I wanted to write about the USA Today review of THE GUY NOT TAKEN and how odd it is to have my books described as serious literature.
Actually, what I really wanted to do was write about the headline: GUY NOT TAKEN SHOWCASES MATURING WEINER.
Is it me, or does that sound like the setup for a dirty joke? Aren't there pills you can take for your maturing weiner?
And does even asking the question mean I haven't really matured that much?
No matter. My agent, tiny killjoy that she is, said no.
"You should write an introduction for people who don't know you yet!" she said.
So, for those of you just joining me on the weblog, or Myspace, here we go.
I am a thirty-six year old Aries who enjoys hot tubs, sunsets, long walks on the beach, and serious high-quality literary fiction when there's someone who can help me with the big words.
I was an English major at Princeton, and started my career as a newspaper reporter at the Centre Daily Times (hello, Happy Valley) from 1991 to 1994. I worked at the Lexington Herald-Leader for ten months in 1994, then moved to Philadelphia, where I worked for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1996 to 2001, when my first novel, GOOD IN BED, was published. (They say that the happiest day of a writer's life is when she gets to tell her parents that she's sold a book. I can personally assure you that this is not the case if your book is called GOOD IN BED).
In 2001, I went out on book tour and never came back to the newspaper, but I did come back to Philadelphia, and got married.
In 2002, I published IN HER SHOES, a novel about two nice Jewish girls, the grandmother they never knew, and how they come to terms with their troubled past and with each other. It was published to very nice reviews -- and, sadly, with the exact same cover as a book called BEST FETISH EROTICA. D'oh!
In 2003, I had a baby. In 2004, I published a novel about new motherhood called LITTLE EARTHQUAKES. 2005 saw the publication of my fourth novel and first mystery, GOODNIGHT NOBODY, and the release of the film version of In Her Shoes, starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine and featuring cameo appearances by my sister and my Nanna.
THE GUY NOT TAKEN is my fifth book and first-ever short story collection. I'm currently working on my next novel here in Philadelphia, where I live with my dog, Wendell (that's him on the back cover of GOOD IN BED), my husband, Adam (that's him on the dedication page of TGNT) and my daughter Lucy.
And the big excitement in my life right now -- aside from the new book -- is Lucy starting nursery school on Monday...and trying to find my copy of A MILLION LITTLE PIECES so I can send it to the publisher and get my money back.
More soon...