10 Reasons My Mom Rules

1.She thinks Salads aren't enough for a meal
2. She's a master seamstress(she sewed my Prom dress)
3. One thing she regrets is not being able to spend more time with me and my sisters
4. She had five kids (with big heads)
5. She loves to watch Bones with me
6. She introduced me to the movie The Christmas Card
7. She doesn't yell at me and my dad when we whisper in church
8. She puts up with the tons of Christmas lights on her house
9. She makes the best buttercream frosting I've ever tasted (and there is no way I can replicate it)
10. She is also the oldest child

10 Reasons My Dad Rules

1. For my first birthday he bought me a China doll.
2. He taught me how to play baseball and use tools
3. Even though he denied it (and will continue to deny it) he watched Alias with me
4. He wants to see A Very Potter Musical
5. Even though he is not big into politics he voted for the last political candidate because I was passionate about the candidate
6. He introduced me to the Three Stooges and Get Smart
7. He whispers with me during Church
8. He likes to go nuts with outside Christmas lights
9. He laughs at my Simpsons impressions
10. He doesn't get mad when I steal his leftovers from the fridge

Book Review of "Overprotected"

Yesterday I read the book "Overprotected" by Jennifer Laurens. The book is a Young Adult novel that will be in bookstores in February 2012, but is already available on Kindle and Nook, which is how I found it. The book was a quick read, taking me less than 24 hours to read through it at a leisurely rate (meaning the total reading time was probably four-six hours). While I thought the book had an interesting story line I had several problems with.

Overview of the Book:
Ashlyn is a 17 Upper East Side New Yorker. When she was a child her nanny kidnapped her and threatened to kill her. Since her return to her parents, Ashlyn has been under 24 hour surveillance by her parents (mostly her overprotective father) and bodyguards hired to live in the house and keep tabs on her every movement. At the beginning of the story Ashlyn is assigned a new bodyguard, Collin. Collin is an old childhood friend who used to tease and taunt Ashlyn. Based on those memories Ashlyn initially resents and hates Collin. But the couple gets closer and romance blossoms.

Critique of Plot:
I had several problems with the plot. First of all, the narrative seemed rushed. Character development is rushed so that many characters become stereotypes. Ashlyn's mother is a cliche character straight out of "Real Wives of ...". Even at the end of the novel when the mom's character developed and changed I was not invested enough in the character to care.
Along with character development I thought the hatred Ashlyn felt for Collin and the resolution to be contrived. First, I didn't believe that anything Collin did to Ashlyn would warrant strong hatred (chasing someone around with a live crab at the beach isn't enough for me). Second of all, Ashlyn only had to see the "gorgeous" Collin to forgive him.
Another major problem with the plot was that it dealt with some very dark issues (suicide attempt, kidnapping, attempted rape, stalking, adultery, unhealthy parental control which I felt became abusive) in a casual manner. Overall, the book failed in trying to be a light beach read because of all the dark plot points, but it also failed at being a book I could take seriously because it seemed so rushed.

Side Note:
Another aspect that made the book seemed rushed was the complete lack of editing. As I was never the model English student I try not to be too critical about grammar mistakes. However, as I read Overprotected I came across many continuity errors. While describing the weather Jennifer Laurens skips between November and January. A party (and significant point in the book)originally takes place on a Friday night but in the next chapter when the characters are discussing the events of the night refer to it as Saturday. This editing mistakes are something I would expect in a manuscript but not in a published work.

Overall Impression 
I think there was some good potential for Overprotected but it wasn't fully discovered. There were some unique devices that Jennifer Laurens used to signify a shift in Ashlyn's attitude, but they were overshadowed by the problems she had in the book.

Christmas Tradition

One of the best Christmas traditions I have is my holiday get together with my friends. Since we don't have money to spend on gifts for each other my friends and I decided that around every Christmas we would spend time going out and doing something. Last year we saw the play Spamalot, the year before we saw the play Animal Crackers. This year, we decided to go ice skating. It was my friend Meg's first time ice skating (she did awesome, total pro). I haven't skated in 15 years so it felt weird being out on the ice. Seeing some of the other adults on the ice made me want to continue ice skating just to keep up with practice. After skating we went out for dinner (best part we found a place where my friend Katie could have non-chicken, chicken fingers). Best part of our Christmas tradition is spending time with some of my best friends but also that I get to experience some things I wouldn't do anyways.

