A Summer Fun Giveaway from Jane Porter

**Giveaway is now closed**

Jane Porter was our 2013 Hall of Fame nominee for International Chick Lit Month and there's a reason why....she's just fabulous! Amy and Melissa A. met her during various book tour events (see pics below), and she's even more amazing to chat with in person! She's currently doing a giveaway through various blogs, including ours! Generous, or what?!?

Jane is giving one lucky US reader a "Jane Porter summer reading tote bag" filled with THREE of her amazing novels (Easy on the Eyes, Odd Mom Out and Flirting With Forty) along with other fun goodies.



How to enter:
Tell us one question you'd ask Jane Porter if you got to meet her in person.

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted.

US only. Giveaway ends June 5th at midnight EST.

Melissa and Jane

Amy and Jane

Book Review & Giveaway: The Good Daughter

**Giveaway is now closed**

Kit Brennan is known as the good daughter (and sister); the one who doesn't make any waves and always gives her family her time and energy, not expecting anything in return. With her 40th birthday approaching and no signs of a relationship on the horizon, Kit decides that her desire to be a mother should be fulfilled without a man in her life. Then, on a girl's weekend away, she meets a man who challenges the role she plays in her family. As much as she wants him, she knows her parents and siblings would never approve of his motorcycle and "bad boy" image. Meanwhile, a difficult situation for one of her students and her mom's declining health make her wonder if this is really the time to pursue her desires for this new guy or even to become a single mother.

Amy Bromberg:
As always Jane Porter’s books suck me in. And she has done it again with The Good Daughter. Just like before I started The Good Woman (book one of the Brennan Sisters trilogy) I knew I was going to love this book because I loved Flirting with Forty and her previous series, which includes Odd Mom Out, Mrs. Perfect, She's Gone Country, and Easy on the Eyes. It can be read alone, but because there are references of characters and events from The Good Woman, I recommend reading it first. For more information, check out the synopsis at Goodreads.

Kit Brennan is the main character in this story. As the title says, she’s the “good” one, always putting others' needs before her own. (She’s also the middle sister, who has a twin sister, Brianna). But maybe it’s time she starts seeking out some pleasure for herself. This is where the ultra sexy Jude comes in. Jude is the epitome of a sexy biker dude, whom Kit happens to be extremely attracted to. But she fights this attraction because he’s a “bad boy,” which is the exact opposite of the type of man she tends go for. From Jane’s vivid writing it was almost like I was able to see him and touch him…and let me tell you something, any woman would want to. *Swoon.* The way I see it, Jude is to Kit what Michael Carrington is to Stephanie Zinone in Grease 2. Kit ends up re-thinking about what she wants for her life, and if what goes into being the “good” one can go hand-in-hand with what she desires.

There are a few ways that I can relate to Kit, but the big one is that she’s a bookworm. Since she’s been a little girl she has loved to read. No surprise that she is an English teacher, right?!? Since I was a little girl, more or less, I always had my nose in a book. Can’t even tell you how many times I frequented the library during my youth.

I can’t tell you enough how much I recommend this book. It’s a great choice for a sister, best friend, mother, and definitely a book club pick.

The Good Daughter book tour starts today. If you live in or anywhere near these cities I definitely recommend you go. I’m over the moon excited to be meeting Jane TONIGHT!


Melissa Amster:
Jane Porter has hit another one out of the park with her trademark high quality writing. While I liked The Good Woman a lot (see my review), The Good Daughter took the saga of the Brennan sisters to another level! Kit was a terrific literary heroine. She had so many layers and I admired how she stood up for herself and her beliefs. She also made selfless sacrifices. Her inner monologue is interesting throughout the story and never becomes stale.

Right from the beginning, The Good Daughter was engaging. Jane caught us up with the Brennan family and where they were at this point in time. I don't want to spoil anything from the first book, so I'd suggest reading that before moving on. I think the amount of catch-up was good enough to make it a stand-alone piece, but the family dynamic is built up from The Good Woman. Kit has a lot of back story in that novel too.

The dialogue is genuine throughout the story, as to be expected from a Jane Porter novel. And once again, she has great use of description. It's very easy to visualize people and places. This time around, Jane created a fabulous romantic lead. There's an element of her Harlequin romance side in Jude, but he also reminds me of Dane from She's Gone Country and Luke from Odd Mom Out. He's ruggedly sexy and his kindness beneath his tough exterior just adds to that even more. I only wish the romantic scenes were more detailed. I know Jane has the ability to make me blush, as she has done so in previous novels. This time, the steamy scenes were open for interpretation, but I prefer to have the information spoon-fed to me....every last spine-tingling detail. I also like that there was a cameo appearance from a character in her past series. We even get a glimpse into where she is now!

