Cynthia Ellingsen is "The Whole Package" and more...enter to win her book!

**Giveaway is now closed**

We are very excited to have with us today Cynthia Ellingsen and her debut novel, "The Whole Package." Cynthia is an author and screenwriter who lives in Lexington, KY with her husband. She is now writing her second novel, which is planned for a 2012 release.

Cynthia is here to share with us the importance of friendship and ONE lucky reader anywhere in the US or Canada, has a chance to win "The Whole Package," thanks to Penguin Books!

To learn more about Cynthia, visit her on Facebook, Twitter and her website.

Author photo credit: Brian McConkey Photography (2010)

A Girl's Best Friend...

Hi Chick Lit Central! I’m so delighted to talk to your readers. I feel like I’m already walking into a roomful of friends because there’s something so universal about women. We have a secret code that boys—no matter how many episodes of Sex in the City they watch—will ever understand. That code includes common threads that pull us altogether.

As women, we all...

1. Want to live in a villa in Tuscany or Provence.

2. Secretly own a bottle of Chanel #5 or a bright red lipstick.

3. Kissed him ‘just to see’.

4. Are still kinda rooting for Britney.

5. Love it that erectile dysfunction commercials now exist.

We also all have or feel a deep yearning to have those best friends that will always be there for us, no matter what.

Since "The Whole Package" hit the shelves, I have had so many readers say to me, “Wow. You must have a group of girlfriends that you’ve been friends with forever.”

This is because "The Whole Package" is a book about friendship—three women who have known each other since high school, all approaching forty. Their lives all fall apart, so they embark on a saucy business venture.

And I always reply, “Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

But the truth of the matter is much more complicated than that. I do have an amazing group of girlfriends that I’ve been friends with forever but I’m lucky to see some of them once every five years. This is because, over the years, those best friends have scattered far and wide.

As a writer, I’ve always kept my life ever changing. I grew up in the country, lived in two major cities, traveled to bunches of ‘em, dabbled in different jobs and tried on many different lives. My circle of friends has ebbed and flowed with each and every life change because friendships, just like relationships, are often built on the day-to-day.

I’ve heard more than one woman say that it’s critical to have a best friend who knows exactly what’s going on without a lot of back story. We need that friend who can grab a a quick drink and talk about the kids, the house, the job or the husband. We need that friend who can and will watch back-to-back episodes of Beverly Hills Housewives just because.

The scenes in "The Whole Package" that are the most heartfelt to me are the ones where the best friends are sitting around, doing nothing. The scene where Jackie and Cheryl watch Doris cook. The moment where they lie around wearing face masks and eating candy. The times that they’re just being friends.

But I also love the part with the history. The part where the characters look back on the moments that shaped their lives. Because their best friends were always there.

Today, take a moment to think about those friends that have helped make your life "The Whole Package." Take the time to drop a note, make a phone call or find a way to let that friend know how much she has meant to you.

As women, it’s another universal truth that best friends are some of the greatest love stories of our lives.

We are thankful to Cynthia for sharing such a beautiful post about friendship with us and her book with our readers.

How to win "The Whole Package":Please comment below with your e-mail address.
(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: Have your close friend(s) helped you make your life "The Whole Package?" If so, tell us what does the whole package mean to you?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines, as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
5. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

US/Canada only. Giveaway ends November 20th at midnight EST.