erinlearywrites

Updated 2017

 

My name is Erin Leary and I have been a writer for years.  I have been keeping a commitment to myself to write more and this blog is a part of that commitment. I have had several of my works published in anthologies – see more about that here. I’ve joined a couple of writer’s organizations to help keep me motivated – both Backspace and Women’s Fiction Writers Association – and have been an unpaid intern at a New York Literary Agency for the past 2 years. In addition to my more fun fiction projects, I am writing for NoJitter.com on technology topics and am enjoying bringing my voice to my professional domain.

Writing is what helped keep me sane when I needed it most.  I used to say that if I pitched the plot line of my life to an agent, I would be laughed out of the room.  No one would believe that so many bad things could happen to one person in such a short amount of time.  I’m here to prove that reality is stranger than fiction. And I am still standing, through the grace of the English language.

I’m now embracing the next stage of my life – being a writer and checking off item #4 in the list below.  Anything is possible!

Random facts about me:

1. I used to have an underbite. I worried one of my kids would inherit that trait, but they didn’t. Maybe orthodontia straightened out my genes, too.
2. I enjoy therapy, both physical and mental. I think that makes me a little strange.
3. I like to have my bed made each day. Sometimes I do it just before I get in because it makes me feel better about accomplishing something.
4. If I could be anything, it would be a writer. I have author envy.
5. I sometimes think that I relate better to males than females but I wouldn’t revoke my membership in the sisterhood for anything. Women rock.
6. I have little or no patience for things that are poorly organized or stupid. I find as I get older this impatience leaks out more and more.
7. I love animals and am married to a man whose idea of the perfect pet is a stuffed one. We are working this out, but mostly we have pets and he copes.
8. In light of the above, my mother used to worry that I would want to bring home needy men just like I did with needy pets. I remember thinking that was an odd thing to worry about, then I became a mother.
9. I have a dark side and it sometimes scares me.
10. I think I’m a good mother to my kids. Each one is different from the others and I respect those differences. I had a good mother, so all the credit goes to her.
11. People at work think I am very calm and rational. I like to save my tantrums for home.
12. I know more song lyrics than I like to admit. A good chunk of my brain is tied up with that.
13. I have a scary ability to memorize phone numbers. Even now that they are ten digits long.
14. I am wicked good at factoring algebra problems. I’m almost an idiot savant because I hated algebra and really don’t know what to do other than factoring.
15. In the past few years, I’ve lost 5 important family members.  I miss each of them dearly and think of them almost every day.
16. I have a lot of guilt about what my divorce did to my kids – but a lot of hope that talking about it with them helps.
17. I don’t like to fail. It’s a character flaw.
18. I am a very private person. Doing this is a real stretch for me.
19. I read almost obsessively and have passed it along to my kids.
20. I still get a thrill when I go to the library because it’s like a whole world of possibilities to choose from – for free!
21. I love that I have both Irish and Norwegian heritage. Of course, I have a lot of other things in the mix, but those are the two I relate to best.
22. I am a fiercely loyal friend and have only a handful of people that I am truly close to.
23. I hate ending sentences with a preposition (see above) but sometimes it feels more awkward to use correct grammar.
24. I can set almost any electronic clock without instructions. I’ve only been defeated once.
25. I once had a top score on a Ms. Pacman machine that lasted for over a year. I was that good.