Carolyn Brown spices things up...plus a giveaway

Now that spring is here (hopefully to stay), we see a lot of food gatherings in your future. Carolyn Brown is here to share a tasty recipe for you to share with your family and friends! You can also learn about her latest novel, The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off!

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than sixty books published. Her bestselling cowboy romance series include the Lucky trilogy, the Honky Tonk series, Spikes & Spurs, Cowboys & Brides, and the new Burnt Boot, Texas series. She has also launched into women’s fiction with a Texas twang. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. For more information, please visit  Carolyn at her website and Facebook. 

Thanks to Sourcebooks, we have TWO prizes to give away for some lucky US/Canada readers: ONE person will win a print copy of The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off and ONE person will win a Carolyn Brown Prize Pack (print copy of The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee, print copy of The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off and a cute recipe card set).  

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It’s a delight to be here today at Chick Lit Central to talk about the recipe blog tour we’re right smack dab in the middle of for The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off, the second book in the trilogy set in Cadillac, Texas. 

It seems that the girls down at Bless My Bloomers have decided to enter the chili cook-off in Cadillac and it’s causing a pretty big stink since up until now it’s been a man’s world that no woman dared set her foot in. However, that was before Carlene found out that her husband was a two-bit, lyin’, cheatin’ son-of-a-bitch. Seems Lenny Joe got careless and left his newest girlfriend’s red bikini under britches in his brief case…and Carlene not only found the, she’d made them right there in Bless My Bloomers. So she and her cousins who are co-owners of the shop, Patrice and Alma Grace, and their mothers, Gigi, Tansy and Sugar, along with the lady who works at the shop, Josie, have formed a team. Their goal is to knock Lenny Joe off a five year winning streak and take this year’s chili cook-off trophy from him. The only trouble is none of them can cook and they’re trying to learn.

This is the night they are making chicken chili. It’s the same night that Tip Gordon arrives to talk to Carlene about the divorce. The women in town have stopped by and brought rum cake and Mexican casserole to keep them encouraged. Today they get flowers.

The sisters arrived just as the shop was closing on Monday afternoon. Sugar met them in the kitchen and handed each of her sisters a little bibbed apron printed with roses and edged with lace that matched the one she already wore. Gigi wore a hairnet over her up-do and the other two had on ball caps. Sugar’s curly ponytail, pulled out of the hole at the back of the cap, looked like a ball of twisted yarn, and Tansy’s didn’t look much better even if it was a little bit longer.

“So you are trying chicken chili tonight, I take it?” Josie said.

“We found Mama’s recipe for it. The chicken is already cooked,” Gigi said.

“Which one of you handled the cold, dead bird?” Josie asked.

Gigi raised her hand. “I did.”

“And she didn’t even put oven mitts on her hands,” Tansy said.

Josie looked up at Gigi’s hairnet. “Goes real well with your longhorn earrings but the apron clashes with your orange jersey.”

“They made me put the hairnet on,” Gigi said.

“Well, I was wondering.” Josie smiled.

“Y’all about to get busy?” Patrice asked.

“Yes, we are. You want to stick around and taste our product?” Sugar asked.

“No, ma’am. I’ll taste it at the cook-off.” Patrice pulled her platinum hair up into a messy ponytail and secured it with a rubber band she pulled from the pocket of her snug-fitting jeans.

“How about you, Carlene?” Gigi asked.

“Carlene has had a hangover all day. She’d upchuck if she ate chili,” Patrice told them.

“I do not!” Carlene said right behind her. “I’ve got a wine headache and I took four aspirin and it’s wearing off.”

“It’s Lenny’s fault. She wouldn’t drink so much if he hadn’t riled her up,” Josie said.

Patrice nodded in agreement. “She went to the house and talked to him and finally figured out there is no future with him.”

Josie threw up her hands. “I heard all about it this morning at the convenience store. I’m glad you’ve figured out what most of us knew all along, honey. Now let’s get on with the job of running a business and beating the shit out of him in the cook-off.”

A hard knock on the kitchen door sent Tansy to open it.

“Floral delivery for the Fannin sisters,” the man said.

“I’ll take it. Thank you,” she said.

“Have a nice day.” He nodded.

Tansy set a lovely arrangement of yellow daisies, white mums, and purple-tipped baby carnations on the kitchen table and opened the envelope with the card. “I bet it’s from our husbands.”

