Author Guest Post
Pursue Your Passion!
by Pamela Samuels Young
People often ask me how I went from attorney to author. Although I majored in journalism in college and spent several years working as a television news writer, I never gave any thought to writing fiction. I’ve always been a voracious reader, and when I finished law school in my early thirties, I developed a passion for reading legal thrillers. Unfortunately, I never saw women or people of color depicted as attorneys in any of the books I read. I would close the novels feeling satisfied with the story, but disappointed about the lack of diversity of the characters. So one day, I decided that I would write a legal thriller with the kind of characters I wanted to see. In the process, I discovered my passion!
At the time, I was an associate at a large corporate law firm in Los Angeles. Despite the demands of my law practice, I somehow managed to get up at four in the morning to squeeze in a couple of hours of writing before work. I wrote in hotels, in airports, in the office late at night—whenever and wherever I could find the time. I never really had a true passion in my life until I discovered mystery writing. I’m currently practicing law as an in-house employment attorney for a large corporation, yet I’ve still managed to publish five novels over a six year period. Nothing short of passion made that possible.
Whether your dream is to write a novel, start your own business, or go back to school, you can make it happen. Here are some tips that will help you begin your journey.
1. Find Time To Plan Your Passion
With the demands of work, family, church and community activities, you may think you don’t have a spare moment to even think about, much less pursue, your dream career. You’re wrong. More than a few best-selling authors found time to write despite family demands and busy careers. Before they were household names, John Grisham and James Patterson wrote in the mornings before heading off to work. Mary Higgins Clark wrote late at night after putting her five children to sleep. You can do it too!
It won’t be easy, but you can find free time where you least expect it. The next time you’re taking a neighborhood jog or walking on the treadmill, use the time to think about possible locations for the business you’ve dreamed of opening or mull over the plot for that book you’ve wanted to write. Instead of listening to your favorite CD during your morning and evening commute, use the time to work on your business plan. Your lunch break and the two to three hours you spend in front of the television can also be put to good use. With your family’s support, you might even find an evening or two to run off to your local library or a nearby Starbucks for some passion-planning time. Even if it’s only an hour a week, use it.
2. Don't Reinvent The Wheel
You may not realize it, but you have a multitude of resources all around you—family, friends, colleagues, church members, and even strangers. Don’t be afraid to request an informational interview. If you want to run a bed ‘n breakfast, call up the owners of a similar establishment in another community, invite them to lunch and tap their brain. People love to talk about themselves and many will be flattered that you want to ask them for advice. The Internet is also a valuable resource. You can enter a few key words on Google and YouTube and find loads of helpful resources. Just remember: research, research, research!
3. Join Professional Organizations
It’s a good idea to surround yourself with others who share your interests and passion. There are hundreds of professional groups whose sole function is to help their members develop their creative talents and realize their business goals. As a writer, I belong to Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America. I don’t make the meetings on a regular basis, but when I do, I always learn something or make some contact that helps me along in my writing career. No matter what your passion is, there’s bound to be a networking group you can join.
4. Understand That It Won't Happen Overnight
Unfortunately, creative and entrepreneurial ventures don’t come with the guarantee of a regular paycheck. I assumed that after releasing my first novel, Oprah would call and the rest would be history. That has yet to happen. Somehow, I’m still balancing both my legal practice and my passion: writing legal thrillers. It can sometimes be quite stressful, but each time I release a new book, I’m re-energized and more committed than ever about reaching my goal of becoming a full-time writer. There will no doubt be disappointments when things don’t happen in accordance with your time schedule. Just remain faithful and focused on your goal. It will happen.
5. Ignore The Naysayers
We all know people who believe you should find a good job, work as hard as you can for 30 years, then retire at 65 and enjoy life. For them, the thought of leaving a secure, well-paying position for the uncertainties of entrepreneurial life is unthinkable. That kind of limited thinking won’t help you realize your dream.