Things it took me a little longer to learn

1. What stores mean when they advertise BOGO (buy one get one)
2. Truth about Santa (about how he's real)
3. How to take a tequila shot (this took longer because I couldn't pronounce it)
4. How to back a car out of a parking space (I had my license for over 4 years before my sister taught me)
5. When to use who and whom (though now I need to learn the difference between the subject and object of the sentence)

Reminder I'm getting old

There are many time I forget that I'm in my mid-twenties and not a teenager. Sometimes I forget because I still live with my parents, sometimes I forget because I still have to borrow a car from my parents, and sometimes I forget because of my love of young adult books. Regardless of the reason, there are many times I am reminded of my real age. I was reminded of this when I started looking for full-time jobs and apartments. I'm continuously reminded of how I'm getting old every time a friend of from high school or grade school gets married, buys a house, or has a baby. Each of these announcements reminds me that I'm not 13 anymore. Luckily, I'm still young enough that being reminded of my actual age excites me.

Exciting Announcement!

My Not So Normal Life 2: School for Spies is now available here: Link to New Book. It's been years since I started the project making the publication that more special. However, the celebration can't last too long since I am working on the third and final book of the My Not So Normal Life series. I want to give a special thanks to Meg for the work on the cover and my sister for her edits.

Problem with "will they, won't they" couples

I am a fan of shows that feature a "will they won't they" couples. These couples are built on the notion that two people are attracted to each other, love each other, and meant for each other, yet they are never supposed to actually be a couple. I have two problems with these couples. My first problem is all the near misses. The times when they are about to kiss, profess their love and something interrupts them. These moments give me indigestion and make my blood pressure sky rocket. My other (and bigger) problem is all the wasted moments. I classify these moments when the couple should do something but don't. The moment when our hero and heroine believe they are about to die and there is nothing. No sidelong glances, no revelations, no attempted hug or kiss. Wouldn't a couple who are supposed to be so attracted and in love use what they thought is their last moment to say these things. So while I understand why writers have these wasted moments, they still aggravate me to no end.

Holiday Tradition

Today I undertook a Holiday tradition and watched It's a Wonderful Life. Unlike previous years I went to a special showing at my local theater. My local theater is very old, built in 1928. I thought it fitting I see the 1946 movie in a theater old enough to have played the movie in its opening weekend. Watching the movie on the big screen allowed me to see things I missed in previous screenings. What didn't change in this viewing is how easily I tear up. In the first minute of the movie as characters pray for the hero, George Bailey, I already felt tears burning in my eyes. What always gets to me with the movie is how real it is. Unlike other movies built on impossible premises, It's a Wonderful Life built it's entire concept on the idea that normal acts have a power impact. I would encourage everyone to remember that even the smallest actions have big consequences. And especially in this holiday season, let your friends and family know how grateful you are for the simple things they do for you.

Unemployment

I've been job hunting for two months. Dozens of applications and three interviews later and still no job. As the holidays approach and I go to social functions I find my optimism for finding a job lessening. Those who have a grudge against lawyers seem almost smug that I can't find a job, like karma is kicking me for choosing the profession. Others, upon finding out I'm unemployed, give me a look like the "special" kid who still has to use safety scissors. It's gotten to the point where my desire for a job for financial security and professional goals is being dwarfed by my desire to rid myself of the social stigma of unemployment. If there is one thing I learned from this experience is that no matter how high the unemployment rate is, you are still looked down on for being employed or under employed.

Happy Birthday Brother

Today is my brother's 13th birthday. It's almost impossible for me to believe that he is 13. My brother and I have an interesting realtionship. Since he was 7 he's made it his mission to destroy me (in a funny albeit annoying manner). Now that he's in his teens, I'm not sure I'll make through his teen years. Can't wait to see how I get through the next five years, until he makes it adulthood.

Spoilers

I love spoilers of all sorts. I love movie spoilers, television spoilers, and book spoilers. Reading spoilers, especially movie spoilers allows me to understand movie references without having to sit through the actual movie. Thanks to movie spoilers I've saved money and time while still being able to read the entire story.

