CHICK LIT AUTHOR BLOG HOP 2012!

Hi everyone! Welcome to my part of the Chick Lit Author Blog Hop! For those of you who don't know much about it, there are 34 authors who are making this a week of chick lit! Simply hop around to the various blogs, leave a comment with your email to be entered to win a free ebook, take note of the italicised words, and enjoy yourself! At the end of the week, if you email all 34 italicised words to CLABlogHop@aol.com, you will be entered to win a $150 Sephora gift card. This contest is only open to people living in the United States, though, so sorry to my Canadian amigos.

Anyway, enough of the rules, let's get started! I am typing this with a squirmy 10 week old baby in my lap, who just puked on my arm a few moments ago. I will attempt to be witty. If I am not, you can blame it on the drool now finding it's way into my keyboard, right between the space bar and the alt button... and that's disgusting. Happy Mother's Day to me.

Alright, back on topic. Have you ever heard people say that chick lit is flat, or bland, or predictable? Or maybe that the heroines in the books are like a Barbie doll... tall, beautiful and completely dependent on their Ken doll, which, in all honesty, sets the women's rights movement back about fifty years? I've been told that. And it kind of annoys me. Feminism happened. Women are equals with men. And truly great chick lit doesn't dimish any of that.

Let me introduce (or reintroduce) you to the greatest chick lit heroines as found in my fav books!

Becky Bloomwood
We meet Becky in the world of the Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.  She is plucky, funny, and clever, despite having a small problem. I love chocolate. She loves shopping. I can totally relate to her. The greatest thing about Becky? Her unwavering loyalty. Once you are her friend, she will do anything for you. This is a great quality. Becky is not a lip-biting, timid, spineless woman. She is vibrant. She is tough. She will fight for her causes.


Lexi Smart
Another Kinsella heroine, this time found in Remember Me?, is Lexi Smart. She is not tall, or overly beautiful. She has teeth that stick out a little bit, works hard but never gets the bonuses she deserves, and worst of all, finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her at her dad's funeral. Basically, it's a crappy life. Probably even crappier that my own when it is 3 in the morning and my baby is poking me in the eye, wanting to play. Anyhoo... Lexi is a very sympathetic character. Then, in a twist of fate, she gets in a car crash, wakes up in the hospital and realizes that her life is completely different. Her teeth are perfect, her body is toned, she has a fab job with a gorgeous husband. But in her mind, she is still the insecure person we met in the beginning. I love Lexi. Women aren't always the fully confident people that gloss the covers of Hollywood magazines. Sometimes we feel inferior. And flawed. But Lexi shows us that no matter who we are, we can love ourselves.


Scarlett O'Hara
It's probably debateable if Gone With The Wind is a chick lit book or not. But seriously, how many men have read it? Exactly. And Scarlett may be one of my favourite anti-heroines of all time. She is so darn unlikeable! And yet you can't help but root for her. From spoiled rich girl to a tough woman who shoots a Yankee soldier, wears clothing made of drapery, and eventually runs her own business, while going through three husbands, Scarlett is not someone to overlook. Scarlett is the secret woman inside of each of us, the one who says what she wants d gets away with it. However, Melanie Wilkes may be even stronger than Scarlett, and shows elegance, grace and a very noble presence even under pressure. Between the two of them, I think we find alot of the most admirable qualities in the world.


Mikayla Rivers
I would be remiss if I didn't introduce you to Mikayla. She's a cute Canadian college girl turned world famous, super sexy popstar practically overnight. And still figuring out if she belongs in this celebrity wonderland. She has moments of self doubt, other moments of growth and clarity, and is simply trying to figure out who she is. Isn't that something that every woman (or person) has tried at some point or another? Who am I and how do I fit into this life? She's trying to get over a dirty, rotten ex-boyfriend and at the same time, navigate a new relationship with someone who would not be overly happy to find out she's a celebrity. Mikayla lives in Tanned, Toned and Totally Faking It, and I love her because she is alot like me. It's easy to relate to her.

Well, these are my best girlfriends! Have you met them all yet? If not, I'd encourage you to check them out! You'll love them as much as I do! Leave your thoughts below on your fav chicklit heroines, your thoughts on the ones I've mentioned, or even the qualities you find most important for women today.

Cheers!

PS - Below are the links to the other 34 blogs on this chicklit author tour. Enjoy them!