Real Chick Lit for Real Chicks: The Meredith Schorr Collection

It's no secret that Meredith Schorr is one of my favourite chick lit authors. I will push her books on everyone because I love them that much. It also helps that Meredith herself is an awesome person, as I learned when I had the chance to meet her last November. So, since I'm always happy to talk about Meredith's books, I'm here today to let you know that her publisher has released all three of her novels in one ebook collection, Real Chick Lit for Real Chicks. Whee!

Here are the details:

This boxed set brings together three favorites from bestselling chick lit author Meredith Schorr. Blogger Girl follows Kimberly Long, a book blogger asked to review the debut novel of her high school nemesis. In A State of Jane, “good girl” Jane Frank is looking for love, but when all of her dates flake out on her, she decides to turn the tables. In Just Friends With Benefits, Stephanie Cohen is determined to turn the one who got away into “the one” despite advice from a friend not to put all her eggs in one bastard. Meredith Schorr’s characters are believable, relatable, and authentic—women who are easy to root for, despite their flaws. The stories are humorous, heartfelt, and definitely real.

I've read all three books and have loved them all. Sure, I have my favourite but you really can't go wrong with this collection. The name of the collection is bang on, too. One of my favourite things about Meredith's novels is that her heroines are always so real and relatable. I hope you'll find that as well when you buy the set!

The collection is available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble, and will be on iTunes soon.

About Meredith

A born and bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to, and was famous among her friends for writing witty birthday cards. After trying her hand writing children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing “real” chick lit for real women.  When she is not hard at work on her next novel, Meredith spends her days as a trademark paralegal.  She is a loyal New York Yankees fan and an avid runner. Meredith is the author of three published novels, Just Friends with Benefits, A State of Jane and Blogger Girl and the full boxed set, Real Chick Lit for Real Chicks: The Meredith Schorr Collection.

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Guest Post: Meredith Schorr

It's my second stop on the A State of Jane CLP Blog Tour. Thanks for stopping by! I reviewed the novel last week (check it out here if you missed it) and today's post was written by the lovely author, Meredith Schorr. I'm always interested in the process author's go through when they're writing so I asked Meredith how she figures out the characters in her novels. I hope you all enjoy this insight into the world of writing - I sure did!

Getting Inside My Character’s Heads

Thanks so much for having me on Books Etc., Kaley.  I follow your blog pretty often so it’s pretty cool to be a guest today!!
When I wrote my first novel, Just Friends with Benefits, it was fairly easy to get into the head of my main character, Stephanie Cohen.  That was because when I wrote Just Friends with Benefits, I sort of inserted myself into a fictional story about a woman named Stephanie.  I got Stephanie into more trouble than I’ve experienced personally and I like to think I’d be smart enough to avoid a few of the mistakes she made, however, when I wrote Stephanie’s reactions to things, I often asked myself, “Self – how would you react under these same circumstances?” and I went from there. 

For instance, Stephanie tended to overanalyze things Ad Nauseum, especially statements or small actions from men.  I had a tendency to do the same - before I evolved J.  Stephanie tended to drown her sorrows in drinks with friends, multiple rolls of sushi and a vigorous run on the treadmill.  I do the same.  If there was a full glass of water on the table, Stephanie would be the one to accidentally knock it over. That’s usually my role among my friends and family. This was not the case when I wrote about Jane Frank, the main character of my second novel, A State of Jane. Jane Frank and Meredith Schorr have very little in common personality-wise so it was not simply a matter of looking inside myself to see what I would say/do given a specific set of circumstances.  I basically had to become Jane while writing the novel.  And that is, in a nutshell, what I do while writing.  I don’t know how I do it – certainly not by hypnosis or any magic spell but it just happens.  When I write, I become my main character (assuming I am not already her)… Jane Frank is a Type A, list-making, neat-freak who, at least when introduced to the reader, truly believes that if you do everything “right”, things will work out just as you want them to.  Perhaps it is a result of her upbringing.  She grew up the youngest daughter of an upper middle class happily married couple.  She met her first boyfriend at 16 and stayed with him until she was 25.  She works as a paralegal but has a job in her daddy’s law firm waiting for her when she graduates law school.  And her older sister met the love of her life and is trying to start a family and follow in her mother’s footsteps.  This is how life is supposed to look to Jane and she sees no reason why anything should get in the way of that.  I knew all of this when I started A State of Jane and took it all into consideration when writing what decision, judgment call or choice Jane would make, how she would react to disappointment, how she might respond to her world crumbling around her.  I must confess it was kind of fun watching the world slam the door in Jane’s face for a little while.  It was also rewarding to see how she resolved her issues and, in doing so, became a better person.  As Jane grew up, I almost felt like I grew up a little too.  I guess that’s what happens when you become your main character!  Quite the incentive for the Happily Ever After ending J

CLP Blog Tour: A State of Jane

I was very excited to take part in the CLP Blog Tour for A State of Jane by Meredith Schorr. This novel was so much fun to read and it did not disappoint.

Here's the synopsis:

Jane Frank is ready to fall in love. It's been a year since her long term relationship ended and far too long since the last time she was kissed. With the LSAT coming up she needs to find a long term boyfriend (or husband) before acing law school and becoming a partner in her father's law firm. There's just one problem: All the guys in New York are flakes. They seemingly drop off the face of the earth with no warning and no explanation. Should she join her best friend Marissa in singlehood, making cupcakes and watching True Blood? Or should she follow her co-worker Andrew's advice and turn the game back on those who scorned her? As Jane attempts to juggle her own responsibilities and put up with the problems of everyone around her, she starts to realize the dating life isn't as easy as she originally thought.

Jane was a hilariously entertaining main character. I have to admit that it took me awhile to warm up to her simply because she was being a bit of a twit. But I really cared about her and desperately wanted things to work out for her. Then I realized that it was not the first time I had been conflicted about a heroine like this. A State of Jane has a very similar feel to the novels by Sophie Kinsella - there are well meaning (if irritating) characters, an entertaining storyline, and a lovely mix of romance and life issues. Becky Bloomwood, the main character in the Confessions of a Shopaholic series, drives me crazy but I keep reading the series because I care about her and want her to be happy. Long story short - if you're a fan of Kinsella's work, I highly recommend A State of Jane.

The only little problem I had with this novel was the ending. I finished this a little while ago and I'm still not entirely sure how things ended up. I liked that there was an epilogue but the letter from Jane didn't quite give me the closure and understanding that I needed.

I did, however, really like that Jane's life wasn't just about men and dating. Sure, the bulk of the novel focuses on her search for a non-flakey male in NYC but there's also a sub-plot of Jane studying for the LSAT and figuring out exactly what she wants in life. This is the mark of a good chick lit novel - when the heroine has more going on than romance.

Overall, A State of Jane by Meredith Schorr was an incredibly enjoyable novel. I think chick lit lovers of all kinds will also like this novel and I definitely recommend it. Now that I've enjoyed this book, I will be checking out her debut novel,  Just Friends with Benefits, a lot sooner than I thought I would! Make sure you check back in a couple of days when Meredith herself stops by with a guest post!

Happy reading :)