Sugar and Gigi were suddenly glued to her side.

“Well?” Josie asked.

Gigi took the card from Tansy. “She don’t have her reading glasses. It says: We are all proud of you for entering the cook-off and we’re rooting for you even though our husbands are the Wildcat Team. We hope you teach the whole bunch of those male chauvinists that women can do anything a man can.”

“I’ll be damned,” Josie grinned.

Since the first lady who stopped to tell them she hoped that they beat Lenny and the other all-male teams brought a Mexican casserole, I thought we’d share that recipe today. Y’all got a favorite casserole you take to church pot lucks or to a friend in need? We’d just love for you to share it with us.

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

1 pkg. flour tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1 (17 oz.) can chili beans, drained
1 c. prepared picante or salsa sauce
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 T. chili powder
3 c. shredded Mexican blend shredded cheese (NOTE: If you can’t find Mexican blend cheese, then use a mixture of cheddar and pepper jack or Monterey jack)

Remove tortillas from refrigerator. Heat oven to 375°F. Brown meat and drain. Add salsa, beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning mix and chili powder. Simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Line bottom of greased 13 x 9 baking dish with 5 tortillas, overlapping edges. Top with half the meat mixture and half the cheese. Arrange 5 tortillas over cheese mixture. Spread remaining meat mixture all over and top with shredded cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole bubbles. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Be sure to follow along on The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off Recipe Sharing Tour!

April 1: Carolyn Brown’s Facebook Page

April 2: Dew on the Kudzu

April 3: Fresh Fiction

April 4: Book’d Out

April 7: Book Reviews & More by Kathy

April 8: Chick Lit Central

April 9: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

April 10: Bitten By Love Reviews

April 11: From the TBR Pile

Learn more about The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off and find out some delicious recipes from Carolyn and other readers along the way. Chances to win at each stop!

To purchase The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Books-a-Million

Chapters/Indigo

IndieBound

iBooks

Sourcebooks

THE RED-HOT CHILI COOK-OFF BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES APRIL 2014

More Than the Chili's Heating Up Cadillac, Texas

Carlene Lovelle, co-owner of Bless My Bloomers lingerie shop, found a pair of fancy red-silk panties in her husband's briefcase, and all hell is breaking loose. She custom-made those fancy bloomers herself—and she remembers the bimbo who bought them. If her husband had a lick of sense, he'd known there are no secrets in a town like Cadillac.

Carlene's cohorts—and their mamas—plan to exact revenge on Lenny Joe where it'll hurt the most: break his ten-year winning streak at the prestigious Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off. Never before has a woman dared to compete. But the ladies of Bless My Bloomers are cooking up a storm...and it seems the whole town is taking sides in the showdown.

Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the chili is hot, the gossip is hotter, and friends stick by each other, no matter what the challenge.

Praise for The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off:

"With a cast of characters that will leave readers grinning, Brown’s latest is delightful, humorous “chick lit”... Fun, fun and more fun is on hand in a story that wins a blue ribbon in both originality and wit.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

“Fun, fresh and hilarious... The author showed that laughter is the best medicine and a sure fire cure for the toughest of challenges in life.” —Chick Lit Reviews

“The characters are vibrant and engaging, the story is endearingly off beat and full of down home folksy charm. A wonderfully heartwarming and highly entertaining novel.” —Book Reviews and More by Kathy

Thanks to Carolyn for sharing her recipe with us and to Sourcebooks for sharing her book with our readers. Participate in the Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off Recipe Sharing Tour by sharing your own casserole recipe in the comments!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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US/Canada only. Giveaway ends April 13th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Tempting Fate

When Gabby first met Elliott she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years of marriage she has never doubted her love for him - even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away. For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt . . .

Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear.

Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Amy Bromberg:

It’s no surprise that I loved Tempting Fate. You know why? Because I’m a Jane Green-aholic! Her novels always encompass such beautiful and well crafted characters, and dynamic relationships between them. As with all of Jane’s novels, the book kept my attention right from the first page until the very end.

Oh boy, so what can I say about Gabby? As much as she’s a great mother, warm and caring person, committing adultery is unacceptable. I do have to say that the way Matt was described, I envisioned him as some lovely eye candy. Even though this may be the case, you don’t cheat on your spouse. If my husband ever cheated on me, that would be the end of our marriage. All of this being said though, I felt sorry for Gabby when she realized her marriage was ruined. I could really sympathize with her daughters. My parents got divorced when I was nine, and let me tell you, going indirectly through a divorce is horrible.

