Dynamic Duo Review-O!

Dynamic Duo Review-O

by Dee DeTarsio and Jackie Bouchard

Jackie: I’m not sure about the title of this blog post.

Dee: Really? The title? We can’t agree about the title? 

Jackie: It’s fine.

Dee: Fine? Two syllables fi-ne? What, are we dating now?

Dee and Jackie!

Jackie: Let’s just talk about the book.

Dee: But, let’s give a little background first.

Jackie: Wow. It would be so hard to write a whole book with someone else.

Dee: I’m sitting right here.

Jackie: No, not you in particular.

Dee: *Looking around* Who are you talking about? Jennifer Weiner? Sarah Pekkanen?

Jackie: I’m just saying that you take two smart women,

Dee: Accomplished, impressive, funny . . . 

Jackie: Sophisticated, polished . . .

Dee: Wait a minute. Who are you talking about?

Jackie: Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. Who are you talking about?

Dee: Never mind.

Jackie: Can we least agree on how much we loved their book, Your Perfect Life?

Dee: Loved it! And how great is it that we have been able to get to know Liz?

Jackie: I do believe it’s her turn to buy coffee next.

Liz and Lisa!

Dee: I do believe your spreadsheet is showing, thank you very much, but you are correct. I could hear Liz’s voice all the way throughout the book—smart, sarcastic and sweet—and I feel like I know Lisa. How can anyone resist the premise of switching bodies with your best friend? Especially with Facebook, where we all think everyone else is living the life.

Jackie: I really liked their characters, too, and the dialogue. It was very real, and very fun.

Dee: And don’t you love it when books and authors are in harmony, and that relationships (whether virtual or in person) with the author strengthen the story, and vice versa? Like you are so Jane in Rescue Me, Maybe. Liz is Casey, right?

Jackie: I thought she was Rachel.

Dee: You are killing me.

Jackie: Even women who don’t know Liz and Lisa will like this book, and will feel like they know them after they read it, right?

Dee: Absolutely. 

Jackie: Stay tuned for a co-authored bestseller from Dee and Jackie, coming soon…The 12th of Never.

Dee: Very funny.

Jackie: At least we managed a blog post together! And it only took us, what, a month?!

Dee: It’s a start!

Your Perfect Life, really is coming soon, (June 10, 2014—available for pre-order, NOW!) If you click on over to Jackie’s doghouse at Pooches Smooches, you can meet Liz and Lisa’s dogs—so cute!!

 

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Passing the Torch!

I am such a HUGE fan of the book Girl Unmoored I wrote to the amazing author, Jennifer Gooch Hummer, who WROTE ME BACK! I was not surprised that the creator of such a good book was so cool, but there is a special place in my library for books that shine with the harmony of an author’s words and spirit. I’m honored she is passing the torch to me for this awesome blog hop on the writing process. (You can check Jennifer’s out, here!)

1. What am I working on?

’Tis the season to be . . . worrying about thinking about fitting into bathing suits and deciding that yes, now is the time for all good women to consider shaving their legs. However, I am writing Ginger Krinkles, “a holiday tale of heart-breaking humor” (that’s what it says in the blurb) (that I wrote). Fa la la la la la la la la. It is a novella and will be about 100 pages long, conveniently sized for a holiday movie.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I love to read chick lit because it laughs at the sadness of life. I love to write chick lit, because it can entertain on so many levels, from magical realism, to romance, to philosophy, to using humor to help polish the edges of life. My favorite review I’ve ever received was, “You have to be a little weird and have a sense of humor to enjoy this book.”

3. Why do I write what I do?

See that review right up there? I’m looking for friends in Category: Weird, Niche: Humor, Sub-genre: Fun, to come and read with me. (Why is Garth Brooks’ song, Friends in Low Places, earworming me now?) 

4. How does my writing process work?

Please slap me if I start talking about my “craft” without adding macaroni and cheese! I was a TV writer and producer with daily deadlines which gave me the audacious idea that maybe one day I could write a book. I write every day unless I don’t. Sometimes I take a break to mop the floor for inspiration. (Oh, who am I kidding? I sweep the room with a glance.) Sometimes a writerly friend (I’m looking at you, Jackie Bouchard and Rescue Me, Maybe!) will invite me to practice my craft with her! Mmm cheesier.

Stay tuned! Instead of torch passing, I’m naming names … of groovy authors whose spirits just ooze into their books: Carol K. Carr and India Black, Jess Riley and Mandatory Release and Terry Ambrose and Con Game!

