Wish Upon A Star: Not Just a Blog Title

where you wish upon a star.....

My blog title comes from a dream, a wish and a combination of sayings....I wanted to create a blog that followed me on one (or even many) dreams throughout my life. Currently, one of my focuses is on my dream of becoming a published chick lit author. This blog follows me on that journey...as I wish upon my own star...along the way I read a lot of chick lit novels. I review a lot of chick lit books and audio books and I share little snippets from my day that makes everything personal and unique about my wish.

As someone who loves writing (and also a good play on words), I considered various literary terms and famous quotes for my blog address. I thought about my favorite stories as a child and how they often had two things in common: 1.) they always seemed to "live happily ever after" and 2.) they began "once upon a time"....From there, my train of thought moved onto fairy tales and then to Walt Disney...and that's when I heard the tune to "When you wish upon a star" playing in my head.....how can I make it my own? even just a little? Hmmm....I pictured the little cartoon, Jiminy Cricket...I envisioned people clicking on their mouse to visit my blog.....and I pictured bright, twinkling stars over a blue sky...and so it came to be:

where you wish upon a star: a place where I can share my dream of becoming a chick lit author and the journey I take to get there...

more and more elements became intertwined as I've continued writing in this blog, mostly including stars, dreams and anything chick lit...

"The Only Requirement of having a Dream is Believing In It" ~ Molly Barker

Back to the Bedroom: Confessions from a Chick Lit Blogger

      Hi Everyone! My name is Cathy and welcome to my Web page, Where You Wish Upon A Star, where I talk about my dreams of becoming a chick lit author and my journey to get there. I review books; I discuss topics about writing inspired by books and I sometimes share a little about my everyday life.

 

While you may already know a little about me from my blog, here are 15 new, and some odd, facts about me….

1. I have endless scraps of paper strewn about with famous, philosophical, creative, inspirational, fun and funny quotes.

2. When in doubt, I consult Google. (I Heart Google.)

3. My fiancé and I named our cat El Tigre until we found out it was a female (she’s now called Honey).

4. I have a major weakness for Candy Corn (especially this time of year) but I just found out (on the back of the bag it said) that Americans eat so much candy corn that if it were lined up, candy piece by candy piece, back to back, it would circumvent the Earth 45 times!!! (Ow, my stomach hurts just thinking about it).

5. Even though I’ve been an avid chick lit reader for almost ten years, this was the first year I branched out beyond Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Lauren Weisberger and Candace Bushnell.

6. My favorite author is Emily Giffin – who someone recently pointed out evokes something similar to Judy Blume (my favorite author as a child).

7. I participated in the 48 Hours Film Project in Boston a few years ago (A contest in which you have 48 hours to create, produce, film, edit and submit a short movie based on a random category you’ve selected at random on opening night).

8. I am currently working on getting my Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology.

9. When I was a kid, it was my dream to be a professional tennis player like Monica Seles or Jennifer Capriati (today’s equivalent to Maria Sharapova or the Williams Sisters).

10. When I was a kid, I wished I would grow to over 6 feet tall (luckily, I leveled out at 5’8” – plenty tall enough).

11. Working in Ladies Shoes in college, I was mortified at the comparisons to Al Bundy.

12. Instead of obsessively buying clothes, shoes and handbags, I now swap, trade and barter books online like their going out of print.

13. I think Facebook is to the average population what the paparazzi is to celebrities.

14. My horoscope (Cancer) is right about one thing: I am a total homebody.

15. I still own over a 100 pairs of shoes.

Star Book Review: Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson (2006)

     What would you do if you were on your way to work and all of a sudden you saw a Gargoyle changing posts with an Owl to watch out from atop a clock tower or building nearby? Then, you hopped on the bus to get away from the madness on your walking route and across the way from you sat two fairies and the ugliest ogre you’d ever seen? Did I mention that every woman in a five-mile radius was acting like they were so attracted to this ogre that none of them could help themselves but to fawn all over him, sit in his lap and otherwise make goo-goo eyes at him? I think at that point, the running thought in my head would be, “you’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!” While this may not be the scenario of my daily travels to my 9 to 5, it is the reality of leading heroine and magical immune, Katie Chandler, who we meet once again in the magical/paranormal/witchcraft chick lit novel, Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson.

