See what's cooking with Alicia de los Reyes...plus a special giveaway

I may have mentioned a time, or two, that I'm writing a book - a memoir to be exact.  Or, should I say, I was writing a book.  Life has gotten hectic and exhausting that by the time I have the time to sit down to write all I really want to do is watch television and knit while my cat, Elsie, tries to distract me by causing some sort of mess. (She excels at breaking things!)  It also makes me tired to think about how far behind I am from my intended, self-imposed deadlines to have the first draft of my manuscript done.  I try to motivate myself by thinking about the "30 minutes a day" rule, but can't seem to do it.

Today on CLC, we welcome Alicia de los Reyes, a Freelance Editor and Writer whose writing guide, The Chick Lit Cookbook, may be just what I need to read to get myself "back on track" to finishing this memoir of mine.

Alicia lives in Seattle with her husband Andrew and their cat Mitzi.  She's currently writing her own novel using The Chick Lit Cookbook and blogging about it at chicklitcookbook.tumblr.com. Oh, and her favorite color is purple (which is my fave color!) and her favorite food is chocolate chip cookies (I like her already!). 

Please give a warm CLC welcome to Alicia de los Reyes, as she talks about Fairy Tales and Disney movies with us. She has TWO e-books of The Chick Lit Cookbook for some lucky readers anywhere in the world! Plus, one of the e-book winners could have their manuscript reviewed by Alicia's editor, Kelly Rizzetta of KMR Publishing, if they have one available. See the guidelines to find out if you qualify for this special optional prize. As an extra fun treat, visit Alicia at Book Mama Blog to check out her guest post!

You can find Alicia at her blog and on Twitter.

How can fairy tales and feminism mix?
There are so many great examples of fairy tales that have strong female characters--The Princess Diaries and Enchanted are two of my favorites. The characters in these stories show that women don't have to be Sleeping Beauty or damsels in distress to find a happy ending. I think that's great!

Who is your favorite fairy tale princess?
I love Giselle from Enchanted. It's fun to watch Amy Adams dancing around with rats and pigeons!

If you were to create a fairy tale what would the central theme be?
One theme I like to write about is using your powers for good--doing your best with what you have. Maybe I could write a fairy tale about a princess using her powers to save someone.

Top three favorite rides at Disney World/Land: 

• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• The Haunted House. 

 I guess I like screaming.

"The Magic Kingdom" - what does that phrase mean to you?
It means spring break! When I was in college, my girlfriends and I drove down to Florida, stayed with my grandparents, and went to all of the parks in Disney World in one day. It was so much fun--we finished off our day watching fireworks in the Magic Kingdom and eating gigantic caramel apples. One of my favorite trips ever!

My favorite Disney villain is: I like Jafar from Aladdin for some reason. I think it's his annoying little bird Iago repeating everything he says that does it for me.

Special thanks to Alicia for visiting with us and to KMR Publishing for making someone's dream come true.

~Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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Open worldwide. Giveaway ends January 28th at midnight EST. See the guidelines regarding the manuscript review.