Chatting With the Chicks Of Chick Lit

Ok, first I should start with a huge shout out of thanks to Jayne Denker for coming up with this intro and host questions and also to the fantastic Becky Marshall Monson for the intro graphics.

So here goes folks:-

Ha ha ha ha welcome, welcome everyone to Chatting With the Chicks of Chick Lit. I’m your host, Chuck Lottateeth, and I am so 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, please put your hands together and show some love for today's guest . .

Hello everybody, this is GiGi, and I am a reformed shopaholic. The first step is to admit you have a problem, right? And so here I am, on the path to recovery. After a few blasted credit cards and loans I could barely repay, I figured out I needed a clever plan to get out of the ditch I dug up myself. My plan followed the dictate of the major business universities of the world, such as Harvard and Oxford, and was a “best of breed” in the industry. It was simple, clear and concise: I needed more money.

As you can imagine, that didn’t take me very far. So, half by chance and half by design I started my own firm as a personal shopping consultant. What could go wrong? I mean, I could still go shopping, but in this case I could use someone else's money for that. But it is not just about shopping or making money; my mission is to make the world a better place to live. Meaning better looking outfits, shoes, handbags etc. How that would work? Simple: have you ever seen a war where soldiers wears Jimmy Choo’s or a Herve Leger’s outfits? No? Or a burglar in a suit and tie (Well, actually my bank manager, but that is another story)? There is a reason for that, which is the foundation of my philosophy. Helping people to look better will boost their self-esteem and therefore, as a result, they will be better people themselves.

So with the help of my best friend, Ritchie, we set about helping people feel better about themselves, sticking to our guns when we needed and making new friends along the way. I’m not solely about fashion though, as you will discover, when reading my story.

So here I am, a personal shopper with a plan. What’s missing? Well, my mom would say “the love” but I’m working on it. So that is a little bit about me but now for the interesting stuff... my all important answers to Chuck Lottateeth's questions:-

If you were a shoe, what kind of shoe would you be?

Come on, it’s almost summer, so I would definitely be a pair of open sandals by Ferragamo, like the blue, pink and red little jewels in the picture. That’s me: open, honest and a bit of fun. therefore, as a result they will be better people themselves.

But I cannot wear them all the time: one of my clients has a shoe fetish and I had to convince his wife to buy something appropriate as “couples’ therapy”, if you know what I mean. On those occasions, I have to wear ballerinas so as to avoid a bodily reaction from my client. Which is a shame because without heels I do not concentrate.

What are the three items you would absolutely need to have with you if you were shipwrecked on a desert island?

A pair of nice shoes (well, now I am the one sounding like a person with a shoe fetish!), my Burberry handbag as it holds so much else that I might need), because “The Clothes, the Shoes and the Handbag maketh the woman” and Hugh Jackman. I know it sounds sexists, the brilliant Hugh cannot really be considered an “item”. A man with a book, who needs anything more?

Hey, I thought of bringing Tom Hanks, as he already had some experience on being stranded on an island, but that guy seems a bit nuts to me. He was speaking all the time to a football.

If you had only $15 to spend, what would be the perfect date? $50? $5,000?

Well as far as the $15 dollars are concerned that is probably the simplest to answer. I had to learn to just “window shop” as part of the therapy enforced upon me by my best friend, Ritchie and so, it would be window shopping with a delicious gelato in hand! Just to ensure I cannot enter the shops…. You understand :)

When it comes to $50 dollars, I guess that my perfect date would be a glass of Sangria, Tapas and an evening out with my fantastic friends, all of whom I treasure and wouldn’t be without. Don’t forget, I’m a recovering shopaholic and so am trying to avoid a trip to an outlet or a sample sale. That would be heaven,though.

Wow, what I could do with $5,000 dollars is a list so long that it would take all day to run you through it. Having said that, I would probably book a flight to New York, Paris or Milan and go on….yes you have probably guessed it, a romantic extended shopping spree with plenty of local food thrown in for good measure! I couldn’t leave Ritchie behind though as he would give me daggers for the next month, so my romance element would have to be tolerant of that, or let’s face it, he just wouldn’t be invited. I swear I am no longer addicted, but with that kind of money who would be able to deny themselves that kind of indulgence. I’ve recently become known in Italy though, so would probably pick Milan, to go see some of my fans; in addition to said shopping expedition :)

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

Ok, here goes:- My best friend would say that I am unpredictable, fun, WithMyHeadInTheClouds (does that count as 1 word?), loyal and entrepreneur.

My nemesis would probably say I was foolhardy, headstrong, talented (though he would hate to admit it), frustrating and unwise.

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

This is not at all a hard one to answer. As you have probably guessed by now, it would have to be Becky Bloomwood of the Confessions of a Shopaholic fame by Sophie Kinsella. As for why, though her character is quite different from mine we have that all important thing in common, our mutual love of shopping, though in my case I’m in recovery. If I could spend a day with Becky I may even be able to teach her a thing or two about places to shop, particularly around London and Windsor (my favourite haunts) but I’m sure that we would have a blast no matter where we were. A very close second would be Kate McKay from Kate and Leopold as she is has the kind of personality that would mesh with me quite well…she is smart, entertaining and knows how to follow her dreams. And as for starring alongside the great Hugh Jackman…who could ask for more.

If you are interested in learning more about me here are the links to my stories...two so far, but more on the way! Happy reading and hope you have enjoyed this post

The Retail Therapist - UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0106J3D9E

The Retail Therapist - US - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0106J3D9E

Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen! (Or so Mother Says) - UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00RG43YM4

Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen! (Or so Mother Says) - US - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RG43YM4

Senza Tacchi non mi Concentro! (Blue and Green in Italian) - IT - http://www.amazon.it/dp/B01E2GN02M

One last thing, if you would like to buy a signed copy of any of the above books you can do so from my website which is http://www.colettekebell.com

#ChickLitMay #ChickLitChat #ChickLitReads #Chicklit #Books #Novels #Amazon