I felt so much pain for Elliott. He’s such a wonderful man and it broke my heart that he had to deal with Gabby cheating on him. You can just tell that he’s the kind of man who’s a great husband, father and an all around decent man.

One thing that I felt was a bit unrealistic was how Gabby and Matt ended up becoming friends when they met up again a year later, and their sexual chemistry just went away. That sounds highly unlikely. I can understand perhaps the chemistry faded, but not 100% non-existent anymore, especially because of what they had before.

Tempting Fate explores the complicated facets of motherhood, marriage and betrayal. It makes the reader think about their own views on infidelity, and whether it can ever be justified. In this aspect this is one extremely thought provoking story. If you’re like me, you will gobble up this entertaining and emotional read.

Melissa Amster:

Jane Green is one of my favorite authors and she proves once again why with this novel. It was so incredibly written that I felt like I was right there, along with Gabby for the ride. It read like a horror story about infidelity, which could also be seen as a cautionary tale. When I had to put it down (even though it was very difficult to find a stopping point), I kept thinking about it and wondered what would happen next.

While I have read books about affairs from both men and women, this one seemed more harrowing than the others. It haunted me long after I turned the last page and I even felt compelled to write a letter to my future self to threaten what would happen if I ever had an affair. Given what I read though, I wouldn't even allow myself to be tempted if Chris Messina were to walk into my house at this very moment.

As always, Jane used great description and detail to bring the story to life and make it feel genuine and real. Given that she set it in her home town, it allowed me to get to know more about where she lives. While her story is perfect for the most part, that extends to the ending, which wraps things up too perfectly. While I'm relieved that it takes away from the horrific outcomes of Gabby's actions, it also sets up unrealistic expectations for women who may end up in Gabby's shoes someday, even if they're also convincing themselves they never could. There was also a situation that happened with one of Gabby's daughters that I would have liked to hear more of an outcome from, given the repercussions of the incident. I felt it just got dropped after that part.

Overall, another stellar novel from Jane Green that I highly recommend. I already am eagerly awaiting her next novel!

And, of course, I had to cast this one! I even shared my ideas with Jane a few weeks ago and she liked them!

Gabby: Minnie Driver
Elliott: Dermot Mulroney
Matt: Chris Hemsworth
Olivia: Sarah Hyland
Trish: Laura Linney

Thanks to Penguin UK for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jane Green:

What's in the mail...plus a giveaway

Melissa A:

Storm in a B Cup by/from Lindy Rahn (e-book)

Binds that Tie by Kate Moretti from Red Adept Publishing (e-book)

Pretty in Ink by Lindsey J. Palmer from Kensington

Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves from Penguin UK

Acts of Contrition by Jennifer Handford from Lake Union Publishing

Spun by/from Catherine McKenzie (e-book)

Amy:

Goodnight June by Sarah Jio from Penguin (Melissa A also got this)

The Glass Kitchen by/from Linda Francis Lee (Melissa A got this from St. Martin's Press)

Becky:

Some Girls Do by Clodagh Murphy from Hachette Ireland

A Place to Call Home by Carole Matthews from Sphere

The Summer Without You by Karen Swan from Pan Macmillan

The Story of You by Katy Regan from HarperCollins UK

What could be in YOUR mail:

No One Could Have Guessed the Weather by Anne-Marie Casey

Thanks to Penguin (Berkley), we have one book for a lucky US reader!

After her husband loses his job, Lucy has to leave behind her posh life in London and settle into a tiny East Village apartment. Now she’s a middle-aged mother in the midst of hipsters, homesick and resentful until she embarks on a new love affair—with New York City and three new friends.

Julia has left her family for a mini breakdown and a room of her own. Trophy wife Christy is a bit adrift, as only those who live in penthouses can be. Robyn is constantly compensating for her wunderkind husband who can’t seem to make the transition to adulthood. And all of them are starting to learn that what you want in your twenties isn’t always what you need in your forties…

How to win:

Please tell us: What is your favorite season?

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 April 9th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Love Like the Movies

By Melissa Amster

I must preface this review by pointing out that I have no contact with my ex-boyfriends. (I used to talk with one sporadically, but that has gone by the wayside recently.) I do talk to a guy I dated for a few months about 14 years ago, but we agreed a long time ago about just being friends and we've even attended each other's weddings. Having said all this, most books about women re-kindling flames with their ex-boyfriends hold very little interest for me. I have read some of them though and very few authors get it right (Samantha Stroh Bailey and Beth Kendrick, for example). Victoria Van Tiem now gets the honor of being grouped into this category, as well.

