CLP Blog Tours: Petit Four

A month or ago I had the pleasure of taking part in a spotlight tour for Petit Four: Four Stories, Frosted with Love. I was so excited to read this short story collection that I happily signed on to interview the authors and, eventually, review the anthology for CLP Blog Tours.

Here's the description of the anthology:

Cake is often a major part of life’s celebrations, both big and small. From birthdays to wedding days, cake, in all its delectable concoctions, marks joyous occasions with a sweetness that can’t be beat. But even better is the love that is shared when two people connect over a sweet confection. Maybe it’s a cute new guy wreaking havoc on a broken heart, or a beautiful woman testing the limits of love, or an old beau stirring up long lost desires. Whatever the circumstances, cake can always be relied upon to save the day when it comes to affairs of the heart. In this collection of short stories, cake is the delicious center around which each tale unfolds and romance blooms.
When single mom and journalist, Olivia, sets out to find romance in Cindy Arora’s “Cake Therapy,” she gets a little help from her friends and more than a few slices of cake to coax her off the couch and into the arms of a truly great love. Lucie Simone’s “Aprez Vous” finds success-driven Tara in Paris reminiscing of her long lost love, Jean Marc, and her niece bound and determined to reunite them. In “The Heart-Shaped Secret of Raspberry Jam” by Sue Watson, cake enthusiast, Milly, meets her match in the kitchen, and other places, when new owners take over the tea rooms where she works and her talents and her heart are put to the test. And Scott, mayor of a small seaside community, flirts with political suicide in Joel Zlotnik’s “Her Charms” when he falls for new-in-town Nicole, an entrepreneur with a passion for cupcakes, and whose latest venture proves a little too sexy for the sleepy beach town.
From San Francisco to Paris, from small towns to tea rooms, this anthology tempts readers with humor, style, romance, and the powerful aphrodisiac that is cake. Petit Four is four stories, frosted with love.

The cake theme really came through with the four stories, which I loved. Hey, who doesn't love cake? :) I think the idea was a fabulous one and I'm so glad these four authors came together to create this delicious collection.

The book starts with editor Lucie Simone's "Aprez Vous". The story takes place in Paris and, while I've never been there myself, the city almost becomes another character. I loved the relationship between Tara and her niece, Marissa. Actually, I'd really like to see a full novel about Marissa!

I can never read an anthology without picking a favourite and Cindy Arora's "Cake Therapy" was my favourite from Petit Four. There was something about Olivia's story that really grabbed me and I love the way Arora writes. 

"The Heart-Shaped Secret of Raspberry Jam" by Sue Watson was a lot of fun. I loved reading about the transformation of the tea room Milly works in. I found this story to be a bit...clunky. There were some weird repetitions at the start and I just felt really confused. The overall story was really sweet though (no pun intended!).

The collection concludes with Joel Zlotnik's "Her Charms", which takes place in a small town. I really appreciated the male perspective in a chick lit story (something there isn't enough of) and Scott and Nicole's love story was great to read about. I look forward to seeing what else Zlotnik writes.

Publisher Simon & Fig has another great short story collection because Petit Four is a winner. I really enjoyed every single story in this collection and think everyone should pick up this anthology. 

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Fig, for the purpose of this blog tour and in exchange for an honest review.*

Author Interview: Petit Four Collection

Yesterday I shared some info on the newly published short story collection Petit Four: Four Stories, Frosted with Love. I'm happy to have been a part of the Chick Lit Plus blog tour blitz because it gave me the chance to ask the awesome authors a few questions. I hope you enjoy the answers as much as I do!

Books Etc: What is your favourite occasion for cake? Other than days ending in y!

Sue Watson: When I write the first sentence of my new novel, I have to stop for tea and cake… then again when I finish a chapter, or a large paragraph.  Oh, and if I make it through a whole day’s dieting I always reward myself with a cake. I mean what’s a girl meant to do? Starve? And it’s so lovely to get to the end of a hard day’s writing and celebrate with a delicious slice of cake and a cup of hot chocolate! Mmm I suppose my answer is – I celebrate every day with cake! And why not?

