Nerdy Girl Notes could not survive on just my writing alone. It runs smoothly thanks to a great group of talented contributing writers.

Heather: 
I’m Heather. I studied experimental social psychology in college and graduated with my Master’s degree not long ago. I have always loved studying and analyzing pop culture, and since it doesn’t quite fit with my degree, I write the occasional essay in order to explore the media-related topics that are most dear to me.

I watch way more television that most people consider acceptable, and I’m attempting to catch up on all the great shows that I missed in the years before I started watching excessive amounts of television. I want to be a combination of Gillian Foster, Leslie Knope, and Diane Lockhart and am working toward embracing the things I’m most passionate about without fear.

Laura (aka Lola Drake):
I’m Laura, although my more recent work is published under my pen name Lola Drake. (Shh…don’t tell anyone my true identity, since it’s about as secret as Batman’s.) I’m a romance novelist, journalist, and, for certain shows, somewhat of a TV addict—especially when it comes to Once Upon a Time, Scandal, and The Good Wife. If you’re looking for some romantic, sexy, and fun entertainment, I hope you’ll check out my 2 novellas at my Amazon Author Page. My first full-length novel will hopefully be out in early 2016.

Overall, I love good stories, whether they’re in books, TV, or movies. Not only do stories entertain, but if done well they can educate and sometimes even teach important life lessons (one reason I love Once Upon a Time so much, with its messages about love and hope). In my own novels, I love incorporating important information within an entertaining story, such as details about gang violence in my romantic suspense novella “Pursuit of a Kiss” or information on the last Viking invasion of Scotland in my historical/time-travel romance “Wrong Time for Love.” If you read them, I hope you’ll tell me what you think, or better yet leave a review. Unless you hate it, in which case feel free to follow the old adage “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” 😉

Leah:
I’m Leah, a twenty-something recent college graduate with a degree in English. I’ve been an avid reader ever since I was a little kid, and as I grew older I started to become fascinated with the profound effect words can have on people. I am now a huge fan of stories and the people who tell them through various media, especially in books and on television, and I hope to someday aid others in telling their stories.

If you were to spend a day with me you would probably discover that I am an introvert who loves talking with friends about any and every passion; who easily gets lost in a book; who is a hopeless romantic, a good listener, a soccer player, a music lover, somewhat of an internet addict, and a believer in love and fairytales.

Meera:
I’m Meera! I have always found describing myself an extremely awkward thing to
do, but, trust me, I am getting a tiny bit better at it. I was born in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, where I lived for about 11 years before I moved to the United Arab Emirates. I completed my schooling in Dubai, after which I headed straight to the United Kingdom to study my Bachelors in Business Studies at the University of Kent. So if you were to ask me which one I consider to be my home or which one I prefer over the other, my response would be an extremely long “Ummm…’”

As a budding journalist, I’ll write about anything—rants, reviews, opinions, days of my life, poetry that does not rhyme, short stories, social issues, culture, TV shows, etc. I believe that there is always a continuation to something, always a missing link. I’m currently obsessed with female-centric TV shows and films. And I love to read anything and everything (except Business texts!). I guess all of these put together make me a giant nerd. Oh yes, one last thing: I love cats. I hope you’re all having a wonderful day!

Jo:
I’m Jo, a rather opinionated connoisseur of all types of media. In college, I was an English major, but now I work as a technical liaison at a marketing company. I was almost a media studies minor as well, but it didn’t quite happen. My focus was often drawn more to the social aspects of college. To that end, I love analyzing the intentions of characters in media (books, TV, film – you name it), and I love music that tells a lyrically honest story.

Most evenings, you’ll find me in my apartment scouring the web for new media, sharing ideas (and gifs) on Tumblr, and/or watching the latest television show or movie I can get my hands on. I’m a hopeless romantic, a chai drinker, an anglophile, a computer geek, an over-thinker, an under-talker, an observer, an analyzer, a writer, a dreamer and a believer that even though everyone struggles in life, they can make it through to the other side with a little help from friends and loved ones.

Ryan:
I’m Ryan. I’m a former sportswriter and current children’s book author. I have a degree in Communications and a minor in Classics, so I definitely know a lot about pointless things. I write and podcast about sports and pop culture. I am not a nerdy girl, but I’m definitely nerdy.

I hate laugh tracks and love cartoons. Breaking Bad, Adventure Time and Mad Men are among the best shows currently on television. I’ll talk to you for hours about all three. I Tweet a lot, I read even more and I oscillate on my use of the Oxford comma.

If you want to contribute to Nerdy Girl Notes, send any essays, reviews, or ideas for content to nerdygirlnotes@gmail.com.