     Once again, Shanna Swendson hits a magical double play with her second book in the Enchanted Series. In Once Upon Stilettos, Katie Chandler, a Native Texan turned New Yorker, is called upon to use her "powers" of non-magic in a scandal of corporate espionage. Magic, Spells & Illusions (MSI) appears to have an insider causing all kinds of chaos and disturbances in office and amongst employees. By the time Katie is able to make any kind of deductions, the office is in disarray, no one seems to trust anyone and Katie, herself, appears to have lost her magical immunity! Without her “normal” vision and a spy on the loose, Katie’s not sure who to trust and it seems that a new pair of sparkling red stilettos are causing a whole new kind of havoc in her life. Find out if Katie can save MSI from evil once again with or without her magical immunity.






     This is another spell-binding chick lit novel from Shanna Swendson full of romance, fashion, corporate espionage, intellect and of course magic and it does not disappoint.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Damsels Behind Books: Celebrate Reading! October is National Book Group Month!!

October is National Reading Group Month!

     In its Third Annual celebration of Reading Groups Across the Country, Women’s National Book Association is going strong with its National Reading Group Month (NRGM) in the month of October. See all the events, member benefits and fun here:

http://www.nationalreadinggroupmonth.org/

     I have always loved reading since I was a little girl and could pronounce the words I saw on a page and I have always envied other women when I hear they are part of a social, active book group because I have never found a live group that reads the kind of books that I want to read. Then, early this year, January 2010, I found Goodreads. I have never been big on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace or the like, but since joining Goodreads, a social networking web site dedicated to linking people across the globe based on their love of reading and writing and books in general, I have been hooked! Finally, I have met so many women who share my love of Chick Lit. We read all kinds of different books each month, motivate each other with reading challenges and share the latest releases with each other, contributing to an ever growing to-be-read list and overflowing bookshelf at home. Since I have been more active in organizing the Chick Lit Book Club on Goodreads, I have also begun to notice more and more the high numbers of authors who include Reading Question Guides specifically for book groups either at the end of their novels or on their websites or both.

     

     I even found a web site where you can register your Book Group and search for reading guides from Tolstoy to Shakespeare to Stephen King and Jennifer Weiner…it just seems to be limitless and FREE! Not only does the site offer questions that might help your group converse with one another but it also gives suggestions and tips on how to run a successful group, whether you’re a novice group leader or a veteran.

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/content/index.asp

*** Just a note: I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH EITHER WEB SITE MENTIONED IN THIS POST. I just came across them in my search for books. ***

     No matter who you are or where you’re from, reading is an activity that can create bonds between people. It’s fun, healthy, enriching no matter what language you speak or read! I mean just look at all the novels that you like to read – have you ever noticed how many countries they get released in and the number of different languages and covers that get printed?

      Are you a member of any book groups? If so, what made you join it? What’s your favorite part of being involved in a book group? Please feel free to comment, vent or discuss anything else related to book groups or reading, in general.



Once Upon a Drama: Writing an Unforgettable Chick Lit Novel

     I realize (and profusely apologize) that I have not written a Writer’s Wednesday post in some time. Not to make excuses, but I just wrapped up school for the summer, it’s been Annual Budget and Start of Repair time at work and finally, my fiancé and I just adopted a baby, feral kitten (who, every time I open my laptop, feels the need to walk all over the keyboard, either changing the current webpage I’m on or writing all kinds of gobbledy-gook on the page). But anyways, I missed my blog. I missed writing, reviewing and especially, reading the feedback from loyal readers like you.

     I just finished an excellent novel (and my first) by author Jane Fallon called Getting Rid of Matthew. Although it was about the darker side of marriage, elaborating on the topic of affairs, lovers, wives and best friends who may not always be who they seem, it was a thoroughly enjoyable, exciting and entertaining story. The dramatic flair with which this story was written and narrated in made for a highly enjoyable and memorable read. (And the older I get, the less room there seems to be in my brain for things like books and movies so if I can remember mundane details weeks or months later, then I figure it must have been authored more than proficiently.)

