In honor of Father’s Day, we thought it was high time to bring back Seven Seconds in Heaven, our special feature for all the fantastic male authors that are brave enough to hang out here at Chick Lit is not Dead!  Today we have author Colin Sokolowski, author of The Accidental Adult: Essays and Advice for the Reluctantly Responsible and Marginally Mature

Accidental Adult (n): an individual whose age indicates maturity, but whose actions indicate otherwise.

Sound familiar?

Ladies, we’ve all known one (Lisa dated one for three loooong years and still shudders at the thought of his bi-weekly boys nights). Hell, some of us might even be married to one now. Or at least to one that has, er, tendencies…Or we might even be one ourselves- an Accidental Adult.

Well, just in time for Father’s Day, we’ve found the perfect gift for any self-proclaimed, closeted or man-child in denial. The Accidental Adult by Colin Sokolowski (In stores NOW! or you can order it here).  A hilarious collection of essays about the (not always easy) transition from sports cars to minivans, from lazy Sundays to soccer games, from dance clubs to school clubs.

And no matter what end of the man-boy spectrum your hubby or dad or the “man” in your life is on, he’ll find this book funny- and so will you. Because, let’s face it, it’s not just men who can get nostalgic for their pre-adult lives.

Today we’re giving away a copy of The Accidental Adult. Just leave a comment here to be entered to win!

So without further adieu, the hilarious Accidental Adult himself, Colin Sokolowski, has agreed to spend seven seconds in heaven with us…

1. Why did you write the book? No one should feel alone, and accidental adults especially need the company. I think this book tells the world it’s okay to embrace who you really are – imperfections and all. Now that it’s in bookstores, I’m already hearing from people who are saying the book taps into something very relatable for them as they stare down a quarter-life or mid-life identity crisis. One guy in Boston posted a note on my Facebook page telling me he stumbled onto the book, and he said reading it was doing his mind and soul good. Hearing that just made my entire week. I guess you could say I wrote The Accidental Adult for that guy in Boston, and for his girlfriend who’s probably trying to figure out why he and his friends are reluctant grownups. And maybe she’s discovering that she’s not that far behind him either.

2. As a self-proclaimed Accidental Adult, a husband and father of three, how do you find the balance between your pre and post minivan life? Or do you? Playing Van Halen in the minivan really helps. I also really find peace in this inner monologue that I maintain. It’s my own little silent, smart-ass sanity system where I tell myself constantly that I may be an adult by age, but I’m really not one of them. It probably sounds more like a coping mechanism, and I suppose it is. I also fake interest in a lot of things I don’t care about. I highly recommend that.

3. You tell your kids, do as I say not as I do. What have you done lately that you wouldn’t want them to repeat? Riding my 1986 motor scooter without a helmet. I can make the kids wear a helmet like my parents made me, but when they’re teenagers, I imagine they’ll throw it off as soon as they scoot around the corner like I did.

4. What are the top three signs that someone is (or is in danger of becoming) an Accidental Adult?

Just three?

1. You send your 11-year-old daughter across the street to borrow a bottle of wine from the neighbors.

2. You laugh when the neighbor kids call you “Mr.” or “Mrs.” instead of using your first name.

3. You measure once and cut twice. Sometimes three times.

If you really want to find out for yourself, I’ve got an Accidental Adult Aptitude Test online at www.accidentaladult.com.

5. What advice do you have for someone married to an Accidental Adult? You knew you were marrying a reluctant grownup, so whose fault is it? If that doesn’t buy any goodwill, I’d tell them to not expect us to be like their father. We’re not nearly as useful, but we’re probably more fun. We’re not going to properly inflate the tires before a roadtrip, but we promise to take you on a really sweet ride.

6. How does an Accidental Adult celebrate Father’s Day? I’ll be trying to put together another “some-assembly-required” bicycle for my eight-year-old son and deflecting the blame when it all goes terribly wrong. (Faulty tools, poorly written instructions, insufficient materials provided . . .)

