Our authors represent the faces behind chick-lit: smart, creative women who aren’t afraid to write about modernity, and write about it well. A peek into their lives:

Lauren Baratz-Logsted lives in Danbury, Connecticut, with her husband Greg Logsted and their daughter Jackie. Lauren is the author of the published novels The Thin Pink Line, Crossing the Line, A Little Change of Face and How Nancy Drew Saved My Life, all dark comedies; Vertigo, a literary novel set in the Victorian era with erotic and suspense undertones; and the forthcoming Young Adult novel Angel’s Choice. Lauren also has an essay in BenBella’s Jane Austen-themed anthology Flirting with Pride & Prejudice.  laurenbaratzlogsted.com

Novelist and screenwriter Deanna Carlyle, a.k.a. the Euro Chick, is co-founder of the International Women’s Fiction Festival held each year in Matera, Italy, and originator of the popular online listserv “Chick-lit: Women’s Fiction Markets and Tips.” To network with 1000+ chick-lit writers and to get a full list of chick-lit book releases each month, visit Deanna’s site at deannacarlyle.com.

Jennifer Coburn is a chick-lit writer living in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie. She is the author of The Wife of Reilly, Reinventing Mona and Tales from the Crib. Coburn’s debut novel has been optioned for film by Freedom Productions and Gold Circle Films. Her fourth novel, a sequel to Tales, will be released in February 2007. She has written for national and regional newspapers and magazines, and especially enjoys writing about parenting. jennifercoburn.com

 Johanna Edwards is an award-winning journalist and radio/TV producer. Her first novel, The Next Big Thing, debuted on the national bestseller list where it remained for nearly three months. Johanna’s second novel, Your Big Break, was also a bestseller. Johanna lives in Memphis, Tennessee, where she is currently at work on her next book. johannaedwards.com

Karin Gillespie is the author of the Bottom Dollar Girl series. Her latest release is Dollar Daze. Karin maintains a popular publishing industry blog called Southern Comfort at karingillespie.com. She is also the founder of the Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit, a virtual tour for women novelists. 

Raelynn Hillhouse has slipped across closed borders, smuggled jewels and been recruited as a spy by two of the world’s most notorious intelligence services (they failed). The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that “she’s truly like James Bond and Indiana Jones all rolled into one.” Her widely acclaimed first novel, Rift Zone, draws from her experiences. Her next novel, Outsourced is due out May 2007). A former professor and Fulbright fellow, she lives in Hawaii. internationalthrillers.com

Andrea Schicke Hirsch has been a bookseller, freelance editor and copywriter, teacher and paralegal. She studied Theatre and English at Fordham University and has a master’s degree in education from the University of Bridgeport. A Connecticut native, she lives in Wilton, Connecticut, with her family.

Nationally best-selling author Julie Kenner’s first book hit the stores in February of 2000, and she’s been on the go ever since, with more than 20 titles to her credit. Her books have won numerous awards and have hit bestseller lists as varied as USA Today, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble and Locus magazine. She writes a range of stories, from sexy and quirky romances to chick-lit suspense (The Givenchy Code) to paranormal mommy lit (Carpe Demon and California Demon). juliekenner.com

Harley Jane Kozak, a sometime actress, lives in Topanga Canyon, California, with her trial lawyer husband, two big dogs and three small children. Her debut novel, Dating Dead Men, won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards. Its sequel, Dating is Murder, came out last spring, and she’s now writing number three, working-titled Dead Ex. Her short fiction has appeared in Ms. Magazine, Soap Opera Digest, the Sun and the Santa Monica Review. harleyjanekozak.com

Stephanie Lehmann is the author of Thoughts While Having Sex, Are You in the Mood?, The Art of Undressing and You Could Do Better. Her plays have been produced off-off-Broadway, she is a contributor to Salon and she teaches classes on how to write chick-lit novels for Mediabistro.com. Originally from San Francisco, she’s a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and has a master’s in English from New York University. Stephanie now lives with her husband and two children in Manhattan. stephanielehmann.com

Caren Lissner’s humorous first novel, Carrie Pilby, was published in 2003. Her lighthearted essays have appeared in the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Weatherwise magazine. She lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, where she serves as the editor of the Hudson Reporter newspaper chain. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. carenlissner.com

Cara Lockwood is the author of I Do (But I Don’t), which was made into a movie for Lifetime Television, as well as I Did (But I Wouldn’t Now), Dixieland Sushi, Pink Slip Party and Wuthering High. Cara lives with her husband in Chicago, where she is currently at work on her next novel. caralockwood.com

Ariella Papa is the author of the novels On The Verge, Up & Out and Bundle of Joy? She is also a freelance television writer and producer. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Mike and her dog Sophie. ariellapapa.com

Kayla Perrin lives in Southwestern Ontario. She has a B.A. in English and sociology and a B.Ed., having entertained the idea of becoming a teacher—but she always knew she wanted to be a writer. Teachers were being laid off in Toronto when Kayla graduated, so she pursued her first love of writing. She now has twenty-six published titles to her credit, including romance, mainstream and children’s fiction. She is a USA Today best-selling author and has won several awards, including twice winning a spot on the Romance Writers of America “Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year” list, a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine and an Arts Acclaim Award from the city of Brampton. Kayla’s novel Sweet Honesty was optioned for a movie of the week. kaylaperrin.com

Rachel Pine is the author of The Twins of Tribeca. She is currently director of marketing and communications for Doubledown Media, LLC, the publisher of Trader Monthly and other magazines. She is also a contributor to the Huffington Post. She lives in New York City and Southampton. rachelpine.com

Gena Showalter is the prolific author of sexy paranormal romances, fun contemporaries, an alien huntress series and young adult novels. genashowalter.com  

Author of His Insignificant Other, Karen Siplin, was born in Brooklyn and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in film production from CUNY’s Hunter College. Her second novel, Such a Girl, was a Main Selection of Black Expressions Book Club in 2005. She has worked as a telephone operator at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City and as a celebrity personal assistant. karensiplin.com

Heather Swain is the author of two novels, Eliot’s Banana and Luscious Lemon, and the editor of Before: Short Stories About Pregnancy. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in literary journals, Web sites and magazines. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two children and dog. heatherswain.com