack. I’m not the same person I was before and I have moved on. I’m in a relationship now, Jack, a good one. I can’t just leave everything behind and gamble everything for something that may or may not turn out great. Don’t get me wrong; I love you. I’ll always love you. But…"

Jack closed his eyes, listening and absorbing everything I said. He nodded slowly, looking like he understood exactly where I was coming from – or tried to, anyway.

"I understand," he muttered.

"Do you? Really?" I asked. "I don’t want you to take it the wrong way, I…"

"No, Mia, it’s OK. I understand. I never should have even asked you to stay. I couldn’t help it, I just…" The sad look on his face quickly became unbearable for me to look at. He looked just about as sad as he would be if he were attending his own funeral.

"I’m sorry, Jack. I really am," I added. My head hung from my shoulders; I couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. Add to that the fact that my nose and eyes were all red, I had no business looking up at all.

"Don’t be, Mia. Don’t be."

I continued to cry, and it had gotten even harder than before.

"Hey, hey, stop that. Don’t cry," he said softly. He put his arms around me and held me in a comforting embrace. "Please don’t cry. You know how much I hate watching a girl cry."

I wanted to stop crying – God knows I did. But my emotions just went on this gigantic roller coaster ride and I didn’t know how to control it. I couldn’t help but feel so overwhelmed with questions of why, how, when, and what now and it frustrated me so much because no one seemed to have any of the answers. Not me, not Jack, and certainly, not Ethan who was all the way in Africa, completely in the dark about the whole ordeal.

Come to think of it, Ethan didn’t even know Jack existed; I have no idea why I never told him about my best friend.

"Can we survive this? Can we get over this and go back to the way things were before?" I asked, afraid of what Jake’s answer would be.

"Of course! What are you talking about? Of course we’ll survive this. My God, Mia, I’ve known you practically my entire life. Nothing could come between us. Nothing, you hear me?"

I nodded and sniffled, while constantly wiping off the tears from my cheeks. I tried to smile back when he looked deep into my eyes and attempted to give me a smile that was supposed to comfort me – but all that came out of that was a half crooked spasm on my cheek that in no way resembled a smile.

He gave me a peck on the forehead gently, before telling me he had to leave because of an early morning meeting. As I opened the door to let him out, I felt like somehow, I was losing my best friend. Even though he basically swore that nothing would change between us, I had a distinct nagging feeling that things would change no matter what he said.

He turned around and looked at me one last time before entering the elevator. He flashed me his smile again with a wave and as I waved back at him, I whispered goodbye to him, knowing for certain that things would never, ever be the same again.

Seriously, things really would have been so much easier if he had told me anything else… just not that he loved me.

Book Review: The Wildwater Walking Club

Kelly's Review of The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook

The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook steps into the life of Noreen Kelly right after she has made the life altering decision to take a buy-out from her company. She soon finds that her job is not the only thing she must learn to live without when her boyfriend stops answering and returning her phone calls. Without any direction or notion of what she should do with her life, Noreen puts on a pair of new walking shoes and takes the first step of the rest of her life. She meets two of her neighbors, Tess and Rosie, who feel equally lost in some aspect of their lives and join her in her daily walks down their street, Wildwater Way. 

The threesome’s daily walks turn into group therapy sessions, debates about local issues and most importantly, a way to rack up steps on their pedometers. Cook has a knack for creating relatable characters and authentic friendships. The dialogue between the three friends is very believable and often includes the quarrels and tension that real friends experience.

Though the Wildwater Way women are in their forties, the message of taking the time to find yourself is one to which every generation can relate. The book will likely inspire the reader in some way or another, whether it be deciding to dust off your walking shoes and hit the pavement, finding the courage to leave a job that no longer makes you happy or simply recognizing that you have been living for others and ignoring your passions and desired pursuits.

Cook is the author of seven fiction novels, including Seven Year Switch, Summer Blowout and Must Love Dogs, which was made into a romantic comedy film in 2005. The Wildwater Walking Club has a slightly autobiographical tone, as Cook once wrote advertising copy for a shoe company, as Noreen did. Cook’s first novel was published when she was forty-five and she encourages women and men in their midlife who may have “buried their dreams” to “dust them off and go for it.” To learn more about her, visit www.clairecook.com. 

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Lucie Simone: "I decided to publish it myself."

Going Indie by Lucie Simone

A few years ago, the notion of self-publishing was something akin to marrying your cousin in the writing world. At that time, it meant that your work was of such poor quality that no one other than your own family could love it. But then the market started to tighten as the economy started to decline, and editors and agents alike began passing on projects that otherwise would have been published only a few years earlier. Luckily, with the advent of new technology such as electronic and print-on-demand publishing, authors who’ve been given the brush off by the powers that be, now have the power to publish all on their own. The key phrase here being, “on their own.”

If you’ve gone through the traditional publishing channels only to collect a stack of truly lovely rejection letters, you’re probably feeling very frustrated. That’s what happened to me. I received loads of kind and encouraging letters from agents and publishers espousing my “fresh voice,” my “fun storyline,” my “quirky characters” and my ability to “clearly write well,” yet no one was willing to represent my manuscript. I was feeling pretty disheartened, but I still believed in my manuscript. I knew it had an audience. So, I decided to publish it myself.

I did my research, investigating self-publishing services such a Lulu and AuthorHouse, but ultimately decided that the best approach for me was to start my own small press. It meant I would be investing more of my time and money into the publication of my novel than if I’d gone with a service provider, but it also meant I’d get more of a return on my investment. If there is a return!

