[NOTE: This book was written in 2010, a time of long-distance phone cards, weight-loss obsessions, and searching for a man as a solution to life's problems-what a messy time to be alive! In other words, I hope you enjoy this throwback, and while this book does end on a cliffhanger of sorts, the sequel addresses any unanswered questions (which is hopefully fair, given that book 1 is free, ya know?] An awkward family homecoming at Christmas. A humiliating public weigh-in, with two judging parents as the audience. The announcement of a deadline for arranged marriage doom. And that's just the first two chapters. In "Year of the Chick," Romi Narindra must find love before her parents find her a husband. Easy to say, less easy to live through, as this book takes you deep inside "awkward Indian living in the West." To escape her fate, Romi wades through the waters of secret-dating, where self-consciousness is at an all-time high, and experience at an all-time low. It's the sort of thing that would turn almost anyone into a man-crazy freak with romance tunnel-vision, and that's exactly what ends up happening. All the while, a lack of inspiration in her corporate job leads Romi to her love of writing, in what quickly becomes a man-quest play-by-play. From whiskey-breath scum bags to uni-brow creeps and everything in between, Romi and her wingmen come up empty time after time. And that's when she meets a fellow writer. On the Internet. So will it be arranged marriage doom, or an Internet affair that's not as creepy as "To Catch a Predator"? Time will tell in the "year of the chick," a twelve-month quest to find love. Tick-tock. --------------------------------------------- "Year of the Chick" is book one of a series, and book two is available at Amazon! LENGTH: 75,000 words or 285 pages DISCLAIMER: this book contains profanities, blunt accounts of the dating scene, and many awkward family moments. Enjoy!

**UNDER CONSTRUCTION - This was written in 7th grade and I'm now graduated from high school with a few college credits under my belt. I'm fixing all of it.** A shiver raced down my spine and the air thickened. The other end of the alleyway wasn't far, but it didn't seem to be coming closer no matter how fast I walked. Humoring my paranoia, I glanced over my shoulder just in time to catch a fist to the face. I dropped to my hands and knees and stared at the ground in a daze. My jaw throbbed with each beat of my heart, hammering the side of my face. Strong hands gripped me and dragged me backward. We made considerable progress toward the other end of the alleyway before my dazed mind caught up with reality. I was being kidnapped.

Young love is so sweet. Couples are holding hands under the sweet bask of the moonlight. They sit on the porch talking as a light goes on, signifying their few hours apart. No, I have nothing against young love. No, it's the people who are ruining it that makes me sad. I'll admit, I am not a romantic. But that doesn't make it any more better that people like Adrian are going around and playing all the girls! We are definitely not some pieces that he can move on that evil little board called his life. So, feisty me kept my proper distance away from player Adrian Palmer as it should be. Minds like ours should not be collided or it will be dangerously lethal. I'm confusing you, aren't I? Well let's start out with the fact that my best friend, Almira, thinks that Adrian is is her soul mate. She's one of the romanticists. Of course I had to be supportive after a while, a moment without disdain led her to believe that I jumped on the Adrian bandwagon! Enough with the preword. Here's a tale of how my life got utterly, totally, shipwrecked.

Laney Herman is living the life of a typical teenager in her small town in Minnesota, when she's discovered by a big-time agent who whisks her off to L.A., and thrusts her into the crazy world of young Hollywood. Within weeks, she's starring in a film, getting her first onscreen kiss, dating her hunky co-star and being stalked by the paparazzi. Will this town chew her up and spit her out, or is Laney a star in the making?