I moved from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles three years ago... sorta on a whim. Sorta not. Nonetheless, it was a very QUICK decision. But I'm loving it. Really, there's no place I'd rather live.
I come from a military family, and up to about ten years ago had no siblings (which sucked because I was always living in a new place. That's why I turned to books, and probably is the reason why I'm as quirky as I am now). Now I have six step-siblings. None that I know very well. But they seem nice enough.
I love to write, read, play poker, take trips to Vegas, invest in real estate (& in general), work out, be surrounded by genuinely good-hearted, kind, intelligent, ambitious people. I love books, trivia, movies, being with people. . . being alone.
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I make my living as a writer and publisher. When I first landed here, I, like most, did a little acting. Small roles in movies. Films that'll be out this year ('08). Mostly indies, but one major movie.
In January of last year, I signed with fabulous literary and film managers who will shop around a book and film deal for my first suspense novel, Never Smile at Strangers. I can't tell you how excited I am.
But the best thing, hands down, that has happened to me since moving to Los Angeles is finally meeting the love of my life. Not only did I luck out by finding such an incredibly honest and upstanding person, he's also as creative and driven as I am. We spend our days writing, editing, shooting movies, reading books/scripts. . . and our evenings playing poker, vegging on the couch with a good (okay, sometimes bad) movie, or attending industry events.
Let's see, what else... I love competition... for example, board games (RISK, Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, and Scrabble). And yes, I'm pretty good at all of the above. Poker is actually a new game for me, but I'm finding myself either at house parties or in the casino at least once a week. Sounds like I'm obsessed, but I'm not. Not really.
Dislikes? Mean, judgmental, dishonest, unhappy people with unhappy lives. People who could care less about fixing what's wrong with themselves and their lives--and who would much rather complain. People like that drain me. I guess that's really my only dislike. I'm pretty easygoing. Or, at least that's what I'd like to think. ;)
I think that a lot of folks on the East coast have the wrong impression of L.A. I've found people to be much more laid back and creative here. Not to mention, much less stressed and self-conscious. I feel much more at home here than the dozens of other cities I've lived in. So far, I've had only positive experiences and, for the most part, met positive people. Of course, L.A. has its superficial side and it's plenty dangerous (LAPD choppers flying overhead every other day or so for police chases or manhunts), but what city or person is perfect, right?
I publish business news for the pharmaceutical industry, write features and columns for magazines, scripts, and novels. I believe in planting seeds and being persistent. I think those two things plus a healthy dose of passion are what get people ahead... and happy. Life's short. You need to do those things that make you happy.
I also own and manage a web site for writers, www.WritersBreak.com , that has won a spot on "Writers Digest" magazine's 'best web sites for writers' list for the last three years. Good stuff. If you're a writer, you should check it out.
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I'm here to meet writers, readers, actors, directors, producers, and other creative types. I would also like to reconnect with old friends/family who I haven't seen in years. So, if you knew me back when (AKA Jenny Bayhi/Jennifer Bayhi) and you happen across this page, I'd love to hear from you.But please understand that I'm always on deadline, so it might take me a few days (sometimes longer) to respond.
If you message me and 1) ask me to go out with you, 2) spam me, 3) repeatedly say "wuz up, hun," but nothing else, 4) send me pornography, 5) send chain letters, 6) send negative information about people (or negativities about the world in general). . . I won't respond.
Oh, one last thing. A lot of aspiring writers have been messaging me with questions about the business of writing. For example, whether they need a literary agent or not, how to get published, etc. I'm more than happy to answer you, but if you have these questions, it might help if you first take a look at my blog. I'll be answering many of those questions there. :) You can also google me (Jennifer Minar). I've written hundreds of articles that answer those very questions.
Take care!
Jen
