
“The one thing you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” Neil Gaiman
I started a book club for women to share books and life experiences in 2004. And what an adventure it’s been. Book club is always so much more than just reading.
I’m a freelance writer – after going back to college and graduating in my early 50’s with a degree in journalism from Rutgers. After 23 years as a litigation paralegal, those 18-year-olds didn’t scare me. I loved every minute of being in college. As one student told me “Ma’am – you’re ruining the curve for the rest of us.” Who would have thought?
For me it all comes down to stories. Who doesn’t want to be climbing Mt. Everest from the safety of their own couch, or battling dragons in King’s Landing, or enjoying a walk on the beach with the man of your dreams. Come on! No one has anytime for anything anymore. We have made ourselves just plain crazy. So, take some time and join a book club or start your own book club. It’s easy to do, just grab a few friends or coworkers or neighbors and pick a book. Reading is such a great joy – come and enjoy the adventure.
I’ve done book reviews on all the books we’ve read and share those with all of you. There are book reviews on all types of books – not just current novels, with an emphasis on why the book is or isn’t book club material.
I always come away from book club feeling more informed, stimulated and way less stressed, even if I was finishing the novel on the way to the meeting.
Reading almost always delivers – enjoy!
Ratings for books 0 – 10 (0 = lowest, and 10 = highest score)

I am an embracer of creativity and curiosity and a strong believer in the power of storytelling.
Speaking of storytelling… at one point in school, we were given a “job assessment” to see what we were best suited for in the future. My top job came out as “circus performer.” I didn’t even know that was an option.
Instead, I spent 35 years in corporate communications where I successfully juggled myriad projects (social media, media relations and everything in between) without dropping a ball; jumped through burning hoops to satisfy demanding clients and gracefully swung from deadline to deadline usually without a net.
In 2010, I picked up a camera after a 30 year span of shooting nothing but family snapshots. Since then I’ve become a Getty Images contributor and do freelance photography, when I’m not working as the director of communications and marketing for a small liberal arts college in New Jersey.

Being Puerto Rican in the Bronx may not have been so bad in the 60s and 70s if everyone around you was Puerto Rican too. However, in my case the neighborhood was predominantly blue collar, Irish Catholic during a highly charged racial period in New York City. It made for an anxiety ridden childhood when not in the company and safety of my large extended family. Friends were scarce, but a few stubborn girls stood up against the neighborhood bullies and to this day, we are all still very close friends. Not allowed to go away to college (or camp, or sleep over at anyone’s house…ever) by my overprotective parents, I studied Nursing at a city college. Since I liked medicine and people, I thought it a good professional fit but withdrew after a couple of years when criticized by an instructor for being too personable. Having to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I worked across many industries. I sold life insurance and real estate, worked in banking and trained as stock trader, though none worked out too well. Fortunately, Ma Bell came calling and a 20 year career in telecommunications ensued. I soon married and moved across the river to New Jersey. Chapter 1, was mostly a fairytale for 25 years.
Today, I’m a divorced mother of two wonderfully independent young adults. After AT&T, and a glorious 12 year stint as a stay at home Mom, I ended up in the Pharmaceutical industry. Always a lover of books, I joined the Between Friends Book Club. At the urging of its relentless founder and friend, l agreed to collaborate with her and others on a book about middle aged women in love. Finally, my life’s journey made sense. I have come to believe that my experiences were research for this very book and future others. I was not meant to have one career but many. I can now add author to my resume, thanks to Kim and will be forever grateful to all who have walked, carried and loved me on this incredible trip called life.

I grew up in Midwestern bliss with a cornfield down the road, and two “Cheaper by the Dozen” families bookending my block. The announcement of our move to NJ was met with tears and TV-induced fears—of riots, of congestion, and of “tough” people. Relocating at age 9, I quickly met my future husband (married 29 years), and I fell in love with the state’s greenery, beaches, and people. I am proud to be able to negotiate traffic circles and jug-handles, and to pump my own gas, even though I don’t have to!
I have had a love-hate relationship with writing. It is a passion but also can be a torture. Case in point is my college senior thesis of 150+ pages, on which I labored in hermitic seclusion in a friend’s vacated dorm room for several weeks in order to make deadline. I existed on caffeine and dining hall meals delivered by kind friends–one even sent me a sympathy card via campus mail.
With three young adult children and an approaching empty nest, I am looking forward to returning to writing. A la Tom Clancy, I’ll do corporate insurance by day, writing by night. Totally ready for this next chapter in my life.

I’m a Jersey girl, without the much talked about big hair. I have lived in 7 of the 21 counties in my beautiful state. It is to my utter amazement that I have to admit to saying “I do” to three different men. Sometimes life takes turns that are surprising and unexpected. With my third husband I added 4 “bonus children” to the two I gave birth to. In the ensuing years the family has grown with marriages and babies. By end of summer this year we will have two granddaughters and two grandsons. Truly blessed.
I have worked in, left and returned three times to be a part of my law firm. Starting in my late teens as an assistant to the bookkeeper and over time I became the head of the accounting department and eventually added office administrator to the mix. I’m also a licensed realtor and enjoy helping people find their perfect home.
Having lost my parents at a young age I have a real appreciation and love for spending time with all my family. I love to cook and bake, which everyone enjoys. Reading, gardening, sewing, counted cross stitch and crafts have also been an integral part of my entire life.

I’m a seven-time Five Star Real Estate Professional an am honored to have this designation. I’ve also attained the level of NJAR Circle of Excellence Platinum 2014-2017 and become one of the “best real estate agents in NJ” (REAL Trends) across all real estate companies. I’m a 38 year resident of Long Valley and I have volunteered as an elected West Morris Regional High School Board of Education member for eight years, coached girls travelling soccer and Morris County select soccer, and worked with “Turning the Town Teal” for ovarian cancer awareness. My children and grandchildren have followed followed in my footsteps and have chosen to reside in Long Valley as well. See https://www.cindyfield.com/

Being born into a large family, losing my father at the age of two and adapting to a new school at the young age of 7, my formative years were presented with a few obstacles. But as it has been pointed out to me many times, our trials and how we deal with them, defines who we are. I have a degree in Special Education and have been teaching for 15 years (having also been a stay at home mom). Having time with students allows me to share with them a sense of perseverance and achievement, because I am their role model and can show them that even those born without the benefit of a ‘perfect and loving family life’, that they can grow and learn to be the best version of themselves. I understand their struggles.
As a divorced mother of two, and as a woman who still calls her mother-in-law “mom”, I am accepting for all of the ups and downs life has given me. I am now madly in love with a man who is my dream come true.
In between teaching, I returned to college for Engineering Technologies, and take that knowledge to teach subjects that are in higher demand. I share my experiences and often suggest to my students professions they can work towards.
My extracurricular activities include home remodeling. Whether it’s a whole house or just a bathroom, I enjoy the planning and actual construction of the project. Whenever a student asks “when am I ever going to use this in life?” I counter with my photos and say this is when.
Maybe that is why I was given an ‘Influential Teacher’ award by one of my students. The messages that students write in my yearbook gives me great comfort that I’m doing something positive and meaningful in this world.
My writing is confined to an ongoing screenplay.