Our First Post

Image courtesy of blog.icdcollege.edu

Hi there! This is the first post for our group blog and we're excited to introduce ourselves to you! As is mentioned to the right, we're a diverse group of writers: MG, YA, Romance, Women's Fiction, Graphic Novels, & Horror. Our hope with this diversity is to be fresh and new and to appeal to many. We'll be posting twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. We'll be witty and intelligent and lots of fun(we hope...). Guess we'll leave that verdict up to you all!

Today, each of our contributors have answered two questions, as a way to get a glimpse into our sparkling personalities.

1.) What did you want to grow up to be when you were little?

Carrie: The first thing I remember wanting to be when I grew up was an actress. I remember having that 'dream' for several years and vowed I would someday move to Hollywood. However, I must not have been that serious about it because I never once tried out for a play or looked into the drama club. For a short while I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. As I approached the end of high school when I had to be serious about my career choices, I considered child psychology but ended up selecting engineering.

Kimberly: Funny, but I kinda want to be an actress now and star in quirky indie films. I think 35 is a bit late to make this happen though. When I was little I wanted to be Murphy Brown. I thought I'd be a foreign correspondent and live in Paris, even though I'd been studying Spanish since I was 12.

Amy: I think I changed my mind every-other week...nun and basketball player for the Globe Trotters comes to mind (my name was Trotter). But once I made my decision to be a dancer, I was committed. I spent every spare moment at the ballet studio...worked there, did my homework there. When I was in high school, I was accepted into the ballet company, and once I graduated, I toured with a Broadway show for three years. So, I guess I lived the dream for a while.

Stephen: When I was a child I always wanted to be a contributor on a group blog. Sadly, I'm far too old for that possibility to ever...but wait!

Nilah: Hah, this changed week to week! For a long time I wanted to be a vet or a zoo keeper. I really love animals and wanted to be around them all the time. Then for a while I was pretty sure I was going to be a concert flutist and play in symphonies. But in the meantime I was drawing all the time, and at some point it hit me that maybe being an artist wasn't a bad idea.

Jonathan: I have major Peter Pan Syndrome, so the idea of growing up gives me the heebeejeebees. Butt thinking like a kid (see how I did that?) really comes in handy when writing MG. In my younger years, I definitely wanted to be a Veterinarian. What kid wouldn't want to play with animals all day?

Beth: I have always wanted to be a writer. I used to "write" squiggly lines, and then scotch tape the paper together into a "book" when I was 3 or 4. Of course, I went through the usual I-want-to-be-a-vet/ I-want-to-be-a-toy-store-owner/ I-want-to-work-on-the-Wheel-of-Fortune-set-and-be-best-friends-with-Pat-Sajak-and-Vanna-White stages that most kids do. And in college I fell in love with TV when I interned for Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon. But writing's always been #1!

Leandra: I wanted to be a mountain climber when I was little. I loved looking at pics of them doing their thing in National Geographic magazines. After my mountain climbing phase, I went through a veterinarian phase(that puts our count of used-to-wanna-be-vets at four!). My vet dreams lasted through most of grade school until I realized I just didn't have the drive to go to eight+ years of college. I settled with reading James Herriot instead!

2.) What kind of beverage are you?

Carrie: Wow, I've never thought about this before. I guess I'd have to say Sweet Tea - sometimes it's a little too sweet, sometimes it's a little too strong, but when the two sides are in balance it's amazing!

Kimberly: Sangria! I make the best sangria. A good Rioja wine, brandy, sugar, a splash of orange juice and sliced fruit. Top it off with sparkling water. Festive and fun -- that's me.

Amy: You mean I have to pick only one? As a romance author a few risque cocktails come to mind, but I'll settle for a B52. A bit of a bombshell, its layered first with Kahlua, giving just enough caffeine for a wee kick, followed by silky smooth Bailey's Irish Cream that rolls across your tongue, then laced with tangy orange Grand Marnier *licks lips* Mm--sweet, seductive and powerful.

Stephen: Bourbon. Neat. And I shouldn't have to specify "neat."

Nilah: Hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top in a nice big mug! Mmm that sounds pretty good right about now...

Jonathan: I'm a Lightning T'zin (the T is silent). Never heard of it before? Well, that's because they only serve it on Venus. It's a cocktail that will literally make your hair stand on end when you drink it. Zap!

Beth: I spent an embarrassing amount of time thinking this answer through. I'm not much of a drinker, but my final answer is a Long Island iced tea. I like iced tea, and I'm from Long Island. So, there you go.

Leandra: An extra bubbly diet vanilla pop! In a Mason jar with a striped straw(though I'd like to try one of those Lightning T'zins...).

For a more in-depth look at us, please feel free visit our Who We Are and Our Books tabs. And we'd love if you checked back with us on Monday, Oct. 13th, for our next post. Have a great weekend everyone!