Why My Life Seems Like a Samurai Movie

There is a famous Samauri movie called Rashoman in which different people have totally different memories of a crime. And I can really relate. This is not because I feel like I lived in 12th century Japan (which is when the movie took place) but because it seems like my memory of high school has absolutely nothing in common with those who I went to high school with.

When you're in the business of writing books set in high school, you find yourself reliving much of your own experience. When I'm working on a book, it's very common for me to flip through old yearbooks. I won't say how old, but I'll leave it to say that the hair is pretty big in some of the pictures.

Lately, I've also found myself reconnecting with some old high school friends on Facebook. (See Nancy's post below and add my name to the list of addicts.) There have been some interesting revelations and an amazing number of recollections that are very different from my own.

I thought I was a shy, withdrawn person who had limited dating success and absolutely no self confidence. Others remember me much differently. But here's the funny thing, most of them remember themselves as shy, withdrawn people with limited dating success and no self confidence.

The great thing is, most of them have fun reading the books and reconnecting about them. Ro-Coms and the internet have given me a chance to go back to school and realize that things were not always what they seemed.