Zeta or Omega? Welcome, freshmen! So far, college life at Latimer University has been everything Jenna, Roni, and Lora-Leigh expected. They’ve already made close friends, caught the eye of a few hot frosh boys, and participated in sorority recruitment. As if it were meant to be, all three found a home in the Zeta Zeta Tau sorority. Now Roni hopes to be the most perfect ZZT in history, while Lora-Leigh can barely believe how quickly she went from cynic to sorority new member! Jenna is just as excited to be in the sorority, but she also has classes to stuffy for, a nasty roommate to put up with, and a marching band scholarship to uphold. How’s a girl supposed to appease everyone and everything—not to mention strike up a romance with an adorable fraternity boy—all the while keeping her diabetes hidden? Lora-Leigh and Roni are there for her, but ZZT initiation is on the horizon and Jenna must decide if she really trusts her new sisters enough to share her secret...   The New Sisters Who want to be a sorority girl? High school is already a distant memory for incoming Latimer University freshmen, Jenna, Roni, and Lora-Leigh. Jenna wants to meet cute college boys, Roni wants to get away from home, and Lora-Leigh...well, Lora-Leigh couldn't care less. She's going to LU and participating in sorority recruitment only to appease her mom. Sorority girls are pretty, rich, and snotty, and Lora-Leigh doesn't want to be one of those girls. So she's shocked to find herself actually connecting with the sisters of Zeta Zeta Tau. And her new friend Jenna can relate. She came to sorority recruitment only because her roommate begged her to, but now she can't decide which sorority to join; she likes them all! Roni knows which sorority she should join. The Tri Omegas are exactly the type of "it" girls she would usually befriend, but Roni came to LU to reinvent herself. As recruitment progresses and the girls prepare to make big decisions, they'll need to heed the best advice there is: follow your heart. But where will it lead?   FAQ Did you always want to be a writer? This is a great question for writers and usually the answer is always the same: “As far back as I can remember, I’ve been writing.” Well, I’m no different. I wrote stories for my parents and siblings. Wrote family trees and histories of my stuffed animals (of which I had hundreds) and was always making up stories, playing imaginary games with all sorts of intricate plotlines. Oh, and my friends and I would play Wonder Woman, Bionic Woman, Charlie’s Angels and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, usually basing our play on the recent episodes we’d seen, but a lot of times, we’d craft it out first and then act it out. So...yeah, I’ve been writing on and off for as long as I can remember. I wrote a lot in college and then in my first job, I was writing press releases, constituent letters and then later marketing pieces, collaterals, websites, advertisements, newsletters and client mailings. Grammar and I have been good friends for a while. You definitely (note...not spelled “definately”) need a good grasp of language to be an effective (not affective) and successful writer. What authors did you read growing up? What authors do you read now? Growing up...well, I read Laura Ingalls Wilder, Judy Blume (of course) and my favorite young adult writers were Doreen Owens Malik and Elaine Harper. Malik did those very edgy, grown up teen stories for First Love by Silhouette and Elaine Harper did the Blossom Valley series, which I still love and remember today. I also grew up on Kathleen Woodiwiss, Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts. Today I still read those authors, love Diana Gabaldon, Barbara Delinsky, Helen Fielding, Anne Rice (I’m all over the place) and soooo many of my writing buddies, Diana Peterfreund, Roxanne St. Claire, Jessica Andersen, Liz Maverick, Jennifer O’Connell, Melissa Senate, Caren Lissner, Gena Showalter...I could go on and on... What subjects did you excel in in school? Well, nothing involving math, that’s for sure. I loved my computer class which was one of the first of it’s kind. Back in the days when we used cassette tapes as backups. In college, I loved my creative classes: Advertising Design, Advertising Copywriting, Speech Communication, Advertising Campaigns. I also loved history. One of my best and favorite subjects. And because of it, I’m a whiz as Jeopardy! You work full-time, when do you find time to write? Remember that old saying that you make time for the things you want to do? Well, I make time. I have an Alphasmart Neo that I use during my lunch hour (I can churn a good 1,500 words in an hour) and at home, my husband set up a writer’s garret for me, complete with a desktop set up, some stuffed animal friends given to me by writing friends and no e-mail to distract me. I can’t really start writing until I can see my story in my head like a movie from start to finish. Once that’s done and I plot it out, then I sort of feel like I’m a transcriber when I’m writing...just getting that movie out of my head. Since I type about 100 wpm, then I can really crank. What’s your all-time favorite book? This is a toughy. Can I say two? Sure, I can say two...it’s my FAQ! LOL!! The first that really sticks with me is Gone With the Wind. Okay, you’re saying that’s a clichéd answer, but