CHICK LIT AUTHOR BLOG HOP 2012

This is your last stop for the 2012 Chick Lit Author Blog Hop!  Let's give Tracie Banister a huge round of applause for making this possible.  Tracie, take a bow!  On behalf of Tracie, and all the other authors you have met along the way, we hope you have had a blast.  Don't forget to collect the italicized secret word at each blog you hop to, and email them to CLABlogHop@aol.com ASAP.  We DO NOT want you to miss out on that $150 Sephora gift card!  

What we Wear

     My closet and I have a love/hate relationship.  On a bright and cheery Tuesday morning, I check out my image in the full length mirror that hangs on the back of my bathroom door.  MAN! do I look good!  Lilac cropped sweater with a white tank top peeking from underneath, khaki pants, and my favorite patent leather, purple loafers are the finishing touch.  Did I tell you that I look really, really good right now?  A week later, I put on the exact same outfit, look into the mirror, and the reflection staring at me reads nothing like last week.  This time it reads utter disaster.  So I return to stare blankly at my closet, attempting to find something else to wear.  It’s all downhill from that moment on.  This example of clothes behaving badly is what I define as the clothesfit. 

     A clothesfit is when you try on every outfit in your closet, that you previously loved when framed upon your figure, yet your desire at this moment is to lovingly fold every item you own on hangers, into neatly piled stacks, and then drive a Zamboni right over the crest of your jeggings and capri pants.  In your brain’s current condition, that cute sundress reads Hawaiian Mumu, your oversized sweater could cover you and every member of your Bunko club at the same time, and what were you thinking buying those neon, peep toe pumps?  I am with you; I feel your pain.

     Although we experience moments of clothing discomfort, digging through our closets can also bring bliss.  You rediscover the little black dress you wore when you met your boyfriend at a friend’s wedding.  Your mom happened to save your letter jacket from high school even though you rolled your eyes at the time; now you have a conversation piece at your next 80’s party.  You never could put a finger on why you saved that raggedy t-shirt you wore while bringing your first baby home from the hospital, but you’re so glad that you did.  These are the little walks down memory lane that we happen upon all the time.  We reflect while digging in our junk drawers, perusing over photo albums, and even when the D.J. spins our favorite songs from days gone by.

     Recently, I met a fabulously timeless woman named Ilene Beckerman.  She likes to call herself a “Post-menopausal Cinderella.”  I like to call her friend.  

Isn't she gorgeous?  Next time we are together in NYC, we're getting tattoos!

     Ilene wrote a book in 1995 titled, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, chronicling items of clothing she wore through the decades.  She lovingly sketched each illustration, from stockings to hair styles, and married them with lovely words about the importance they played in her life.  Ilene also discloses personal events taking place while wearing her treasured goods.  Her words and art empower readers to muse over the fabrics of their own lives.  While immersed in the pages, I would constantly drift off remembering my own revolving closet over the years.  The Shawn Cassidy surfer shirt I wore as often as possible in first grade; the puffy sleeved, polka dotted dress I wore to my senior banquet in high school, and the checked blazer I purchased from the Gap which finished off my look the night of my first date with the man I would eventually marry.  Clothing affects us.  Clothing may not define you; however it does give us some definition for the times and moments in our lives. 

If you think this book looks darling, check out Ilene's other books here

     Ilene Beckerman’s little book of clothing sketches was something she created for her daughters and two best friends to treasure.  It was never meant for publication, yet it was destined to happen.  Ilene’s best friend sent her copy to a publisher.  The publisher gathered the women of the office around the sketches where they all confessed the little book evoked their own personal memories of beads and baubles.  The publication of Love, Loss, and What I Wore lead to its birth as an Off-Broadway sensation in the hands of super sisters, Nora and Delia Eprhon.  This “little book that could” also had a cameo appearance on a show you might remember called, Sex and the City.  All of this beginning for Ilene at the tender age of 60.

Jen, Ilene & Angie Klink at the 2012 Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop

     I am curious what item comes to mind that references an important event in your life.  Whether you share your first purchase of a “big girl” purse or maybe your favorite pair of pink toe socks, tell me about what you have worn and loved over the years that made you smile; perhaps even cry.  I cannot wait to hear from you!

BLOG HOP PRIZES: By leaving your comment AND email address here at my blog, you could win an ebook copy of my book, The Day I Wore my Panties inside Out.  Make sure that you hop on over to the other author’s blogs who are participating for a chance to win a copy of their books as well! 

BLOG HOP RULES: Please read ALL rules and instructions!  

*Each of the 34 participating authors has written a special Chick Lit-centric piece and these posts will go live on Monday, May 14th.  At each blog hop stop, you will have the opportunity to enter to win a FREE Chick Lit e-book from that particular blog's owner/author. All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog post, including your name and e-mail address, and you're automatically entered to win.  If you visit each blog hop stop, that means you have the chance to win 34 different e-books!

*The blog hop will start at Natalie Aaron & Marla Schwartz and end at Jen Tucker.  You will find a list of all the stops on the blog hop at each author’s blog.  Authors' blogs will be listed in alphabetical order according to last name.

*In each of the author's blog posts, there will be a "secret word."  This word will be italicized, so it will be easy to find.  All you have to do is make note of this secret word at each blog hop stop.  Collect all 34 secret words and submit your list to CLABlogHop@aol.com before midnight on Sunday, May 20th and you will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing!  The winner of this drawing will receive a $150 Sephora gift card!  $150 to spend on make-up, fragrance, bath and body goodies, skin care, and hair products!  How fun is that?  This gift card can be redeemed online, or at any Sephora store in the US.

*Winners of each of the participating author's e-books, as well as the Grand Prize winner of the $150 Sephora gift card will be announced on Monday, May 21st.

*Contests are open to residents of the United States only.

CLICK HERE for the link to the other author's blogs! 

Good luck and don't forget to leave your email and comment below! 

XOXO

Jen