     Anyways, it got me to thinking about my own writing process and writing in general and how authors must have to use certain techniques and tactics to truly engage their readers in the dialogue, plot and tone of their stories. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a few choice or exact ingredients that someone could tell you to use to create a Bestselling Chick Lit Novel that went all the way to #1 on the New York Times Book Charts and then Sony came along to request the rights to make a movie out of it starring Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie? Unfortunately and luckily all at once, there is no set recipe for success in writing or producing a book. I say unfortunately, because if there were such a recipe, anyone and everyone who wanted to write a book could do so with great ease. From a similar vantage point, I say luckily, because without such a recipe to write a bestselling book, the whole process and creation of your novel becomes such a wondrous accomplishment that no one can take away from you, being unique to you and you, alone.

     For example, Jane Fallon took a risk with Getting Rid of Matthew by depicting the classic dilemma of an illicit love triangle from the perspective of a mistress who doesn’t want her lover once he leaves his wife (for her, no less!). Not only does this unique plot twist engage the reader a thousand times more so than the usual drama of the married man who won’t ever leave his wife for his lover, but this is only the beginning of the risky plot layers that unfold. First, married and successful business man, Matthew shows up on the doorstep of his mistress, Helen. Despite the fact that she’d been begging him for four years prior to leave his wife for her, she had finally reached a place in her life where she was “all set” with him and so when he shows up with all his belongings in tow, Helen is speechless, to say the least. The guilt at being the reason for his pending divorce is enough to drive Helen mad and at least to keep her from denying Matthew a place to stay. The story continues as Helen develops elaborate scheme after elaborate scheme in her attempt to be rid of Matthew once and for all. In the midst of her zany efforts, she loses her job (as well as the respect of her coworkers), befriends Matthew’s wife and falls in love with his son. While trying to juggle all the (secret) parts of her life and be rid of Matthew in the least hurtful way possible, Helen somehow manages to find herself in the midst of this wondrous little mess she’s made for herself. All in all, Jane Fallon took an expected premise to a chick lit novel and turned it upside down and inside out, making for an unpredictable, roller coaster ride of emotions, friendship, love, marriage, affairs and of course, ensuing hilarity. I was utterly fulfilled by the story’s end and sadly disappointed to say goodbye to the trio that brought life to this chick lit novel.

     What kinds of elements do you hope for or look for in a chick lit novel (or any novel for that matter) that give it that extra edge of mystery, drama, seduction, excitement or something else that makes a novel outstanding? Is it something about the climax or the climactic build up? Is it some sense of dramatic flair? What makes one plot or one character stand above the rest? Share with me and everyone else here!

Star Book Review: Sammi Ever After by Soma Helmi

First time author, Soma Helmi, wrote a fictional home-run with her debut novel, Sammi Ever After. True to the traditional format of Chick Lit novels, Sammi Ever After has readers follow one woman on her journey in search of self. When girl meets boy and they fall in love, it seems like everything is going to be happily ever after, but all too soon, he dumps her. To make matters worse, he leaves her stranded at an airport in a foreign country, in which she has no job and no place to live. Luckily, she has one true friend in the area who lets her cry and sulk on his couch for weeks on end, that is of course, until his girlfriend decides it’s time for Sammi to move on. Finally having to face the dilemma of starting over in a new city on her own, Sammi is determined to “fake it til she makes it”.

Find out what “happily ever after” means to Sammi as she travels from Indonesia to Australia to London to the Islands of Greece and then back to London in a story full of romance, friendship and travel. Join in as Sammi seeks out her own fairytale ending and story is and along the way much hilarity and humility ensue. One of the bits I absolutely adored in this novel was at the beginning when Sammi goes to dinner with Liam at the Red Lion. As her dish of chicken dinner comes out, Sammi reaches in her bag for Sambal, a sauce she never leaves home without. I imagine it must be the Indonesian version of Tabasco sauce. Little details like that can tell you so much about a character and I thought it was such a wonderful trait to add to Sammi’s character to make her a unique and unforgettable heroine.