7. Are there AA (Accidental Adult) meetings? My friends and I call them Super Terrific Happy Hours, and they’re very cathartic. Instead of speeches we order a pitcher of beer and play games like, “Who can find photos of the cute local newscaster on their iPhone the fastest?” or “Who’s got the most crap in their wallet?” or “Which Disney princess is the hottest, and why?” (My vote’s with Ariel.) Then we end the night with a round of full-frontal hugs. It’s really helpful to cultivate and nurture a group of like-minded friends like mine who are similarly stunted accidental adults. This way, you’ll never truly feel alone. Unless you’re looking for company at a wine-tasting party. Then you’re probably on your own.

©2010 Chick Lit Is Not Dead. All Rights Reserved.

Remember Truth or Dare? Spin the Bottle?

How about Seven Seconds In Heaven?

Now take yourselves back to those days of leg warmers and peg legged jeans…to the feelings you had when you thought about hopping in that closet with your crush–the one you’d confidently scrawled that you’d “LUV 4EVER” on the front of your Trapper Keeper. (Oh…where are you now, Neil Butler? cries Lisa.)

Well, fast forward, er, a couple o’ decades later (and then some) and there are still a lot of hotties out there that bring back the same rush of emotions like we had in junior high.  And we’re not just talking about the McDreamys and McSteamys of the world. We’re talking about men who not only look good, but damn, they can write! There’s almost nothing sexier than a good looking and talented author. And that’s why we’re launching a new series called SEVEN SECONDS IN HEAVEN where we ask our favorite male authors seven things that inquiring and nosy female minds like ours want to know!

And who better to start with than Nicholas Sparks who we crush on pretty hard. His books are ultra romantic, his stories are deeply engaging and his writing is always entertaining. And for a moment, can we talk about those brown eyes? Ahhhhhh… and we know all you fans out there LOVE him, because in our poll of male authors women adore that we ran on our Chick Lit is not Dead Facebook fan page, you told us! Hands down, Nicholas Sparks won the majority.

So, to put it mildly, we pretty much went weak in the knees when this amazing writer of great romantic novels like THE NOTEBOOK (which makes Lisa cry every time and where Liz developed her unhealthy Ryan Gosling obsession.) and NIGHTS OF RODANTHE (did he help cast Richard Gere in the movie? If so, thank you, Mr. Sparks!) stopped by Chick Lit Is Not Dead!

We had so many questions…like could he be possibly be as much of a romantic in real-life as the characters he writes about? You don’t just conjure up the Noah and Allies of the world if you aren’t known to purchase a Hallmark card or two, right? (Right! Check out what he does for his lucky wife on every anniversary!)

So, in the spirit of that junior high make out game we all played waaaay back in the day-SEVEN SECONDS IN HEAVEN-we asked this dreamy husband (Mrs. Sparks, you are one lucky lady!), father of five and author of SIXTEEN books (including his latest THE LAST SONG which just might have made robotic Liz cry!) our seven seconds (questions) in heaven with Nicholas Sparks…

1. If you weren’t a writer, what other career could you be passionate about? I love coaching track and field.  I had the opportunity to coach for the last four years, and it was everything I thought it would be.  If I wasn’t a writer, it’s definitely something I’d enjoy.

2. What one romantic movie could you watch over and over? What else?  The Notebook!

3. You’ve said that you fell in love with your wife at first sight, what is the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for her? I write her love letters on every anniversary, reminding her of everything that’s happened in the last year, and why she means so much to me.  She now has twenty letters, and they’ve become something of a journal regarding our lives together.

4. What are some of your goals/dreams that you have yet to achieve? I would love to be able to enjoy the art of relaxation.  I’m one of those type-A personalities.

5. What one thing would fans be surprised to know about Nicholas Sparks? That most of the time — 99% — I don’t feel like, or think of myself as, an author.  A writer, yes.  A father and husband, certainly.  But author?  No.

6. You wrote a book with your brother? Yes, Micah and I wrote THREE WEEKS WITH MY BROTHER together from separate coasts by talking on the phone and faxing drafts back and forth.

7. What can your fans expect from you next? Another novel, another couple of movies (Dear John, The Last Song). It’s what I do.

For more information about the incredibly talented Nicholas Sparks and his latest novel, THE LAST SONG, check out www.nicholassparks.com.

xoxo, Liz & Lisa

©2010 Chick Lit Is Not Dead. All Rights Reserved.