Kensington "Kenzi" Shaw has one thing going for her...she is engaged to a gorgeous guy her family approves of. However, getting in the way of her joy is her sister-in-law who steals her limelight, her backstabbing friend/co-worker, finding out that her job is possibly on the line, and the return of her ex-boyfriend, who promises to infiltrate her life with a special proposal (and not THAT kind). She has to live out scenes from ten of her favorite romantic movies with him and that might just solve most of her other problems.....or will it cause even more chaos?

The premise of Love Like the Movies was definitely a lot of fun. I love chick flicks and romantic comedies. It had me at 13 Going on 30, which was one of the first movie references. I found myself laughing and smiling the most during the movie re-enactment scenes. I won't say what they were because I don't want to spoil the anticipation and excitement for anyone else. I wish the story were full of even more movie scenes. They could have done a montage! The characters were interesting and vibrant, keeping the story upbeat and hard to put down at times. I like that Victoria chose to place the story in Indianapolis, which isn't a common location for chick lit novels, as compared to New York, Chicago, or--oddly enough--Maine. I've been to Indy a bunch of times when my sister was going to college out there, so I was familiar with some of the places mentioned in the book. I also loved the midwest feel it gave off, which I can relate to from growing up in the Chicago suburbs.

What didn't work as well for me was how Kenzi came off as a major drama queen who was self-absorbed for the most part. She would jump to conclusions and run off crying all the time. Seeing that two men were vying for her affections, it was hard to feel sorry for her. However, I did sympathize with her in terms of how her family treated her, as her mom was quite a piece of work how she was more concerned with image than her daughter's feelings. Her brother was an annoying busybody too. So I don't blame her for not wanting to deal with her family. However, the other stuff got to be too much at times. I am sure I've been a drama queen on occasion, but it was more during my teens and early 20s than in my 30s. Given that Kenzi was closer to 30, she came off as immature when it came to expressing her feelings. She also tried to base all her epiphanies on movies. While I can see how something you relate to from a movie (or even a TV show or book) can sometimes affect how you see a situation, Kenzi seemed to do this with every movie she could possibly think of. Given that I've voiced some similar critiques of characters in Anita Hughes novels, if you like those, then you'll like this too.

Overall, I enjoyed Love Like the Movies. For a debut novel, it was strong and stayed entertaining throughout. If you want a feel-good chick lit novel, I definitely recommend this one!

Of course, seeing that it is about chick flicks, I came up with a movie cast!

Kenzi: Michelle Trachtenberg
Shane (the ex): Orlando Bloom
Tonya (the frenemy): Krysten Ritter
Ellie (the best friend): Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Bradley (the fiancé): Aaron Tveit
Ren (the sister-in-law): Amanda Crew
Kenzi's mom: Susan Sarandon

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Spotlight and Giveaway: The Other Typist

**Giveaway is now closed**

In the New York City of 1923, two young women meet while working as typists for the police department, recording the confessions of thieves and murderers. At first glance, they couldn’t seem more different from one another. Rose Baker, raised in an orphanage by Catholic nuns, is plain, rule-bound, and prudish. Odalie Lazare, on the other hand – with her unflappable poise, musical laugh, and golden beauty capped by a stylish black bob – exudes all the glamour and excitement of the Jazz Age. Yet these two will be drawn inextricably together by mutual need into a dizzying vortex of obsession, deception, and murder in Suzanne Rindell’s stunning first novel, The Other Typist.

“They said the typewriter would unsex us” begins the tale, told in Rose’s spellbinding voice. Rose lives in a tumultuous time for women, torn between the staid verities of the Victorian era and the new opportunities, entertainments, and mores of the Roaring Twenties. Rose, who holds to old-fashioned notions of sisterhood and sexual restraint, knows firmly which side of the divide she stands on – until the day she meets Odalie, who has stepped unreservedly into the new age.

Rose is not quite sure why Odalie chooses her as a bosom friend, but she is dazzled by the world of speakeasies, cocktails, cigarettes, and easy interactions with men into which Odalie leads her. After official word comes down that their precinct on the Lower East Side has been tasked with a mission to close down the speakeasies, the highly observant Rose notices that Odalie’s reports begin to include small mistakes that eventually lead to bigger ones, and ultimately the exoneration of bootleggers Rose has come to know.

