Friday, November 30, 2012

Chick Flick Quiz! Are You a True Fan?

In honour of my newly released romcom novel, I have decided to see who among you are true chick lit and chick flick aficionados. Can you, like my brother, quote Mean Girls word for word? Do you drag your boyfriends and husbands out to theaters to see your favourite Jennifer Aniston movie? Is Katherine Heigl your secret girl crush? How do you rank in the world of chick flicks?
I'm watching you... don't mess up!
 
Let's find out!

1. What movie is the following quote from?

"Do you believe in love at first sight? Nah, I betcha don't, you're probably too sensible for that. Or have you ever, like, seen somebody? And you knew that, if only that person really knew you, they would, well, they would of course dump the perfect model that they were with, and realize that you were the one that they wanted to, just, grow old with. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you haven't even talked to? Have you ever been so alone you spend the night confusing a man in a coma?"
          a) While You Were Sleeping
          b) How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days
          c) 13 Going On 30


2. Who is best friends with Kate Hudson's character in Bride Wars?
        a) Jennifer Garner
        b) Anne Hathaway
        c) Drew Barrymore


3. Which movie did Jennifer Aniston NOT star in?
       a) The Break Up
       b) Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
       c) Just Go With It


4. What book by Sophie Kinsella is the following quote from?
   
“There's genuine pain in Eric's eyes. And I feel a stab of guilt. But you can't stay with people because of guilt.” 

     a) Confessions of a Shopaholic
     b) Twenties Girl
     c) Remember Me?


5. Who is the author of newly released and five star rated novel 'Iced Romance'?
     a) Sophie Kinsella
     b) Meg Cabot
     c) Whitney Boyd


6. What novel is the following quote from?

"If I want to get over Todd, I’m definitely going to have to let go of all the hate I’ve been bottling up. And then there is the small fact that I really want David to be proud of me. And if he knew that I’m living my own real-life Carrie Underwood song, I know he’d think less of me.

"Jesica follows me into my apartment where we gather together all the pieces of the jersey, then carry them back to her place. She gets a bulky, ancient-looking sewing machine out of the closet by the door, and we kneel on the floor, doing our best to put the jersey back together. Every few minutes Jesica shoots me a sideways glance and mutters things like “Men who cheat should be shot,” “He’s lucky the jersey is the only thing you rip to shreds,” and “If I ever get my hands on him…” "

    a) Iced Romance by Whitney Boyd
    b) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
    c) Something Borrowed by Emily Griffen


7. Who said it?

"Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be”

   a) Elizabeth Gilbert, author of 'Eat, Pray, Love'
   b) Jennifer Weiner, author of 'Certain Girls'
   c) Helen Fielding, author of 'Bridget Jones' Diary'

8. What Sandra Bullock movie is the following quote from?

Margaret Tate: "What am I allergic to?"
Andrew Paxton: "Pine nuts, and the full spectrum of human emotion."

    a) The Proposal
    b) Miss Congeniality
    c) Hope Floats

9. What classic novel and film have the unlikeable yet tough as nails Scarlett O'Hara as the heroine?

   a) Gone With The Wind
   b) Valentine's Day
   c) A Walk To Remember

10. What chick flick takes Cinderella back to France with Drew Barrymore as the beautiful, intelligent heroine?

   a) My Fair Lady
   b) Ever After
   c) A Cinderella Story

Bonus... for one extra point...: Who is your favourite chick lit or chick flick heroine of all time?


Answers: 1-a, 2-b, 3-b, 4-c, 5-c, 6-a, 7-a, 8-a, 9-a, 10-b

So, how'd you do?

1-5 points = You need a manicure, a girlfriend and a subscription to People magazine, because you need help!

6-8 points = Meh, you're doing okay, but you definitely need to ask Santa for a new chick lit novel for Christmas. Time to brush up!

9-10 points = You're on fire, girlfriend! Keep reading and watching and dreaming and Prince Charming will be waiting for you right around the corner. Possibly on a white horse. Or something.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Book Review - ICED ROMANCE

Another great review of ICED ROMANCE just came in! 5 out of 5 stars rated and when my mom read it to my dad, he said "Wow. This makes me want to read it." For those of you who know my Dad, he's a hunter, he-man, manly-man type. And even he wants to read a chick lit book. Ha!

Here's the review:

Whitney Boyd has done it again! In her second novel, "Iced Romance", due out November 27th, she has written a fun, interesting, clean story about what true love and friendship are all about. Her characters are quirky but quintessential examples of people we all know. The most difficult aspect of reading this book is finding the will-power to put it down until the very last page has been turned.
 
Iced Romance
Kennedy Carter has grown up wealthy and pampered, but totally without the love of family and friends that she longs for. When she meets Todd, a soon-to-be NHL superstar, she thinks she has finally come home. They become engaged and the years pass by, but Todd refuses to commit to anything besides his game and his fans. When it finally is revealed that Todd has been involved with multiple women behind Kennedy's back and that he doesn't feel an iota of remorse, Kennedy wakes up and realizes she needs to move on and find a life of her own.
 
She runs to Florida to try and re-boot her life, but finds that moving on is one thing, but forgiving and forgetting is quite another. Never having had to look after herself before, she does an admirable job of finding a place to live and a job. But dealing with cockroaches and a waitress' sore feet are just a few of the problems that arise. Happily she meets a bevy of new friends, and even a love-interest, who help her adjust to life as a plebeian. The trouble is, Todd just won't skate off into the sunset, and Kennedy's new life is soon threatened.
 