Lists

Today I was very productive. My secret: a list. I am the queen of lists. When I was in school I'd have lists on my computer, in my day planner, and on a dry erase board. I love the feeling of crossing things off my list. In this phase in my life where I'm post-education and pre-full-time employment I forgot about how productive I was with lists. Having a chore or assignment on my list makes me accountable, I have to get it done. Because I put it on my list, I went to the bank and signed up at a new gym. And now, near the end of my day it feels really good to have everything crossed off my life.

Time

As the holiday season starts I'm always hit with the idea of how there is never enough time. With less than a month before Christmas I need to shop, bake, clean, and all the other everyday chores/jobs. More than that, I've known for a while that my dreams and aspirations are too much for one lifetime. There are so many things I want to be: lawyer, writer, wife, mother, teacher, loyal friend, consultant living London, diplomat, actress, singer, bed and breakfast owner... the list goes on. The hardest part is realizing that I won't be able to make all those dreams come true, there isn't enough time.

Indiana Jones

This afternoon I decided to waste a couple hours watching part of an Indiana Jones marathon on tv. While I watched I thought of the millions of things I should be doing including cleaning and doing laundry (the hamper is overflowing). But on rainy Saturday afternoons watching tv is just more enticing. I haven't seen Indiana Jones in a while and I've never seen the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark, just my luck I always start watching in the middle. Something that struck me while watching was the type of hero Indiana Jones is. In one scene he is fighting with a henchman. When the tables turn and the henchman is about to be killed Indiana tries to help him. It's something to be said about the PG, PG-13 heroes,  they can turn the other cheek and try to save someone who seconds earlier tried to kill them.

Christmas Season

Today marks one month until Christmas. While many were out taking advantage of Black Friday deals I was home with my family decorating the outside of our house. It's a couple day process, getting our house fully decorated. We make sure that there are so many lights and decorations planes flying overhead could see it. This year we added a new feature, a candy cane house made from our old playhouse. Once the house is fully decorated I will post pictures and you will see what a couple afternoons of work, dozens strands of light, ten plastic figures and two rolls of white and red duct tape gives you.

Happy thanksgiving

See above. Boom this counts as a post.

My Uncle

Today marks the 21st anniversary of my Uncle Peter's death. Uncle Peter was my godfather, which always made me feel a special connection to him. I was very young when he died so I don't remember much about him. I do remember he smelled like cigarette smoke and peppermint candies. Today, the smell of smoke does not bother me. I actually find the smell to be almost pleasant since it reminds me of my uncle. Even though he wasn't physically a part of my life, he's always been in my life. He has stayed alive through stories. My dad and his family will talk about their childhood and include stories about Peter. One of my brothers was given the middle name Peter in memory of the uncle he never met. I've considered carrying on this tradition if I had a son and honor my uncle and godfather. Especially with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I would ask everyone to remember those loved ones that aren't with you. Remember funny stories, some characteristic that always struck you, anything to keep the memory of that person alive.

Sister Time

Brace yourself world, my sisters and I are reuniting for Thanksgiving. We haven't been together in over a month, which may seem like a short period of time, but especially in my semi-employment has felt a lot longer. The next couple days will be full of television watching and baking for Thanksgiving but hopefully we'll still have some laughs. We won't do anything spectacular, just normal boring stuff. Best news is that the three of us girls out number our two brothers and can reign supreme again (it was weird when both my sisters were away at college and I was outnumbered for the first time in my life).

New Favorite Show

Thanks to Netflix I have discovered my new favorite show: Burn Notice. The show revolves around Michael, a newly fired spy. In his new life, Michael makes a living using his skills as a spy to help protect people in Miami from drug lords and crime bosses. The show has a great humor to it. Michael and his friends (former spies) deal with life threatening situations like a regular person would shopping for groceries. Another interesting part of the show is how they de-glamorize espionage with voice overs. Best thing about this show, is that I'm still in the middle of season 1 and have several more seasons I can watch back to back.

My Kindle

For my last birthday my parents bought me a kindle. I love it. Admittedly, in the last couple months I haven't read much on it (coming from my desire to be the writer not the reader). I've found several benefits to having a kindle. The obvious benefits are what Amazon advertises, it's light weight, stores lots of books, and you can get hours of reading done on the long lasting battery. But today as I looked through the library on my kindle I realized the best reason of all: anonymity of what I'm reading. I have a vast selection in my library. Some books are not ones I would want to be caught reading on the train (ie novels written based on the Castle television show). With my kindle I can (and have) read these Castle books in public w/o having to take off the dust jacket in fear of being judged for my book choice.

