Confessions of A Bookmark Addict

I don't know why, but I love bookmarks! It's one of my favorite parts about reading:) Problem for me is, that like most small items, no matter how near and dear to my heart, I tend to lose things like that. Take for instance, today. I had recently finished one book and was excited to start another. I ended up giving the finished book to a friend and before I knew it, I realized I now had NO bookmark to place in my new read. (I am not and will never be a person who dog ears my books - no matter what!) Well, I have just found a wonderful solution to both the problem of losing bookmarks and my obsession with all things cute and small (this time being the bookmark).

Printable Bookmarks!!!

I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Well, I can only take credit for thinking of "Googling" it, because as you will clearly see, I did NOT create these bookmarks. I merely found the Web site that allowed me to print them (for FREE!).

Ah, the little things in life....what's that saying? The best things in life are free? True that.

Another passion in life of mine, includes collecting quotes and these printable bookmarks combine all of that - my love of reading and notable quotes - all on a cutesy, little bookmark. Perfect.

For now, I will enjoy the plethora of bookmarks available out there on the Worldwide Web...but htis has given me a wonderful idea to create my own bookmarks to stick in my favorite novels. Like a great handbag, I often picture in my mind what I want my bookmark to look like and I never find it out there exactly in that way. Like, I found a site that said, "Category: Angels" but the bookmarks were either too cutesy (if there is such a thing) or I really wasn't swayed one way or another by the saying that accompanied it. Well, here is my golden opportunity to create something, simple, fun and free. After all, no bookmark is alike.

Here are a few I printed from a random Web site I found. Please feel free to use them, print them, share them. And please, if you make your own book mark, send me a picture! I'd love to see what creative ideas others' come up with too.

One Dream Come True: Chick Lit Audio Book Reviews by Me

As you already know if you read my blog, one of my greatest loves of all is the Chick Lit or Women's Fiction genre. Since about 2000 or 2001 I have been reading these "candy covered books" full of stories of everything related to women's lives, tackling topics of love, passion and betrayal to weddings, babies and motherhood and even the hardships of moving to a new city, death and grief. To be fair, this is only a minute sampling of subjects that you will find upon opening one of these books.

One of my first experiences to finding out about these books was at a job I had in Boston. I worked at a Trade Show Company amongst many other women and we had a large book shelf where we swapped books with each other. A few of the women I befriended received books at least once a month, some even more frequently, from one of Harlequin Publisher's affiliates, Red Dress Ink, which solely produced books of the Chick Lit genre. I had instant access to new titles and authors and living in the city, the library provided a whole world of books that I'd learned of from these women. On my train ride to and from my apartment in Somerville everyday, I read and read and read. I probably read two to three books a week...and my love for Chick Lit grew.

Years later, since leaving that job and the city (and Red Dress Ink has since retired its production of books), I have actively sought out resources on the web more than ever. I began with my local library's website to see what books were available at the library close to my current place of work. To my pleasant surprise, in this age of ever-advancing technology that I live in, I came across a new online library called Overdrive Media. Ever since discovering this awesome site, full of e-books and audio books, I have been checking out books on my library card to the max! and listening to audio books in my car, while I cook, make dinner and anywhere else I can plug in my iPod.

Around the same time, I also became active on Goodreads, a wonderful social networking Web site that acts as a virtual book club and and a whole lot more. You can find any book or author ever published, including plot summaries and author bios, win free books in daily giveaways, start your own group (on any topic you want) and find friends who share common interests. This is only the beginning of it, too. If interested, you will have to scope it out for yourself.

I joined the Chick Lit Book Club and soon was asked to become co-leader of the group with the fabulous woman who started it all. I soon found many women (and even a few men) who shared my passion for reading, writing and Chick Lit in general. One day, while talking a lot about shared interests and dreams of penning our own Chick Lit novel, a fellow Book Club member suggested I create another group called the Chick Lit Writers group. I was elated to find people as eager as I was about the subject and activity of writing and even more excited that they specifically wanted to write Chick Lit.

Other than these two sites, I know have a long list of sites I go to that I consider to be real gems for all things related to chick lit. One of my all time Favorite Chick Lit websites is the Chick Lit Club. It originates in Australia and has everything you could ever possibly want to now about the genre, from author bios and interviews, to book reviews, plot summaries, top ten lists, books-made-into-movies news and so much more! Recently, I mentioned this site on one of the Chick Lit Writers discussion boards and one of our members mentioned to me that she had seen on the Site's contact page that its Founder and is always seeking out new contributors, reviewers and women, in general, from around the globe who are passionate about Chick Lit. Additionally, another woman who participates in the Chick Lit Club had shared with me some of her freelance work on various women's Web sites and magazines. It was really inspiring to see that such opportunities to write existed for women like myself. I was eager to seek out a similar opportunity to get my foot in the door into the world of writing (especially one that included a Web site that I fully supported). As an avid chick lit reader and aspiring writer, I jumped at the opportunity to contact the Chick Lit Club's leader to see if I might be granted permission to try my hand at writing for her Web site.

