Friday, September 19, 2008
Playing favorites
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Here comes the bride

Okay, well, this post should actually be called "There went the bride" since my wedding was on May 25, but that doesn't have much of a ring to it, now does it?
Newsday did a lovely two page spread on our wedding this past Sunday. They've posted a link online, so please feel free to check it out here. There are tons of photos, too, so be sure to scroll down to the photo gallery. The photos were done by the amazing Hy Goldberg of Visions Photography and the flowers were done by Stefan's.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
BOOK REVIEW: THE FOLLOWER by Jason Starr

As a chick lit author, I love any book that begins with a Jane Austen quote. Especially one that’s cleverly used, as in the opener to Jason Starr’s psychological thriller, THE FOLLOWER.
THE FOLLOWER is a dark tale about Katie Porter, and the man who stalks her, Peter Wells. Just one warning: Parents—you may never let your children move into their own apartment in Manhattan after you read this!
Starr does an excellent job of portraying single life amongst the 20-somethings living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan—and then skewering it. I loved the irony of how Katie’s creepy stalker, Peter, actually has many of the things that Katie would want in a man—the expensive co-op apartment, the big bank account, and the subtle good looks. Starr is making a powerful statement about single life in New York City, what we think we want, and what we deserve to get.
I was highly entertained by this book, and you will be, too. It was the first Jason Starr novel that I’ve ever read, and I will be back to read more.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
The winner of our Summer book giveaway has been announced! Congratulations go out to Joelle Quinn from
Not a winner? Don’t fret! The next big book giveaway will be in November, and we’ll be giving away even more great books for you to enter to win.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Back to school!
Hey everyone! It's September, so it must be time to get back to teaching! Wanted to give you all the skinny on my upcoming classes.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
Chick Lit Workshop
Mediabistro
6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
TUESDAYS, starting SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
Novel Writing: Chick Lit 8 Week Course
Mediabistro
6:45 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Summer book giveaway!
Enter to win signed copies of the hottest books of summer!
Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop reading the hottest reads of the summer! And now you can enter to win a beach bag full of free books!
The winner will get signed copies of both of Brenda’s novels, JACK WITH A TWIST and SCOT ON THE ROCKS,
as well as signed copies of these other fabulous reads:
ENGAGING MEN
by Lynda Curnyn
IT’S ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND
by Lauren Lipton
IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND
by Alison Pace
THE REINCARNATIONIST
by M.J. Rose
To enter, just email brenda@brendajanowitz.com and write “Summer book giveaway” in the subject line. You must be a subscriber of the www.brendajanowitz.com mailing list to enter.
Winners will be announced on September 9. So what are you waiting for? Enter today!
Monday, August 18, 2008
JACK WITH A TWIST reading at Barnes and Noble in NYC
Just in case you missed my reading in NYC, don't fret! My hubby got it all on video, and he's posted it on YouTube!
Monday, August 4, 2008
JACK in the Big Apple
NYC:THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2008
Book reading and signing
Barnes and Noble
7 p.m.
Lincoln Center (Bway at 66th Street)
Want more free stuff? Check out my free short story, BASED ON A TRUE STORY.
And stay tuned for a big summer book giveaway, coming soon.
Hope to see you all on Thursday, August 7th!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Heads Up!
The first night, my husband decided to come to the chat. So, he went online and created an avatar and got his two week free trial. All was going well until suddenly, he turns to me and says: "I lost my head." Now, I was in the middle of conducting my chat, so I tried to ask him what he meant while typing.....
Well, I looked over to his laptop and it seems that he managed to take his avatar's head off. Lifted it clear off, and his avatar was holding it's own head in its hands. Obviously, I started laughing hysterically. He literally lost his head! I tried to conduct my chat like a normal well adjustsed author, but I just couldn't stop laughing. How did he manage to take his own head off? Why is that even an option on VZones to take your own head off?
Funnier still, when he was coming into the Auditorium, one of the VZones welcome people found him and said: "I'll show you into the Auditorium. But first, you'll need to put your head in your pocket."
Just get a visual of that.
Anyhoo, it turns out, the reason why you can take your head off is so that you can wear different heads, if you so choose. In fact, one of the people at my chat had a duck's head on her avatar. (Again, why is it even an option to have a duck's head on your avatar? I'll never know.)
So, there you have it. My husband adores me so much that he literally loses his head over me. Even a virtual me. Am I a lucky girl or what?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Based on a true story
You can access it FREE (yes, FREE!!!!) on the eharlequin.com website! Just click here to start reading! A new chapter will be posted every Monday morning.
About BASED ON A TRUE STORY:
Gorgeous fiancé? Check. Totally in love? Check. Hair more-or-less frizz-free? Check. Ready to meet the ex-boyfriend and his new movie-star wife for dinner?
With this hair? God, no.
Don't get me wrong, it's not like I need to prove something to Trip. Or to his twig—I mean, wife. It's just that I have my dignity to protect.
And the things I've done for my dignity…which may or may not include bringing a fake fiancĂ© with a fake Scottish accent and a kilt to Trip's wedding. But Trip doesn't know any of that. Will never know that. I pulled off the charade and now my life is perfect.