Boredom is my Muse

Today I got about six pages of writing done in about 30 minutes. The reason I got so much done was because I was sitting behind a desk bored out of my mind. Being bored at work has always been a source of inspiration for me. Especially when my job includes sitting and waiting I have free time, writing becomes the only way for me to stay sane.

10 Things I Learned from My Siblings

I am the oldest of five children. The youngest of my siblings is 16 years younger than me making for quite an age difference. Over the past 20+ years of having siblings I've learned a lot. Here is a list of the top 10 lessons.

1. Personal Boundaries don't exist
2. Silence must be investigated (especially when little boys are involved)
3. Chase is the best game ever invented
4. Meaningful conversations can take place in person, over the phone, on facebook, or on skype
5. You can have an entire conversation of movie/tv quotes and the Simpsons impersonations
6. Even though we're raised by the same parents, siblings can be completely different people
7. After making your sisters act out the 5th play you've written and directed, they become hostile
8. Don't ever video tape the plays you wrote, directed and made your sisters act out
9. It doesn't matter if your little brother is half your size, he still thinks he can beat you up or at least flip you over his head
10. When your sisters insist you read Harry Potter listen to them, when they insist you read Twilight ignore them

My Dream Thanksgiving Menu

It is exactly one week until Thanksgiving. The day once a year when I overindulge with turkey and cranberry sauce. Last night my mom was finalizing the menu (we are planning to have over 20 people at our house so planning is essential). As she went over all the food I began to think about what I would serve. Below is a list of my mom's menu and what my menu would be if I was hosting.

Mom                                                Mine

Turkey                                              Turkey

Mashed Potatoes                             Mashed Potatoes(My sister would kill me if I didn’t serve this)

Rolls                                                 Rolls

Stuffing                                             Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce                               Cranberry Sauce (the only thing I look forward to)

Green bean Casserole                      Plain Green beans

Yams                                                 Hell No

Squash                                              See Above

Carrots                                              No, one type of vegetable is more than enough

Corn                                                   I’m opposed to starches that masquerade as vegetables

                                                           Pizza (for those in my family who don’t like Turkey)

Five Superfluous Things I Can't Live Without

I borrowed this concept from my friend's blog. These are all things that are inessential for living but that I'm pretty sure I would be unable to live without.

1. My smartphone. I've only had it a year but the thought of not being able to check facebook continuously gives me hives.
2. Cable. Now I have more channels to flip through when I'm bored and nothing is on.
3. Pens and Notebooks. Ideas must be written down whenever I want to.
4. Water bottle. Doesn't matter what the bottle is made of as long as it hold water.
5. Hair band. There are a lot of times when my long hair needs to pulled away from my face.

Christmas Card

Last night my sisters and I watched one of our favorite movies, Christmas Card. Watching the movie together was interesting considering we used Skype to we could watch it together. The importance of watching the movie together stems from our need to make jokes throughout the movie. We comment on the bad dialogue, the attractiveness of the male lead, and the unintentional stupidity of my female lead's mother. My sisters and I are the only ones who actually find humor in movie, the rest of our family can't understand our fascination in the movie. If you were to ask me an inside joke that my sisters and I have I would say without hesitation the Christmas Card is it.

Escaping in Writing

I love to write adventure stories because I am a huge wimp in real life. Maybe it's because I have an over active imagination but a lot scares me. When I was a kid, my parents pitched a small tent in our living room for me and my sisters to "camp out" in. I remember being scared of bears attacking me b/c even though I was in my living room, in the middle of the suburbs, I imagined I was in the middle of a bear infested forest. When I write, I like to create strong, fearless characters. People who, unlike me, would investigate a thump in the middle of the night. When I write, I like to imagine I would act like my character if my imagination didn't always get the better of me.

