Hi everyone!
For those who don’t know me, I’m an author of romantic comedies and chicklit mysteries. In my spare time, I’m Wonder Woman! (Complete with a new, updated pair of knickers!) 
I’d like to thank the fabulicious Coffee Time Romance & More for hosting me today. I’m going to do a few posts with giveaways so stay tuned…
My name is Sibel Hodge and I’m a chicklit author!
I was standing up when I said that so should I duck now and wait for the squidgy tomatoes to be thrown at me? For some reason, there are still a lot of chicklit-haters out there! Why? Haven’t got a clue, to be honest, because if you think about it, chicklit has been around for years. Just look at Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen! It was possibly one the first romantic comedies – yep, that’s right, Jane Austen wrote chicklit!
And since chicklit and fun go hand in hand, I thought I’d show you my take on how Girls Wanna Have Fun with this amazing genre!
May was the inaugural International Chicklit Month, and I had the pleasure of hosting a fabtastic giveaway of chicklit books on my blog. All people had to do to enter was leave a comment saying exactly what they love about chicklit. And this is where the fun part comes in!
Here are a few quotes from the comments:
“I can be sitting here reading a book, laughing out loud, snickering, and more, and I could try to explain to my hubby what is so funny, and he just doesn’t get it!!!â€
“Why do I like chick lit? Because it offers realistic characters, intriguing settings, and often, a good dose of humorâ€
“Reading a chicklit novel is like having a gossip session with a girl friend, and that is a guilty pleasure we all need to have once in a while.â€
“Why do I read chick lit? Because chick lit is fun 🙂 A light reading which makes you smile and sometimes upsetâ€
“Rather like having an enormous box of chocolates that I can dip into at will – or even scoff the lot with no guilt feelings.â€
“ We all need a bit of light hearted fun in our lives! There is nothing wrong with a bit of daydreaming. This is why I like chicklit :o) xxâ€
“I especially enjoy reading about strong women who make their way in men’s professions and have fun while their at it.â€
“Other times I’m laughing my face off enjoying the great adventures and interesting situations that some of the characters get themselves into.â€
“What I love about it is the attitude, that it’s all about a woman’s journey, but more in a fun, personal way than say women’s fictionâ€
“It is fun, light hearted escapismâ€
Notice the common theme in all of them? Yes, the F word (no, not THAT F word!) – Fun!
So what exactly is chicklit?
Well, the chicklit genre is so diverse, encompassing all the issues that modern women face. And it’s so much more than killer-shoes and pink covers! It can be sad, happy, kick-ass, fun, comic, scary, inspiring, heart-warming, intriguing, romantic, raunchy, sassy, full of attitude, quirky, tear-jerking. It covers real problems that women go through on a daily basis so it can never die!
But I think the main theme of chicklit is that it often contains humor, sarcasm, wit, and a fantabulous dose of fun. They are also often told in a more personal and confiding tone. Imagine having a natter with your best mate while indulging in a big dose of chocolate. Think of it as a calorie free indulgence! And these are the things that set it apart from purely romance or women’s fiction.
Nowadays there are sub genres such as mommy lit, mystery lit, even lad lit! So whatever type of story you’re looking for there will be loads of chicklit books to suit you.
Authors in the chicklit genre include people like Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Beth Orsoff, LC Evans. Oh, yeah, and little old moi!
Now, I always say that life is about living, laughing, and having fun. What better way to de-stress from our hectic lives? I’ve always loved making people laugh and that’s why I write chicklit.
So girls, if you do wanna have fun…reach for the chicklit!
I’m going to give away an ebook copy of my fun romantic comedy Fourteen Days Later to one fab person who comments on this post.
About Fourteen Days Later…
“This story was impossible for me to put down” – Coffee Time Romance & More.
Fourteen Days Later was short listed for the Harry Bowling Prize 2008 and received a Highly Commended by the Yeovil Literary Prize 2009. It is a romantic comedy with a unique infusion of British and Turkish Cypriot culture. Written in a similar style to Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes, it is My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Bridget Jones.
When accident-prone Helen Grey finds a thong stuffed into the pocket of her boyfriend’s best work trousers, it’s time for her to move on. His excuse that he needed to dust the photocopier and just thought that it was a rag sounds like a lame excuse. Helen’s life is propelled in an unexpected direction after her best friend, Ayshe, sets her a fourteen-day, life-changing challenge.
Helen receives a task everyday which she must complete without question. The tasks are designed to build her confidence and boost her self-esteem but all they seem to do is push her closer to Ayshe’s brother, Kalem.
How will Kalem and Helen get together when she’s too foolish to realize that she loves him? How can he fall for her when he is too busy falling prey to her mishaps and too in love with his own perfect girlfriend? How will Kalem’s Turkish Cypriot family react when they find out?
Is it really possible to change your life in fourteen days?
All my novels are available in paperback and all ebook formats. For more info, please check out  my website
Let the fun begin! xx
- About the Author
- Posts in the Past
Sibel Hodge is the Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author of Fourteen Days Later and Money, Lies, and Murder (Amber Fox Mystery). She has 8 cats and 1 husband. In her spare time, she’s Wonder Woman! When she’s not out saving the world from dastardly demons she writes an eclectic mix of romantic comedies, mysteries, thrillers, children’s books, and non fiction. Her other books include My Perfect Wedding, The Baby Trap, Fashion, Lies, and Murder (Amber Fox Mystery), Voodoo, Lies, and Murder (Amber Fox Mystery), Chocolate, Lies, and Murder (Amber Fox Mystery), The See-Through Leopard, How to Dump Your Boyfriend in the Men’s Room (and other short stories), It’s a Catastrophe, Healing Meditations for Surviving Grief and Loss, A Gluten Free Taste of Turkey, and A Gluten Free Soup Opera.
