I am so excited to kick off the Celebration of Bloggers Tour with Samantha March, founder of the fabulous Chick Lit Plus. Before Just Friends with Benefits was published, I remember searching for “Chick Lit” online and seeing the girly Chick Lit Plus website with all of the latest and greatest in chick lit. At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about book marketing and so I did not know the term “book blogger.” I just knew that Chick Lit Plus was a really cool website for reviews, author interviews and other fun female-targeted posts! When I reached out to Samantha to see if she would review Just Friends with Benefits, I was terrified. I knew she reviewed Jackie Collins and Jennifer Weiner and all of the other “traditionally” published authors in the genre and I was afraid she would have no interest in reviewing a debut novelist with a book from an unknown small press. It turns out I had nothing to worry about as I quickly learned that Samantha is the furthest thing from a book snob there is! She got back to me promptly and said she would absolutely love to read my book and she was so nice! In the two years that have passed, I have often referred to Samantha as “Super Woman.” Not only does she run one of the most popular book blogs on the web, she is an author of two published novels, she is an editor and she runs her own publishing company, Marching Ink! All of this on top of a day job and, currently, wedding plans. It blows my mind that she never seems flustered or utters any indication of being exhausted. She’s truly an inspiration and so I welcome you to check out her websites. After you read her blog post below, of course! Take it away, Samantha!
When I first got the idea to start a blog back in 2009 (wow, that is crazy!) I had no idea it would change my life – literally. Looking back, it brings tears to my eyes when I think of what one small blog could do and the impact it would have. Since my first post in October 2009 I have gone on to read and review hundreds of books, interview authors such as Jackie Collins and Emily Giffin, publish two novels, and start my own business. It’s scary to think of where my life could have gone had I not started my blog – would I be a published author? Would I be happy and fulfilled in a career that wasn’t with books? I’m not a big “what if?” fan, and I just know how grateful I am for the opportunities blogging has provided me.
What I find really interesting about blogging is the people I meet. I think one of the best parts of belonging to the book blogging community is making friends with other people that have the same interests as me. I don’t have many close friends who can talk about books and plots and chick lit for hours on end, so it’s amazing to be able to turn to my computer and start chatting with a virtual friend about a book I just can’t put down. But my friendships with these fellow book bloggers and authors don’t just begin and end with books. I have a handful of wonderful women that I can turn to when I’m having troubles – whether it be with a book, my writing schedule, wedding planning woes, and even my personal life. Though we might not have met face to face and very well might not ever, the friendships I have made through my book blog are some that I treasure.
Blogging is much more than a simple hobby to me and I’m so grateful for all the support I have had over the years that I’ve been running Chick Lit Plus. If you would like to stop by and say hi, you can find me … well, just about all over the web 🙂
Author Bio:
Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and her debut novel Destined to Fail. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers.
Connect with Samantha!
Buy the Book!
Amazon: Print or eBook Marching Ink: Print
Coming soon: BLOGGER GIRL
What happens when your high school nemesis becomes the shining star in a universe you pretty much saved? Book blogger Kimberly Long is about to find out.
A chick lit enthusiast since the first time she read Bridget Jones’s Diary, Kim, with her blog, “Pastel is the New Black,” has worked tirelessly by night to keep the genre alive, and help squash the claim that “chick lit is dead” once and for all. Not bad for a woman who by day ekes out a meager living as a pretty, and pretty-much-nameless, legal secretary in a Manhattan law firm.
While Kim’s day job holds no passion for her, the handsome (and shaving challenged) associate down the hall is another story. Yet another story is that Hannah Marshak, one of her most hated high school classmates, has now popped onto the chick lit scene with a hot new book that’s turning heads–and pages–across the land. It’s also popped into Kim’s inbox–for review. With their ten-year high school reunion drawing near, Kim’s coming close to combustion over all the hype about Hannah’s book. And as everyone around her seems to be moving on and up, she begins to question whether being a “blogger girl” makes the grade in her off-line life.
