a little about SoCalCoug, OhioBlue, and SteelBlue
 

I have seen a grown man naked, but I have not been in a Turkish prison. I am a divorce lawyer (really!) and I used to be a personal injury lawyer. If only I had spent time as a criminal defense lawyer, I would be able to claim, in all likelihood, the sole title to the Mormon trifecta of axis of evil lawyers.

I've been married 8 years, having met my wife within weeks after graduating from law school at BYU (spent 8 years there, including undergrad and my throw-away, pre-mission freshman year).

I live in south Orange County, California. I consider myself more of a writer who happens to be a lawyer. My goal is to carve out a niche as one of the few family law appellate specialists in Orange County. My other goal is to actually get a work of fiction published - I have several in process, but as a procrastinating, lazy, right-brained INFP, that process is rather slow - I need to just pick one of them and get it finished. I spend way too much time on Cougarboard, too.

I have one son, who is 6.

And, of course, my entire year tends to center on BYU football.

so whatya writing about?

(don't authors feel jinxed if they reveal the answer?)

I think the first is more a collection of short stories that are turning out to be based around a single character - various aspects of LDS life, although I think the story that provides the most inspiration for me in this area is one that I read in college which was about a catholic boy's first confession. I'd like them to be stories about the LDS experience that aren't strictly for the LDS audience. If that doesn't work, there's always Deseret Book. I've got two basically done, another couple in progress, and a couple more where I at least have solid ideas. When I get eight or ten done, I'm going to get them to my uncle, who is a published LDS author, to see if they're publishable.

I also have a fantasy novel (I've been working on it on and off for about 5 years, but I'm only about halfway through chapter 2) sort of based on Joseph Smith (yes, I'm a huge Orson Scott Card fan, but I think I'm going a different direction than the Alvin Maker series). It has a lot of potential, and I want to be able to really concentrate on it - my career situation took a new turn three years ago, and it has required a lot of training and time, which I hope will slow down soon. I also am going to try to get the stories done first.

My theory is that once I find a little bit of success with a writing project, I will find a little bit more of a sense of urgency and will be able to turn more my attention more and more to it.

Re: Okay.
 

Looks like we have something in common. I too have a 6 year old son. Oh, and I'm an INFP and resemble the procrastinating and lazy descriptors at times. :)

It's funny, I have a good friend who's also a writer stuck in a lawyer's body. He is looking to complete some works of fiction and wrote a screenplay while in law school at Ohio St. What is it with you writers and deciding to go to law school? And he even went the step further to do a llm specialization thingey in taxation.

As for me, I'm in Iowa currently after moving here in late July. I'll be here until late next July, at which point I'll be going who knows where with my degree finally in hand. Iowa State is my internship (FT calendar year) which is the last year of my PhD in psychology. I've been married to my wife 8 years, 9 in December. Two kids, 6 and 4, no pets, no live-ins. I"m a golf nut, a boardgame geek, and a fellow band geek. And, like Stephen Wright, I'm afraid not of heights, but of widths.

SteelBlue's intro
 

A few things you may or may not know about SteelBlue:

-I'm the only regular poster on cougarguard who makes less than $200,000/yr.

-I have a Master's Degree from Tuft's University. I believe that my Master's earns me the title of Least Educated Poster on cougarguard.

-Both my mother and my grandmother frequently told me that I am a very attractive man. Women in the 70 years and over demographic think I'm god's gift to women. Women in their 30's say that I look like Ray Romano. My wife describes me as adequate.

-Though I'm 35 years old I can't help but admit that Dumb and Dumber was hilarious and that I have a hard time turning the channel if I happen upon an episode of South Park. I think that Reno911 is probably the funniest show on TV right now.

-I love cycling, especially road biking. I also like to lift weights and just turned my garage into a pretty nice gym.

-I am active and happy in the LDS church. I do however LOVE a warts and all approach to church history. Currently that is my favorite cougarguard category.

I can assure you that I make WAY less than 200k. Residency and wealth are two terms that rarely go together.

Also Archaea and I are both into cycling. Archaea is crazy into it. I just wish I was crazy into it.

Re: SteelBlue's intro
 

If you add a zero to the end of my current income, then yes I make just over 200K. :) Although it feels like that's about what I'll pay back to the government by the time loans are paid off, so maybe that counts for some weird kind of 'wealth'.

Reason # 1:

Me: Dad, now that I've got my English degree, I'm going to take a year and write a novel.
Dad: A novel? About what?
Me: It's a fantasy novel.
Dad: How much are you being paid?
Me: Nothing now, I've got to write it, first.
Dad: And then you'll get paid?
Me: Yeah, if I can find someone who will publish it.
Dad: Do you know who's going to publish it for you?
Me: Not yet. After I write it, I'll have to start sending it out to publishers.
Dad: Is there a deadline for them to respond?
Me: No.
Dad: What are you going to do in the meantime?
Me: Live here with you and Mom.
Dad: Tell you what. If you go to law school, you can live here for free in the summers. If you want to write your little book, you have to work at McDonald's and pay rent.
Me: Law school, it is.

Reason # 2:

Me: Hi. I'm SoCalCoug.
Hot girl: Hi. I'm Brandi.
Me: Want to come watch a movie at my parent's house?
Hot girl: Are you a student?
Me: No. I'm writing a fantasy novel and working at McDonald's so I can pay my parents rent.
Hot girl: Sorry. No thanks.


:lol:

My mom only tells me I have a nice personality. :(

Re: Okay.
 

Need a summer intern? I'm available ;) (I'm only half kidding). How's the CB for lawyers/law students? We have a ton on utefans.