Chatting With The Chicks Of Chick Lit

Chuck Lottateeth is out and about, interviewing as many Chick Lit heroines as he can during #ChickLitMay, including someone very dear to my heart  Take it away, Chuck!

Ha ha ha ha welcome, welcome everyone to Chatting With the Chicks of Chick Lit. I’m your host, Chuck Lottateeth, and I am thrilled to be able to introduce you to some of the most fascinating characters in literature today. I’m talking about the leading ladies of Chick Lit: those enchanting, romantic, darling, sexy, sweet, funny, headstrong—and, let’s face it, sometimes downright frustrating—modern women who headline this fabulously fun genre. I’m sure you’re going to love getting the skinny on these “novel” heroines, and who knows? You might just find your new BFF on the pages of one of these books!

Without further ado, let’s make some noise for today’s guest . . . Becky Jordan! 

Becky, you’re looking gorgeous today! Tell us a bit about yourself. Actually, tell us a bit about anything; just speak, so we can listen to that cute British accent of yours.

<blushes> See, I think your accent is cute, Chuck. Well . . . I’m the heroine of Maggie Le Page’s first novel, A Heat Of The Moment Thing, although to be honest I’ve never felt much like a heroine. I live in London, England, with my partner, Matt, and we both lovelovelove travel, so we’re planning a few holidays abroad over the next year or two.

You’ve worked in travel, haven’t you?

Yes. That’s how I met Matt, actually. But I’m doing something a bit more . . . exciting these days. Sorry, I can’t say any more than that; I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who’s reading A Heat Of The Moment Thing.

Ha ha ha ha, sounds intriguing. And, Becky, if you were a shoe, what kind of shoe would you be?

Er . . . that’s a strange question. I guess I’d be . . . a big one?  <laughs>  Well. Not Sasquatch-big; just big-for-a-woman big, because . . . well, I have big feet. Usually I just wear whatever fits, but if I had to choose . . . um . . . Ooh, I know!

I’d be an ankle boot. Yes! Because much as I love getting glammed up and wowing Matt, I’m more of a . . . I don’t know, a take-anywhere shoe. I need to be a shoe that could take go-carting in its stride (Ha! Stride! Get it?) as easily as a trip to the theatre. Here. This picture’s what I’d look like.

The brand is Besley, in case you’re wondering—yes, Chuck, I saw that look in your eye!

Ha ha, yes. And Becky, what are the three items you would absolutely need to have with you if you were shipwrecked on a desert island?

Really? I can only have three items? Hmm, well in that case I’d better have . . .

1. A genie in a bottle, because genies tend to be very muscular—the male ones, anyway, and mine would be male because I’ll need some eye candy, right?—and genies are also very attentive to your needs, which would be quite handy if I’m shipwrecked. And if I ever get really sick of it all my genie can just magic up a rescue plane. Perfect!

2. Oh, and I’d better have sunblock. Lots of it. Because until that rescue plane arrives I’m a walking melanoma magnet. I mean, look at me! I wound up with Gran’s super-pale, freckly skin. I never tan. I just go pink then peel and go back to white. Maybe you should shipwreck my sister, Dani, instead. She’s got olive, easy-tanning skin, and it looks gorgeous on her.

Number three. Um . . . well, if I had a cafe on the island I’d just ask for a cappuccino every day, but I’m guessing there’s no cafe on the island? No? Rats.

3. Well, in that case I’d better take paracetamol with me, because I’m going to have the worst headaches ever when my body adjusts to life without caffeine <sighs> Maybe I should smuggle in some wine. Ha! <looks triumphant> My genie can bring me cappuccinos and wine!

Ha ha ha ha, genies, huh? Quite the dreamer, aren’t you, Becky? Now, I hear you’re a bit of a romantic. But if you had only $15 to spend, what would be your perfect date?

Oh! Well, I’d take Matt, of course. We’d hire a movie—my vote’s for rom com, of course—then we’d stop off on the way home and buy a big tub of super-creamy ice cream. We’d head home and start watching the movie, but not for long because I’d go out to the kitchen and make some of Matt’s amazeballs butterscotch sauce. Then Matt would come in and taste it and wrap his arms around me and . . . <sighs> . . . We’d miss the end of the movie, of course. But we’d have ice cream with butterscotch sauce later. <giggles> Much later.

<clears throat> I see. And if you had $50 to spend? 

Hmm. Well, I had the best time ever when Matt took me for a ride on his motorbike, so I think I’d spend $30 on fuel and ask Matt to take me on a bike trip down to Brighton. We could spend the other $20 once we’re there and share a curry. It would probably have to be takeout at that price, but that’s okay. We can take a picnic blanket with us and have curry on the beach. And maybe on the ride back to London we can take a B-road and stop off for a bit of a cuddle, because I can tell you right now, if I’m hugging him from behind and jammed up against him on that bike for an hour, feeling every move he makes, I’ll be all turned on with nowhere to go.

<claps hand over mouth> Can we scratch that? I don’t think I should really say that in an interview.

Ha ha, scratch it? Sure. <grins and winks at camera> What about $5,000, Becky? What would be your perfect date now?

Wow. A $5,000 date? Um . . . well, in that case I’d fly us both to Switzerland and hire us a chalet up in the mountains, with a big log fire and a hot tub outside, and I’d pay for caterers to deliver us an amazing five-course dinner, and we’d eat it by candlelight and then afterwards we’d sit in the hot tub and drink champagne and fall even more in love. It would be utter bliss. Oh, and we’d stay there a week!

Your best friend is asked to describe you in five words. What would they be?

Hmm. What would Liz say about me? Um . . . ‘Loyal, funny, smart, determined, awesome!’

<giggles> Either that or she’d get smart and say, ‘Trusts everyone far too easily’. Which is true. And not always a good thing.

Your nemesis is also asked to describe you in five words. What would they be? 

‘Ditzy cow, biggest klutz ever.’ And she’d follow it up with another dozen snarky words, too, I imagine.

Becky, if you could be the heroine in any chick flick, who would it be and why?

I’d be Elle, the heroine of Legally Blonde. Why? Because she’s gorgeous! And she somehow manages to achieve success beyond her—and everyone’s—wildest expectations. She’s gone to Harvard to win back the guy of her dreams, and I totally get that, because she’s found her Mr Right and do you know how hard it is to find him these days? But then she totally rocks Harvard and the law and shows all those academic snobs a thing or two and discovers she’s got way more going for her than she ever realised and <takes deep breath> . . . yeah. I want to be her.

Thanks so much for joining us here today, Becky. I have to say, I’m looking forward to reading about you in A Heat Of The Moment Thing.

Thanks for having me, Chuck. It’s been great fun! And if you or anyone in the audience are thinking of reading A Heat Of The Moment Thing, now’s the time to do it because it’s discounted to just 99c/99p for #ChickLitMay.

Just click on the book’s cover earlier in this blog post or over in the right sidebar—both will take you to Amazon where you can read the blurb and first chapter, and buy too, of course!