“THIS IS CHICK-LIT is a wonderful compilation of talented and diverse authors, such as Raelynn Hillhouse, Harley Jane Kozak, Cara Lockwood, Rachel Pine, Jennifer Coburn, and Lauren Baratz-Logsted.

“This is a long overdue and smart answer to the naysayers of an often maligned genre. It’s funny, a little edgy, thoughtful, and thoroughly entertaining, not to mention lots of interesting and eye-opening stuff for clever guys who want to see how the other half thinks.”

Nelson DeMille, author of Plum Island

A note from Lauren

Dear friends,

When the collection This Is *Not* Chick Lit, edited by Elizabeth Merrick, was announced, nearly ever writer of chick-lit I know, not to mention fans, became incensed.

It seemed as though the collection was conceived to look down at a whole group of women writers and their readers. But soon afterwards, I envisioned a very different collection and I was fortunate enough to have some of the leading lights of chick-lit climb onboard with me. Our collection would make a positive statement about what the genre is; it would debunk the Manolos and Cosmos stereotype by showcasing the breathtaking diversity of writers, featuring stories that, while chick-friendly in plot, are invested with important themes.

The result: THIS IS CHICK-LIT. My fondest hope is not that you will choose between the two collections – despite what my colleague Ms. Merrick has said, this isn’t a war here, although it has felt like one at times - but that you’ll read both and that there will be enjoyment to be had from both.

Fondly,

Lauren Baratz-Logsted

| Read more on Lauren’s take of “the b!tch-slapping of the subgenre” ... and how dreams do come true |

What is THIS IS CHICK-LIT?

Chick-lit’s unprecedented success has proven its popularity with readers . . . but not with critics, or the literary fiction writers critics love. It’s been called “frivolous” and “bubble gum,” accused of a preoccupation with fancy cocktails and overpriced shoes, and indicted for its supposed lack of intelligence and literary merit. Tired of being the literary underclass, chick-lit writers are finally fighting back—in style.

Welcome to chick-lit’s coming-out party. Here, eighteen of today’s hottest authors set out to prove that chick is lit—that fiction by, about, and for women is as meaningful, as rewarding, and as worthy of respect as any other writing out there.

THIS IS CHICK-LIT celebrates what it means to write chick-lit and to read it—and shows once and for all that you shouldn’t judge a book by its pastel cover.

| Read a preview of THIS IS CHICK-LIT |

Another Review

From Aleksandra Kostovski, Booklist

"Chick-lit authors fight back with this collection of stories by women writers proud to wear the chick-lit label … Each author prefaces her story with her own personal defense of chick lit, and the collection ends with a bibliography of titles outside the genre these authors recommend. For the most part, the anthology succeeds at showing the diverse range of authors, characters, and plots that now fall under the chick-lit umbrella … Chick-lit devotees will appreciate discovering new authors, and the uninitiated will be pleasantly surprised."