Talking romance with Cooper Lawrence's "friends," plus a book giveaway

**Giveaway is now closed**

Today we introduce debut author Cooper Lawrence and her debut fiction novel, "The Yoga Club."

Cooper Lawrence is an accomplished radio veteran who has been in radio for almost twenty years. Currently she can be heard as part of The Big Show with Scott & Todd on WPLJ in New York.  Before joining WPLJ Cooper had been hosting her own nationally syndicated radio show aptly named The Cooper Lawrence Show.  On TV she was the co-host of the VH1 'Celebreality' show Confessions of a Teen Idol and spent two years as the relationship expert on The Tyra Banks Show.  She has also been a guest on many other shows including CBS’ The Early Show, The Today Show, The O'Reilly Factor, The Insider and Entertainment Tonight.  Cooper has been featured in a slew of print articles, among them being in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, SELF and Family Circle.  Her previous novels include “The Cult of Celebrity: What our Fascination with the Stars Reveals About Us,” “The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace with Your Inner Overachiever,” “The Fixer Upper Man: Turn Mr. Maybe Into Mr. Right,” “Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry” and “CosmoGIRL's All About Guys.”  Cooper has a master’s degree in developmental psychology and is working hard to finish her PhD.  She currently lives in Manhattan with her 96 pound puppy Marconi. Cooper is here to introduce us to some new friends from "The Yoga Club" to talk about romance.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster we have TWO copies of "The Yoga Club" to give away to some lucky readers anywhere in the US.

You can visit Cooper at her website, Facebook and Twitter.

I've written so many books about real-world relationships (and celebrity drama), that I thought it would be fun to finally get to tell a story in which all the relationships wind up the way I want. But instead of doing all the talking myself, I thought I'd invite a few friends to help me: meet Coco, CJ, Bailey and Olivia, stars of THE YOGA CLUB! Coco's made her fortune as the inventor and promoter of Butt-B-Gone, the country’s leading cellulite cream; CJ's the out-and-proud son of a Connecticut senator; Bailey's an entertainment reporter who's all too ready to take a personal interest in her stories, wink wink; and Olivia's a single mom with echolalia (a disorder where you compulsively echo unusual sounds around you). Thanks for having all of us, Chick Lit Central!

Favorite chick lit novel couple:
Olivia: This has to be the chick lit classic couple of Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy! Some days when I’m feeling a little awkward, I ask myself, “What would Bridget do?”

Favorite romantic song:
Coco: It’s new, but it’s already shot to the top of my iPod playlist: Gavin DeGraw’s "Not Over You." My husband, Sam, and I were going through a rough patch recently, and I thought it might just be me and the 96-pound puppy going solo after that, but we worked it out and are tighter than ever. I could never be over him!

Favorite place to go on a date:
Olivia: First dates aren’t always easy when you have echolalia, like I do. They’re nerve-wracking enough without worrying that I could burst out into siren noises or a nearby mother’s shouts for her kids! So my perfect place for a date? The Greenwich Public Library!

Best movie kiss:
Bailey: I’m a child of the ‘80s, and as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t get better than Molly Ringwald kissing Jake on the table at the end of Sixteen Candles. I’m not going to settle down until I find the guy who kisses me like that!

Guy you would date from a chick lit novel:
Coco: My favorite chick lit paramour du jour is Henry from Carol Wolper’s new book, "Anne of Hollywood." I love this book because it’s a retelling of the Anne Boleyn story, but set in the equally sinister world of Hollywood! Anne pursues her Henry with passion and focus, just like I do everything. Plus, I loved "The Cigarette Girl," Wolper’s previous book, so I knew I’d love this one too.

Best TV series kiss:
Coco: I have two (because why limit yourself to one kiss?): The first is when Roseanne kisses Sharon (Mariel Hemingway) on Roseanne. Not necessarily because of how hot the kiss was, but because of the balls it took for Roseanne Barr to get that kiss on the air! I have to respect such aself-made powerful businesswoman. My second favorite kiss might be a cliché, but y’all can bite me: Ross and Rachel finally sharing a kiss on Friends. Phoebe said it best: “He’s her lobster!”

Special thanks to Cooper and her friends for visiting with us today and to Simon and Schuster for sharing "The Yoga Club" with our readers!

How to win "The Yoga Club":
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: Who is your favorite couple from a chick lit novel?
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 only. Giveaway ends February 21st at midnight EST.