Joel Zlotnik: Birthdays ... because not only is there cake, but also wishes and presents, too!

Cindy Arora: I love having a cake with a friend, just for those moments when we are catching up after a long week! Much like Olivia in my short story "Cake Therapy", I really do think that sitting down with a cup of coffee, a slice of cake and a friend is one of the best occasions to really connect with someone --while also getting to eat your favorite piece of cake.

Lucie Simone: I love having cake at family gatherings. I don’t get to see my family very often as they live on the other side of the country, but when we get together (usually for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas), a banquet table full of desserts is a must! And hopefully there is a chocolate cake in there somewhere!

BE: What do you like about writing short stories?

SW: I don’t write many short stories, I’m usually too busy with novels, but I so enjoyed writing my story for Petit Four.  I found the short story so much more manageable than a huge novel and could see the light at the end of the tunnel far sooner. And as it was about two of my favorite subjects: love and cake, it was a pleasure.  To write a novel you have to remember what has gone before, and it can be time consuming going back over the parts you’ve already written and trying to keep everyone in character. A novel can be an unwieldy thing to control and keep track of, but a short story is so much more manageable.  That said, the short story is an art form all of its own, and one has to be succinct and make every word count. I see a novel as a lovely big chocolate fudge cake to work my way steadily through, whereas a short story is like a delicious cupcake, and each mouthful has meaning!

JZ: I've always loved reading short stories because of the way you get quickly drawn into a world and its characters, and then you get to follow it to its conclusion relatively fast. I rarely get the chance to read for hours and hours and finish a novel in one or two sittings. So it's great to be able to invest a short period of time with a story and get rewarded with seeing it through to the end. I think the same thing is true when it comes to writing short stories. 

CA: I like that you have to find the heart of your story right away. You have less time and space to create a character that the reader will know, so every sentence counts and every moment matters.

LS: I like writing short stories because it allows me to explore different subject matters and even genres before launching into a full length novel. In fact, “Aprez Vous” marks my first foray into Women’s Fiction (as opposed to Chick Lit). It was fun, but challenging to find the right voice for that particular story.

BE: Where do you find your inspiration?

SW: I find my inspiration from daily life. I write from home, and I spend much of the day alone at my desk so rely on friends and family who are always a great inspiration.  We laugh a lot, and I often find myself jotting down lines they say and situations we find ourselves in, and then they turn up in one of my books. My recent Christmas novel, Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake, was inspired by two friends of mine who are both sisters and celebrate Christmas in very different ways. I also take inspiration from TV. I LOVE reality shows, and I think the wannabe actress in me likes to get inside people’s skins and imagine other, very different lives.

JZ: I'm constantly finding inspiration from the people and experiences I encounter in my life. I've also always been someone who has a natural curiosity and very active imagination and if you mix that in with my love and talent for daydreaming, I have no problem coming up with ideas. The bigger issue for me is finding the time and having the discipline to follow through on them. 

CA: I find my inspiration from life. My life, reading articles in magazines, talking to friends or overhearing a conversation somewhere.  It's endless!

LS: I daydream all the time. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been filling the quiet moments of my days with a very vivid imagination. While brushing my teeth, cooking dinner, or folding laundry, you can bet my mind is busy dreaming up fictional storylines and new characters to explore. But sometimes I’m inspired by my own life and the people who populate it. My first novel, Hollywood Ending, was very much taken from my own experiences living in Los Angeles. My second novel, Picture Perfect, however, originated solely in my imagination.

Spotlight: Petit Four

Welcome to my stop on the Petit Four blog tour! This blitz is being hosted by Chick Lit Plus and I'm so excited to share a little bit about this awesome new short story collection.

Petit Four: Four Stories, Frosted with Love was published earlier this month by Simon and Fig. The collection, edited by Lucie Simone, features stories by Cindy Arora, Sue Watson, Joel Zlotnik, and Simone herself.

