Lisa Steinke
Liz Fenton
FG: How did www.chicklitisnotdead.com get started? And why did you feel developing the site was so important?
Liz and Lisa: After yet ANOTHER rejection from a literary agent who told us we were talented writers BUT…. unfortunately, they wouldn’t be able to sell our book because it was, gasp, Chick Lit, we decided to start the website. We wanted to prove that there are women (and men) out there who want to buy and read Chick Lit AND that there is still a market for it. Chick Lit isn’t all “fluff” filled with talk of stilettos and martinis, ALTHOUGH, if those themes or themes like them ARE in a Chick Lit book (like they were in our first), a woman doesn’t have to hide her head in shame as she reads it. Chick Lit goes beyond that- and is a genre that changes with the time period. Over time the genre has evolved to include more serious themes. But it’s always going to involve that happy ending that so many women crave.
FG: What are some of the popular misconceptions about the “Chick Lit” genre?
LAL: That it’s just a bunch of fluff. That the characters are cardboard cuts outs with no depth. That it’s not literary. That it’s transparent and predictable. Our poor girl, Chick Lit, has gotten such a bad wrap that many in the publishing world even suggested she change her name. That she hide her true identity behind other genres like “Women’s Fiction”. Don’t get us wrong, we love women’s fiction, but we feel that if you’re going to write Chick Lit, just call it Chick Lit. Believe in your genre and yourself. It’s about writing a good book. Not about what the book’s genre is “labeled”.
FG: Where do you see “Chick Lit” books going and what do you think brought them back into style?
LAL: As far as we’re concerned, Chick Lit is back and she’s back because when times are hard (like when the economy ended up in the toilet) we turn to books, movies and music that makes us feel good. Critics can say what they will about our girl, Chick Lit, but she always makes you feel better. We see Chick Lit constantly evolving to reflect the times. We see her constantly becoming more sophisticated and experienced and we always see her making readers happy.
FG: How do you balance family life and the work you do for your company?
LAL: It’s tough to juggle kids and husbands (and pets- ha) all while constantly working to evolve Chick Lit Is Not Dead and to get our latest manuscript published. But it’s worth it. We have incredibly supportive spouses who do whatever it takes to help us achieve our writing goals. And without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today. But we’re not going to lie, it’s all a lot of work and sometimes it would be nice to just take a nap!
FG: How many of your business decisions are based on know how versus your intuition?
LAL: To be honest, we mostly just trust our guts. We’d say it’s three parts intuition with a splash of know how.
FG: What do you consider to be some of the major highlights of your career thus far?
LAL: Writing our first book and watching people buy it, read it and love it. Seeing our hard work pay off through the comments of excited readers was more than we could’ve ever asked for. Also, watching our website grow to places we never imagined and seeing how happy people are by the content we provide on our site like “5 things”, “Hot Seat” and “Writing Wednesdays”.
FG: What is a spiritual mantra or philosophy that you live by?
LAL: Be positive! Visualize what you want! Never give up! Believe. Believe. Believe.
FG: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
LAL: Getting published is about perseverance first, talent second and luck third so NEVER give up on your project if it’s something you believe in.
FG: What would you tell your younger-self if you knew then what you know now?
LAL: Thick eyebrows and big perms are not flattering. (And then we’d hand our younger selves a pair of tweezers.)
Finish this sentence….
FG: Women should stop complaining about_______ and start____________________
LAL: Women should stop complaining about each other and start supporting other women instead of tearing them down.
FG: If your life came with a soundtrack, what would be the top three songs (and please indicate the singer or band)
LAL: That’s What Friends are For-Dionne Warwick, Express Yourself-Madonna, Party In the USA-Miley Cyrus
FG: What project(s) do you have coming up?
LAL: Our latest manuscript, The D Word, is currently in the hands of several agents. We’re crossing our fingers that it finds a home soon and travels the road to becoming published. We’re visualizing it so it will happen!
For more information on Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke go to: www.chicklitisnotdead.com or www.facebook.com/chicklitisnotdead or @Lizandlisa on Twitter.
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