33 Things About Me on my 33rd Birthday- in no particular order

1. I have one niece and one nephew, and I’mconvinced they are perfect. You cannot tell me otherwise.
2. I have a terrible Sweet Tooth.
3. My favorite color is pink.
4. 95% of the time I am cold.
5. Ground Hog Day is my favorite minor holiday.
6. I won my first writing contest when I was in third grade. The story was about a girl who was sad because she had the last name Garfield. Everyone made fun of her because of the cartoon cat, but in the end, she learned that she was a descendent of President Garfield and felt proud of her name.
7. I love to laugh.
8. I enjoy my day job as a librarian almost as much as being a writer.
9. My Appleseed Creek Series is very, very loosely on my experience living in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
10. I’m afraid of needles and clowns. If I saw a clown holding a syringe, I would probably pass out.
11. I love scarves. See number 4.
12. When I have free time, I love to do crafty things, especially making jewelry.
13. I’ve swam with dolphins.
14. The most adventurous trip I ever took was to Israel and Jordan.
15. I never write at a desk. I sit at desk eight hours a day during my job as a librarian. The thought of sitting at a desk another three to four hours when I get home makes me want to cry.
16. I have one older brother.
17. I have two cats, Reepicheep and Mister Tumnus… you probably knew that if you follow me on Facebook. They get a lot of face time over there.
18. I love to swim.
19. I’m a PK. My mom’s an ordained Presbyterian minister.
20. Nothing makes me happier than organizing something.
21. Flip-flops are the best footwear ever invented.
22. My next novel releases on February 15, 2013 and is called A Plain Scandal. You probably knew that, but I had to get it in there.
23. I write mysteries for Penguin under the pen name Isabella Alan. I chose the pen name to honor my niece and father.
24. I’ve been all over the world, but one of my very favorite trips was to South Dakota. It’s beautiful.
25. I get my wit from my father and my imagination from my mother.
26. My favorite job ever was being a basket weaver at a living history museum.
27. I love cupcakes. Okay, you probably knew that too.
28. If I could wear jeans and a T-shirt every day, I would.
29. Each of my protagonists has a little piece of me in them. However, India is probably the most like me just a lot more outspoken.
30. I write a new novel every three months. It’s crazy but wonderful too.
31. The best part of my birthday will be seeing my family, especially the wee ones. See number 1.
32. I enjoy making list. Consider this exhibit A.
33. This list was a lot harder to make than I thought it would be!