Here's the description of the anthology:

Cake is often a major part of life’s celebrations, both big and small. From birthdays to wedding days, cake, in all its delectable concoctions, marks joyous occasions with a sweetness that can’t be beat. But even better is the love that is shared when two people connect over a sweet confection. Maybe it’s a cute new guy wreaking havoc on a broken heart, or a beautiful woman testing the limits of love, or an old beau stirring up long lost desires. Whatever the circumstances, cake can always be relied upon to save the day when it comes to affairs of the heart. In this collection of short stories, cake is the delicious center around which each tale unfolds and romance blooms.When single mom and journalist, Olivia, sets out to find romance in Cindy Arora’s “Cake Therapy,” she gets a little help from her friends and more than a few slices of cake to coax her off the couch and into the arms of a truly great love. Lucie Simone’s “Aprez Vous” finds success-driven Tara in Paris reminiscing of her long lost love, Jean Marc, and her niece bound and determined to reunite them. In “The Heart-Shaped Secret of Raspberry Jam” by Sue Watson, cake enthusiast, Milly, meets her match in the kitchen, and other places, when new owners take over the tea rooms where she works and her talents and her heart are put to the test. And Scott, mayor of a small seaside community, flirts with political suicide in Joel Zlotnik’s “Her Charms” when he falls for new-in-town Nicole, an entrepreneur with a passion for cupcakes, and whose latest venture proves a little too sexy for the sleepy beach town.
From San Francisco to Paris, from small towns to tea rooms, this anthology tempts readers with humor, style, romance, and the powerful aphrodisiac that is cake. Petit Four is four stories, frosted with love. 

Like I said, I am so crazy excited to read this collection. I don't have a review date set for it yet but I do have a Q&A with the authors coming up tomorrow!

Guest Post: Lucie Simone

I was fortunate to review Lucie Simone's latest novel Picture Perfect last week as part of a CLP Blog Tour (check out my review here if you missed it). Today, Lucie was kind enough to write a fab post for Books Etc. I hope you all enjoy it! Oh, and try not to feel too jealous... :)

Star Gazing 

By Lucie Simone

One of the great things about living in Los Angeles is that on any given day, you could run into an A list celebrity at the doctor’s office, encounter a cavalcade of cars and police cruisers escorting the president to a party at a movie star’s home in the Hollywood Hills, dine alongside a megawatt pop star at a trendy restaurant, or even rub elbows with a style icon at a posh bar in downtown. It all happens here. All the time.

With so many celebrities roaming the streets of Los Angeles, it’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy and excitement of star gazing. Oohing and aahing over seeing a famous actor at In & Out Burger is all very fun, but after many years in Tinsel Town, I barely even notice them anymore. Well, unless Johnny Depp ever crosses my path. I’m pretty sure I would drop to my knees and propose my undying love. Or throw up. Either way, Johnny would not be pleased about it one bit. Because in Tinsel Town, you gotta keep your cool.

The trick to not geeking out over a celebrity is to simply ignore them. Sure, take a gander. Size ‘em up. See if they really are as attractive in person as on the big screen. (The answer is always yes, or even more so). But gushing over them, squealing with excitement, or making public proclamations of undying love (except in cases of Johnny Depp, of course) is considered to be the height of impropriety. Acknowledging them with anything more than a head bob or a bored, “hey, man” is likely to send them running for cover. For you see, celebrities (I’m not including reality TV stars here – they crave that kind of attention) are like animals in the wild. They’re skittish, and if you try chatting one up while standing in line at Trader Joe’s, they’re going to bolt.

Over the years, I’ve spotted loads of celebrities just out and about, carrying on with their personal business like regular people. Tim Robbins at CVS; Josh Brolin, Eliza Dushku, Meg Ryan, and even Dick Clark at the grocery store; Edward Norton at the mall; Steven Spielberg at the gas station; Arnold Schwarzenneger in a parking lot off Sunset Strip where he very nearly ran me over with his Hummer; Giovanni Ribisi at a French restaurant; Dustin Hoffman at a video store; Vince Vaughn at the farmer’s market; Ben Affleck at The Coffee Bean; Jason Lee at Starbucks; Dave Chappell at a Greek restaurant; and on and on. (And yet, Johnny Depp still eludes me!).

