Archive for November, 2010

A brand new feature on Chicklitreviews.com is Cover Stories! We have noticed that book covers are a huge part of a books appeal whether we like to admit it or not, and the age old adage “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” is less relevant now than it has ever been! Therefore, we’ve taken it upon ourselves for this new feature to quiz a whole lot of chick lit authors, some who have been around the genre for a good few years, some debut authors, about the importance of their book covers, and what they mean to them. We hope you like the feature!

This week we are talking to Michelle Jackson about her book covers. Michelle has had 3 books published by Poolbeg Press, including her latest One Kiss in Havana which I loved. Here Michelle tells us about her opinion on book covers - both her own and other writers!

“There is no feeling like the moment that you first see the cover of your novel! The thrill is unique! But do we judge a book by it’s cover? I think that covers are extremely important and the ultimate decider when choosing a book. I remember the first time that I saw the cover for Audrey Neffineggers novel ‘The Time Travellers Wife’ - I just had to pick it up - the little girl’s shoes next to the man’s shoes were so intriguing. I wasn’t disappointed either when I did go to read it - it’s definately one of my all time favourites!

But I think that tastes change and the fashion for covers of books works very much in the same way as advertising or music or clothing! There is a trend not to reveal the full identy of a person on a cover and it has been that way for two seasons - also the preoccupation with shoes and feet seems a little overdone. The comic cover has peaks and troughs in Chicklit fashion also. I have been very pleased with all of my covers to date - do I have a favourite? To be honest I love the ‘One Kiss in Havana’ cover so much that I almost cried when it was shown to me. It also perfectly represents my character Emma - even down to the clothes and sunglasses that she wears and her laptop that she carries around with her on holidays. This is my first novel that will be translated into another language so I am very excited to see what the Dutch publisher will do with it and what it will be called because it is usual for the title to change dramatically also when a novel is translated. The cover for my first novel ‘Two Days in Biarritz’ is very dear to me and will always be because it was my first and because it has that wonderful feeling of sunshine and holiday surrounding it. I have also noticed that three of my four novels have cars on the cover - which I think is very appropriate - especially as they all have a travel theme. So I will have to wait and see what my publisher is going to do with my next one - the title is still to be set but one thing is for certain that the city of ‘Vegas’ will be in it - and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there is a nice red convertible on the cover too. If you happen to read one of my books - I hope you enjoy the trip as much as I have writing the story!”

Thanks Michelle!

Bea is about to spend her first Christmas with her baby son Luca, but it’s going be a bittersweet Christmas for the pair of them. Bea’s Italian café The Honey Pot and is as usual doing a booming business, and she loves the characters she meets along the way. Outside, with just 12 days to go until Christmas, Olivia ends up on the pavement after nearly being run over. She’s taken inside The Honey Pot by Bea and is taken care of, but is she running away from the pressure of hosting her fiancé’s entire family for Christmas? Then there’s Chloe whose relationship with Michael seems to be falling apart at the special time of year. She’s lonely, she wants to enjoy her man but hates that he has to go back to his family every night instead of being with her.With just 12 days to go until Christmas, will the lives of Bea, Olivia and Chloe be sorted out and will they all get their Merry Christmas?

(more…)

Back in August I read a book that pretty much blew me away. I’m not joking, I absolutely adored it. The ending made me smile like a total loon and to know it was a debut novel was stunning! So when I got the chance to ask the lovely Ali McNamara, the author of the stunning From Notting Hill With Love… Actually, some questions I was so excited you have no idea. Well, the book is out this week, so here is our interview with Ali! You’re welcome!

1. Tell us about your debut novel From Notting Hill With Love… Actually?

It’s about Scarlett who adores the movies, but her fiancé and family think she’s a bit too obsessed by them. So when she gets the chance to get away from them all and house-sit a grand mansion in Notting Hill, the setting of one of her all time favourite movies she grabs the opportunity to try and live out her film fantasies one last time.

