Liz and Lisa's timely new novel...plus a book giveaway

Left to right: Liz and Lisa

Introduction by Melissa Amster

It's fitting that Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are writing a letter to their 2010 selves today. That's because I met them in 2010, when they had a blog called Chick Lit is Not Dead, which inspired CLC. Traveling in the same circles, I started getting to know them better and was thrilled when they started writing novels together. Two of their novels (Your Perfect Life and The Year We Turned Forty) were chosen as my favorites from the years they were published. I've enjoyed their thrillers as well, especially last year's The Two Lila Bennetts. I've met Liz and Lisa at a couple of book expos and they are wonderful in person. I love watching their friendship dynamic in action.

Today, I'm excited to share their latest novel, How to Save a Life, with you. I really enjoyed it, as evidenced by my review. It's their first novel from a male perspective and they nailed it! Thanks to Kathleen Carter Communications, we have TWO copies to give away.

Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke have been best friends for over thirty years. They are the co-authors of seven novels, including the Amazon Charts bestseller, The Good Widow. They host the popular podcast We Fight So You don’t Have To, and are monthly on-air contributors on their local news with Liz & Lisa’s Book Club.

In their former lives, Liz worked in the pharmaceutical industry and Lisa was a talk-show producer. They both reside with their families and several rescue dogs in Southern California. (Bio adapted from Liz and Lisa's website.)

Visit Liz and Lisa online:
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Synopsis:
Dom is having a very bad day—one he literally can’t escape.

When Dom bumps into Mia, his ex-fiancée whom he hasn’t seen in almost a decade, he believes they’ve been given a second chance and asks her out. When Mia dies tragically on their date, Dom makes a desperate wish: to be given the chance to save her life. And when he wakes the next morning to the shock that she’s alive, he thinks his wish may have been granted. But day after day, no matter what he changes about their time together, she still meets a terrible fate.

Dom frantically searches for answers to save his beloved Mia and rekindle their former love. But the further he digs, the more obsessed he becomes, making him realize that slowing down time may be the only way to see things clearly. As he’s forced to confront the truth about himself and those he’s closest to, Dom vows that he’ll watch Mia die a thousand times if it means he can save her once. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

Dear 2010 Liz & Lisa,

2020 Liz & Lisa here with a few thoughts. Don’t worry, you’re both aging well!

Things have been crazy in 2020 and it’s made us reflect on our younger selves. We’ll spare you the details because, believe us, you do not need to know the specifics of this crazy-ass year—until you get there. One pro tip you’ll thank us for later: make sure you buy extra toilet paper and flour after the New Year!

Anyway, these past few months have prompted us to reach out.

You’ve been trying to make your dreams of becoming published authors come true for the past five years and we know you’re feeling defeated. You’re knee-deep in your third manuscript. You’re wondering if it’s all worth it. The rejection has made you question yourselves and your talent. (Especially that turn-down letter from a prospective agent that started, Dear Mr. and Mr. Fenton.) But you’re finally writing something you love, about two childhood best friends who switch bodies at their twenty-year high school reunion. You two don’t articulate it, but there are distinct parallels between you and the protagonists, Casey and Rachel. You both think the other person doesn’t understand your life. You’ve both secretly thought the other person has it easier. Or not understood the choices the other has made. Believe it or not, it’s those insights that will make all the difference in your journey to publication. Several years from now, you’ll realize that rising up from the weaknesses in your friendship gives you strength. It’s your secret sauce!

We don’t want to give too much away, but things will get better. Your dreams will come true, but along with that will come many crushing disappointments. This will surprise you as you thought getting the agent and publishing deal would be the hardest part. You will soon learn that the process of creating your novels will sometimes become its own story. Guys, you have so many lessons to learn. About the publishing industry. About yourselves. About each other. On that note, you are going to fight! A lot! So much that you create a podcast about fighting! (And in a few years, you’ll understand what the hell a podcast is!)

Oh, and make sure you get your own hotel rooms when you travel to Book Expo. Trust us. It will be worth the extra money!

You will both make huge life choices that disrupt your lives immensely. Be confident in your decisions. And Liz, just an FYI, you do not need to chop your hair off every time something major happens in your life! Girl! A good trim will suffice!

Lastly, you will each gain and lose people you love these next ten years. The losses will you turn you inside out but you will develop an empathy for each other that will help you understand why you’ve remained friends for over thirty years. (It’s not so you can write novels or take cute selfies together.) You will finally recognize that true compromise is a result of hard-earned patience and wisdom. We know you both hate to be vulnerable but these years will force you to open up your heart and souls and lean on one another, even when your instincts tell you to stay hidden.

Ladies, this next decade will not be easy. But it will be worth it. Remember to be kind to yourselves and to each other, and you’ll be fine.

Xoxo,

2020 Liz & Lisa

Thanks to Liz and Lisa for visiting with us and to Kathleen Carter Communications for sharing their book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 


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Giveaway ends July 21st at midnight EST.