Destination List

If I had endless resources and the right travel companion and a year to travel here's a list of the places I'd go and the things I'd do

1. Ireland--aimlessly drive through the entire country, picking up all the sights and culture each county could offer me
2. London--since it's my favorite city in the entire world I'd have to at least stop here to ride the London Eye, walk down the Thames River, and catch a West End show
3. Mont St. Michel, France--tour the town, take a bunch of pictures
4. Salzburg, Austria--take a "Sound of Music" tour (this technically doesn't exist, but with endless resources I'd hire the cast to show me where they filmed and maybe sing a couple songs)
5. Rome, Italy--toss a coin in the Trevi fountain, gain 50 pounds from the food and then walk it off by climbing the Spanish steps
6. Greece--swim in the water off the coast of Greece
7. Germany-visit Neuschwanstein Castle
8. Moscow-take picture in front of St. Basil's Cathedral (always loved how it looks)
9. New Zealand--take the Lord of the Rings tour because I'm a nerd
10. Hawaii-Relax on the beach, take a nature walk, and tour the memorial at Pearl Harbor

Shoes

I have another confession for this week: I love shoes. I am that stereotypical girl who owns dozens of pairs of shoes. I try to remain organized, I have a hanging shoe rack on my closet door, and three containers of shoes under my bed. My boots, which I can't fit in either place, are piled in the back of my closet and I have pairs of shoes that I wear regularly laying by my desk. Of my shoes, I love high heels. The lowest heel I own is 2 1/2 inches but most of my heels range in the 3-4 inch range (this annoys my mom b/c even barefoot I tower over her). I love my high heels, there are times I crave wearing them and will wear a pair around my house. Recently, I discovered Nine West and have bought four pairs of their shoes. My present for becoming a licensed attorney was a pair of peep toe Nine West shoes covered in lace. I love them.

Nerdy Me

I am a big nerd. My room is the best testament to this statement. I have a Doctor Who (Bristish Sci-Fi show)poster on my wall. I have an R2-D2 cookie jar on a shelf. A complete collection of plush M&M's dressed as Star Wars characters (It was a big deal about seven years ago). I also have a Star Wars: A New Hope Poster in my closet (to complete my joke that I'm a closet Star Wars fan). I have at least three sci-fiction novels on my bookcase, though I could have more I never counted. I also have a Wonder Woman costume in my closet from Halloween a couple years ago when my sisters and I went as Comic book heroes.

Getting Licensed

Today I got my license to practice law in Illinois. For those who aren't familiar with the process of becoming an attorney, in order to become an attorney law school graduates must first pass the bar and then in one large ceremony all new candidates are sworn in together. Originally, I thought that my post today would be all about becoming an official lawyer but on my way to the ceremony I realized that I would be blogging about my "adventure" to get to the ceremony itself.

On the way to the ceremony my dad's car broke down. It was scary how fast the car died, never have I gone from no problem to car won't move. With some help from strangers we were able to push the car off the expressway ramp and parked it on the side street. This was a new experience for me, I've never pushed a car while in neutral and never in a skirt suit and 2 inch heels. Once the car was parked we faced our new challenge, we were only 5 minutes into our hour long ride and now stuck without a car. We walked a couple blocks (luckily I had sensible heels on, at least by my standards) and hailed down a taxi (again lucky since we were in a neighborhood with few taxis driving around). My mom, sister, and I took the cab into the city, while my dad walked a mile to get back to our house and pick up my mom's car. While driving in the cab, my blood pressure rose higher than when I took the bar exam. Thanks to the extremely reckless driving of our taxi driver he made our hour long drive into a 1/2 hour drive. I luckily got to the ceremony with some time to spare so that I could sign my oath and get seats. Better still, my dad was able to drive as fast as he could and thanks to my connections w/ security at the convention center (thanks Katie! Love you so much) my dad was able to park right next to the entrance so he  could sneak into the ceremony and see me swear in.

Overall, today will be a day I won't forget anytime soon. Not because of my bad luck but for my good luck. Yes, there was one horrible, blood boiling experience but there was so much that went good.

My Love for Bad Movies

Ok, I have a confession to make...I love bad, cheesy, C-rated movies. On the top of my list is Leap Year, starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. The movie is everything a C-rated romantic comedy is supposed to be, cheesy, predictable, and cliche. But I can't help but love it. Perhaps my love for the movie comes from the fact that I would watch Amy Adams read the phonebook. Or it could be that Matthew Goode is incredibly sexy with his blue eyes and Irish brogue. But I think the main reason for my love of the movie is the setting. 95% of the movie takes place in Ireland. The breathtaking scenes of greenery, mountains, and crumbling castles are even more gorgeous than the two stars. I watch the movie and wish that I could take a road trip through Ireland. I can't be the only one who loves C-rated movies, please share your favorite "bad movie".