Native Indonesian and first-time author, Soma Helmi, may already be established as a filmmaker, art director and graphic artist but I predict it won’t be long before she adds “acclaimed women’s fiction novelist” to her ongoing list of credits.

**Follow Soma Helmi on Goodreads!!

                                                                STAR RATING: 3 STARS

Save Cathy: One Writer's Journey to her Blog and Back

     Welcome Back to My Blog. If you have been as absent as I have, I thought I might take a little bit of time out of my day to tell you where I have been and what I have been doing.

     All summer, my fiancé and I have been feeding a colony of feral kittens and cats that live in our backyard. One day, early in August we discovered that one of the kittens, maybe 4 or 5 weeks old at the time, was not breathing easily. It became painfully obvious that this tiny little kitten had a respiratory illness and if we didn't do something about it, who knows how long she would make it out in the wild. Complicating issues further (if you have never seen or dealt with feral cats), she was absolutely 100% terrified of us!! But, with a strong desire to play and eat and the sweetest most innocent face you've ever seen, we couldn't possibly imagine leaving this poor creature out on her own. We talked about how we could care for her and find her a good home and whether or not we thought we would be able to trap her. Over the next 48 hours, she let us know, herself, exactly how this was all going to play out. Every day I would find her hiding behind or under the grill on our deck, directly in front of our sliding door. She no longer went upstairs to sleep with her Mama and her brother. She no longer ran about in her crazy zig zag way that she did when we first saw her. In her own, timid way, I truly believe, she was trying to tell us that she was sick – she was too sick to move – or at least too sick to climb the stairs – she was too sick to protect herself from predators which is why she hid in the protection of our grill – but as sick as she was and as scared as she was, she was brave enough to come out from under her little shelter to let us know that she still wanted to live. She would come out from under her little shelter just long enough to let us know that she still wanted to live. She would eat little ripped up pieces of lunch meats and cheeses with the most innocent delight from our hands. She was so sweet. I think she chose us. In fact, ask any cat owner ore person who works with cats in any aspect of their lives and they will likely tell you the same thing – you don’t get to choose your pet cat – they will choose you!

     So we made a plan Friday night, August 6th to find a way to get the little girl (who at the time we thought was a boy, who we called Lil Tiger because of the Calico coloring of her fur in gorgeous patterns of orange, black and white) and bring her to a vet. The first vet we had picked out to take her to closed at 5pm but as time kept ticking on and we realized just how difficult the task of getting her was going to be, that vet quickly was crossed off our list. With the vet nearest our house closing at 6:00pm, we finally caught her at 5:45pm! Of course, at this point my fiancé’s arms had been clawed at and scratched to no end and the little girl was writhing and rolling in a little clothes box that I had made numerous holes in to ensure plenty of oxygen (The shelter I was referred to to borrow a carrier was closed when I went by). Every time I peaked in or removed the towel that was covering the holes (I read you are supposed to help the feral kitty feel like she is hiding from you – then she will be less scared), she made quick attempts to get out or to at least let me know she was not happy to be in such a small space or in for a bouncy car ride and she spat at me! (I don’t’ know why kittens and cats think spitting is so threatening – it is really the funniest thing to see them do to you) The next vet on our list closed at 6:00pm but luckily, it was practically just across the street because I was really not sure how long I was going to be able to keep this kitty under the lid of this makeshift kennel. We arrived at the vet’s door at 5:50pm; 10 minutes before the closed, and I breathed a sigh of relief – Apparently, I let out my breath too soon, though, because when I pulled on the door, it was locked!! I could see the receptionist in the window doing (what I imagine to be) her nightly paperwork and she began mouthing the words “We’re Closed”. Closed?!?! But it’s only 10 of 6:00pm, I pointed to my watch. She came outside to (very rudely, I might add) let us know that there was no doctor on site and that there was no way we were going to be let into the facility. She was angry. She was unsympathetic and she was very curt with us. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. We had just spent the past 2 and a half hours trying to capture this little kitten to bring her back to health, and we were about to be denied services! I moved the box up closer to my face and the receptionist’s and said, as calmly as I could contain my emotions, “But I have a feral kitten in this box who is very sick. I can’t just bring her back and….what am I supposed to do.” The receptionist had no words for me, only a very agitated and annoyed eye roll that was directed towards me and my fiancé. During this exchange another customer had begun walking towards the vet’s entrance and without another word to us or the new person walking up the path, the receptionist hurried inside (to lock herself in?). In what seemed like an eon of time later, she finally came back out with a postcard in her hand and told us “that’s where we could go”. I started to ask her a question about her reference and she gave me the hand! The hand!??!! As in, “not another word; that’s all you’re getting out of me.” Thankfully, this experience was a blessing in disguise as her “referral” (if you can justly call it that) turned out to be a 24-Hour Pet Clinic that staffed the nicest, most understanding, educated and knowledgeable persons. (I don’t know hwat ever happened to the woman who “dared’ to walk up to the facility that closed at 6:00pm (at 5:55pm)…she was apparently just coming to pick up a specially ordered prescription assigned by the doctor at the vet. Now come on, tell me, if a place advertises on their website, on their door and everywhere else that they close at 6:00pm, would you assume they close at 6:00pm or ten of 6:00pm!?!?!?