What? He's making a movie? About a girl who goes to her ex-boyfriend's wedding? Starring his beautiful celebrity wife? And they need my help to make it accurate? Why would that be a problem? I've nothing to hide….
I'm totally screwed.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Even more FREE STUFF!
It's just that you all KNOW how much I love free stuff and how I try to send you free stuff all the time....
Well, turns out that my friend Jason Pinter feels the exact same way about free stuff. Because-- wait for it-- he's letting everyone read his first novel for FREE! That's right! You get to read a book for free!And not just any book. It's the first book in Jason's Henry Parker series, called THE MARK.
I read it, and I have to tell you, I couldn't put it down. For me, it was Jason Bourne meets Peter Parker-- a non stop thrill ride that entertains as it keeps you guessing. The film rights have already been optioned, so you've got to check it out before it hits theaters. And did I mention-- it's free?!?!?
Don't say I never gave you anything.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Pass me the hoodie
It all started back in June. In honor of JACK WITH A TWIST, I had a whole new website made. And it really is gorgeous. But from the second we made the switchover, there have been problems. First, my website was down for days at a time. I thought that was bad, but I then found out what bad truly was: My email then began shutting down for days at a time. Now, I'm not very web savvy, so I believed my website peeps when they assured me that all of my emails weren't getting lost—they were out there somewhere in cyberspace, just waiting to be delivered to me.
Well, those people lied.
Turns out, I lost emails. Lots of emails. Emails lost for weeks at a time. No way of recovering them. Which, as a lawyer, boggles my mind. How can emails actually be lost? You're telling me that if I was involved in a RICO investigation or some sort of child pornography operation they wouldn't be able to recover my old "lost" emails?! Exactly. But it turns out that authors don't really get the same attention as do law-breakers.
All of this is made even worse by the fact that in those weeks when the website was going down every other day and I had no access to email, I was doing promotions of countless websites and was offering free bookmarks to anyone who emailed me.
I think that the problems are more or less cleared up by now, but if you sent me an email and I didn't respond, please email me again! And if you asked for a free bookmark and you still haven't gotten it, by all means shoot me another email.
And do it quick, since I'll be shopping for an isolated cabin in the woods any minute now….
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Happy Fourth of July!
I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. I, myself, am still recovering from the massive amount of hot dogs consumed over the weekend at various BBQs. Yes, it's Tuesday and I still have a tummy ache. But at least I didn't eat as much as these guys.
Other highlights of my weekend:
An awesome review of JACK WITH A TWIST from Modern Girl Style.
Going to see Hancock on the big screen. Critics hated it, I lurved it.
This video that I found on Bridalwave. I must admit-- I LOVE these shows. But, I love watching them get skewered even more!!!
The Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Competition. Most. Exciting. Competition. Ever. Seriously, tho-- they went to sudden death! In your face, Kobiashi!!!
Yes, I know what you're thinking: I truly live on the edge. What were the highlights of your weekends?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
So, you think you can dance?
But, I digress. I'm writing today because eharlequin.com has posted a free article on writing! And since I wrote it, I thought I'd tell you all about it! It's called "Acting Up" and it's about how you can use three act structure to write your very own novel. So please go and check it out!
And if I've gotten you into the mood to dance, just check out the new song on my profile page (selected by the lovely and talented Brenda -- great name, huh?). If that fabulous jam doesn't get your feet moving, you're just dead inside....
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
JACK WITH A TWIST out in bookstores today!
Tonight is the Book Launch Party in New York City, but if you're not around tonight, don't fret! My tour calendar gets bigger each day:
Summer Gazebo Readings Series, Kiwanis Club of Oceanside
Monday, July 14, 2008, 7 p.m.
Schoolhouse Green on Foxhurst Road in Oceanside, just east of Long Beach Road
Books and Books, Coral Gables, Florida
Book club luncheon
Saturday, July 19, 2008, 1 p.m.
265 Aragon Avenue
Barnes and Noble, New York City
Thursday, August 7, 2008, 7 p.m.
Book reading and signing
Lincoln Center (Bway at 66th Street)
Want some free stuff? Email me with your address and I'll send you a free JACK WITH A TWIST bookmark and pen!
Hope to see you this summer!
xoxo,
Brenda
Monday, June 23, 2008
FREE STUFF!
But, wait, there's more! Book Chic is doing a BOOK giveaway today! So check out her blog and enter to win free signed copies of JACK WITH A TWIST and SCOT ON THE ROCKS!
Don't Mondays rock?
Friday, June 20, 2008
You don’t know JACK!
But these people do!
Check out what some of your favorite authors are saying about JACK WITH A TWIST!
"a funny, sweet romance."
New York Times bestselling author Marian Keyes
"Another fun-filled page-turner from Brenda. Every bit as sparkling as the champagne that the bride-to-be's mother is so fond of..."
USA Today international bestselling author Carole Matthews
"A funny, smart, true-to-life novel about being your own woman. Loved it!"
