I had a lovely weekend celebrating a big birthday with my sister and longtime friends with whom I worked for many years. My one friend — the birthday girl — was our law office’s unofficial photographer, always taking photos during office celebrations or candid shots here and there. When the office was about to close, she inherited the photo albums with all the pictures. Over the years, she’s been passing out photos to staff and friends, like this one of me in my office. And no, I didn’t drink on the job. I was lucky to represent the Jose Cuervo company and kept samples of their various bottles in case I needed them for legal actions. I loved my job and the people I worked with. The office politics not so much. Anyway, people often ask if there’s any characters that are like lawyer me, and I would say Connie from WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER is the character most like me in some ways while Lara from THE FAMILY SHE NEVER MET has more of me in other ways. Both are career women, but both have a passion for something else. In Connie’s case, it’s control of her life. For Lara, it’s fulfilling her dream of being a writer. Both good goals if you ask me. Goals I strived for over in the many years that I worked full-time as an attorney but also pursued my career as a writer.
