Happy Book Birthday to Pintip Dunn's The Darkest Lie! To celebrate, here's a guest post from Pintip.
Why I Write All My Books On My Cell Phone by Pintip Dunn
My junior year of college, my hands froze. Not good-God-the-library-is-cold froze. Not even I-have-no-idea-what-to-write-next froze. I mean, my hands physically froze, as in the muscles from my neck to my shoulders to my elbows to my forearms locked up, so that I couldn't move them. And they stayed that way for a week. I couldn't brush my hair. I couldn't bring a fork to my mouth. All I could do was lie in bed, terrified that my life was never going to be the same again.
It wasn't. And a part of me couldn't be more grateful.
Oh, I don't mean the physical stuff. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia/RSI. I got through college and law school by hiring a typist and taking my exams -- even the bar exam -- orally. To this day, I can't type on a keyboard or lift heavy things without considerable pain. During flare-ups, the pain is so unbearable, I want to curl into a fetal position and scream.
This disability, however, led me to my true calling. There was enormous pressure on me to have a secure and lucrative career, and I became a litigation attorney at a corporate law firm. I was good at it. I was also miserable, but no matter. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
And then, I had a flare-up. This one landed me flat on my back for six months. In the midst of this suffering, I had an epiphany. My body wasn’t punishing me. It was talking to me, in a way I couldn't ignore. It was telling me: Get off of this path. This isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing.
I've wanted to be an author since I was six years old -- but I put that dream aside because it was too frivolous, too impractical. I focused on other pursuits because I wasn't going to succeed as a writer, anyway.
I think the voice inside me was sick of being ignored. It had to speak louder and louder, in the only way it knew how, until I finally listened. Until I finally understood that I had no choice but to pursue my dream.
Once I had this realization, I left the legal profession and never looked back.
I still can't type. But I can tap on my cell phone if it's locked in portrait position. I've written my last six books this way, and I hope to write many more.
So, thank you, body, for talking to me. I'm so glad I listened.
It wasn't. And a part of me couldn't be more grateful.
Oh, I don't mean the physical stuff. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia/RSI. I got through college and law school by hiring a typist and taking my exams -- even the bar exam -- orally. To this day, I can't type on a keyboard or lift heavy things without considerable pain. During flare-ups, the pain is so unbearable, I want to curl into a fetal position and scream.
This disability, however, led me to my true calling. There was enormous pressure on me to have a secure and lucrative career, and I became a litigation attorney at a corporate law firm. I was good at it. I was also miserable, but no matter. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
And then, I had a flare-up. This one landed me flat on my back for six months. In the midst of this suffering, I had an epiphany. My body wasn’t punishing me. It was talking to me, in a way I couldn't ignore. It was telling me: Get off of this path. This isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing.
I've wanted to be an author since I was six years old -- but I put that dream aside because it was too frivolous, too impractical. I focused on other pursuits because I wasn't going to succeed as a writer, anyway.
I think the voice inside me was sick of being ignored. It had to speak louder and louder, in the only way it knew how, until I finally listened. Until I finally understood that I had no choice but to pursue my dream.
Once I had this realization, I left the legal profession and never looked back.
I still can't type. But I can tap on my cell phone if it's locked in portrait position. I've written my last six books this way, and I hope to write many more.
So, thank you, body, for talking to me. I'm so glad I listened.
ABOUT THE DARKEST LIE:
“The mother I knew would never do those things.
But maybe I never knew her after all.”
Clothes, jokes, coded messages…Cecilia Brooks and her mom shared everything. At least, CeCe thought they did. Six months ago, her mom killed herself after accusations of having sex with a student, and CeCe’s been the subject of whispers and taunts ever since. Now, at the start of her high school senior year, between dealing with her grieving, distracted father, and the social nightmare that has become her life, CeCe just wants to fly under the radar. Instead, she’s volunteering at the school’s crisis hotline--the same place her mother worked.
As she counsels troubled strangers, CeCe’s lingering suspicions about her mom’s death surface. With the help of Sam, a new student and newspaper intern, she starts to piece together fragmented clues that point to a twisted secret at the heart of her community. Soon, finding the truth isn’t just a matter of restoring her mother’s reputation, it’s about saving lives--including CeCe’s own…
THE DARKEST LIE: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
“The mother I knew would never do those things.
But maybe I never knew her after all.”
Clothes, jokes, coded messages…Cecilia Brooks and her mom shared everything. At least, CeCe thought they did. Six months ago, her mom killed herself after accusations of having sex with a student, and CeCe’s been the subject of whispers and taunts ever since. Now, at the start of her high school senior year, between dealing with her grieving, distracted father, and the social nightmare that has become her life, CeCe just wants to fly under the radar. Instead, she’s volunteering at the school’s crisis hotline--the same place her mother worked.
As she counsels troubled strangers, CeCe’s lingering suspicions about her mom’s death surface. With the help of Sam, a new student and newspaper intern, she starts to piece together fragmented clues that point to a twisted secret at the heart of her community. Soon, finding the truth isn’t just a matter of restoring her mother’s reputation, it’s about saving lives--including CeCe’s own…
THE DARKEST LIE: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Giveaway
There are 2 prizes! One winner will win a signed copy of THE DARKEST LIE (US only), and another winner will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon or Book Depository (international)! Click here for the giveaway.
ABOUT PINTIP DUNN: Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis.”
Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. Her debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, is a finalist in the Best First Book category of RWA’s RITA® contest. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network.
She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. Her debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, is a finalist in the Best First Book category of RWA’s RITA® contest. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network.
She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
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