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The Obligatory Introductory Post

Hi, I'm Jay. I know, you're thrilled, right? I'm 35, I live in Ohio, I'm a lawyer, and I write young adult novels.

Let's start with the first question: why do I write?

I don't know. I always have. My first book was finished at the age of four - a ten page novel, illustrated by moi, about the adventures of a pony named "Bittersweet" (named after the Crayola crayon. Do they still have that color anymore? If not, they should, because that was an awesome color, sort of caramelly and warm, just a great shade of brown, like the light brown M&Ms they used to have. Oh, jesus. Hi, I'm Jay. Welcome to my nostalgia trip.). Anyway, it was quite a hit among my older female relatives, if I do say so myself. Since then, I've written a lot of things - short stories, novels, fan fiction (no, I won't tell you what about) - but I haven't sold anything. Truthfully, I haven't tried. Until recently, I hadn't dedicated myself to writing, not in the way that one has to be dedicated in order to get things done and get them out there. But I've always loved writing, and this year I'm going to give it the chance to become more than fun.

So, then, Jay, why young adult novels?

Because I'm basically a 14 year old girl in my head. Is that reason enough? Because that's basically it. I don't have kids, I'm not married. My mortgage is really the only indication I have that I'm technically an adult. :) Being a teenager wasn't the best time of my life (thank god. I can't imagine the horror it would be to peak when I was 17), but it's such an intense and thrilling time, a time of such possibility, that young adult fiction really appeals to me. And I get teenagers in a way that I don't get adults. So young adult fiction it is. Besides my fan fiction (no, really, don't ask), all of my fiction has involved teenagers. I love them as characters. They're on the brink of something, and, depending on which way they lean, they could go either way.

Some other things you should know - I'll try to post regularly, but sometimes life is going to get in the way. Most of the stuff I talk about here is going to be about my writing, not my personal life. Oh, and, if you want to comment, you totally should. I may not respond to every comment, but I'll try to answer questions, if there are any.

So that's me. Who're you?
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