“I am there to transcribe what will eventually come to be known as the truth,” Ruth says. But as both she and the reader come to discover, truth can be a slippery concept, particularly when it comes to Odalie. As roommates in an elegant apartment on which Odalie pays the rent, the two women share the intimate stories of their pasts, although Odalie never tells the same one twice. Rose, intoxicated by her release from lifelong loneliness and her closeness to such an exotic and fascinating creature, repeatedly bites her tongue and stifles her doubts.

But when, at an elegant house party on Long Island, Rose and Odalie run into an earnest young college student who suggests that he has knowledge of Odalie’s involvement in a deadly crime, those doubts can no longer be contained. Steeling her resolve, Rose determines to confront Odalie with her contradictions, and demand that she stop her scheming and risky behavior. As Rose woefully finds out, however, Odalie’s most terrible power lies not in her own actions but in what she is capable of driving others – including Rose – to do.

Photo by Emily Kate Roemer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Suzanne Rindell is a doctoral student in American modernist literature at Rice University. The Other Typist is her first novel. Born in New Mexico and raised in northern California, she lives in New York City and is currently working on a second novel. Visit her online at her website.




Thanks to Penguin, we have one copy of The Other Typist for a lucky US reader!

How to win:

Please tell us about an adventure or crazy situation you've experienced with a close friend.

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 April 8th at midnight EST.

Spotlight and Giveaway: Deep Thoughts from a Hollywood Blonde

Tori Spelling isn't the only actress from Beverly Hills 90210 to write her own books. Now Jennie Garth (a.k.a. Kelly Taylor) has followed suit with her memoir, Deep Thoughts from a Hollywood Blonde. Thanks to Penguin, we have FIVE copies for some lucky US readers!

For the first time ever, Jennie Garth is putting it all out there, sharing her joys and her sorrows, her successes and her failures, with candor and a surprising, even bawdy, sense of humor.

From her sudden rise to fame as a golden-haired teen beauty, to recently redefining herself as a single working mother to three growing girls, Jennie Garth has defied the odds and thrived in a town that can be more than a little tough on its blondes.

Since Jennie landed in Hollywood at just sixteen, she has built an enduring career as a television and film actress, producer and director, beginning with her iconic turn as Kelly Taylor on Aaron Spelling’s smash hit Beverly Hills 90210, a show that ran for a decade and which cemented Jennie’s place in American pop culture.

Recently, Jennie found herself facing her forties from a place she never expected to be in: newly single, in demand again as an actress after years spent focusing on her family, and all over the tabloids. So she decided to do what surprised many—including herself: she decided to write about it, to tell her own story, in her own words.

And now, in this intimate memoir, she explores the highs and lows of her life, both in front of the camera and behind closed doors, revealing the real Jennie Garth—smart, funny, and stronger than she ever realized.

This is one unforgettable, utterly loveable Hollywood Blonde, and these are her deep thoughts.

"No one warned me that deciding to write a book about my life would unleash all of the insecurities, fears, and self-doubts I'd been trying to outwit and outrun my whole life, but that's exactly what happened. I wanted to tell my truth with as much courage as I could muster and to be as fearless as possible as I delved into the darker corners of my mind. The result surprised me: I got to know myself in new ways.

Revealing myself in these pages has been at times terrifying, but also one of the most liberating experiences of my life. That's because once you start writing, all of these embarrassing, wonderful, hilarious, painful, and surreal things that make you who you are get flushed up to the surface. And so word by word, I began to put the story of me together. Now all of these personal recollections, memories and anecdotes have been printed and bound into this book, which means that now you get to know me, too."
—Jennie Garth

(Synopsis and author quotes courtesy of Amazon.)

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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US only. Giveaway ends April 7th at midnight EST.

Holly Peterson's great "idea"...plus a book giveaway

We are pleased to introduce you to Holly Peterson as we celebrate the pub day of her sophomore novel, The Idea of Him. Thanks to William Morrow, we have THREE copies for some lucky US readers!

Holly Peterson is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Manny. She was a Contributing Editor for Newsweek, an Editor-at-Large for Talk magazine and an Emmy Award–winning Producer for ABC News, where she spent more than a decade covering global politics. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, Talk, The Daily Beast, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and numerous other publications. With all this work under her belt, she likes to kick back on the waves with her surfboard!