There are some darker themes and some parts that might be hard for sensitive readers to handle. I am hesitant to recommend this book to a friend who recently went through a similar situation to what Kit was going through with her mother. The name similarities are a bit too uncanny for her, as well. However, Jane handles everything maturely, taking sensitive readers into account, and tries to make everyone as comfortable as possible, even when faced with these difficult situations that they will come across.

The only concern I had was that a lot was left open-ended at the conclusion of the story. As to not spoil anything, I won't say what it was, but I closed the book with a lot of questions on my mind. I'm hoping the answers will come in her future novels. From the preview I read for The Good Wife, I know that Sarah's story isn't the only focal point. If Meg's voice is going to take over half the first chapter, I can imagine we'll be visiting with Kit more, come September. Overall, it was a page turner from beginning to end and I can't wait to catch up with the Brennan sisters (and brother) again this autumn!

Thanks to BookSparks PR for the book in exchange for an honest review. We have an extra copy to share with one lucky reader anywhere in the world!

How to win The Good Daughter: Please tell us one good thing you did (either for yourself or someone else) in the past week. Make sure to include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact info will NOT be counted. Thanks!

Giveaway ends February 10th at midnight EST.

More by Jane Porter:

Book of the day: "Mrs. Perfect"

In honor of International Chick Lit Month and our one year blogoversary, we're bringing you a book a day (and then some). If you've read the book and want to comment on this post with your thoughts, please do. If you haven't read it yet, we hope you'll take interest in it after hearing our thoughts. To make this fun, anyone who comments on any of these posts has a chance to be entered in a drawing for a special prize. The more posts you comment on, the more chances to win! (See here for contest details.)

"Mrs. Perfect" by Jane Porter:
For Taylor Young, life is very good. She has a handsome husband who loves her, three gorgeous children, a personally designed and decorated dream house. Suburbanite trendsetter and super mom—life couldn’t be more perfect. And as long as no one notices the fragile woman beneath her coifed and polished image, things will stay that way.

Then, a devastating secret bursts Taylor’s fairy-tale bubble, suddenly making her a cul-de-sac pariah, and stripping her of the role that defined her. With her struggling to maintain her alpha image, Taylor finds help from the unlikeliest of people, her nonconformist nemesis, Marta Zinsser. But to become the woman her family truly needs, Taylor must first believe in the person she is hardest on—herself. (Summary courtesy of Jane Porter's website.)

Melissa A:
This was my favorite of all Jane Porter's novels. It is a look at how the other half lives. Like "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin, it allows the reader to see someone unlikable (Taylor from "Odd Mom Out") in a new light and even sympathize with them. It also discusses an important issue that affects many families. It also has a "Desperate Housewives" feel to it, but I love that show so I'm a little biased. :)

More by Jane Porter:

Book Review: She's Gone Country

By Melissa Amster

Considering that I had been waiting almost a year for this book to be released, I was definitely not disappointed once I finally had the opportunity to read it!

"She's Gone Country" follows Shey Darcy to her family's ranch in Texas. Shey is part of the Marta-Tiana-Shey trio that started in "Odd Mom Out" and was followed again in "Easy on the Eyes." It was not only fun to read Shey's story from her own point of view, but also to see what was happening with Marta and Tiana. This time around, Shey is coping with the fact that her husband left her for another man and trying to raise her teenage boys while fending off the opinions of her mother and brothers. She also is confronted by her past when she has several run-ins with a crush from her youth, Dane Kelly. Toss into the mix some struggles over child custody and various school issues and Jane Porter really has quite a story for her readers.

I enjoyed the easygoing nature of this novel. Shey's "voice" was a mix between uncertainty and confidence. She had a lot of inner struggles to deal with while also handling the outside forces working against her. I loved the sexual tension and chemistry between Shey and Dane. It kept me on my toes! I also found her conversations and issues with her sons to be very realistic and even heartbreaking at times. I was even brought to tears at one point!

