May is International Chick Lit Month. Let's be honest—it's the best month of the year! Every year, chick lit readers and writers get together to celebrate, share, discuss and gush about their favorite book genre. Not familiar with chick lit or Chick Lit Month? Visit internationalchicklitmonth.com for more information.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of ICLM. To celebrate, a bunch of enthusiastic authors got together and made an infographic to help readers find their next chick lit read.
We're giving away 19 ebooks to 19 lucky readers. Just enter to win the books you'd like to read!To enter, comment on the blog post below, listing which books from the graphic you'd like to read and WHY you would like to read them. (Make sure to include your email address so we can contact you.) Entrants can only enter once per blog, but can check out other blogs with this same post and comment there for extra entries! All those links are down below.Entries close on midnight Friday, May 22 (Pacific Daylight Time), and winners will be contacted directly on May 31.
Good luck everyone—and happy reading! :D
(Even if you missed this giveaway, feel free to share this graphic on your blog and spread the chick lit love!)
Let’s talk soundtracks. As part of the International Chick
Lit Month celebrations, today a collection of authors are sharing the
soundtracks for their novels.
As with yesterday’s 'What’s on p.45?', US-based readers have
another chance to win a bundle of delicious caramels from Whitney's Goodies(details at the bottom of this post).
I’m sharing with you my soundtrack for Bring Me Back (Evans
Trilogy Book 3).
Developing the soundtrack was relatively easy, as my leading
man in Bring Me Back, Andy Evans, is a musician and ex-rockstar. At the peak of
his rockstar success, Andy played in a pop-punk guitar band, similar to Green
Day or Blink 182. We’re harking back to the 90’s here, and I had to do some
searching to refresh my memory so I could put this together.
Then I remembered this gorgeous song from Green Day – 'When I
Come Around'. The clip very much sums up Andy’s attitude during his successful
years. He didn't care what anyone thought of him and he had very little respect
for the people and world around him. There’s also a sense of loneliness within
this song, which reflects Andy’s inner turmoil. Behind the tough guy attitude is
someone who just wants to be loved.
I kept on searching for another example of pop-punk guitar
bands and came across this clip from Blink 182 – 'All the Small Things'. I just
had to share it, because I’d forgotten how funny it is. In it, Blink 182 are
taking the piss out of boy bands, and it’s just hilarious.
But while pop-punk might be Andy’s style, Annie, my leading
lady in Bring Me Back, HATES it. Andy’s taste in music is one of the first
things she holds against him when she first meets him in Open My Eyes, Book 2
of the Evans Trilogy.
Although Annie is right into Steampunk, she’s also a
non-conformist, and she doesn’t actually like the kind of music Steampunk fans
usually follow. Instead, Annie prefers music that shows off a musician’s skill.
She’d much rather listen to something like this from the soundtrack of the
movie Amelie…
In Bring Me Back, she overhears Andy playing 'Romance Anonimo' and she’s spellbound.
Later, Andy shows off for her a little, and plays the song 'You
Make it Easy', by French band, Air, and again, she’s captivated.
Of course, given Andy is a recovering heroin addict, my
soundtrack wouldn't be complete without a couple of songs that made reference
to drugs.
First up, The Dandy Warhols.
And finally, The Verve.
If you're curious about Andy and Annie, you can get Bring Me Back on Amazon.
To check out the soundtracks of other authors participating
in the Chick Lit Rocks! blog hop, following the links below. And remember, if
you’re US-based, visiting these posts gives you more chances to win the grand
prize outlined at the bottom of this post.
The Charmer (Chocolate Crème Caramels): This smooth,
chocolate cream caramel will add panache to your day. An exquisite and elegant
morsel, simply irresistible.
The Bombshell (Lemon Crème Caramels): A bodacious bit of
heaven with a bold citrus pallet. They will leave you satisfied and
refreshed. Caramels are a girl’s best friend!
Always a Lady (Rose Caramels): A delicate bouquet
of rose essence infuses this lovely caramel: alluring, tantalizing and
reminiscent of another era. They are perfect for weddings and bridal showers. A
definite for ladies who lunch or breakfast at Tiffany’s.
HOW TO ENTER
To enter, answer the following question in the comments section below.
"Which of the songs on my book's playlist is your favorite?"
Entrants must leave their full name,
along with an e-mail address.
A winner will be chosen via Random.org on Wednesday, May 20th.
The International Chick Lit Month celebrations continue this week with a range of fun blog posts put together by a group of awesome Chick Lit authors.
Today, we’re asking, “What’s on page 45?” and offering US readers the chance to win a one-pound package of caramels from Whitney's Goodies.
You can find out 'What’s on Page 45?' of my latest novel, Bring Me Back, below. Further down the post, you’ll see links to the other participating authors. Swing by their blogs to improve your chances to win (details below).
On page 45 of Bring Me Back, the final installment of the Evans Trilogy, Andy Evans is sitting on a beach, recovering after being tackled to the sand by Steampunk vixen, Annie Martin. Andy is with Bec, the girl he’s recently started dating, attempting to explain why Annie had attacked him. His head is bleeding, cut open by the heel of the boot Annie had thrown at him, and his heart is feeling heavy. Annie is sitting further down the beach on a large piece of driftwood with her Victorian skirts gathered around her. She’s scowling at him, but giving him the space to explain himself to Bec.
Andy doesn’t know where to begin. Six years ago, he’d slipped out of the house his sister had shared with Annie and disappeared into the night. He’d been on the run ever since, hiding from the mistakes of his past, cleaning up the mess he’d made of his life. He knows why Annie was so mad. She's his sister’s best friend, and he has no doubt she’s lived through the repercussions of Andy’s decision to vanish. He imagines his family must think him dead, especially given his drug-addicted past.
Andy is a maelstrom of emotion. In some ways he’s relieved Annie has found him, in others, he’s terrified he’ll have to face his family and explain himself. With hesitation, he tries his story out on Bec, whom he really doesn't know very well, only to find the excuses he’s given himself are vastly inadequate. Looking at Annie, he can almost see the fury steaming off her, and in some strange way, her rage brings him comfort and the courage to face the consequences of his actions.
The Charmer (Chocolate Crème Caramels): This smooth, chocolate cream caramel will add panache to your day. An exquisite and elegant morsel, simply irresistible.
The Bombshell (Lemon Crème Caramels): A bodacious bit of heaven with a bold citrus pallet. They will leave you satisfied and refreshed. Caramels are a girl’s best friend!
Always a Lady (Rose Caramels): A delicate bouquet of rose essence infuses this lovely caramel: alluring, tantalizing and reminiscent of another era. They are perfect for weddings and bridal showers. A definite for ladies who lunch or breakfast at Tiffany’s.
HOW TO ENTER
To enter, answer the following question in the comments section below.
"In 4 or 5 words, why do you think Bring Me Back would be a good read?"
Entrants must leave their full name, along with an e-mail address. A winner will be chosen via Random.org on Tuesday, May 19th.
You can enter at each of the blogs participating in the bog hop as outlined above. So, that's 37 chances to win!
It's that time of year again... International Chick Lit Month! To kick off this year, I'm asking you what, as a reader, you like about Chick Lit? What types of stories do you prefer? What kind of characters do you go for? Which style of cover do you prefer and where do you get your books? Answer these questions and more in the Romantic Comedy Reader Survey, which is being hosted, on my behalf, by the lovely bloggers putting together this year's International Chick Lit Month website. Take the survey now for a chance to win a $US50 Amazon Gift Card.
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