Melissa Senate, author of SEE JANE DATE and QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING"
Deliciously entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny and fraught with disaster after hilarious disaster, Janowitz's second novel is engaging, fast-paced and thoroughly delightful. Janowitz's pitch-perfect sequel to SCOT ON THE ROCKS is a hilarious look at the not-so-holy side of holy matrimony..."
Kristin Harmel, author of THE ART OF FRENCH KISSING
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Book Launch Party!
And Mediabistro's having a Book Launch Party to celebrate all of the fun!
Please join us on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 from 6:30pm until 8:30pm to celebrate the launch of my second novel, JACK WITH A TWIST (Engaging your adversary and other things they don't teach you in law school). RSVPs are a must, so please let us know if you'll be there! The fun starts at 6:30 and will be at Katra, 217 Bowery in NYC.
We've also got a whole new website in honor of JACK, so go check it out! And, as always, if your book club will be reading JACK, please email me at brenda@brendajanowitz.com and I'll send you free JACK WITH A TWIST bookmarks and even call in to say hi! I hope to see you all on Tuesday, June 24th!
xoxo,Brenda
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I'm covered!
The book cover for JACK WITH A TWIST is out and it's gorgeous! If I was smart enough to implant an image here, I'd totally do that. But, as it turns out, I'm not really very tech savvy, so you'll have to go to Trashionista, who's posted an item about it today. I promise it'll be worth it! It's called JACK WITH A TWIST (Engaging your adversary and other things they don't teach you in law school) and it comes out on June 24, 2008. I hope you'll check it out. More info to come!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Is your muse commitment phobic?
And then leave a comment here and tell us how *you* combat writer's block.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I want to be the most popular girl
Variety is reporting that Ashley Tisdale is in talks to do a re-make of the movie TEEN WITCH! Am I the only one who has fond memories of this movie? It was the story of a girl who, on her 16th birthday, finds out that she was witch-like powers. It featured such hits as "I want to be the most popular girl," "I like boys," and the unforgettable "Top That!" If you haven't seen this movie, add it to your NetFlix asap!
What 80s movie would you most like to see re-made? And which ones shouldn't be touched?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Things I'm obsessed with this week
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Nice to meet you, wanna get married?
Well, if not, you must start watching it. Immediately. On it, third generation matchmaker Patti sets up millionaires with the women of their dreams. And we TV viewers get to watch them from the first meeting all the way through to their first date.
The season finale truly ended the season with a bang—handsome real estate developer Paul took out "nice Jewish girl" Cidney, and in a moment that was "totally out of character" (his words), he actually proposed!
Yes, you read that right. They were on their first date EVER and he proposed!
Nice Jewish boy meets nice Jewish girl, right? Now, I know I should just look at this from the romantic part of me and say it was truly love at first sight. But, there's something about this that's bothering me, and it's not just the fact that nice Jewish girls don't do Playboy. I'd like to think that he just got caught up in the moment and felt a genuine connection to this woman. In that moment, he truly felt that this was a woman he could spend the rest of his life with. And we've all had first dates like that, haven't we? First dates where we got swept away and began referring to our dates as "our future husband" to friends and family the very next day. First dates were everything just seemed so perfect that you wanted to freeze the moment in time for an eternity. (Granted, that feeling usually went away by the time you got to date two and he was rude to a waiter/ wore those atrocious pants/ talked about his ex the whole night, but hey! The feeling was there for that first night. You just know it was!)
What's really bothering me about this whole thing is the fact that if a woman *dared* to make such a proclamation as this on a first date, the guy would be out of there faster than you can say: psycho! At the end of the episode, we learned that Cidney moved to Las Vegas to be closer to Paul and to give things a shot. But if the roles were reversed, Paul would have been asking the Millionaire Matchmaker for his money back.
On a first date, a woman can barely tell a guy that she likes his shirt without the guy packing up and running for the hills. So, why is something like this okay for a guy? Why is it that when a guy does it, he's perceived as romantic and in touch with his feelings, but if a girl professes to love at first sight, she's considered desperate and insane?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Art of French Kissing
"Tres magnifique! I loved this book and you will, too! The Art of French Kissing is a sweet and adorable page-turner that will make you long for the city of light!"
Here's some info on the book:
How do you say, 'So many men, so little time,' in French?
Well, Emma Sullivan can always figure that out later. The point is -- she's in Paris! Which would be great, except that she's stuck doing public relations for one of the hottest -- and craziest -- rock stars on the planet. Making things worse is Gabriel Francoeur, the sexy and stubborn reporter who refuses to believe her when she tells him that her client was just playing Go Fish in that hotel room with all those scantily-clad girls....
But Emma will always have Paris. The City of Light, of romance, of high fashion and of unfathomable varieties of cheese. If a girl can't reinvent herself here, there's no hope! It's time to leave the old Emma Sullivan behind and become someone courageous, exciting, successful. The type of girl who, when faced with a reporter who won't stop asking questions, knows just what to do. After all, they don't call it French kissing for nothing!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The requisite Valentine's Day post
My fiance and I are going out for a super fancy dinner (I get to dress up and everything!), but truth be told, I'm exhausted from teaching on Monday and Wednesday nights, and wish we could just lie on the couch and watch bad tv (Rock of Love, anyone?). Does that make me a bad bride-to-be?