I loved this book. It’s sooooo different than the movie. Did you know that Bonnie Blue Butler was Scarlett’s third kid? See, you learned something new today. The characters are so developed and understood as you go through the pain of war and reconstruction with them. Funny, when I read the book, I never once didn’t think Rhett and Scarlett wouldn’t get back together. However, watching the movie...you do wonder. (And no, I don’t buy into the Alexander Ripley sequel.) The other book that completely changed my life and made me want to write was Bridget Jones’s Diary. I know, you’re saying another clichéd answer, but clichés are clichés for a reason. The voice in Bridget Jones had me from the first page. She was so bumbling and irreverent and silly and...normal...just like a friend. I just couldn’t put it down. I’ve read GWTW five times in my life. I’ve read BJD three times. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Again...not an easy answer. I think that every creative person should live in New York City at least once in their life. I still have to do that. I also think Paris is the coolest, most wonderful, entertaining, fascinating cities on the planet. I’d love to be an American in Paris. Toronto, Ontario, Canada is my favorite place to be of all. Sitting on the Danforth eating a Greek salad or walking up and down Queen Street East delving into the funky stores. There’s something to do around every corner in Toronto. And the people are amazingly nice, polite and welcoming. I’d move there tomorrow! (Don’t make me start singing O Canada! ‘cause I’ll do it!) Where do you get your ideas? I have to say that I’ve always been an observer. I love to people watch and—yes, I admit it—eavesdrop on conversations. I love listening to words and dialogue and cadence and word choices and intonations. I love to play “what if” and pretend this, that or the other happens. I have a vivid imagination and love to imagine if one thing were altered, what the outcome would be. I’m also a romantic and love happy endings. To create these characters in my mind that can find friendship and happiness and love and success...I have a little control in a not-so-perfect world. I get ideas from news articles. I get ideas from a conversation. I get ideas from my dreams. I get ideas from my own experiences. I get ideas in the shower. The best ideas are the ones that form organically and then take on a life of their own until you’re forced to write the story. What are some great writing books you’d recommend to people wanting to write? I have to admit I’m not big on the “how to” books because you can get too bogged down in how people tell you should be writing instead of actually writing. First and foremost, if you want to write, then sit down at the computer and WRITE. That being said, I have found great inspiration through four books: The Writer's Journey : Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler; Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass; Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott; and The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. You can’t go wrong with any of those books as inspiration and motivation. How did you get a literary agent? A lot of submitting, a lot of rejections, a lot of never giving up, a lot of networking, putting my name and face out at conferences and a wonderful recommendation and introduction from a friend to her agent. They say (you know, the “they” that knows everything) that getting an agent is harder than getting an editor and that can certainly be true. You just have to keep querying and asking questions to find that perfect fit. To me, the agent/author relationship is like that of a player and a coach. You work together to guide your career, steer you in the right direction and open as many doors as possible. A good agent definitely makes all the difference. What’s your advice for aspiring writers? Write. Every day. Even if it’s one page or one sentence. Don’t measure yourself against anyone else. Don’t listen to “rules” or “how tos.” Just write from your gut, your heart, your soul. Believe in yourself that you can write. Surround yourself by positive, supportive friends. Avoid negativity in any form. Try. Put forth the effort and put your hands on the keyboard. Shut off the internal editor and tell the elves of self doubt to go away. If you can write innocently – like you may have when you were a child – and just let the words flow, you can do it. Also, don’t ever give up. Not if this is what you truly want to do. If you want to be a writer, then BE a writer. Don’t let rejection or criticism get you down. Be tenacious and persevere, no matter what. You probably won’t sell the first thing you write (although I know people who have), but you’ll sell something if you keep at it and believe in your talent. think first of all, you have to believe in yourself and your work. And remember to have fun with it. Love your characters and your stories. If you’re not enjoying it, then how do you expect readers, editors and agents to love it. Don’t hold back and just let your creativity flow! ARTICLES " Observations from a Contest Judge" HTML PDF “Top 50 Movies for Writers” HTML PDF “Dear-Eye for the Supportive Spouse: Tips to Help Your Spouse Through Your Writer’s Journey.” HTML PDF “Mitch’s Rules of Writing” HTML PDF