204 Rosewood Lane is the second book in Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series that I am just loving reading! While all of the books are written in third person, there is a letter in the front of each book written to the reader by one of the characters. The first book’s letter was from Olivia, […]
MoreThings were moving right along with me and D. So smoothly, in fact, that it felt weird. I’d never dated someone who missed me after just a few hours of being apart. I’d never spent so much time with someone where I recognized their smell, or their breathing when they slept. I’d never fallen into […]
MoreFor my birthday last month, one of my best friends bought me a book to read (Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner) and she told me she bought herself a copy, so we could both read it and discuss it. I loved this idea! The book was so good we got through it quick and […]
MoreI wasn’t even half-finished with my glass of wine when D appeared, plopping down in the bar stool beside me. “I didn’t think you’d come,” he said. He looked more handsome than I recalled the night before. He was dressed in a collared, button down shirt, jeans, and Chucks…I love Chucks. “I thought about not […]
MoreA few weeks ago, The Frisky posted a story about 2 friends (a guy and a girl) who found themselves single at the same time and decided to date each other for 40 days…and blog about it. This was/is right up my ally. I kept seeing the link to the blog all over my Facebook […]
MoreHello out there! I realize I’ve been MIA for months; and when that happens, I really hate doing these “apology posts” regarding my absence. Truth be told, I don’t think there is one specific reason why I was silent on the blog these last few months—I suppose life just got in the way. Most of […]
MoreWhere are the Nicholas Sparks fans? I jumped on the Sparks bandwagon a few years ago when The Last Song hit movie theatres. I loved the movie and did the backward thing by reading the book afterward. Ever since, I got my best girlfriend hooked on his books and I love reading them and then […]
MoreI sometimes get a thrill out of 3am ice cream standing alone in my kitchen just because I can What thrills those around me often chills me terrifies me into sleepless nights sending me into a chain of unpleasant days I sometimes find myself living in the past romanticizing what has hurt me I don’t […]
MoreThis is an editorial I wrote for Dig magazine in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * * * I’m thinking about getting a landline. It’s not about time travel or saving money. It’s for the sake of dating. I’ve had a cell phone since I was 16, when I had my first boyfriend […]
MoreI can still remember my first Valentine. I was in first grade, and a boy in my class, named Dustin, gave me a small, white teddy bear with a red bow tied around his neck. At 6 years old, this was a lavish gift among the ritual of passing out store-bought cards with flat suckers. […]
MoreI’ve never claimed to be psychic, and sometimes I’m not certain I believe in the ability to predict the future. However, during the summer before my junior year of high school, a girlfriend of mine, Julie, wanted to have her palm read. As I’m usually up for anything, I went along with her. The psychic […]
MoreI’ve mentioned here before that I’m working on a book with a fellow writer, Gina. Slowly, but surely, we are working through our draft. While I won’t bog you down with all of the details, I thought my part of the “introduction” would be worth sharing, just to give you a taste of my story. […]
MoreIn honor of Justin Bieber’s new album, “Believe” release today, I found it only necessary to share with you things The Biebs has taught me, in love and in life —of course. Good hair matters. It’s no surprise that The Biebs’ locks have been their own form of celebrity. Next time you’re skipping out on […]
MoreI just finished reading “A Place of Yes” by Bethenny Frankel. I was taking my time with this one, because it has so many great takeaway lessons and I often took lots of notes while reading it. If you are a Bethenny fan already, I don’t need to explain to you how amazing she is […]
MoreI just finished reading Julie Powell’s second memoir, Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession. You might recognize Powell’s name from her first book, Julie and Julia, which I read and loved. Because of that, I was looking forward to reading the sequel, and I wasn’t disappointed. While Powell’s first book was much about […]
MoreAfter weeks of prepping, I had an interview yesterday to determine whether I could teach a class I created all on my own: Blogging for Beginners. I got the class! I will say, right from the start, I never ever thought I would teach. However, over the 10 years of my writing career, I have […]
MoreAs a reader of this blog, I have to assume you have some experience, or at least interest, in romantic relationships. I have joined thoughts with fellow writer and blogger Gina Gennari of “Just Married” to write a book about dating and relationships. Although we have several stories between us, we need your input. Please […]
MoreAnna Sofia Martin’s latest article on The Frisky really caught my attention: “8 Tips For Landing a Job or a Man This Valentine’s Day.” While I’m not looking for either of those things, I’ve never thought about just how similar these two things are: job hunting vs. on the prowl. Martin finds herself in a […]
MoreChoc-o-hol-ic adjective Containing or relating to chocolate: Dove is the favorite chocoholic brand. Caused by the excessive consumption of chocolate: chocoholic headache. Suffering from chocoholism: her chocoholism tendencies were ruining her diet. Noun Person suffering from chocoholism.