If you are looking for a perfect stocking-stuffer or a gift for the consummate reader in your life, male or female, "Iced Romance" is your answer.
 
 
 
You can pre-order the book on Amazon (where it is also available as a kindle) or you can find it at Barnes and Noble. For a very limited time the paperback novel is available for only $9.38!! So get it while you can!
 
xox

Monday, November 19, 2012

Book Review - ICED ROMANCE

So the first review of ICED ROMANCE pre-release is back! Drum roll, please!

"As a past reader and even writer of the chick-lit genre, lately I've sort of been slowly moving on to other genres. I haven't been interested in reading chick-lit--don't want to write it. When Whitney asked me to read and review her novel I agreed without knowing what kind of books she writes. She emailed me the PDF and it came one evening while I was finishing up preparing supper. My daughter was still out for her run so I decided to download the galley on my iPad and maybe read the first page or two to see if I thought I was going to like the book. Did I like it? Okay, so I ended up reading the entire first chapter while standing in the kitchen. Then I couldn't wait to get back to the story again later in the evening.

Now, I'm a fairly busy person; a single mom during the week days, a novelist myself and all that goes along with that, early-morning seminary teacher, chauffer, keeper of the lawn and garden, etc, blah, blah, blah . . . So it usually takes me a week, give or take, to complete a novel. I read this one in less than three days.

The writing is fun, witty and seamless. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. I especially enjoyed the list of possible names Kennedy made to call her ex-fiancĂ©, Todd, when/if she saw him again. Kennedy is a girl born to parents of means and then engaged to a wealthy hockey player, so it is fun to see how naive she is to the way the rest of us live. Wearing heels to work on her first day as a waitress--rookie mistake. And David, her love interest, he is sexy, strong and compassionate--I want one ☺

But this novel isn't all silliness and fun. The author shows Kennedy going through a great deal of growth as she struggles to separate herself from the shallow life she's always known. As the story unfolds, Kennedy slowly begins to find her true self as she trades in her designer clothes, caviar and champagne for real friends who offer her loyalty and love.

This is a great book for teens and grown-ups alike. Anyone who wants a fun, quick read that also has a deeper meaning. That finding true happiness in life is not about the things or status of people we surround ourselves with, but the people in our lives who truly care about us. "


- Julie N. Ford, Author 

 Excited yet!?! It's being released on Novelber 27th, but you can pre-order your copy now on Amazon, or buy a pre-release kindle version! Spread the word!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Does Honesty Have a Price?

We watched last night's Amazing Race episode where the teams head off to Turkey. They started off at a travel agency, where the teams found they'd be all together on the flight. Then one of the teams (James and Abba) dropped their wad of cash as they exited the room. Two other teams noticed the cash right away and before you could say "Good Samaritan", the "Twinnies" had pocketed the money and were giggling about how screwed James and Abba would be when they noticed it.


 
Even worse, they laughingly showed the money to another team, the cute little cheerleader and her boy toy from Texas, Trey and Lexi. Trey seemed to disapprove, but Lexi agreed that it was great after the "Twinnies" said that they would split the money with them. James and Abba noticed about two seconds later that their money was missing. But, they couldn't go back and find it because it was gone. They ended up talking to locals in Bangladesh, asking politely if anyone could spare some money to help. The local people gave them enough and they were back in the race.
 
There are so many things wrong with this story...
 
Yes, this is a race around the world for a million dollar prize. Yes, competition is key. Still, doesn't honesty matter despite the potential payday?
 
Sure, it was only about $100... BUT this was the $100 James and Abba needed to leave Bangladesh and to continue on the race. 
 
It is, simply put, a very cheap way to try to get ahead in the race. It wasn't their money. They knew whose money it was. And yet they took it. They could have left it there. They could have returned it to James and Abba. They could have even taken it and given it to a random homeless guy or something. But instead they just kept it.
 
Let's pretend for a second that this isn't a race for one million dollars. Let's say you are walking to work and you see a person ahead of you drop a wad of cash. ABSOLUTELY the honest thing is to return it to them. Or, at the very least, bring it to the police station. There is no scenario where it would be okay to keep it.
 
So why in the world is it "okay" for these racers to keep the money. I would not sell my integrity for one million dollars. I just wouldn't. I don't cheat. I don't lie. I never will.
 
"Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving." (James Faust)
 
I read a story once that I thought was interesting. In 1942 James Faust, a member of the United States Army Air Corps, had applied for Officer's Candidate School. At his interview, he was asked a number of questions regarding more than just his qualifications. His beliefs were called into question too. He was asked if he prayed, if he smoked or drank. Finally he was asked the following, and I quote, "In times of war, should not the moral code be relaxed? Does not the stress of battle justify men in doing things that they would not do when at home under normal situations?” [He] recognized that here was a chance perhaps to make some points and look broad-minded. [He] suspected that the men who were asking this question did not live by the standards that [he] had been taught. The thought flashed through [his]mind that perhaps [he] could say that [he] had [his] own beliefs, but [he] did not wish to impose them on others. But there seemed to flash before [his]mind the faces of the many people [he respected]. In the end [he] simply said, “I do not believe there is a double standard of morality.” End quote. 
 
There shouldn't be a double standard of honesty. Right is always right and wrong is always wrong, regardless of the price.
 
Did you watch this episode? What did you think?