The one concern I had with this story was that Shey had come up with a brilliant and amazing idea at one point. However, the idea was never explored any further and just showed up momentarily in the epilogue. I wish Ms. Porter had worked with this idea more instead of just coming up with it and leaving me wanting to know more about it. Also, there was another issue that was being worked on within Shey's family but then also got resolved within a chapter and never readdressed. I would have liked to have seen how the school actually went through with handling this issue or Ms. Porter could have talked about that in the epilogue as well. It's a serious issue going on in schools these days and it would have been nice for her to address it earlier on instead of waiting till the story was almost over and trying to tie it up in a short period of time. (In all fairness, she did hint to it throughout the story and Shey seemed oblivious for the most part. It took a while for the issue to finally get through to her.)

Overall, "She's Gone Country" was an enjoyable read. It had great emotional quality and some laughs too. There were even some fun surprises. From what Ms. Porter said in our interview last month, Marta, Shey and Tiana's stories will no longer be revisited. However, I hope she changes her mind or comes up with a story that talks more about all three of these dynamic and interesting women.

Thanks to Melissa from The Hachette Book Group for this review copy.

Interview with Jane Porter and book giveaway!

**Giveaway is now closed**

As you may know already, I am a fan of Jane Porter's chick lit novels. She writes in such a way that all her characters are easy to relate to, no matter how different they may be from the reader. I think I especially liked "Mrs. Perfect" because just like "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin, it takes a character that readers were expected to dislike in one book and gives a fresh outlook to her personality and turns her into someone with whom the reader can sympathize. In "She's Gone Country," Ms. Porter takes a well-liked character who originally came from "Odd Mom Out" and gives her a story of her own. I've been looking forward to reading this novel since the time I finished "Easy on the Eyes" last summer. And now that it's available at your local bookstore, Crystal from BookSparks PR has given you all a chance to not only get to know Ms. Porter better, but also win one copy of "She's Gone Country." I hope you will take the time to check out her previous novels, if you haven't already, as well as enter to win what looks to be another fabulous novel!

1. How did you first break into the writing scene after receiving your Masters? What challenges did you face?
I’ve been writing since I was in kindergarten! I wrote my first story at five and my first picture book in 2nd grade and my first novel in 4th grade. Now, none of them were published but I was very serious about my writing from a young age.

Although I’ve had poetry and non-fiction pieces published in national magazines, it took me nearly 15 years of incredibly hard work, and 13 rejected manuscripts, before I finally sold to Harlequin Mill& Boon in London in 2000. Since then I’ve written 31books (none of the rejects have ever seen the light of day ) and am about to start another.

Did my Masters in Writing help me sell? Mmmm, no. Did it teach me about the craft of writing? Yes. The bottom line is that I am a commercial fiction writer and I had to learn not just how to write a beautiful passage or honest emotion, but I had to figure out how the market, the genres, the industry pet peeves as well as how to write page turners. The secret to selling is writing really compelling stories. Books that keep a reader up late at night. And I don’t think that kind of thing can be taught in a classroom but rather a writer develops his or her writing chops through lots and lots of practice.

2. Which authors do you admire most?
I admire every author because writing is such hard work. And for commercial fiction writers who have to write on deadline, its exhausting and demanding, so I’m just a huge fan of writers in general.

But writers I like to read? There are tons—Marian Keyes, Mary Balogh, Loretta Chase, JR Ward, and on and on and on.

3. Do you have any plans to continue with the group of women that started from "Odd Mom Out" or perhaps revisit some of them in future novels?
I think they’re done for now! I have loved these women, too, so it’s not easy to say that but I’m developing a women’s fiction trilogy using sisters/ connected characters that I think my readers would enjoy.

4. Which of your characters was the easiest to write about? Most difficult?
Marta in Odd Mom Out was my favorite. I loved her spirit and that she was so independent and so determined to be herself. I admire women who don’t feel like they have to fit in, or play a game. Hardest? Tiana from Easy On The Eyes because Tiana was so banged up from grief and loss that it was tough to get close to her. She really had a shell around her to protect her from more pain. But the two people that really mattered to her, and could always reach her, were her friends Marta (Odd Mom Out) and Shey (She’s Gone Country).

5. "Flirting with Forty" was made into a movie on Lifetime. Which of your books would you like to see on the big screen? Who would you cast in the main roles?
You know, I would probably rather see my books made into cable movies than movies for the big screen. There are so many negatives that go with big pictures, especially pictures aimed at the female audience, that I loathe how women’s entertainment gets a bum rap if it doesn’t make tons of money. So really, I’d rather work with a company like Lifetime or Oxygen that develop film projects for women, without apology.