Her work has been shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Prize 2008, Highly Commended by the Yeovil Literary Prize 2009, Runner Up in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Comp 2009, nominated Best Novel with Romantic Elements in 2010 by The Romance Reviews, Runner Up in the Best Indie Books of 2012 by Indie Book Bargains, and Winner of Best Children’s Book by eFestival of Words 2013. Her novella Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex Slave has been listed as one of the Top 40 Books About Human Rights by Accredited Online Colleges.
I must confess, I haven’t read ‘chicklit’ before. Guess I’ve been stuck in the romantic suspense/thriller phase for awhile. Would love to read your book to see what I’ve been missing! Thanks!!
kacbooks(at)hotmail(dot)com
This book sounds like it’s full of laughs, the kind that make tears stream down your eyes, in a good way.
Can’t wait to win it!
Thanks for the fun, blog post, too.
Hope your Wonder-Woman personna continues to kick butt and write novels. The world needs a golden lasso wielding writer with magic (negative review) repelling cuffs*
Wonderful post, Sibel. Hope I win! Looking forward to reading Fourteen Days Later
Yay, Karen! I might have a chicklit convert! 🙂
Oh, absolutely, Sherri! I’m a big believer it butt-kicking! 🙂
Waving to you Tiphanie – nice to see you here! Good luck! 🙂
I love a good chicklit book!
Fabtastic, Chris! Long live chicklit! 🙂
I reckon chicklit could be studied in the future! People used to look down on the likes of Dickens and Zola, saying they were only good for women! If you ask me, a good yarn is a good yarn, whatever “genre” you want to put it in! Good luck Sibel!
Nice to see you, Fiona! Thanks so much!
Ooh, yeah, how about an O’Level in chicklit! I like it!
And you’re spot on – as a reader, I don’t really care what genre a book is. OK, so it helps define it for seasoned fans of a particular genre, but at the end of the day, if a story is good you’d better believe I’d want to read it! 🙂
I didn’t read much until my husband bought me a Kindle in March so I am still trying to work out what my favourite genres are. I thought chitlit might be a bit too girly for me but Forteen Day’s later sounds like a fab read. I am going to put it on my ‘to read’ list!
Hi Sarah – thanks so much! And welcome to the Kindle club! I got mine for Xmas and I lurrrrve it! I’m doing a couple of Indie Books Reading Challenges this year so I’ve been reading a lot of different genres to what I’d normally read. The great thing about Kindle and ebooks is you can download samples before you buy.
I loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Bridget Jones so Fourteen Days Later sounds fantastic! Thanks for telling us more about the chick lit genre, Sibel.
And here I am thinking chick-lit is so yesterday. That’ll teach me. Your books sound like just the ticket for a hot summer day, Sibel — and who doesn’t need to laugh??
Aw, thanks, C.J.! And you’re very welcome! I’m enjoying a big old chicklit party here!
Hey, Libby! Ooh, how could you say that? Shame on you! ;-D
You’re soooo right. What better way to de-stress from our hectic lives than have a good old laugh! Laughter keeps you young, after all! I’m 73 but I look much younger! 🙂
Hey Sibel! I have your novels on my wish list. I love chick lit because I feel like I can escape to someone else’s world for a while. I love when I feel like I am part of the characters lives. I think one of the quotes you posted above is dead on. Chick lit is like a gossip session with your besties.
Oh I would love to win a copy. I love chicklit books. Thank you for offering the giveaway and great post.
fictionalromance(AT)hotmail(DOT)com
Hiya, Christine! Thanks so much! Yep, chicklit is certainly a fun escape from our worries for a while. Indulgence with a capital I 🙂
Thanks so much! Soooo glad you stopped by! 🙂
Hi Sibel!
Haven’t read a good chicklit story in a while and this one sounds really good! Would love to know if it’s possible to change your life in 14 days:)
yadkny@hotmail.com
Hey, Yadira! Thanks! The novel is really about anything being possible if you take a chance on life. I think we’ve all been at a place where our lives or stuck in a rut, or we’ve suffered from a bad break-up and we need to get our self-confidence back and get everything moving in a new direction. Of course it’s got a fun journey along the way, too! 🙂
I admit to not being a huge fan of chick-lit. Why? Because most of them are missing the F word. 🙂 I usually feel let down. But I have an open mind and I’m wondering if you really COULD change your life in 14 days…
Aha! You never know what’s round the corner! 🙂
I’d love to win this thanks for the giveaway!
Margaret
singitm@hotmail.com
I read a Chick-lit book for the same reason as you, I love laughing out loud, snickering, and being entertained. My first chick-lit book I ever read was Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews, and all my friends read and enjoyed this book too.
Thanks so much to everyone who entered! It was really hard to pick a winner so I got my hubby to pick one for me! *Drum roll*
And the winner is…
Christine! Yay! I’ll be emailing you this morning!
Happy reading everyone! 🙂