Books that Changed my Life

Here are five books which changed my life

1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen--this is one of my favorite books, absolutely love it. If I were to ever have a daughter I'd name her Jane Elizabeth after the Bennet sisters.
2. Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie--most surprising ending I've ever read in a mystery series.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee--read it in grade school, first time I ever liked a book someone told me to read
4. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott--favorite book from childhood. I hated that Beth died, but loved the Jo's strong character
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling--the book that introduced me to the series. For ten years I craved each new book.

Death of Hollywood's Imagination

MGM Studios just bought the rights to Where's Waldo. The studio plans to make a family action/adventure movie based on the book. That being said, I'm calling this time of death with Hollywood's imagination and creativity. The Hollywood which brought us Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life, and Citizen Kane is now officially dead. Major Hollywood studios rarely make original movies, opting instead for remakes and movies based on video games, comic books, books, and now puzzles.

Development of My Not So Normal Life 3

I'm in the initial processes of writing MNSNL 3. This stage includes researching places Lily & Co. will travel on missions and general plot points and development. I decided to work on the last book in the series because of my momentum of getting MNSNL 2 ready for publication. I never thought there would be a MNSNL 3. I had intended to finish off the short series with book 2. Then in editing, I discovered a new twist that needed to be explored and character development that could not be noted in an epilogue. The downside to writing MNSNL 3 is the realization that characters will have to die. As of right now, I've decided on three characters who will not live to see the end of the book series. The idea of killing off these characters makes me sad (when I made my final decision about one character I had to hold back tears). I struggled with the idea about more deaths. I hate the idea of even fictional people dying. But, the one thing I wanted when I wrote MNSNL was at least a little reality (or at least as much as one could include in a story where a 12 year old is recruited to be a spy). And the reality is that in the dangerous life Lily leads, people die. The worst part about the characters who will die is that they were meant to make it to the end of the series. I've killed characters in the novels I've written, but those characters were always meant to die. They're deaths were inevitable, like J.K. Rowling killing James and Lily Potter. These new deaths are more akin to that of Lupin's death in Harry Potter; the death the author didn't plan on but realized had to happen.

Television Lied

As my friends and family are well aware of, I love television. As a pre-teen I would disobey my parent's rules about no tv after dinner and sneak away to watch Dark Angel, Dawson's Creek, and any other prime time show I could manage watching without getting caught. When I got into high school, my parents let me do homework and watch tv at the same time. I was in advanced classes and in the top quarter of my class, so as long as I got the work done it didn't matter whether I did it in front of the tv. In those formidable years, I soaked up images and ideas about what adulthood would be like. Ten years ago, adults had all the answers. They had great apartments, great jobs, and glamorous social lives. And as naive as it sounds, when I was a teenager, I thought that by the time I hit 25 I'd be living in a downtown apartment, with a fancy job, and have a certain piece of jewelry on my left ring finger. Why would I have such high expectations? Because that's what tv showed me. The characters on Friends lived across the street from Central Park in big apartments. The young doctors of ER had amazing jobs. And everyone on tv had a local bar/club/coffee shop where they would hang out for hours on end to flirt and talk. Adult life seemed so glamorous and carefree. Now that I've reached adulthood, all I can say is that those shows lied. Adulthood is not glamorous or carefree. It's filled with job searches, uncertainty, and lots of bills. I wish that characters like Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, were around when I was growing up. Liz Lemon is a mess. Her life is not glamorous or carefree. And if not Liz Lemon, where was Jim Halpert, Pam Beasley, Michael Scott, and Dwight Schrute ten years ago? The average, sometimes disgruntled, characters from The Office who work in an unglamorous job, so that they can live in the unglamorous Scranton (no offense to Scranton, PA but it's no NYC). Hell, where was Meredith Grey who's weekly voice overs remind us that just because you're a surgeon and dating McDreamy you can't still be seriously flawed? I wish that these average, flawed, unglamorous characters had been around ten years ago. If I would have grown up with these characters I might not have had such unrealistic notions of adulthood.