5 Reasons to Read Chick Lit 4 a Stress-Free Holiday, Including 3 Hints on How 2 Be Healthy and Happy, Plus The #1 Most Fabulous Gift Guide!

New erotic ereader logo for the Fondle!

Eighty-seven percent of us are more likely to read an article that has a quantitative headline, according to IMTU (I Made That Up). From “To Do” to “Top 10” to “Best Of,” lists claim to help us through the clutter to control the chaos of our lives.

Don’t get me wrong, I like lists as much as the next person, but can we really count on those numbered points as a compass to a better life? Or are you that rare reader who is not influenced by lists, at all? Take the simple test below and find out:

 

Which topic would you be more likely to click on?
A. Top 10 Self-Pleasuring Techniques, That Could Save Your Life!
B. Top 10 Holiday Centerpieces Using Pickle Jars, That Could Save Your Celebration!
Ha ha, just a trick question. Who wouldn’t want to burn precious moments, that we will never, ever, see again, checking out both? Especially if there are pictures included! Who doesn’t want to pick up some secret tip? I could make an unbelievable graph showing all the most popular lists out there, just waiting to tantalize us.

Top 3 Reasons I Can’t Make A Graph
1. I’m a writer.
2. I ran out of coffee.
3. It’s time for my Lumosity brain training.

All My Restless Life to Live I’ve been searching for meaning. Chick Lit, which can be loosely defined as books for women, by women, but always with a hopefully-ever-after, is not dead. There’s even a Top 10 Blog devoted to that very subject, ChickLitIsNotDead. (Hey, Liz and Lisa!).

5 Reasons Reading Chick Lit Novels Can Save Your Life!
Reading Chick Lit novels can decrease stress levels by:
• Exercising emotions,
• Providing nutritional doses of Vitamin I (Imagination),
• Triggering serotonin spikes of well-being,
• Improving social skills,
• Enhancing moods (Fat-free, zero calories)!

*Reading Chick Lit Novels not meant to be taken as medical advice, but really, should be considered a part of a healthy, happy lifestyle. Please consult with friends for recommendations before attempting.

With so much competition from Hallmark Holiday movies, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and coordinating projects on Pinterest, (really, give me 3 Good Reasons Why You Want to Learn How to Crochet), Chick Lit novels remain the one true constant. Still don’t believe?

Three-ee eShocking eStatistics!
1. Fewer people may be reading, but the ones who are, are reading more, thanks to mobile
devices.
2. Nearly one-third of all Americans have read an ebook.
3. In China, it’s estimated that 25 million people read books on their cell phones.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . you do the math. ‘Tis the season to be stressed out. ‘Tis also the #1 List-Making Season of The Year. Not only do we make our lists, check them twice, we get stuck in a line where the last thing we feel like being is nice. There is a simple solution.

The #1 Best Gift Idea, Ever!
Chick Lit novels help us laugh at the sadness of life. What more could anyone wish for?

When Love Walked In, Certain Girls who were Good in Bed were shaking like Little Earthquakes.  Anybody Out There? I called. My heart was Skipping a Beat. I’ve Got Your Number. It may have started as Something Borrowed but you’ve taken me from feeling Hopeless to Almost Paradise, keeping me Spellmanbound and now, you Belong to Me, The Girl You Left Behind. Rescue Me, Maybe, and Take A Chance on Me! Spirit me away to The Forgotten Garden where All The Lonely People hang out and read awesome books about Love and Other Subjects!
P.S. I Love You!

Tags, thank yous, and Happy Holidays to goddess chick lit authors who make any season bright, including: Marisa de los Santos, Jennifer Wiener, Marian Keyes, Sarah Pekkanen, Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin, Susan Isaacs, Lisa Lutz, Jackie Bouchard, Jill Mansell, Kate Morton, Jess Riley, Cecelia Ahern, Colleen Hoover, Kathleen Shoop, and Jojo Moyes, and all the Chick Lit Goddesses, #ChickLit4Xmas!

Dee DeTarsio is an award-winning indie author living in southern California.

Who’s A Good Book? Who’s A Good Book?

It’s so much fun to “vet” an author who loves dogs! And reading What the Dog Ate by my new friend, author Jackie Bouchard, was a total treat! (Jackie and I had a chance to meet up for coffee and voila! I have a new author crush.) What the Dog Ate will chew on your heart just like a big chocolate Lab puppy—Hey, Kona! I’m trying to come up with cute dog metaphors here, but if I rate it five bones! that sounds like the wrong kind of genre. Five dogs could just be taken the wrong way. OK, I’ll stop! Just go read it, because her new book, Rescue Me, Maybe, is coming out next month!