You have to decide what you want to do and go for it. And don’t be surprised if you turn out to be your biggest obstacle. When that happens, just look your self-doubt squarely in the face and command it to go away. The same degree of preparation and persistence that helped you land your current position will also help you smoothly transition into your dream career.
So don’t just dream about pursuing your passion, make it happen!
About The Author
Pamela Samuels Young is a practicing attorney, whose fast-paced legal thrillers tackle law and crime. Her novels include Attorney-Client Privilege, Murder on the Down Low and Buying Time. A former television news writer, Pamela is a graduate of USC, Northwestern University and UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. Pamela currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime, an organization dedicated to the advancement of women mystery writers.
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Book Review
Publisher: Goldman House Publishing
Publication Date: June 9, 2012
Format: Paperback - 396 pages / Kindle - 579 KB / Nook - 1 MB
ISBN: 0981562795
ASIN: B008BWAD5G
Genre: Legal Thriller / Mystery - Suspense - Thriller
BUY THE BOOK: Attorney-Client Privilege
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours.
Book Description:
A brutal murder, missing documents and an unscrupulous opposing counsel lead attorney Vernetta Henderson on a quest for justice—and ultimately—revenge. The hotshot L.A. lawyer takes on a corporation with a long history of discriminating against women. While Vernetta simply wants justice for her clients, the corporation’s hired gun wants to win . . . and she doesn’t care how. On the home front, Vernetta’s infamous sidekick Special has finally found true love. But is the price more than she’s willing to pay?
Book Excerpt:
Chapter 1
“Girlfriend, you need to relax.” Olivia Jackson gave her co-worker’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We won’t be able to get through this if you don’t. You want me to pray for you?”
Judi Irving inhaled and pretended to busy herself inside her battered locker. Prayer was her co-worker’s answer to everything.
“Uh, that’s okay,” Judi mumbled, mostly to herself. “I’m fine.”
She stripped off her purple Big Buy blazer and stuffed it inside the locker. The second she’d entered the room, the pain swelling her feet went from uncomfortable to unbearable. Her body’s way of rebelling against another twelve-hour shift.
Olivia took a step closer to Judi, as her eyes crisscrossed the empty locker room. “Did you bring the documents?” she asked.
“Not here!” Judi whispered, her voice tinged with panic. She had told Olivia a thousand times. It wasn’t safe to talk about their lawsuit at work.
Judi was a fit, strawberry blonde, who usually masked her worries with a pleasant smile. Today she felt anxious and frayed. She stared up at the ceiling. She wouldn’t put it past Big Buy to have listening devices or even video cameras hidden in the locker room.
“You worry too much,” Olivia said, raising her right hand as if preparing to take an oath. “Not a soul can be against us because Jesus is for us.”
At only 33, Olivia spoke with the confidence and zeal of a Baptist minister. She had skin the color of slightly burnt straw and a body stacked with curves. Her tell-it-like-it-is personality significantly heightened her five-two frame.
“Ida can’t meet us tonight,” Judi said. “So you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see them.”
It baffled Judi how Olivia could be so fearless in the face of what they’d just done. Two weeks ago, they’d filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against Big Buy, the largest discount chain in the state of California. Fed up with seeing women repeatedly passed over for promotions and subjected to crude, sexist jokes, Judi and her two co-workers decided to do something about it. The only way to make change, they’d agreed, was to shove it down the company’s throat.
The Big Buy documents Judi now possessed—documents Olivia was dying to see—should have emboldened her. Instead, they only heightened her fears.
Olivia’s face flushed with exasperation. “You’re way too paranoid, girlfriend. I’m praying for you whether you want me to or not.” She took both of Judi’s hands in hers, closed her eyes and bowed her head. “Father God, please protect and strengthen Judi for the battle we—”
Judi eased her hands from Olivia’s grasp and stepped past her, never meeting her eyes.
“That’s okay…I, uh…I gotta go.”
“Girlfriend, you need to relax.” Olivia Jackson gave her co-worker’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We won’t be able to get through this if you don’t. You want me to pray for you?”