MoreEarlier this week, The Frisky posted an interesting article, “Thoughts From Guys On Our IM: Do You Worry About Being a ‘Toxic Bachelor’?” The article stemmed from a friend of the author’s who’d said he wanted to settle down in fear of becoming a “Toxic Bachelor,” explained as a moment in time when it’s “no […]
MoreLil Wayne is one of my favorite artists—not to mention a fun person to see in concert—but I love how clever his songs are. Months ago, on a date, his song “How to love,” came on, which sparked a good conversation about Weezy himself. Things didn’t work out with that date, but it’s a fond […]
MoreYesterday, I started the oh-so-fun task of cleaning out my work email account, as we are going through a program migration tomorrow. So that left me to sort through a solid 7,000 emails in attempts to start fresh. Sigh. Things were going as great as they could be considering the circumstances when I started clicking […]
MoreEarlier this week, a local magazine published an editorial I wrote about my neighbor. You can read it here. Long story short, I went to his apartment for what I assumed was an innocent evening and ended up having to run out of there after he was trying to force me to cuddle with him. […]
MoreIn last Sunday’s issue of The New York Times there was an “Education Life” insert full of articles on the modern college student. As a blogger, I was super excited to check out “Term Paper Blogging,” an article written by Matt Richtel on the idea of the age-old term paper being replaced with a blog. […]
MoreOne thing about writing a memoir is the difference between what happened then and what is happening now. The things I’m writing about, or rather, thinking about writing about when really they need to be edited and rewritten, happened years ago. Many. Years. Ago. Not only do I have to remember several things about those […]
MoreJust before the new year, I read a book I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on: “If It Was Easy They’d Call the Whole Damn Thing a HoneyMoon,” by Jenna McCarthy. The reviews for this book promised a hilarious read, and they were right on point. McCarthy tells the story of life as […]
MoreWell, I succumbed to the peer pressure and joined Pinterest. If you haven’t heard yet, Pinterest is basically a collection of virtual bulletin boards where you can post pictures, clippings, ideas, etc onto them just as you would a real bulletin board. I have several friends who’ve been on this for months and have told […]
MoreIn last Sunday’s issue of The New York Times, there was a great Modern Love article by Aimee Lee Ball, “Exit Left, Wordlessly.” Read it here. In it, Ball explains a relationship she had with a Civil War re-enactor. Although she was attracted to him, she questioned some of the stories he told her about his […]
MoreHello all! I know I am constantly apologizing for not posting enough on this site. I also know that excuses don’t get anyone anywhere—only action can do that. But here I am, posting. I’m not huge on New Year’s resolutions, but it’s always good to have goals. In 2012, I am most definitely staying on […]
MoreI came across this article on Twitter (follow me @OrangeJulius7) last month from Writer’s Relief: “Online Writing Submissions: Mistakes Writers Make Submitting to Literary Agents and Editors” Here’s a few tips I learned: Don’t rush. Take your time, follow ALL of the guidelines. Don’t forget to actually SUBMIT the work. Proofread (no typos or slang). […]
MoreHello all! I want to offer my sincere apologies for not writing in well over a month. I know, I’m a slacker…and I’m kicking myself in the ass for it. Truth be told, I’ve made the mistake of letting other things get in the way of making progress on my book…things like work, freelance, and […]
MoreI’ve been researching agents and the publishing world for just a few days now, and I will admit {as much as I hate to} that it is an intimidating world out there. I’m starting to second guess all of the work I’ve done, and wonder if I need to work harder, longer, be more clever…in […]
MoreThat last post (below) was one a wrote WHILE giving a presentation on why blogging is great for business. I logged into my Dashboard and showed the audience just how easy it is to post using WordPress (I know, I should be paid for this stuff). But anyway, last night I finally finished editing the […]
MoreOn my way home from work this evening, I used a gift card I got for Christmas to purchase the latest edition of Writer’s Market (the gospel for us folk). In years prior, I buy the general Writer’s Market, but since all I am focused on this year is publishing my book, I was happily […]
MoreHello all, and Happy New Year! Ugh, my sincere apologies for not writing lately. I have been totally drained, and really haven’t done a good job of keeping up with ANY of my many writing projects…I’m completely blaming the holidays and my long break from work that’s got me completely lazy! Anyway, I hope the […]
MoreI literally JUST finished editing my first rough draft. Man, it feels great! Many of you have offered to help me edit and I’m so thankful for that. I made all of my edits with pen and paper, so it will probably take me a few days to make them electronically (I know I probably […]
MoreHello all! I promise I’m still around. I just unpacked the rough draft to do an hour or so of editing. I am currently on page 21. I’m hoping to be finished tomorrow, so I can make all of my changes electronically and then send out the latest copies of the text. Wish me luck!
