Lisa Landolt and Jo Barrett

Two law-school-grads-turned-chick-lit-authors show us amore might be the death of us yet

By FRANCISCA ORTEGA

published: February 21, 2008

Some people are just faster at sex than others. Author Lisa Landolt proved that by writing her debut novel, Good Man Hunting, in just ten days. The plot revolves around Sandra Greene, who can’t get a boyfriend. She agrees to let the Hunt Club, a group of wealthy socialites, hook her up through a matchmaking game. They promise her she’ll marry any man she chooses — as longs as she does exactly what they say and plays along with the game. (Sandra picks a former sitcom actor.) It all sounds like a good deal, until the FBI steps in and tells Sandra the Hunt Club isn’t exactly what it says it is, and suddenly, Sandra realizes that looking for love might be the death of her. Landolt, a lawyer-cum-chick lit author, will be joined by another law school grad and paperback author, Jo Barrett. The author of The Men’s Guide to the Women’s Room, Barrett will be reading from her latest title, This Is How It Happened. Unlike Sandra Greene, the heroine of Barrett’s tale — Maddy Piatro — had a man. For four years, it was all romance, flowers and incredible sex, on the sly and in secret. But then he dumped her — via e–mail! (That is such a man-thing to do.) Poor Piatro is left thirtysomething, brokenhearted and angry. So angry, in fact, that she hires a hit man to make the scumbag ex-boyfriend pay. (Can you spell revenge?) 2 p.m. Borders, 3025 Kirby. For information, call 713-524-0200 or visit www.bordersstores.com. Free.
Sat., Feb. 23, 2 p.m., 2008