My Problem with NaNoWriMo

It is November, which to thousands (including my sister and friends) means that it is time to attempt to write a 50,000 novel in one month (that's 1,667 words a day). My sister has participated in NaNoWriMo four times now. My sister suggested that I participate in NaNoWriMo this year. I considered it but in the end, decided that NaNoWriMo is not for me. While I applaud those writers who take on the almost impossible task, I realized that I don't want to be one of them. I've worked on deadlines before. In the six months prior to law school I spent almost all my free time (and a lot of work time) wrote the last three books of a four book series I started in college. The deadline pushed me to finish, but since then little has gotten done with the books. I have three books still written in composition notebooks. In three years since I finished, I haven't edited the books to make them acceptable for an audience. And because I have done nothing in three years no one has read my books, not even my sisters. This is my problem with NaNoWriMo, it forces you to get the rough draft out but little after that. For me, getting the steps after the rough draft are the worst and when I need the incentives/support.

That being said here is some unsolicited advice to NaNoWriMo writers this semester: try your hardest to finish what you start. Even if you don't hit the 50,000 word mark persevere and get it done. Do whatever you can so that you can share your book.

Ten Things My Friends Have Taught Me

Below is a list of ten things that my friends have taught me.

 

1. Red wine (especially Merlot) is superior to white wine.

2. Dinner should always end with desert

3.School friends don't have to disappear over the summer

4.Passports need to have stamps in them

5.Drag Bingo is the BEST way to spend a Monday evening

6.I'm never alone (in a good way)

7. I don't have to hide my weird, crazy, nerdy, neurotic side

8. Even my wildest dreams aren't impossible

9. You should take as many study breaks as possible

10. A few close friends is better than dozens of fair weather friends

One of the Best Compliments Ever

My sister is editing my book. I chose her because she doesn't charge and is super meticulous. Since she is a bookworm, I take a lot of her comments to heart. For instance, in my first book, I changed part of Lily's character after my sister told me she couldn't relate to Lily. It is because I take Katie's opinion so seriously that I was touched by a recent comment she made. She told me that she was so engrossed in my book that she lost track of time at her job. It may sound stupid, but I was very proud of myself for writing something that would draw in a reader.

NaBloPoMo

Today kicks off the first day of National Blog Posting Month. I plan to use this motivation to keep up on my blog post. Since I last posted I found out that I passed the bar exam and started applying for attorney jobs. As any one who is looking for employment in this tough economy can attest, the process is exhausting and painful. Along with the job application process, my revisions for My Not So Normal Life continue. Right now, I'm on schedule for my Christmas release, so fingers crossed I will make the deadline. I will keep everyone posted on how I do on the job front and the book release.

Remembering 9/11

I am posting this blog almost a week after September 11th for several reasons. First, I didn't want my post to become white noise with all the other facebook statuses and media coverage. Second, I wanted time to think about what I wanted to post about. I considered blogging about where I was, the immediate fear and shock I felt. I also considered blogging about my young brothers and growing up in a post-9/11 world. I also considered blogging about how 9/11 influenced my writing since I didn't start my novels until after 9/11. Then I was telling a friend about an encounter I had with a woman on Sunday and she suggested I blog about that. So here goes...

 

On Sunday I went for brunch with most of my immediate family and some members of my extended family. While waiting for our table my Grandpa started talking to a woman. They talked about where they were on 9/11 and my Grandpa talked about his days in the Navy. The conversation was normal, nothing I hadn't heard him say before. My family rolled their eyes at his exagerations and chuckled to ourselves about the stories he told. The hostess called us to our table and he said goodbye to the woman. I forgot about the conversation almost immediately. It wasn't until my aunt asked for the bill that I remembered the woman from the lobby. The woman paid for our entire bill; meaning she paid for brunch for nine people. We were all shocked by her act of kindness and generosity. She had already left so we couldn't thank her. Her act stayed with me. I thought about how she chose to remember the day by being kind to a stranger. I thought about how 9/11 is full of stories of strangers helping strangers. I thought of how her act of kindness was perfect with keeping with the spirit of the day.