MoreHello readers! My chapter, “Checking Out” was the final chapter of my book—that’s right, I’ve completed writing the rough draft of How To Make Lemonade! It feels really weird saying that…but at the same time, it feels great. I wrote it months before the deadline I assigned myself, which is beyond me, really. Now that […]
MoreIn late October, Austin and I got into a pretty heated fight (big shocker, I know). He was coming into town for Thanksgiving the following month and I told him it would be a good time for us to meet each other’s parents—my mom was coming in town to cook with me and he was […]
MoreAJ, Hey you! Just wanted to say thanks for another great weekend. I have fun with you whether we’re out or just at home…because you’re that cool. I’m looking forward to another visit soon. I know things might suck now but I am certain time will help in a decision that will be the best […]
MoreToward the end of July, I had a bit of a meltdown. I hadn’t really talked to Austin much since I got home from Dallas. So I assumed he would never talk to me again. Everything he was doing I was applying it to my fear and I finally broke down. I thought about what […]
MoreBefore my trip to Dallas, Austin and I got into another fight. We talked on the phone one day when clearly, we should not have. He was being a dick because I didn’t call him when he wanted me to. So when I said I’d let him go so he could work, he got pissed. It […]
MoreShortly after my 22nd birthday, school and work were really taking up my time and energy, and I was really stressed out over my summer school classes. But since I was so busy, I didn’t have much social time. Most of my girlfriends had boyfriends or didn’t have time or money to go out, which often […]
MoreAfter Austin graduated, I went on vacation to St. Thomas with my mom and best friend. Austin was still in Baton Rouge looking for jobs. In mid June, I spent three days and nights with Austin. Thursday night was the first time we saw each other since I got back from St. Thomas. I really […]
MoreAfter I cooled off from being royally reject by Eddie, I went back on my word and started talking to Austin again. Naturally, when my friends found out Austin and I were talking again, they were skeptical—warning me that all Austin wanted from me was sex, but I gave him the benefit since I cared for […]
MoreWhen Eddie didn’t call me the following day, or days after that, I knew it was the Adam situation all over again. I was confused and heartbroken. But unlike my relationship with Adam, Eddie and I were always open with each other. It was clear how much we liked each other’s company. But if that […]
MoreIn September, I went to an LSU game with a few of my girlfriends. We thought it would be a great idea to wakeup early and throw back a few mimosas, since it was an afternoon game. But the alcohol and the heat made for a very unpleasant mix. So I went home early, and […]
MoreAfter work, we went to a restaurant just across the street from American Eagle. We ordered beers—I got mine on draft and he made a weird comment about how draft beer was cheaper and wondered if that’s why I got it. It wasn’t. During our conversation, it came out that I had a male roommate. […]
MoreIn August, A&F was cutting my hours, so I looked elsewhere for work. Naturally, I decided to go to the dark side and put in an application at American Eagle. When I went to drop off my completed application, there was a hot guy working the counter. His name was Eddie. He was just my […]
MoreI managed to survive my time at work, even when Austin was around. He wasn’t dating anyone else, and neither was I. In June, he told me he wanted to take me to the Marc Broussard concert that I’d bought him tickets for when we were still together. I liked Marc Broussard, but I wasn’t […]
MoreAustin and I didn’t go on many dates before we decided to be exclusive. Our first two dates went very well, and I remember wondering if things were moving too fast. I didn’t know if I was really ready for another relationship—I was still feeling the baggage from Adam. But I felt like Austin and […]
MoreI was in the stockroom at work one Saturday, trying to reorganize clothes, when Austin came in complaining about a recent date he went on. The girl he went with worked at A&F with us, just like all of the girls Austin took on dates. His general complaint was a blanket fear of never finding […]
MoreAfter Halloween, the anger portion of my grief set in. The lovely Facebook showed me pictures of Adam in a frat boy costume. He was with a girl who was dressed as a pirate wench. She is now his wife. Although I had declared my single status on Facebook, I wasn’t an idiot—Adam hadn’t met […]
MoreWhen I flew back to Louisiana, I had just as much trouble as I did getting to Indiana. My luggage was lost, again. And I could tell something was very off with Adam. I hadn’t talked to him all day, and even when I called him to tell him I made it home safely, he […]
