[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!

(Sequel to Queen of Spades/King of Hearts stories) Nathaniel Vega grew up in a less than conventional family. His mother and father had once been student and teacher, his best friend was also his adoptive sister and his family seemed to include people who had no blood relations but shared a lot of love. Grace James has grown up with Nate playing at first big brother, now best friend and would be lover, but she is no fool to fall for his easy charms. She is trying to find where the line of friendship ends and where her independence from her best friend begins. Ophelia James is dying. Cancer is breaking her body down before she has even had a chance to live and do all the things she promised herself she would do when she had time. Bound by blood and love, Nathaniel, Grace and Ophelia inevitably get in the way of each other's lives, and somehow change the course of each other's fates. But when the happiness of all of them rests on a miracle, what sort of future can any one of them have?

Chloe Manson is a successful interior designer. Never mind the fact that her mum keeps setting up blind dates with the wrong guys, her life is otherwise quite normal and peaceful. She has a steady job, good friends and a pretty grotty apartment. What more can she ask? That is, until a new sexy stranger takes over as the boss of the company where she works at. He's irritating, obnoxious and infuriating. So why does she keep stealing glimpses into his office? Ed Hardy is determined to prove to his father that he is capable of managing a business as well as his perfect brother whom he can never measure up to. Originally anticipating that the working hours would be long and boring, he didn't expect to meet a lovely woman whom he can't seem to take his eyes off. Calling her into his office on the pretext of giving her work, he can't seem to reach into her heart. He knows that in his eyes, he's a bad boy through and through. So why doesn't he seem to be able to forget her like the numerous other women before?

Westley Vincent James Jr. had been in a Spanish street gang, graduated to Los Santos gang when he returned to Cuba and now finds himself at odds with the world of his father in Canada. He has trouble with authority, no clue what he wants from his future and can only be sure of one thing, the new dance teacher Ms. Avery, makes something inside his chest hurt with the need to hold her. She's just supposed to be the substitute dance teacher and his calculus tutor, but what happens when West wants her to be something more?

{For those who HATE student/teacher stories, TRY THIS ONE ANYWAYS. I dare you to read it and say it was a waste of time} Alice 'Ace' Spade had fled her horrible foster family by the time she was sixteen and found a way to survive by dancing in a sleazy strip club. One night a man named Malcolm is brought in by his friends and Ace and Mal hit it off. Until the cops crash the club and discover that Ace is only seventeen and a runaway. They force her back to school and back to the foster family that abused her. Her only solace is that Malcolm is now her teacher and sometimes protector. But what happens when they still have powerful chemistry and a growing affection towards each other?

"Rose, I'm sorry, but your eyesight will be gone by the end of this year." Who knew one simple sentence could change a life so drastically? Rose is a normal seventeen year old girl with a normal life, normal friends, and what she thought to be normal vision. When she receives the news her vision is slowly deteriorating, she doesn't know what to think. Her life is over. What's a life without being able to see? Enter Chace, a young man who tackled Rose to the ground, mistakingly thinking she was about to commit suicide. He's handsome, suave, and has no idea why Rose is so upset. And even though she is a complete stranger, he decides he wants to help her feel better. With four months until her vision is gone forever, Rose slowly falls in love with this happy-go-lucky young man, but never reveals her problem to him. She's scared. Will he stay with her when he finds out she's going blind? Or will he ditch her when he finds out the truth?

High school is hard for most people and for Chloe Miller, this is no exception. She is forced to learn the perils of her choices the hard way and the result leads her to building a steel wall around herself that is impossible to crack. Eventually, her mother loses her job and Chloe is then forced to move in with her cousin and their family. This means a new school and on the first day she arrives with a dynamite mission in mind. A mission to reclaim everything that she had once lost at the hands of others. She quickly finds herself fighting a past that she struggles to forget and creating a future that she can live with. It becomes a constant battle for her, centered around peer pressure, character stereo types, cliques and consequences. Couple that with the plight of falling in love and she finds herself playing a starring role in the game of life where everyone is playing for keeps. Will she win... or will she lose? Excerpt: Sauntering forwards, she slid onto his lap with all the grace of a prima ballerina and wrapped her long arms around his neck. Leaning in to his ear, she blew out a little puff of hot air so that it fanned lightly over all the right places. She felt a sense of utter satisfaction when he shuddered. Now that Chloe was certain that she had his attention, she whispered in his ear. “You may have been the best bucko, but guess what…..I’m going to be better.” She lifted up so that she could look him in the face and smiled confidently back at him. His previous cocky demeanor had seemed to have lost some of its earlier steam, “Who are you?” he asked so low that only Chloe could hear him. His forehead was creased as he searched her face, watching her as if she was some type of strange puzzle that needed to be solved. Chloe lifted her hand patted his cheek. The boy didn’t have a clue. “I, my friend, am your biggest adversary. So what do you say Mr. Player, won’t you play with me?”

Gracie May Howards is a brat. She's mean, and she not very smart at all. But she has that personality that's strong that you can't say no to. She is rather naive when it comes to guys. She really doesn't know anything about love, about accomplishments, and feeling good about what you do, until she meets her arrogant, rude, straight forward, mean Tutor.