Thinking Back and Looking Ahead

I recently pulled out cds from my college years. Since I commuted to college I had a small collection of mixed cds which I'd sing along with in my half hour commute. Listening to these songs I'm reminded of that 18 year old and what she expected from life. Honestly, there is some things she'd be disappointed with (no full time job, still living at home); but I think there's more she'd be proud of. 18 year old me was scared of planes and never in her wildest dreams thought she'd ever have the courage to fly over the ocean. I've been to Europe twice. 18 year old me dreamt of going to law school, but worried I wouldn't get accepted. This past May I graduated from law school. And above all else, 18 year old me wanted to be a published author. And although the only people who've read my book are close friends and family, I have an actual book with my name on it. Looking back at the person I was, I realized I never thought I'd have the courage to accomplish so much. 18 year old me preferred to dream, too scared to take an actual step towards making those dreams come true. In thinking back at who I was seven years ago I begin to wonder who I'll be in the future. As I start my life post-education I have a million questions in my head. Will I continue to challenge myself? Will I try to accomplish my wildest dreams? Will I be proud at the woman I become? What the hell am I going to do with the rest of my life? Most of the time thinking about the future is overwhelming and terrifying. So maybe, for now, I should just continue to listen to my mixed cds and stop thinking too far into the future.

Name Change

In MNSNL 1 I introduced a character named Andy in the last chapter. My 12 year old brother who shares the same name loved that a character had his name. When I told him I was revising MNSNL2 he made me promise that Andy would have a larger story plot. Andy's beefed up story line includes him getting a love interest. Originally the love interest's name was Natalie. It wasn't until after I typed her name and set the scene for their meeting, that I realized I should check with my brother first about the name choice to make sure there wasn't a girl in his class named Natalie. Since his friends would potentially read this book I did not want to embarass him with naming a classmate as his alter ego's love interest. Regardless of whether or not my brother had a crush on the Natalie in his class that won't stop 12 year old boys from teasing. So the character Natalie is now named Sophia. Will the revisions never end?

A Failed Surprise

A couple weeks ago I decided to get the sequel to My Not So Normal Life ready for publication. One of the perks of being self-published is that I'm the one who decides when to publish. Since money will be tight this year and because I have tons of free time, I decided that I would surprise my family with My Not So Normal Life 2 this Christmas. I know that my cousin and brother would be excited to get it since they've been eagerly waiting the sequel for a while now. I tried to keep it a secret, but you can only spend so much time in front of your computer before people want to know what you're doing. Last night I let it slip to my brother that I was revising the book and getting it ready for publication. It was nice to see him freeze with excitement, his eyes bugging out. Now I hope that I can keep to my deadline and that he won't be disappointed when he finally reads it.

Revising

My writing process is very drawn out. My original draft is handwritten on any type of paper I have at hand. I use paper for two major reasons. First, since I never have a set time to write and usually at the mercy of a spare minute, it's a lot easier to carry around a journal than having to carry around my computer. Second, since my first draft is very rough I revise the story when I type it out. Once I have a typed out manuscript I'll let my sisters read it and have them review it for content. After I've talked to them about their opinion, I go through the manuscript and add and revise.

Revising is my least favorite part of writing. I love expanding and changing the story, what I hate about it is finding a stopping point. I can be very critical of what I write and will never think it's done. I'm of the philosophy that editing is a never ending process since there is always room for improvement. In order to get around this problem I have to set goals for myself.

The latest goal I've set for myself is revising the sequel to My Not So Normal Life. My goal is to have the sequel done and self published through Lulu.com by Christmas. This will be a surprise for my brother and cousin who have been eagerly anticipating the next book since they finished reading it. So hopefully, by Christmas I'll have a finished second novel. Now, just to get through the last stage of revising.

My fancy new blog

Hi everyone! I'm so excited that you stopped by to check out my new blog. I'm completely new to blogging, so please bear with me as I get the hang of this. My sister started this blog to help me promote my self-published novel My Not So Normal Life  as well as the other books that I'm in the process of editing and getting ready to publish.

I will talk about the novels I'm working on in later posts, but for now let me talk about my first novel. My Not So Normal Life is a young adult novel that revolves around the life of Lily Gemorski, a native Chicagoan recruited to work for a secret government organization.

I wrote the book when I was in high school when I was REALLY obsessed with the television show Alias. Throughout my young life I had always been interested with spies, people who seemed to be boring average citizens but had a secret life with secret abilities. Being a spy was like being a superhero. What frustrated me as a high schooler who loved spies was being unable to find spies that I could relate to. Sure, you had Sydney Bristow and James Bond but they were adults, they didn't have curfews or chemistry class to worry about. And I hated that the only teen spies I found in books or television shows were more concerned about having a cute outfit or breaking a nail than the actual mission. So, unable to find a superhero spy that I could relate to, I took it upon myself to create her.

So, if you're someone like me who is looking for a relateable spy, check out my book at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/LizLaz