     All in all after that first hour, however (and very luckily, I might add), our little girl has been nothing but a doll ever since. She was treated for her respiratory infection and dewormed by the most caring staff of doctors and nurses aids at the 24-Hour Animal Hospital at the Buzzards Bridge Rotary. We took her home and let her hide for as long as she wanted to (which was no more than the first 12 hours). She still has a very (very) healthy appetitive and desire to play and practice honing her hunting skills, pouncing, chasing, swatting, jumping, thrashing around on the floor and running through her favorite tunnel. We decided to change her name to Honey and really, I have never met a little kitty that was so brave and so tough and sweet all at once. I read that Calicos are lucky in many cultures but always tell her that we are the lucky ones to be so blessed to have such a little sweetheart in our lives. There’s nothing like having a little girl to come home to, who runs over to greet you because she’s been waiting for you to get back from work all day, and then stretches out in your lap as she gets herself ready for a night of double loves and play!

     So other than our new kitten (who takes up a good 75% of my time), all the regular stuff has been filling up my day, school work, the regular 9 to 5, tennis, friends, my fiancé and family and of course, reading, listening to audio books and writing reviews. I’m hoping to start a new writing class next Saturday for a few weeks (to maybe get that spark going to really make writing my own fiction part of my everyday routine) and I also have my annual charity tennis tournament the same weekend.

     So summer may be officially coming to an end for us here in the states but I always look forward to cozying up with more books come fall and winter (When I don't have to justify being such a homebody anymore). I won’t have (too much) school looming over my head every waking minute so I hope to get much more reading and writing done. I have already embarked on a Revamping Project of my blog. I added a Book Review page where you will be able to find ALL my book reviews ever posted on my blog as well as links to the individuals reviews. Basically, I just want to make my site as user friendly as possible. I also want to make it more “for-the-user”, if you know what I mean. It is my goal to get more pages posted, including a writing tips section that would ideally be divided by things like Character, Plot, Setting, Dialogue, etc. I would also love to be able to get some Interviews up and running, especially some duo interviews for all the audio books that I listen to and have reviewed here. Who knows, maybe I can even include some audio interviews, reviews or clips form actual unabridged books (just to shake things up a little this fall!) Finally, there may be some additional small changes to the scenery and background that you see around here. I’d like to add a spinning logo to give tribute and thanks to all those who’ve nominated me for a blog award. I really cannot extend my appreciation and gratitude to any and all persons who take the time to read what I have to say. It makes me feel so good to know that someone is even glancing at my page! Overall, I just want my blog to stay in line with its original purpose – to follow my dreams and maybe to match up with a couple of somebody else’s wishes, hopes or dreams, too.

As always, Happy Writing and Keep Reading. Love, Cathy