Donna Kauffman adds sweetness to our day and has books to give away!

**Giveaway is now closed**

Today we have Donna Kauffman visiting us to celebrate romance month. USA Today bestselling author, Donna Kauffman, is a RITA finalist, who has seen her books reviewed in venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan. The author of over 50 books, she has won the National Readers Choice award, a PRISM award as well as numerous awards from Romantic Times. She lives just outside of DC in the lovely Virginia countryside, where she is presently keeping stock in all things flour, eggs & butter for her hands-on research for her Cupcake Club series.

Thanks to Kensington, we have a copy of "Sugar Rush" and a copy of "Sweet Stuff" to give to some lucky winners in the US and Canada! (They are two separate stories.)

To learn more about Donna visit her at her website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Favorite chick lit novel couple:
I guess it would have to be Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy, because they were my first. And a girl never forgets her first. :)

Favorite romantic movie:
Desk Set with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. A little known film that I watch every Christmas. Clever banter, adorable quirkiness from both leads, and a great ending. Boop boop a doop. :) Another quirky/funny favorite is The Truth About Cats & Dogs.

Favorite couple from a TV series:
So, so many to choose from. One of my all time faves - this will SO date me -- but I loved McMillan & Wife with Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James. Loved that they showed how a married couple could still be sexy, funny, in love, and make you tune in every week to see what would happen next. I wish more writers of scripted television would look back at some of those old shows and see how well committed relationships/marriages can work in episodic television. Hart to Hart with Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers was another. More of those, please!

Favorite romantic song:
"At Last," by the incomparable Etta James. Evocative and timeless.

Most memorable date:
Believe it or not, it was a blind date. We were supposed to meet for lunch, standard blind date easy-escape-if-needed fare. He texted me an hour before we were set to meet and asked if I’d be game to go on a picnic, and if so, to meet him at Wegmans (grocery store to die for), casual flip flops, shorts, tee was the mandate. I was intrigued, so said yes. He was easy to spot. 6’5”, blond, in flip flops, board shorts, knee brace. We wandered the aisles, picking out stuff for our picnic (it’s amazing what you can learn about a person while food shopping!) already laughing and having a good time. (Yes, he paid. :) I took the Big Risk and drove out into the countryside with him (he was a divorced father of four and we had to move copious sports gear in the back of his SUV to make room for the haul of delectables we had picked out...something about a suburban soccer dad wearing a knee brace from recent kids-volleyball-coaching-injury surgery didn’t scream Danger Danger. At the very least, I could out run him. :) We drove west toward the mountains, talking...laughing, no destination In mind other than somewhere along Skyline Drive. As we drove through a small Civil War town to get gas, he spotted this very old, historic looking restaurant tucked away on the edge of town. He glanced at me and said, "You want to check it out?" So we did. We were dressed a bit casually for the place, but what the hell...we were feeling bold. And we ended up having the most delightful, truly historically prepared meal, served to us by the proprietess herself, who regaled us with stories of all the interesting and famous folk who had stopped (and stayed) in the centuries old inn/restaurant and gave us a wonderful tour of the place. We ended up wandering around town afterward, poking in and around all the old shops. And....we never did get to that picnic. That ended up being an equally memorable second date. Lesson? Never underestimate suburban soccer dads. Just sayin. :)

Favorite place to go on a date:
Well, a picnic comes to mind.

Guy you would date from a chick lit novel:
Luke Brandon from Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. Dreamy, funny, supportive, and a killer British accent. What’s not to love?

Best movie kiss:
There have been many, but the one that leapt immediately to mind was in Last of the Mohicans. Under that waterfall? With an incredibly hot Daniel Day Lewis heatedly swearing, "I will find you!" I mean....what more do you want?

Best TV series kiss:
So many to choose from over the years, but there were two great ones just this past season. Will & Alicia in that elevator on The Good Wife(pass me a fan, will you?)...and, hands down my personal favorite...Castle & Beckett on Castle. Swoon. Nathan, honey? Forget her. Call me.

Special thanks to Donna for sharing some sweet stuff and to Kensington for sharing the books with our readers.

How to win "Sugar Rush" or "Sweet Stuff":
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: What is your favorite romantic song?
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 February 21st at midnight EST