I almost died when I was born. The doctors told my mother it was certain. "She's not going to live," they said, "but if she does, by some strange miracle, make it through, her brain will be severely damaged."

At least, this is what the experienced doctors said. It was a young physician who told my mother, "Your daughter is not going to die. Her brain will not be damaged. She's a fighter. She wants to live. In fact, you'd better watch out because that little girl is determined."

I suppose my entree into this world was good preparation for my chosen career path. In order to make a living as a writer, you have to be a fighter. Mostly editors reject your stories. Mostly publishers snub their noses at your ideas. Mostly agents don't have time to talk. Mostly readers pass by your book as it sits sandwiched between the millions of other titles on the shelves. Occasionally somebody finds your work, likes it, and understands what you are trying to do. It is those people who keep me going.

I have authored a handful of books. My favorites are Kiss Me, I'm Single: An Ode to the Solo Life and Be True to Yourself: A Daily Guide for Teenage Girls. Not surprisingly, these are also my bestsellers. My books have been translated into eight languages: Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Thai. My work has been featured in publications such as Real Simple, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, The Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times and The Oregonian. My articles on relationships and self-discovery appear weekly on eHow.com. I chronicle some of my life's small adventures in The Oh Olive Reader.

My writing style typically combines memoir, self-help and philosophical pondering. I enjoy examining human relationships, dissecting emotion, questioning status quo and embracing existential dread. A friend once described my work by saying, "It's like a slice of fine dark chocolate: slightly sweet, slightly bitter. It's satisfying, but ultimately leaves you craving more." I love chocolate and was endlessly delighted by this comparison. More than anything, I hope my work inspires and affirms life without being cheesy.

Speaking of chocolate and cheese, occasionally I write about food. My favorite cheese is Beecher's Flagship. It's made in Seattle.

When not writing, I throw dance parties for myself in my bedroom. I also dance at clubs. And ballrooms. And studios. And anywhere else music is playing. Or not playing. In my next life I will be a musician. And a break dancer. If flirting paid, I'd be a billionaire. To put a little extra jingle in my pocket, I teach indoor cycling classes and work at a bike shop where we import bicycles made in Europe. I dream of Copenhagen where the bike lanes are wide and the riders are chic. I wear cigarette pants, gigantic jewelry and a black casquette given to me by my dear friend. I am not a hipster, an academic or a socialite. I prefer quiet contemplation to chitchat. I am a negative-scanning optimist, which I realize is a contradiction in terms, but in the end I seem to reconcile it all just fine.