2. Are you currently working on a second book? Can you tell us anything about it?

Yes, it’s about a girl called Darcy who finds out at her aunt’s funeral she’s the sole beneficiary of her very wealthy estate. But before Darcy can claim one penny of the money the will stipulates she must go and live on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland for a year and set up a new community of people to live there with her. Darcy’s used to living in London where all she has to worry about is buying the latest designer handbag and popping down to Starbuck’s for a ‘Caramel Macchiato’ so island living doesn’t exactly come easily. But if Darcy thinks her only challenge over the year will be how she’s going to match her shoes to her rain jacket, or survive without Eastenders for 12months, she hasn’t banked on what the island of Tara has in store in for her…

(more…)

Milly Johnson has had her first two book covers redesigned to match her more recently published books, so we thought we would share them with you too! I do love the retro look of the first two b0oks, and think they really stand out and definitely suit the stories inside, but the new covers are also gorgeous, very classy and now you can have all of Milly’s books matching on your bookshelf! What do you think of the new covers for The Yorkshire Pudding Club and The Birds and the Bees?

Chick Flick Tuesday highlights the best chick flicks in the movie world as well as bringing you news on upcoming chick flick releases as well as letting you all know about which chick lit books are being made into chick flick movies!

Ali McNamara’s wonderful book From Notting Hill With Love… Actually is due out this week and I thought this would be the perfect time to highlight the wonderful film that is Notting Hill. It’s the kind of film that everybody has seen at least once and Julia Roberts is fantastic as Anna. I’m not a huge Hugh Grant fan but I liked him in this! It kind of says it all when a film can inspire an entire book and Notting Hill is such a film!

Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant forge memorable chemistry in this charmer about William, an unassuming bookstore owner in London’s Notting Hill section and Anna, a Hollywood actress who, against the odds, are able to fall in love. After Anna wanders into William’s shop while filming on location in London, the two share an instant attraction and find themselves attempting to forge a normal relationship despite Anna’s megawatt star power. Screenwriter Richard Curtis (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) has crafted a traditional romantic comedy which is surprisingly frank in it’s depiction of the lives of the rich and famous and the price they pay for success.

The fourth book in the Spellman series by Lisa Lutz The Spellmans Strike Again is due out on 6th January 2011 and I think it sounds fantastic. Unfortunately, I don’t have the previous three books, but this does actually sound like a series I would love so I’m hoping to get my hands on them at some point! The book cover has had a stunning make-over and looks fantastic. Here is the synopsis:

At the ripe old age of thirty-two, former wild child Isabel “Izzy” Spellman has finally agreed to take over the family detective business. The transition won’t be smooth. First among her priorities as head of Spellman Investigations is to dig up some dirt on the competition, slippery ex-cop Rick Harkey. Next, faced with a puzzling missing-person’s case she recruits an actor friend, Len, to infiltrate the home of an ageing millionaire as an undercover butler. Meanwhile, Izzy is being blackmailed by her mother to commit to regular blind dates with promising professionals - an arrangement that doesn’t thrill Connor, Izzy’s soon to become Ex-boyfriend No. 12. At Spellman headquarters, it’s business as unusual. Doorknobs and light fixtures are disappearing every day, Mom’s been spotted crying in the pantry and just when it looks like things can’t go more haywire, little sister Rae’s internship researching pro bono legal cases leads the youngest Spellman to launch a campaign that could spring an innocent man from jail - or land Rae in it. It just goes to show, however many Spellman Family Rules are put in place in an attempt to hold the family together, Izzy will never be able to follow Rule No. 1: Act Normal.

Scarlett O’Brien lives her life as if she’s in one big movie production but often finds herself in trouble for indulging in such fantasies. When Scarlett is given the chance to house-sit a mansion in Notting Hill, she jumps at the chance to live out her life-long film fantasies.

As she gets comfy in her Notting Hill mansion and finds herself re-creating many famous film scenes, she also realises that there may be more to life than the one she was leading prior to her house-sitting expedition. As Scarlett spends more time in Notting Hill, she finds herself strangely attracted to neighbour Sean, but what of her fiance David? Could it be that Scarlett O’Brien has inadvertently found herself in her very own romantic comedy?

(more…)

Fear not Annie Valentine fans, our girl is back next year with a brand new story! That’s right, Annie Valentine, star of the How Not To Shop series of books by Carmen Reid reappears again on January 20th 2011 with a new adventure that takes her across to the pond to the fashionista’s paradise… New York City! I have loved all of Carmen Reid’s Annie Valentine books so far this year, and am really looking forward to this one. Here’s the synopsis:

“Love is in the air! Personal shopper Annie Valentine has a dream job in the heart of fabulous Manhattan. Daughter Lana is lost in the heat of first love, but has she fallen for a heart-breaker? In London husband Ed faces a scandal at work and knows, in his heart, he needs Annie back. What’s a girl to do when her true love is in London but her new love is New York? Does it have to be fashion or family, or can Annie Valentine have it all?”