In order to start a small press, you must think of it as starting a business – not just publishing your novel. You will need to name your small press, register the DBA with your county clerk’s office, and further investigate if your state or city has registration requirements as well. Once you’ve got that business sorted, you will need a logo for your small press and probably a graphic designer to create it for you.

Okay, so now you’ve got the name of your imprint, your logo and your manuscript. What next? You are no longer the author. You are the publisher and it is now your job to prepare the manuscript for print with the same sort of care and professionalism as any major publisher. This includes securing the copyright, procuring an ISBN, finding a distributor, copyediting, manuscript formatting and book design.

Getting the copyright and an ISBN are easy. Visit www.bowker.com to order the ISBN for a cost of $125.00 and www.copyright.gov to file your manuscript for a charge of $35.00, and you’re all set. Then you’ll need to find a distributor. I chose Lightning Source because they have distribution agreements in the US, the UK, and Australia. But there are others out there, so do your research to see which one best suits the needs of your small press.

Copyediting. One of the biggest complaints that readers (and agents and editors) have about self-published books is that they are full of typos and grammatical errors. No book is completely free of them, but self-published books are more prone to them because a lot of authors feel they don’t need to spend the time or money on that aspect of the process. Whether you do it yourself or hire someone, do not skip this part. Do it at least four times through the manuscript in its entirety and preferably in one sitting for each pass. This way, you will be more likely to find inconsistencies in your story, as well as the typos.

Now that your manuscript is polished to a high shine, you will need to hire a book designer to format it. There are plenty of talented people out there doing this work. Just do a Google search for book formatting and book designers, and you’ll have a huge selection to choose from, ranging from the fairly inexpensive to the sort that will totally break your bank. So, again, be thorough. And most importantly, remember that the book cover is going to be the first thing a reader sees. So, make it a good one. For my book cover, I had a vision. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I hired a graphic artist to design it for me. After I had the artwork, I then hired a book designer to format it to the specifications provided by my book distributor for binding.

After some tweaking of the artwork and the interior formatting of the book, I had a solid, attractive book with a professional cover design and clever back cover blurb. And it was available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online retailers. Why only online? Because, as a small press with a debut novel and author, I don’t have any clout to get on bookshelves in brick and mortar bookstores. But that’s okay with me. Bookstore shelves are already so limited that even if my novel was published by a big publishing house, it would still be unlikely to find a place on the shelves.

But having a book available for people to buy is not enough. If you want people beyond your friends and family to read it, they have to know about it. And that requires publicity. This is going to be your biggest expense. But without it, no one will know your book exists. So, be prepared to invest a couple thousand dollars into it. And be prepared to give away a lot of books. Because unless you have Oprah’s home number in your back pocket, you’re going to have to rely on word of mouth to slowly build sales. And again, do your homework. Make sure you hire a publicist that knows your genre. I chose a publicist who reps authors who write in my genre that I know and love, including a couple of New York Times bestsellers. But I have a limited budget, so we’re starting small, focusing on online avenues with a book blog tour as the main source of exposure. I’m hoping that as more book bloggers publish their reviews, more readers will become aware of my novel and, hopefully, even order it for themselves. Fingers crossed!

Self-publishing doesn’t deserve the disparaging criticism that it often receives, but it should never be an author’s first choice. Only if you have already been through the traditional publishing rigmarole, receiving enough positive feedback to know that it isn’t your manuscript that lacks promise, but the market, then, and only then, should you venture into self-publishing. And do so with the knowledge that once you decide to go indie, you might fail. You might sink $5,000  into your book and only earn back $500. But that’s what it means to start a new small business. You’re taking a risk where others chose not to. And publishing is indeed a very risky business.       

Good luck!

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Lucie Simone self-published her debut novel Hollywood Ending from her own independent press Simon and Fig. 

What do you think about Lucie's advice and her experiences? Would you self-publish? Have you? Post a comment to let us know. Thanks!

Book Review: The Opposite of Love

Nancy's Review of The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum

 

Emily Haxby is lost. She decides to end her two-year relationship with her boyfriend Andrew when she thinks he is going to propose. She hates her mind numbing job as an attorney. She has a rocky relationship with her father. And she still harbors grief and guilt over the loss of her mother when she was fourteen. Emily dives into her work to try to ignore her sadness, but it only gets worse. To top it all off, her "favorite person in the world" Grandpa Jack is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Emily can't handle much more. She is still in love with Andrew but he wants to move on. After she finally quits her job, she succumbs to depression and does not leave her couch for days. Her best friend Jessica comes to her rescue and Emily starts seeing a therapist. The Opposite of Love is the story of one woman's journey to overcome loss, confront her inner demons, and learn how to love so that she can truly begin to live.  

 

Buxbaum's debut shows tremendous potential for a successful writing career. She has the ability to draw readers in with compelling characters and raw emotion. Many people will be able to relate to Emily's insecurities. The portrayal of the corporate world is accurate and can apply to many industries. The favoritism and scandal that goes on behind closed doors can happen at any company, making Emily's experiences and decisions even more understandable. Buxbaum writes with such detail, wit, and intensity. The scene in which Emily finds out that Grandpa Jack has wandered away from the retirement home is written with such a sense of urgency that the reader can feel Emily's anxiety as she desperately searches for him. Buxbaum is a writing talent not to be ignored.  

 

The Opposite of Love is a novel representing the darker, deeper side of chick lit. Readers will not enjoy this book if they are only looking for the fun, fashion-centric chick lit. Readers will enjoy this book if they are looking for an in depth portrayal of a woman's transformation from completely lost and grief stricken to better understanding herself and her relationships.

 

Buxbaum is also the author of After You. To learn more about her and her books, you can visit http://www.juliebuxbaum.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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