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?

The thing about white lies, is that they darken more than the real ones actually. They start out trying not to hurt someone, but that's all they do. Hurt. I tried to protect him; but I didn't' know how. So I lied. It was only because he was my bestfriend. Because I love him. This secret you ask? Well, my parents died. And I have gastric cancer. How I managed to hide that for so long? No clue. I was willing to do anything to cover it up. When I realized how wrong it was, it was too late. More lies, losses, and love.

Everyone dies, someday and somehow. Sixteen year old Allie is dying of cancer. More than anything, she wants to be a normal teenager. But pretending is exhausting and the lies pile up. With a chance at first love and true friends, Allie must choose between maintaining the pretence or risking everything with the truth. Can Allie open her heart and embrace love? If you liked 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green or 'A Walk to Remember' by Nicholas Sparks, you'll love Awakening to Life.

[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!