Holy Smokes, I’ve Arrived in NaNoLand!

Hello Wrimos,

I’m happy to find myself in NaNoLand with a nifty computer, a staff of superheroes, and a sweets factory right next door! As one of the latest interns at the OLL, it feels like I’ve fallen into a foreign land where Wrimos rule the (imaginary) world,  where Campers hold sentences over a fire until the words reach that special marshmallow-y goodness, and where caffeine is… well, caffeine. I’m even learning the cool new language of Wrimo-verse (does that word exist yet?).

Let me tell you a little about myself.

I love to travel to foreign lands, both the imaginary ones and the real ones. I’ve backpacked through South America and Europe, and most recently returned from a three-month backpacking trip through the lush jungles and crowded chicken buses of Central America. Now, that I’ve settled back into my hometown of the Bay Area, I hope to gain inspiration for my imaginary world. I’m working on a novel about a 12-year-old boy named Dillon Pikne (AKA Dill Pickle) who learns that an earthquake might not be the best way to escape from a pickle jar. I’ll tell you a little more about that one day soon.

On the more professional side of life, I graduated from University of California at Santa Barbara with a B.A. in English Literature and Psychology. I work part-time at the International House at UC Berkeley and volunteer at Room to Read, an organization that brings books to underprivileged children around the world. As you can probably tell, I want my life to stretch out into the world even while I’m enjoying the company of my furry sidekick Leila or strolling the story-filled streets of Berkeley. I blame it on growing up in San Francisco where zooming BART trains shoot you to all ends of the earth… or so it felt like when I was a kid.

And now I’m here in NaNoLand, ready for the adventure to begin! I’m here to tumble with you through this noveling journey. Are you ready?

— Andrea