Goodbye to International Chick Lit Month

Well that was the month that was, the first ever International Chick Lit Month took place in May. Celebrated avidly by Chick Lit is Not Dead, Chick Lit Club and Novelicious, I decided to mark the occasion as well. The event saw interviews with the wonderful ladies from Chick Lit is Not Dead, I asked some of my favourite bloggers to tell me about their favourite Chick Lit title, I also caught up with publicist, Hannah Hargrave who told me what it was like to promote Chick Lit books and I also got the chance to interview one of my favourite authors, Lisa Jewell who talked about her new book, The Making of Us. I have had a blast and learnt lots about the genre and this event had made me appreciate it more. It is really great to know that so many people love Chick Lit books. Roll on next year.

If you missed out on the event them just click here to read all the past International Chick Lit Month blog posts here.

International Chick Lit Month: Chick Lit is Still in Vogue

I came across Chick Lit Is Not Dead last year while browsing on the world wide web and as I am a firm lover of the genre I immediately added it to my bookmarks. The blog was set up by best friends Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke and celebrates Chick Lit in many ways. Liz and Lisa's distinct point of view have won them plenty of fans who follow them regularly. Chick Lit is Not Dead covers book reviews, interviews with chick lit authors and also cover topical issues such as the whether Royal Wedding is a relevant to current times. Their famous 'Do's and Don't"s is where authors gives us an insight into their psyches and the very popular 'Ask Liz and Lisa' special is where the duo dish out advice on various issues. I caught up with Liz and Lisa who took time out to tell me about their blog and Chick Lit books.

What made you start blogging?
We'd been best friends for over twenty years when we released our first novel, I'll Have What She's Having in January 2009 (being re-released as an e-book this summer) and started our popular blog Chick Lit is not Dead as a way to gain more exposure. We had no freakin' clue what we were doing. Now, two years later, with several authors being featured per week, regular original blog posts written by us and giveaways galore, we'd like to believe we know slightly more about what we're doing. However we still have a lot to learn.

Describe the concept behind Chick Lit is Not Dead.
While querying our first manuscript we kept hearing, we really like this book but...Chick Lit is Dead. But we felt in our Chick Lit loving heart of hearts that there was a still a market for all types of fiction that appeal to women. Yes, the original stiletto wearing, Prada clad heroine's time may have been over, but that kind of character doesn't have to define Chick Lit forever. To us, Chick Lit describes books that women want to read, whether it's a gripping memoir or Jennifer Weiner's latest novel. Our site supports and celebrates all good books.

Over the last year bloggers have really made their mark in Chick Lit coverage, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
It seems like publishers and authors are really beginning to embrace the power of a book blog tour. We think that bloggers will continue to grow in their influence- especially as eReaders become more popular and people turn to the Internet for book reviews.

You have a huge following, do you ever get stressed about maintaining such a high standard? 
We feel really thankful that people have responded so well to Chick Lit is Not Dead. We're constantly amazed at how incredibly awesome our followers are. And yes, we definitely stress about keeping things fresh and there may have even been a girlfight here or there about what direction to head next. But at the end of the day, we just like to have fun with it and enjoy the ride. We're releasing our second novel, The D Word, this Summer and we hope that will give us lots of new things to write about.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog? 
Liz: I love to spend time with my husband and two children and have a "day job" in pharmaceutical sales.
Lisa: I am building my resume as a freelance writer and juggling being a new mom to my baby girl. We spend a fair amount of time just trying to get each other on the phone for a live conversation. Damn you time zones! (Liz is in California, and Lisa in Chicago...)

Describe a typical day in the life of Liz and Lisa. 
Liz: Scrambling to get out of the house, scrambling to get home, beg the children to go to bed, write, write, write and attempt to squeeze at least one trashy reality show in. Repeat.
Lisa: Hauls her post-baby booty out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to get a work out in before the baby wakes. Juggles writing and feeding and changing diapers all day. If lucky, I squeeze in an episode of a bad reality TV show. Repeat.

Where do you source your stories from? 
We don't usually report on anything that actually need to be sourced. We prefer to shove our own uneducated opinions down people's throats instead! =)

What are your favourite glossy magazines? 
Us Weekly, People, Entertainment Weekly, Shape, Self, Writer's Digest, Vogue, Fitness and Fit Pregnancy. (Beginning to think we have too many magazine subscriptions!)

Name five blogs that you read religiously. 
Ivy League Insecurities, Ask Allison, BooksSparks PR, Manic Mommy and Whispering Writer. (Oh and Perez Hilton too)

You can read Liz and Lisa's blog here

You can follow them on Twitter and you can join their Facebook Fan Page.