Michelle Ruggieri Neighborhood: Astoria (lifelong resident) Years Done/Won: ‘14, ‘15 Genre: Romance Career: Finance assistant Favorite local writing spot: Starbucks on 35th Avenue Literary inspiration: Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks, Katie MacAlister and J.K. Rowling Plotter/Pantser: Plotter “I’ve always just been interested in writing and I’ve always kind of tried my hand at writing little short stories when I was a kid, and it developed from there.” Devin Mandelbaum Neighborhood: Astoria (lifelong resident) Years Done/Won: ‘06, ‘07, ‘11, ‘12 Genre: Historical fiction/romance (set during the Civil War) Career: Web developer Favorite local writing spot: Starbucks on Broadway; planning to write in Broadway library this year Literary inspiration: John Scalzi, Lyndsay Faye, Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman Plotter/Pantser: Plotter, “but I’m trying not to overdo it because last time I tried NaNoWriMo, I got lost in the research and barely got any writing done,” he said. “NaNoWriMo gives me a little more structure with a set goal every day, and having the community around to kind of help encourage and motivate helps keep me on task. … I’ve got high expectations for this year. I’m excited.” Mel Walker Neighborhood: Sunnyside Years Done/Won: ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15 Genre: Romantic suspense Career: IT project manager at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Favorite local writing spot: Caffe Bene on Queens Boulevard Literary inspiration: Kim McLarin, Alessandra Torre, J. A. Konrath Plotter/Pantser: Plotter “NaNoWriMo is good because it helps you understand your limits. You always think you don’t have time to do certain things, and you can usually find time to write 50,000-plus words in a month, and that carries over to other things in your life. Time is almost elastic as long as you prioritize what’s important to you.” NOVEMBER 2016 I BOROMAG.COM I 17
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