You can find Holly at her website, Facebook, and Twitter. She's also chatting LIVE at BookTrib TODAY at 4 pm EST.

Synopsis of The Idea of Him:
Allie Crawford has the life she always dreamed of—she's number two at a high-profile P.R. firm; she has two kids she adores; and her husband is a blend of handsome and heroic. Wade is everything she thought a man was supposed to be—he's running a successful newsmagazine and, best of all, he provides the stable yet exciting New York City life Allie believes she needs in order to feel secure and happy.

But when Allie finds Wade locked in their laundry room with a stunning blonde in snakeskin sandals, a scandal ensues that flips her life on its head. And when the woman wants to befriend Allie, an old flame calls, and a new guy gets a little too close for comfort, she starts to think her marriage is more of a facade than something real. Maybe she's fallen in love not with Wade—but with the idea of him.

Captivating and seductive, told in the whip-smart voice of a woman who is working hard to keep her parenting and career on track, The Idea of Him is a novel of conspiracy, intrigue, and intense passion—and discovering your greatest strength through your deepest fears. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What was your inspiration for The Idea of Him?
The very truth of the matter is I got divorced and I started to spend a ton of time thinking about why we get into relationships and how we get out of them. When a marriage ends, you can’t help but think...how and why did I fall for this husband if it wasn’t everlasting? My ex-husband and I are lucky enough to care about and respect each other enormously, so we get to parent our three children in a symbiotic manner that works for all, and, most importantly, minimizes stress on the kids. My book isn’t based on “us,” but it is a study of something I went through; namely, intense fear of being on my own. Whether it’s a relationship or a marriage ending -- men, women, gay, straight and trans-gender -- ALL OF US – sometimes we fall more for an “idea” of someone, rather than the actual person and I think that’s where we get into trouble. Reality hits and we wonder why the person across the table isn’t who we thought they were...because we were fixated on an “idea” (cool guy with long hair, responsible and paternalistic savior, bad boy rebel….) and not the actual, emotional, breathing person!

I wanted to create a character who was thinking about divorce, wondering why she married that person and see where the narrative took me. Allie in my book is a woman who feels sad, nervous, excited for change, and still lost...all emotions I have felt in spades. She is grasping after two other possible men to run to, so there’s three love interests and lots of passion and sexy scenes, but you won’t find out until the final page who Allie chooses. Nothing important is life is easy no matter where you are from, and I wanted to write a book mature women, and by that I mean over 21, who searching for real intimacy, could relate to and possibly learn from that made them laugh and cry!

In one sentence, what was road to publishing like for you?
My road to publishing was filled with doubters that women wanted to read about a “good” and “likeable” and “relatable” mother in a failing marriage who cared more about checking the text from the hot guy in her screenwriting class than whether her kids’ chicken nuggets were served with the right sauce on the side.

What do you think the key is to a successful chick lit novel?
I did not want to write a book where the goal was “getting a guy” and I’d love to read more chicklit books about strong women who care about all kinds of passions in their lives. I wanted to write a book about a woman finding the strength through female friendship, her mothering and work passions, and her very SELF, to find happiness. I wish there were more chick lit books that didn’t emphasize winning a man as a prize. Life isn’t like that. We lose them, we get them, but it’s ourselves, our work, our expertise, our families, our children’s smiles, our best girlfriends, that really pull us through. My character Allie is certainly obsessing over many men and we read about her fears and live through her sexy adventures, but inside she is growing in a good way that is allowing her to consider being on her own. We are so fearful of being without a man that we often cling to the wrong ones...so much of literary fiction and Hollywood pushes us to believe we aren’t okay without one. That’s why they all end with the protagonist kissing Colin Firth in the rain...I loved that movie and book...but I just am on a mission here to get women to focus on themselves a bit more.

If they made a movie of The Idea of Him, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Reese Witherspoon as Allie Crawford. Brad Pitt as the cool, elusive husband.

What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
I decided to get over my fear of riding horses, so I went on a calm sunset ranch ride on a horse in Mexico and it tripped on a ditch and I went flying over its head.

What is one item you can NOT live without?
My surfboard...and I first got on one when I was 42 years old.

Thanks to Holly for visiting with us and William Morrow for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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US only. Giveaway ends April 6th at midnight EST.