MoreWhen I returned to LSU for the fall semester of my junior year, I was on a high. I was in love with someone who loved me. When I left Indiana, we were certain we could make it work, despite the 14 hours between us. I was confident in our relationship, feeling like it was […]
MoreAfter the night in Adam’s dorm over winter break, and returning to LSU for the spring semester, I was ready to go home and see my friends for the summer. Sheena and I were headed out for a typical summer night—out to a lake house. This was a friend’s family’s lake house—a notorious hotspot for partying […]
MoreHey there! I’ve spent a long weekend with my dad, who came into town for his 50th birthday and the football game of the year: LSU vs. BAMA. It was his first time in Tiger Stadium, and we got to cheer on the Tigers to victory! A really great game to see. We spent the […]
MoreAs close as Adam and I were, I never saw much of him during school breaks. Over the summer, Adam and his family spent time at their lakeside cottage in Michigan. During Christmas break, he was either closing the cottage or traveling to visit other family members. From the outside, his family looked perfect. Adam’s […]
MoreHe arrived at her house in his black Sunfire. The sunroof was open, letting the evening sun pour into the gray interior. He was the first one in our grade to get his license and a car, dubbing him the official driver. His friend was in the passenger’s seat, waiting for my girlfriend and I […]
MoreMy latest entry was the last of my story [for book one anyway}. I sifted through piles of notes, postcards, journal entries, pictures and even paycheck stubs to gather my thoughts and jog my memory of those things, which happened years ago. Although parts of it were difficult to go back and examine, I knew […]
MoreWhen Thanksgiving actually came around, I didn’t see or talk to Austin despite us being in the same city. I spent time with a man I was casually dating. Months passed and I distanced myself from Austin—the more time went on, I realized just how wrong he was for me, but I hadn’t had my […]
MoreIn late October 2007, Austin and I got into a pretty heated fight (big shocker, I know). He was coming into town for Thanksgiving the following month and I told him it would be a good time for us to meet each other’s parents—my mom was coming in town to cook with me and he […]
MoreOctober 7, 2007 {9:34 p.m.}: I’ve been feeling better about the AJ situation since we talked about things. When we talked, we never really got anything solved, but at least I learned Austin didn’t mean most of what he said and he was just trying to get a reaction out of me. There is still […]
MoreSeptember 30, 2007: Been a long time since I’ve been here. Been writing some on my computer—but I’ve reached that point where I really need to just WRITE. Last night, I cried for the first time over a fight Austin and I had over two weeks ago. I left for work and was coming home […]
MoreAJ, Hey you! Just wanted to say thanks for another great weekend. I have fun with you whether we’re out or just at home…because you’re that cool. I’m looking forward to another visit soon. I know things might sucks now but I am certain time will help in a decision that will be the best […]
MoreI was on my way to Los Angeles for the first time ever, and I was alone. I’d flown alone many times before, but never to a place where I didn’t know anyone. I’d never been further west than Chicago. I boarded my plane, headed to LAX, and felt pretty relaxed on the large flight. […]
MoreAugust 14, 2007 {9:59 a.m}: It seems airport writing has become my thing—or maybe just airports in general. I’m here in Texas on my way to Los Angeles, finally! So much has happened since I wrote last. Seriously last week was such a roller coaster. Gabe and Nik and Evan ALL contacted me so my […]
MoreJuly 25, 2007 {10:40 p.m.}: Okay, so yesterday I had a bit of a meltdown. For starters, I really hadn’t talked to Austin much since I got home from Dallas. So of course I assumed he would never talk to me again. Everything he was doing I was applying it to my fear and I […]
MoreJuly 22, 2007 {9:22 p.m.}: New journal, I know. Here I am, in Houston waiting for my next flight into New Orleans. I just finished my weekend with Austin in Dallas. I had so much fun with him and I definitely was so sad to leave him. Of course, I was wrong about so many […]
MoreJuly 10, 2007 {12:59 p.m.}: OK, so I don’t have my fucking journal, I’m at Starbucks and pissed at Austin AGAIN! This is the third time in three days. We talked yesterday when we definitely should not have. He was being a dick because I didn’t call him when he wanted me to. So when […]
MoreJuly 7, 2007{8:30 p.m.}: Okay, once again it’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I’m 22 now! School and work have been really taking up my time and energy…I’ve been really stressed. My geology grade sucks, I can’t seem to get ahold of the concepts and time is running out. But since I’ve been so […]
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The Bitter Lemon 
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