.

One of my all-time favorite nonfiction books is Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast.  (More on why this book makes my all-time top ten list in an upcoming post)  If you haven't read A Moveable Feast, I highly recommend you indulge.  The audio book version is a delicious treat for your ears.  Speaking of Hemingway, I thought this was a great little story about him. (Question for YOU after the story) "In 1956, Ernest and I were having lunch at the Ritz in Paris with Charles Ritz, the hotel’s chairman, when Charley asked if Ernest was aware that a trunk of his was in the basement storage room, left there in 1930.  Ernest did not remember storing the trunk but he did recall that in the 1920s Louis Vuitton had made a special trunk for him. Ernest had wondered what had become of it. Charley had the trunk brought up to his office, and after lunch Ernest opened it. It was filled with a ragtag collection of clothes, menus, receipts, memos, hunting and f...

You've packed your swimsuit, sandals, suntan lotion, and slinky sundress, but did you remember to pack the one thing that will make you laugh, feel sexy, and give you some serious girl power?   This summer's new Chick Lit releases are super fab, laugh out loud fun. So, don't forget to stick one or two (or more) of these novels in your beach bag or carry-on.  (I suggest starting with Working It - but that's merely a suggestion). You know how you have that favorite summer dress - the one you bought a few years ago, but still makes you feel fantastic?   You probably think you'll never find a better summer dress, right?  But one day soon, you will be walking through the mall and... WAAHHHH  (that's the heavenly chorus sound effect that plays whenever a woman finds the perfect garment)... ...There it will be!  A new summer dress that looks as fab on your body as it did on the mannequin .  A dress that is slinkier, sexier, and more sensationa...

"Chick Lit is soooo last century." "Oh my god!  I know, right?" "They're all fashion, fun, and female empowerment." "Eww!  Who wants to read a novel about some sad woman stumbling through life in overpriced designer shoes?" I was standing in my local bookstore when I overheard the above conversation and I literally had to stop myself from raising my hand, jumping up and down, and crying , "Oo!  Me!  Me!  I want to read about a less-than-perfect woman balancing life, love, and lustful pursuits in a pair of fabulous Louboutins!” But then, I have always been the hot pink mini in the closet full of little black dresses.  Remember Joan Cusack’s bit part in the movie Sixteen Candles ?  The comically, awkward girl in the back brace, trying valiantly to take a sip from the water fountain.  Yeah, that’s me .  When everyone else was reading time travel romance, I was reading (and writing) historical fiction.  When everyone else was ...

Let's face it, births are messy and painful, but  birthdays are fabulous and fun!   To c elebrate my novel's one month birthday, I am throwing an uber-fabulous online party, and you are invited.  There will be virtual glitter , champagne, music , a celebrity appearance , and prezies for all!   So don your swankiest ensemble, mon amie , and let's get ready to paaaarty !   Nothing is worse than walking blind into a party.  Am I right?  I don't mean  literally walking blind - that would be painful.  You still have your sense of sight, but you don't know a single person at the party.  You are the outsider...and you feel awkward, a little self-conscious, constantly checking your breath, hair, pits.   I don't want any of you to feel that way.  Let's just forgo the nervous tummies and sweaty pits, shall we?  Allow me to share the guest list... Vivia Perpetua Grant will be in the house.  Vivia is the heroi...

Do you hear that distant knelling?   Book lovers around the world are ringing bells and mourning their losses.  The era of the bookstore is dying, my friends.  With customers converting to Kindle and Nook, and sales plummeting, Barnes and Noble announced a plan to close 190-240 of their stores.  First, Technology set her sites on newspapers; and now she means to annihilate bookstores.  As a former newspaper reporter and a lifetime book lover, this news fills me with great sadness.  The days of walking into spacious, neatly organized bookstores - or even small, independent nooks (pun, recognized but not intended) - are fading away like a dollop of whipped cream in a Starbucks mocha.  At the risk of sounding Orwellian, I fear we are headed into bleak times.   I try to imagine a world without newspapers, bookstores, and greeting cards (I am sorry, but ecards are just not the same) , and it fills me with d...