L.A. Johannesson is simply golden and you could retrieve her book!

**Giveaway is now closed**

A lot of chick lit heroines have pets, but not all of them are featured so prominently on the cover. L.A. Johannesson fits perfectly with our pet theme this month, as Kayte, the main character from her debut novel, eloves me, eloves me not, has a golden retriever who gets front cover billing! And better yet, he's also part of the summary!

"Her dog Dylan is not only a good listener but a great judge of character..."

L. A. (also known as Linda) recently traded a 20+ year corporate career in marketing and communications for the fresh challenges of becoming an independent novelist and publisher.

Her greatest aspiration is to author a series of successful contemporary romantic comedies that pair the latest in technology with women who are confident, accomplished and sensual creatures – think romantic fiction with a geeky twist! She's already hard at work on book number two, My Social Life.

Linda hails from Toronto, Canada, but she now calls Sydney, Australia home. She travels often and happily shares her home and heart with the Aussie bloke she met in writing class and their Golden Retriever.

She's here today to talk about writing and animals (mainly golden retrievers) and has THREE copies of eloves me, eloves me not to share with some lucky readers! (One signed paperback for US/Canada readers and two e-books worldwide.)

You can find Linda at her website, as well as on Facebook (with both author and book pages) and Twitter.

Check out the trailer for eloves me, eloves me not. It's really cute (but not as cute as Dylan must be)!


Where did you get the idea for eloves me, eloves me not?
Okay. I’ll admit it. I have tried online dating. What struck me was just how many other people were as well. The combination of the proliferation of dating sites and the influence that technology was having on how we looked for love ignited my curiosity. So, I listened to other people’s stories, did some research of my own, let my imagination run wild and voila, eloves me, eloves me not was born. While I didn’t meet my Mr Right while online (although I did meet him in writing class), I came out of it with a fabulous idea for an entertaining and enlightening novel.

Favorite animal from a chick lit novel:
I don’t really have a favourite. I can’t recall very many but Rex or Bob from Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series pop to mind. I guess that’s one of the reasons I wanted to include Dylan, the golden retriever, so prominently in my book. He acts as a companion and confidante for Kayte, while representing the loyalty and unconditional love that she’s seeking in a mate.

Funniest and/or cutest thing you've seen an animal do:
There are a few of these in the novel, but the cutest thing I’ve seen lately occurred when my fiancée and I went to Golden Retriever Rescue headquarters. We had volunteered to foster a golden who was looking for a new ‘forever home’. There were four dogs requiring fostering. When we arrived they all bounded about, running and sniffing and barking. Then one of them picked up his favourite stuffed toy, walked over to my fiancée and offered it to him. In that moment we knew who was going to be our foster kid. And guess who is now a permanent member of the family?

Who are some of your favorite authors? 
I have eclectic tastes; S. E. Hinton, Harper Lee, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dickens, Twain, Lewis, Jack London, Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Dr Seuss, John Grisham, Bryce Courtenay and Pierre Burton are just a few.
 My chick lit favourites include: Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Jane Green, Helen Fielding, Jane Costello, Jennifer Weiner and Janet Evanovich.

Have you always had aspirations of becoming a writer?
No, but I wrote almost everyday during communications and marketing career. And I guess you could say that fiction and marketing aren’t that far apart. I never really had aspirations of becoming an author but once I got the idea for this book in my head, I couldn’t fight it. It had to come out. And I’m so glad it did. Now when I get introduced as ‘the author’ I beam with a certain pride I’ve not felt before.

Favorite song with any kind of animal in it:
One of my favourite Canadian groups, The Barenaked Ladies, had the right idea. In their song "If I Had a Million Dollars," they claimed that with that much money they’d ‘buy an exotic pet, like llama or an emu.’

If you could write a novel about an animal, what kind would it be and what would you name it?
Probably about a big hairy goofy golden retriever and how he sees the world. I’d call it The Dyson Diaries. If you’ve ever had one, you’ll appreciate the vacuum reference.

Can you share any advice for future writers?
Write, write and then write some more. There are so many potential distractions to be wary of – conducting copious amounts of research, reading other authors for inspiration, studying the industry, learning how to craft the perfect query letter or discovering what’s involved in marketing your work to the world. While all are necessary, they can take up so much time that should be spent writing. In my opinion, if you want to be a writer or a novelist, if your goal is to be a published author, to do so you have to have a story and that story needs to be written. Getting your short story or novel to a state of first draft completion should be your absolute first priority.

Special thanks to L.A. for visiting with us and sharing her book with our readers.

How to win eloves me, eloves me not:
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.)  Also, please indicate which country you are located in. If you are in the US or Canada and do not indicate, you will ONLY be eligible for the e-book.

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: Who is your favorite animal from a chick lit novel? (Given that you haven't met Dylan yet...)
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. Follow us on Twitter and/or Pinterest.
6. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

Paperback-US/Canada only; e-books-Worldwide. 
Giveaway ends January 16th at midnight EST.