It’s always a little fascinating to see celebs out in public like that. Like a tiger that’s escaped from the zoo. What’s even more interesting is to watch all the regular people slowly realize that there’s a star among them. Heads turn, whispers float. You can feel the buzz of energy rise through the crowd as everyone takes a peek at the tiger on the loose. A quiet hum making its way across a busy restaurant or winding its way through fruit stands at the farmer’s market. But no one, not a soul, ever dares ask for an autograph, a picture, or in any way acknowledges their celebrity status. They aren’t at a red carpet event, after all. They’re just hanging out. Or running errands. Or just, you know, keeping it real. So, like the sign says at the pet store, Keep Your Fingers Out of the Cage!

CLP Blog Tour: Picture Perfect

Welcome to a stop on the Picture Perfect tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours! I was excited to take part in this tour because I had heard so many great things about author Lucie Simone's work. Confession: I've had a copy of her novel Hollywood Ending on my shelf for awhile and I just haven't gotten around to reading it. After reading, and loving!, Picture Perfect I can't wait to read more from Lucie!

Here's the synopsis of Lucie's latest novel:

For Lauren Tate, a high-powered TV producer, sex, lies, and scandal make for a great movie-of-the-week, but when she becomes the target of a smear campaign, even the most salacious of Hollywood’s tales can’t compare to her real life drama. With her soon-to-be-ex-husband leading the effort to sully her reputation, and her former assistant threatening to snatch her hard-earned position at Timeless Television out of her hands, Lauren’s perfectly planned life quickly begins to unravel at the seams.

Clawing her way back to the top of the TV food chain is no easy task, especially in an industry where backstabbing is a sport and gossip is a full time business. But Lauren learns just how cut-throat showbiz can truly be when the hottest scandal in Tinsel Town turns deadly and the Hollywood hunk who’s stolen her heart is missing in action. Can she salvage her career, her reputation, and her love life? Or will Hollywood be the death of her?

By the time I started the book it had been awhile since I had read the synopsis so I couldn't remember a thing about what this novel was about. I was expecting your typical chick lit but what I got was so much more! I loved the mystery aspect to this book. Lauren has to try to clear her name in a murder investigation and it is heartbreaking, tense, and even a little amusing. Lucie does a great job of pushing the limit when it comes to Lauren channelling her inner Nancy Drew. There's a great scene when Lauren and her best friend, Justine, visit the scene of the crime looking for some evidence. If it wasn't so well written it would have been more hokey than entertaining. The mystery part of the novel had tons of twists and turns and Lucie kept me guessing for the entire story. The final outcome was a surprise for me and that was so much better than knowing "whodunit" right from the start.

Lauren is a fabulous character. She thinks she has her life completely sorted out when, suddenly, everything goes to hell. Some women would fall apart. In a way, Lauren does. But she also realizes that she can't fall to pieces if she wants to get past everything. She showed amazing strength while also showing her vulnerable side. I thought it was interesting that Lucie made mention on a few occasions that Lauren uses food, sweets in particular, as a crutch when she's stressed. It was just enough to make me, as the reader, realize that she had little issues and insecurities just like everyone else but it wasn't so much that it took over the rest of the story. I would love to read more about Lauren and find out what happened with her after Picture Perfect ended.

There was a fun and supportive cast of characters surrounding Lauren as well. I loved Justine. I think she and Lauren complimented each other exactly like best friends should. Jack, the new Hollywood It Boy Lauren hooks up with, kept me guessing and I alternated between wondering if he was hiding something or if he was too good to be true. Both Justine and Jack stood by Lauren - in very different ways - as she went through the hardest time of her life.

I started this book on an hour train ride. I was so engrossed in the novel that the trip (both there and back) just flew by. In fact, I almost wished it was longer so I could keep reading! Picture Perfect is well written, sweet, and humorous - even when dealing with a Hollywood murder.  I wholeheartedly recommend Lucie Simone's latest novel to all readers, whether you normally read chick lit or not.

Make sure you check back on Sunday when Lucie stops by with a lovely guest post!

Happy reading :)