Judi Irving inhaled and pretended to busy herself inside her battered locker. Prayer was her co-worker’s answer to everything.
“Uh, that’s okay,” Judi mumbled, mostly to herself. “I’m fine.”
She stripped off her purple Big Buy blazer and stuffed it inside the locker. The second she’d entered the room, the pain swelling her feet went from uncomfortable to unbearable. Her body’s way of rebelling against another twelve-hour shift.
Olivia took a step closer to Judi, as her eyes crisscrossed the empty locker room. “Did you bring the documents?” she asked.
“Not here!” Judi whispered, her voice tinged with panic. She had told Olivia a thousand times. It wasn’t safe to talk about their lawsuit at work.
Judi was a fit, strawberry blonde, who usually masked her worries with a pleasant smile. Today she felt anxious and frayed. She stared up at the ceiling. She wouldn’t put it past Big Buy to have listening devices or even video cameras hidden in the locker room.
“You worry too much,” Olivia said, raising her right hand as if preparing to take an oath. “Not a soul can be against us because Jesus is for us.”
At only 33, Olivia spoke with the confidence and zeal of a Baptist minister. She had skin the color of slightly burnt straw and a body stacked with curves. Her tell-it-like-it-is personality significantly heightened her five-two frame.
“Ida can’t meet us tonight,” Judi said. “So you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see them.”
It baffled Judi how Olivia could be so fearless in the face of what they’d just done. Two weeks ago, they’d filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against Big Buy, the largest discount chain in the state of California. Fed up with seeing women repeatedly passed over for promotions and subjected to crude, sexist jokes, Judi and her two co-workers decided to do something about it. The only way to make change, they’d agreed, was to shove it down the company’s throat.
The Big Buy documents Judi now possessed—documents Olivia was dying to see—should have emboldened her. Instead, they only heightened her fears.
Olivia’s face flushed with exasperation. “You’re way too paranoid, girlfriend. I’m praying for you whether you want me to or not.” She took both of Judi’s hands in hers, closed her eyes and bowed her head. “Father God, please protect and strengthen Judi for the battle we—”
Judi eased her hands from Olivia’s grasp and stepped past her, never meeting her eyes.
“That’s okay…I, uh…I gotta go.”
My Book Review:
Hot shot L.A. attorney Vernetta Henderson is back with a new case that has murder, mystery and an epic legal battle with a very worthy opponent!
In Attorney-Client Privilege, L.A. attorney Vernetta Henderson is representing three friends: Olivia, Judy and Ida, who have filed a class action sex discrimination lawsuit against the company that they work for, Big Buy discount store. Big Buy has hired the savvy attorney Girlie Cortez to defend them, she is an attorney that will do anything to win a case. Vernetta begins to prepare for an epic courtroom battle that will pit her against Girlie, who she has never won a case against. Judi receives interesting mail that contains documents about Big Buy ... only to be murdered and the documents go missing ... leaving Vernetta to solve the murder, find the missing documents and win the lawsuit.
Attorney-Client Privilege is a riveting fast-paced legal thriller full of twist and turns that will keep you in suspense and guessing at every turn of the page. Cleverly written in the alternating first and third person narratives and set in L.A., the author weaves another intriguing installment (fourth book) in the Vernetta Henderson series. In this novel, the reader is once again following Vernetta as she takes on a new case that will pit her against the cunning attorney Girlie Cortez, while trying to solve the mystery of her client's murder.
The author has created a cast of characters who are realistic and complex people, and are engaging and easy for the reader to relate to. The characters' dynamic dialogues and interactions leap off the page and captivate the reader's attention, while the non-stop action keeps the suspense level high and make this story a very compelling and entertaining read.
Author Pamela Samuels Young utilizes her vast experience as an attorney and her wealth of legal knowledge to weave a series of legal thrillers that keeps the reader captivated, engrossed and wanting more.
Attorney-Client Privilege is the fourth book in the Vernetta Henderson series, but each book can stand alone.
RATING: 4 STARS ****
Hi Teena! Thanks for stopping by, glad you liked the book too.
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