Tag Archives: chick lit

Spare Change – Aubrey Mace

Riley hates New Year’s Resolutions. She makes them every year, and every year, she fails to complete them. She thinks she’ll just skip the whole thing for once, but her mother insists. Deciding to make the easiest resolution ever, Riley sets her goal—she’ll save her pennies all year long and at the end, she’ll buy something nice for herself. This plan only lasts a short time, though. She works in a care center for cancer patients, and as she sees them come in day after day for their chemotherapy, her heart is touched and she wants to do something to … Continue reading →

Austenland – Shannon Hale

Being the stark raving “Pride and Prejudice” fan that I am, I was thrilled to see “Austenland” reviewed online and placed my hold at the library. When it came in, I literally shrieked, and my enthusiasm was well-rewarded. Jane Hayes is obsessed with the BBC version of “Pride and Prejudice,” especially with Colin Firth. She compares every man she ever meets to him, and when they can’t live up to her unrealistic expectations, she’s crushed. The trouble is, she doesn’t realize those expectations are unrealistic – she believes that somewhere in the world is a Mr. Darcy just for her. … Continue reading →

The Undomestic Goddess – Sophie Kinsella

Once again, I have found a book that I absolutely loved, except for a few of “those” parts. I hate it when that happens! I want to recommend it unequivocally but I can’t. What I will do is steer you around “those” parts and we will celebrate together what is fabulous about the book. “The Undomestic Goddess” is about Samantha Sweeting, a lawyer at a high-powered London firm. She has put so much time and effort into her work that she hardly has a life of her own anymore, but it’s paying off – she’s about to be made partner. … Continue reading →

Confessions of a Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella

I went to bed with a bad headache last night. After taking some medicine, I thought I would lay down with a book until the pain subsided, and then I’d be able to go to sleep. I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. – there was no way to put the book down until it was finished. In this nationally published chick lit book, Rebecca Bloomwood is a financial journalist for the magazine “Successful Saving.” There’s just one problem with that – she’s also a compulsive shopper, and is in debt up to her eyebrows. She regularly gets letters from her … Continue reading →

Author Interview — Elodia Strain (part three) In Conclusion

Thank you for joining us for our third and concluding installment of our conversation with newly published LDS chick-lit author, Elodia Strain. If you missed parts one and two, click here. Elodia, I mentioned in my review of your book “The Icing on the Cake” that I’m sure you have a long career ahead of you. What are you working on now? What can we expect to see from you five and ten years in the future? As we finished up yesterday, I had just mentioned my Mexican heritage. I really want to write a story that has all of … Continue reading →

Author Interview — Elodia Strain (part one) Ideas and Recommendations

Joining us for an exclusive interview with Families.com is Elodia Strain, a new author on the LDS market. Elodia, I had a great time reviewing your book “The Icing on the Cake.” How did you come up with the idea for the story? The basic idea came while I was stopped at a stoplight on University Avenue when I was living in Provo, Utah. I looked to my right and saw the Deseret Morning News building and thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could write a column called something like, ‘Everyday Heroes,’ a column about the good, kind, inspiring … Continue reading →

The First Year – Crystal Liechty

I first had the pleasure of meeting new LDS author Crystal Liechty when she came to the writing conference I helped present last spring. She was involved in a hands-on writing class and all the instructors ranted and raved about how good her excerpt was. We were naturally delighted to hear that her novel had been published, and so it was with eagerness that I pounced on her book. Our main character is Beth, married to Mike for just a short time. Her good friend JoJo is also getting married, although in a reception hall and not in an LDS … Continue reading →

Interview with Author, Julie Wright

Deseret Book author, Julie Wright, is an intriguing individual. With a fulfilled lifelong dream of owning a grocery store, she and her husband live in a small Utah town. From her website: “To give a little background on me, I was raised in Salt Lake City and attended Brighton High School where I met the love of my life. After a few detours at BYU and “dear-Johning” him while he was on his mission to Sweden, he came home and we got married. We moved to a little town in west central Utah, and opened up the only grocery store. … Continue reading →