: About Me

I have two first names, Carrie Neal, and go by both of them.

A few months ago, I quit my "first" career in sales and am currently freelancing, working on my first novel and basically trying to "make it" as a published author! I realized my passion for writing two years ago, when I launched my website, www.CarrieNealLand.com, as my 30th birthday project! This year, I was delighted to accomplish my goal of getting paid to write for someone else, when I got my first freelancing gig . . . go to www.NotForTourists.com to check out what's hot in various cities (I write for Atlanta but all versions are good!).

I'm very Leo: passionate, intense, witty, generous, stubborn, opinionated, risk-taking, stylish, vain about my hair, determined, sometimes a pain in the rear (but always worth it!), sometimes egocentric and prone to too much self-criticism, loyal, optimistic, extroverted, never met a stranger.

I love: blue jeans, being blonde, high heels (and flip-flops), champagne, great books and good quotes, my friends and tiny dog, exercise, cheese, Italy, volunteer work, eating at good restaurants, watching "Sex and The City" on DVD when I write, meeting new people, old pictures, learning from my mistakes and learning new things . . . and trying to always get better.

I think my thirties will be my best decade so far!

My passion is ...

to become a best-selling novelist.

I know too much about ...

the melodrama of employees at my favorite restaurant.

My parents always told me ...

I could be anything I dreamed.

My childhood ambition ...

was to be like my dad, President, a lawyer, and to give back.

My favorite memory ...

is swinging on my grandparents' front porch swing on a summer night.

Why I write ...

to communicate, to entertain and to fulfill a deep need and talent that I know I have.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs . . . "Sex and the City" on DVD, for the millionth time . . . Everything from classics by Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye to new faves from Jason Mraz, Fergie and Ashlee Simpson!

My first job ...

was in the mall food court! Seriously!

My best moment ...

is when something makes me laugh out loud or when I get a story just right.

My inspiration ...

comes from everywhere. People, places, sights and sounds - the world is always full of something that could inspire me.

Relationships & Family > The Single Life Singles: The solo dining guide

7 of 15

Some might consider me an expert at this! Whether I am in a relationship or not, I love to eat out by myself, and I do it on average four nights a week. And we aren't talking McDonald's here! Here's the thing: I think people, women in particular, need to be able to do the things they truly enjoy whether or not they have another person to go with them at any particular time. And while I know how to cook, and can do it fairly well, I prefer dining out. Over my nine-year sales career, I've also had to develop the ability to eat alone when traveling; when going through my divorce a few years a...

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