I noticed the Chick Lit Club had an overwhelming number of regular book reviewers from everywhere, but especially women from the U.S. In fact at the time, the site was trying to increase its diversity of women by adding a reviewer from India. I thought for sure I would never get the chance to write for this site as just another American woman who loved to read Chick Lit...so I began to brainstorm....how can I be different from the other women reviewers from the United States on this site? How can I contribute in a unique way to benefit both the Chick Lit Club and myself? And that's when I came up with my proposal to the site's creator....

Luckily, the Chick Lit Club's creator accepted my request!! And ever since, the Chick Lit Club Presents Audio Books by Cathy Herbert. Please click on the link to check out my exclusive page where I have been reviewing unabridged audio books. I listen to all the latest and classic Chick Lit books and rate them from 1-10. Click Here For Reviews on How I Hear It: http://www.chicklitclub.com/audio-books.html

Currently reviewed on the Site:

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin; Narrated by Christine Marshall (2006)

Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster, Narrated by Jaime Heinlein (2006)

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad; Narrated by Lauren Conrad (2009)

Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis; Narrated by Gabra Zackman (2006)

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis; Narrated by Gabra Zackman (2005)

Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison; Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy (2007)

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger; Narrated by Bernadette Dunne (2002)

The First Assistant: A Continuing Tale From Behind the Hollywood Curtain by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare (2006)

Thyme Out/Second Thyme Around by Katie Fforde; Narrated by Davina Porter (1999)

And Many More To Come...

Note: I also review regular books at the Chick Lit Club, as often as I find the time to submit them. Because I am so focused on my exclusive audio book page, I have mostly been submitting those reviews, but who knows. As time goes by, and my review writing gets caught up tot he current book I'm listening to, I will probably spend my time more equally reviewing both new and classic paperback and audio books. Hopefully, this is a start of many new opportunities and writing prospects to come but for now, what more could a girl like me who loves to read and write Chick Lit ask for?

Welcome

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my first web page: Where You Wish Upon A Star. It's been my dream for a long time, since I can ever remember, to write professionally one day. I wanted to write a biography, mystery and women's fiction novel. As a child, I used to write "creative stories" in a spiral notebook. When I went to camp, my friend Susie and I decided that our ghost writer names should be Last Initial, First Initial, Middle Name, and so the author H.C. Grace was born. I wrote everything. Stories about swimming and tennis and shopping. Mysteries about ghosts, villains and vampires. I read all the time, my earliest favorites being Judy Blume, Roald Dahl and Beverly Cleary. I also led a very active lifestyle, playing sports, neighborhood games, role play and make-believe. I had plenty of inspiration to draw upon.

When I was really young, my favorite stories were fairy tales, from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Anderson to Walt Disney. Now that I'm an adult, I'm well aware that life is not ever going to be like those fairy tales, sometimes a little too painfully aware, but it doesn't mean I can't still love, embrace and reiterate them. In fact, a lot of them have so many hidden meanings and messages in them that no child could possibly even contemplate, let alone understand. And so this is where I drew inspiration for my first web page, Where You Wish Upon A Star. It is where I can bring reality to my dreams, and please, feel free to share yours with me, too.

To put truth to one of my first dreams, the craft of writing, I have been getting back into the habit I maintained as a child of writing every day. My goal is to write a first draft of a full-length novel by the end of 2010. I have gotten so far as to write an outline, a brief summary, various character sketches and chapter one. I began writing the draft of this novel (To Be Titled) with a basic premise and storyline that i kept in my mind (and on scrap pieces of paper, sticky notes, loose leaf paper and many, many computer files). One day, after I finished reading a women's fiction/chick lit book and closed it with a smile on my face (as I so often do), I started to think more intently, "How can I write a book like this that leaves the reader so satisfied and happy? Sad that the story is over but satiated with the depth of its characters and plot?" and then it hit me. "Why not turn my novel from something I like into something I love?" Using the basic premise of the classic story of Sleeping Beauty, I decided to rework my outline to become a modern fairy tale. And what better place to share the day by day progress of my novel, to show the transformation of an idea into reality than "Where You Wish Upon A Star"?

To everyone out there who ever believed in wishing on stars, please share your dreams and how you are working on turning them into reality with me here and thank you for letting me share mine.