Fortunately right now I have two things out there in various stages of development—Odd Mom/Mrs Perfect being developed into a tv series. The TV pilot has just been written and will be shopped later this Fall. And then She’s Gone Country is getting treatment to be turned into a screenplay and I’ve seen the outline and love it. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next though.

6. Most of your books have taken place in the west coast up until now, which makes sense since you're from that area. Did you do research on the lifestyle in Texas while writing "She's Gone Country?"
I don’t think a lot of my readers know my connection to Texas, or my love of ranchers and cowboys. I’m a country girl at heart. I love the West. I love cowboys. And I love country western music. One of my best friends growing up was a rancher’s daughter and she showed animals at the county fair and wore cowboy boots and tight Wranglers and drove a big truck with lots of shiny chrome. And my mother’s father was a rugged Texan who had three Black Angus cattle ranches. He actually died on one of our ranches during a round up, and we still have the ranch in the family today. I think once you have that affinity with the land and a certain lifestyle, it just stays with you. Researching and writing "She’s Gone Country" was probably one of the best things I’ve done for myself in years. It really brought me home and reminded me that truly the simple things are best.


7. What was the RWA conference like for you?
It’s always an amazing five days-- intense, hectic, exciting, and sometimes plain overwhelming, but I have to say, this year’s conf in Orlando was one of my favorites as I didn’t attend last year's since Mac had just been born. I really loved seeing all my friends and meeting with my readers, agent, editors, and publicists. It’s quite a rush.

8. Your husband teaches surfing and you mentioned that you've surfed in the past. What is the funniest or most embarrassing surfing experience you've ever had?
Probably the most embarrassing thing happened in the first year Ty and I were dating. We were out on the North Shore and he was still teaching me to surf and I literally lost my entire bikini top. It was just gone. I was far off shore and there was no way to go scrounge up something so Ty stripped off his rashguard and let me wear it. It was white and totally see through but it let me stay in the water to catch a few more waves.

9. You have traveled a lot in the past but now make your home in Seattle and Hawaii. Is there any other place you would love to live someday, even if just for a year?
Ty and I talk a lot about living other places and he’d love to live in Bali, while I’d love Ireland. Or Italy. Or Greece. I love to travel and we’re actually going to Egypt this spring with my boys. Can’t wait!

10. Since your book is about "going country," what is your favorite country song or country music singer/group?
Faith Hill is probably at the top of my list but I created a whole country playmix to listen to while writing this book and there are so many great country artists on there—Trace Adkins, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Tina McBride, Sugarland, and so many more!

Special thanks to Jane Porter for her lovely answers to my questions and for allowing us all to get to know her better. I also appreciate that she took the time out of her busy schedule to write more than just a sentence or two per question.

Extra special thanks to Crystal Patriarche from BookSparks PR for facilitating this interview and providing the book for the giveaway.


How to win "She's Gone Country":
Please comment below with your e-mail address.
(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted.)

For additional entries (each as a separate comment including your e-mail address, as well):
1. Please tell us: Who are your favorite country singers or what is your favorite country song?
OR
2. Please tell us: In which way(s) have you gone country?
3. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
4. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
5. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)

US/Canada only. Giveaway ends Sunday, August 29th, at midnight EST.

Not-so-plain Jane

Another author I like a lot is Jane Porter. Between reading her books and Kristin Hannah’s books, I feel like I know Washington state like the back of my hand, even though I’ve never been there. I started out by reading “The Frog Prince” in late 2007 and followed that up with “Flirting with Forty”. Both were fun, enjoyable stories. Next came “Odd Mom Out,” which spurned a bunch of books about characters to whom the main character was connected. All the books that came out of that connection with Marta have been great stories and very hard to put down. I’m excited for “She’s Gone Country”, for which I just read a description on Amazon. I got to follow Marta’s friend Shey in OMO and “Easy on the Eyes,” based on her friendships with Marta and Tiana, and I’m excited to read more about her this summer when the new book is released. “Mrs. Perfect” was more about Marta’s rival, but it allowed readers to see her from another angle and it spoke to women about a fear we all have to consider in this day and age. “Flirting with Forty” was made into a movie on Lifetime and I enjoyed that too. It followed most of the story, with a few changes. It was cute overall though.

I also follow Jane Porter's blog. She has a lot of book giveaways and interesting news, as well as talking about her family and everyday life.

Keep up the great work, Jane!